In this issue...

May 16, 2008

Facilities Utilization Update

At the May 6, 2008 Governing Board Meeting, the Board directed the Administration to place an item on the May 20, 2008 Agenda to further discuss the following ideas that emerged from the Community Forums held in the five District Complexes:

Special Governing Board Meeting
Tuesday, May 20, 5:30 p.m.
Chaparral High School, in the Library
Additional seating and live video streaming will be available in nearby classrooms and online at www.susd.org.

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Coronado Dedicates the Roy Coppinger Baseball Complex

Coronado alumni, staff and students are excited to dedicate their new baseball complex to former coach Roy Coppinger.

Guest speakers for the event, which will be held on Monday, May 19 at 4 p.m., include current principal John Biera, athletic director Nathan Slater, NY Yankees scout Kendall Carter, and Coronado Dons coaches Buck Holmes, Bill Berger and Jim Poole. 

After the speeches, the new scoreboard will be unveiled for Coach Coppinger, his wife Jerry and their family. 

Organizers are encouraging all former ballplayers to wear something that they can “take a swing” in, so the field will be put to use that evening.  For those with a sense of nostalgia, there will also be old jerseys for sale.

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Scottsdale All City Athletic Awards Spring Banquet

The Scottsdale All City Athletic Awards Spring Banquet will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 19th , at Chaparral Suites, 5001 N. Scottsdale Road .

This event is a way for Scottsdale citizens and businesses to recognize and honor the accomplishments — both academic and athletic — of athletes within SUSD's sports programs. More than 40 athletes will be honored and scholarships will be handed out by the Scottsdale Charros and Scottsdale Healthcare. The spring sports that will be honored include: track, baseball, softball, tennis.

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SUSD Graduation Information

The Class of 2008 at each SUSD High School will hold its Graduation on May 28 at the location and time listed below.

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Coronado Dance Concert

On May 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m., the Coronado Dance Department will present the first dance production, “Images,” to be held in the newly-dedicated Eugene L. Hanson Auditorium. Choreography for the program was based on the emotions evoked as the dancers viewed photographs.

You may reserve tickets by calling 480-484-6800, extension 6799. Leave your name, the date you would like to attend and how many tickets to reserve.  Your tickets will be held in the box office.  Tickets will also be available at the door.

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Healthy Fundraising

SUSD’s Wellness Policy was established with the goal to “create a total school environment that is conducive to healthy eating, physical activity and an over-all healthy environment.” To help meet this goal, the District encourages non-food items to be sold as part of school-sponsored fundraising activities and bans foods of minimal nutritional value from being sold during the school day.

If your group is considering a fundraiser, please remember these important benefits of healthy fundraising:

• Healthy Kids Learn Better: research clearly demonstrates that good nutrition is linked to better behavior and academic performance. To provide the best possible learning environment for children, schools must also provide an environment that supports healthy behaviors.
• Provides Consistent Messages: fundraising with healthy foods and non-food items demonstrates a school commitment to promoting healthy behaviors. It supports the classroom lessons students are learning about health, instead of contradicting them.
• Promotes a Healthy School Environment: students need to receive consistent, reliable health information and ample opportunities to use it. Finding healthy alternatives to fundraising is an important part of providing a healthy school environment.

Read more...

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Southern Scottsdale and Greater Airpark Area Visioning Workshops

The City of Scottsdale is in the process of updating its General Plan. In preparation for this process, the City has identified six “Community Areas” within the City. A Community Area Plan will be prepared for each of the six areas, including Southern Scottsdale and the Greater Airpark Area, to ensure that the long term vision for Scottsdale is completed with the 2011 General Plan Update. For more information click here. To register, please visit www.scottsdaleaz.gov/planning/areaplans or call the Scottsdale Advance Planning Division at 480-312-7990.

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Scottsdale Republic Features SUSD Teachers

Do you know an outstanding teacher in the Scottsdale Unified School District? Would you like that teacher to be recognized in the newspaper? The Scottsdale Republic runs a weekly feature highlighting a different SUSD teacher each week. To nominate a teacher for this feature, simply fill out the online Teacher Nomination Form.

*Please note that a high resolution digital photo must be submitted to be considered for publication.

To view the story on Aztec teacher Kathy Gilbert that ran in the Scottsdale Republic, please visit: http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2008/05/06/20080506sr-teacher0507gilbert-ON.html

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Upcoming Events

• Tonalea will host an Art Walk on Monday, May 19 th from 5-6:15 p.m. Meet the Artist in Residence 2008, Ms. Joan Bourque. Stroll through the hallways with student art guides from each grade level and see beautiful artistic depictions of learning, created by students with the artist. Coffee and desserts will be served. From 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., the last Band Concert of the year will be held.
  
  
• Gifted Services is hosting Comprehensive Gifted Program Tours at the following schools:
  
• Desert Canyon Middle, 10203 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road, Scottsdale, from 2-4 p.m. on May 21^st

Reserve your seat today by e-mailing your name, address and phone number to Robin Madison. Also, indicate the location and date you plan to attend.

You may view frequently asked questions, the criteria for acceptance into the program and download the application at www.susd.org/district/gifted/Comprehensive.cfm.

• If you plan on participating in middle or high schools sports, you must have a physical. Scottsdale Unified School District athletes can get a sports physical at the following location:
  • May 31 from 7 a.m.-noon at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Outpatient Therapy Services, 3134 N. Civic Center Plaza.
    
  For more information, please view the flyer.

• Prep for the SAT this Summer. Kaplan classes start soon. Reserve your spot today by registering at 1-800-KAP-TEST or kaptest.com/sat. For more information, please view the flyer.
   
   
• Sequoya Elementary School is hosting an Information Night from 6-7 p.m. on May 20th in the Cafeteria, 11808 N. 64th St., Scottsdale. Learn about Sequoya's academic programs and numerous community-building events designed to make the school a place where families and staff work together to promote academic excellence and personal growth for each child. For more information, please view the flyer.
   
• AAA Arizona and the Maricopa Association of Governments are currently seeking candidates for the 2^nd Annual Crossing Guard of the Year Award. Applications are due no later than May 31. For more information and the nomination form, please view the flyer.

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Excellence in the Classroom
CANINE THERAPISTS

Many PANDA (Program for Assessed Needs in Developmental Areas) preschool classrooms have weekly 4-legged visitors. Therapy Dogs, Inc. provides trained, certified and insured therapy dogs free of charge. They (and their handlers) serve as volunteers in SUSD schools.

Black Bart visits Zuni Elementary. Teacher Rhoda Hunter reports that Mr. Bart greets the children when they arrive. The children talk to him and pet him. Ms. Rhoda says he as help some preschoolers with severe language delays by just being a dog. He participates in story time by being a good listener. Outside Black Bart encourages gross motor development by playing catch. This also helps the children with visual perception skills by following where the ball goes as Black Bart retrieves their tossed balls.

Fridays are ‘Buddy Days' at Cherokee Elementary School 's PANDA Classrooms. Teachers Lisa Sanders and Bronwyn Milhaven say Buddy has helped their students learn position words such as on, in, on top of, under, inside etc.

Charleigh, a German Shepard therapy dog, visits the Yavapai PANDA classroom and is greeted with enthusiasm every week. During the community helper unit, Charleigh let the students be “veterinarians” and listen to her heart. The Yavapai PANDA students have also taught Charleigh how to go down a slide!

Cuddles, a Bichon, and Tobey, a soft-coated Wheaton terrier, are the therapy dogs at Navajo and Laguna , and Dillon is the German Shepard who visits Hohokam. The PANDA Preschool Program is extremely pleased and honored to receive these therapy services from our furry friends.

HABITAT (Human Animal Bound in Teaching and Therapy) dogs are also attending regular education 3rd grade classes at Tavan and Tonalea in a program called Literate Labradors. In these classrooms, students in small groups improve their fluency and comprehension skills by reading to Pakuna. They also learn about dog care and training.

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To submit an idea for coverage in Community Connection, please send an e-mail to Jo Davidson.

Community Connection is generally distributed every Friday, and was sent to you by Scottsdale Unified School District - 3811 N. 44th St., Phoenix, AZ 85018. You are receiving this e-mail because you signed up via our Web site. You may update your account preferences or unsubscribe through our Web site, or contact us at SUSDCommunications@susd.org.