July 30, 2009
Scottsdale Unified School District Schools' Arizona Learns Labels Results
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) has released its Arizona Learns labels for the 2008-09 school year. Once again, Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) did well. Read more...
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SUSD Launches Touchbase Purchase & Payment System
In order to improve customer service throughout the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD), the District is launching the Touchbase Purchase and Payment System. This online system will enable parents and students to request comprehensive financial activity ledgers and be provided reports in a timely manner, either online or in person.
Parents will be able to make online payments for the following services:
- Elective fees (high school)
- Make a Tax Credit donation
- Purchase student and parent activity cards (high school)
- Look up receipts that were paid online or at a school site
Other features available soon
- Pay for athletic fees
- Pay for lost/damaged books
- Make a Band or Orchestra rental payment
- Community Schools Services
To make an online payment, please visit https://touchbase.susd.org/ .
Login Instructions
- The login is the student ID #
- The password is student's last name
- Parents will need to know the classes their student chose and select those items to pay. When they log in they need to click on their student's name. On the right hand side, click on Products Available.
- Click the Fees under Product Categories. This will bring up all the classes and miscellaneous items such as yearbook and student activity card. The parent will select the items they wish to purchase.
- To complete the process, select Add Selected Products to Cart. This will take you to the pay option.
If you need assistance, please contact Shannon Crosier, student activities manager, at 480-484-6133.
Please note: If you are using Safari as your Web browser, the online payment system will not work. Please change your Web browser to Firefox or Internet Explorer; then you can make a payment online.
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SUSD Outperforms the State on AIMS Tests
The Arizona Department of Education recently released the Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) results from the 2008-2009 school year.
Once again, Scottsdale Unified School District continues to outperform the State in the percentage of students passing AIMS across all grade levels and content areas. The average AIMS scores range from 5-18 percent higher than State averages.
Additionally, some individual schools scored exceptionally high on the test. One hundred percent of third graders at Cheyenne Traditional School and fifth graders at Cochise Elementary School met or exceeded the standard in writing. Sophomores at Chaparral High School did extremely well on the math, reading and writing portions of the test; 95 percent passed the math portion, 94 percent passed the reading portion and 90 percent passed the writing portion.
District trends include continuing to outperform the State in writing in all grades.
To view the results, please visit www.susd.org/district/assess/testresults.cfm.
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Network Maintenance-Generator Install
This message is to let you know that it will be necessary to turn off the electricity to the main server area at the Education Center from Thursday evening (July 30) to Friday afternoon (July 31) to complete the installation of a generator. In the future, this generator will supply backup power to the servers when the electrical supply to the Education Center is interrupted.
IT will begin shutting down servers at 5 p.m. Thursday, and we anticipate that services will be restored by 2 p.m. Friday.
During this time, SUSD will not have any network connections to schools or to the internet. This includes but is not limited to:
- Access to e-mail
- Access to SUSD Web ( www.susd.org, http://homeroom )
- Access to iVisions
- Access to Genesis
- Ed Center phone service*
Users will not be able to log on to the Novell network, computers will work in “workstation” mode only
*Individual schools will have phone service
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2009-10 Enrollment Packet Information
The 2009-10 Enrollment Packet is now available online. The following required forms need to be returned to your child’s school. These required forms are:
- Enrollment/Registration Form
- PHLOTE Form
- Annual Requirement & Notification (Code of Conduct Notification and Parent Language Survey)
- Emergency Card/Student Health History
If this is your first time enrolling your child into a Scottsdale Unified School District school, you will need to bring the following documentation with you:
- Birth Certificate or Passport
- Immunization Records
- Proof of Residency (acceptable are rental agreement, escrow papers or most recent utility (gas, electric or water) bill.
- Guardianship/Custody Documentation (if applicable)
- Unofficial high school transcript or most recent report card (for students entering grade 9) and standardized test scores, if available.
Completed Enrollment Packets must be returned to your child’s school starting July 20th. (Copper Ridge July 27th)
Remember to START SMART – School starts on August 10th!
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Ed Center Resumes Regular Office Hours
As the 2009-10 school year approaches, the SUSD Education Center resumes regular office hours on Monday, August 3rd. Office hours will be from 7:30 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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Back to School Checklist
With only one week of summer vacation left, parents are getting their children geared up for the 2009-10 school year by scheduling immunizations, eye exams and physicals and purchasing school supplies. With such busy schedules, it is easy to forget what day school actually starts – Monday, August 10th.
Click on the following links for more information about:
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Open Enrollment Applications Still Being Accepted
Did you know that parents outside of the SUSD boundaries may enroll their child in a Scottsdale Unified School District school? SUSD accepts Open Enrollment applications throughout the year.
The Open Enrollment form is available on our Web site at http://www.susd.org/district/administrativeservices/howtoopenenroll.cfm.
Here are just a few reasons why you should consider open enrollment:
- Twenty-two “Excelling” schools as rated by the Arizona Department of Education.
- Twenty-seven National Merit finalists.
- SUSD students score higher than state averages on both AIMS and Terra Nova tests at all grade levels and in all content areas.
- SAT scores for our college-bound students were above the state and national averages in both English and Math.
- Scottsdale Unified School District offers specialized programs such as:
- Aviation Science Program at Coronado High School
- Nursing Program at Saguaro High School
- Culinary Program at Chaparral High School
- Award-winning Media Communications Program at Arcadia High School
- International Baccalaureate Program at Desert Mountain High School
- Foreign Language Immersion Program at Pueblo Elementary School
- Six middle schools with Enrichment Courses that ease the transition from elementary school to middle school and then from middle school to high school
- Three K-8 schools
- Sixteen elementary schools that lay a strong educational foundation
Once accepted to an SUSD school through the Open Enrollment process, parents will not need to fill out another application for the remainder of their child’s public school career. Parents will need to provide their child's transportation to and from school. There are a limited number of our schools that are not accepting students through the Open Enrollment process because those schools are at full capacity. Please call the school in which you are interested to check Open Enrollment availability.
Your child’s special place to Excel is waiting in the
Scottsdale Unified School District!
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 Planning Your Summer Vacation? Remember to Plan for START SMART — August 10!
Keep the first day of school – August 10th – in mind when planning your family vacation this summer. It’s important that children are in school, because learning begins on the very first day of instruction. Scottsdale Unified teachers come to class each day prepared to teach all students, but these lessons are learned best when children are in class! Remember, school starts on August 10th!
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SUSD Offers All Day Kindergarten
The Benefits of All Day Kindergarten and K-3 Override
- The K-3 Override was originally approved to provide all day Kindergarten for Scottsdale Unified School District.
- When the State provided funding for all day Kindergarten, we were able to support smaller class sizes in Kindergarten and grades 1, 2 and 3.
- The current State budget challenges may impact the funds provided by the State for all day Kindergarten. District leadership is continually monitoring the State budget process and will update this information as often as possible.
- If the State does not provide funding for all day Kindergarten, the K-3 Override will be used to continue our current all day Kindergarten program. We would not be able to continue to reduce class sizes in grades 1, 2 and 3.
Thank You
- The K-3 Override was passed by voters in 2005. A voter-approved K-3 Override runs for a period of seven years.
- The first five years of this override allow for a school district to budget an additional 5% of K-8 funding capacity.
- If the Override is not renewed after five years, it will be reduced by 1/3 of the approved funds in year six and an additional 1/3 reduction will occur in year seven.
- The K-3 Override allows $3.4 million per year of additional education funding so that the District has reduced Kindergarten class sizes targeted at 21 students to 1 teacher.
- These funds also allow reduced class sizes in grades 1-3, during the important early years of a student’s education. Funds also provide for instructional assistants in kindergarten and first grade.
The Benefits of the K-3 Override to Our Children Are:
- Better academic preparation.
- The opportunity for enrichment of the curriculum.
- More interaction between teachers and students.
- More focused participation during early childhood education which positively impacts later academic performance.
- A more productive learning environment and the opportunity to learn to work well with peers.
Thank you for your continued support of public education! Your support has made excelling education possible in the Scottsdale Unified School District. Thank you!
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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, simply fill out the online Teacher Nomination Form.
*Please note that a high resolution digital photo must be submitted to be considered for publication.
View the article on Hopi Elementary teacher Livia Rice that ran in the Scottsdale Republic.
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Scottsdale Leadership Accepting Nominations for Annual Awards
Scottsdale Leadership, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving Scottsdale and the surrounding community, is accepting nominations for the 2009 Corporate Leadership, Frank W. Hodges Alumni Achievement, Drinkwater Community Leadership and Youth Leadership awards. All nominations are due by September 4, 2009.
The Youth Leadership award, presented by Scottsdale Active 20-30 Club and Foundation, recognizes a teenager who exhibits leadership skills within their school, community and extracurricular activities. Nominees must be a high school junior or senior.
Award recipients will be honored at Scottsdale Leadership's 10th Annual Spirit of Community Leadership Awards Luncheon, sponsored by APS, on December 4, 2009 at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas, 6333 N. Scottsdale Road.
To download an award nomination form or for more information, visit www.scottsdaleleadership.org or call 480-627-6710. back to top
H1N1 (Swine Flu) Update
06-11-09 - Information from the CDC
05-19-09 - Update from Maricopa County Department of Public Health
05-08-09 - CDC What's New on the H1N1 Flu Site
05-04-09 - Important Message from Maricopa County Department of Public Health
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