In this issue...

July 31, 2008

SUSD's New Principals and APs

For the 2008-09 school year, the District has several new principals and assistant principals.

Tanya Beckwith is the new principal at Ingleside Middle School, where Nicole Wilfert is the new assistant principal (AP). At Supai, the new principal is Dawn Ewan Thompson. Desert Canyon Middle School's new AP is Marilyn Engle, and Steve Richie is an AP at Mountainside.

Several changes have been made at elementary schools, too. At Cherokee, Sharon Boomer replaces Sarah Stammegna as AP. Sarah is the new principal at Cochise. Neela Bhavnani is interim principal at Sequoya where Ann Achtziger will be acting AP. Pima's new principal is Sheryl Rednor and Art Velarde is now AP at Tavan.

Congratulations to all. We look forward to a very successful school year!

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SUSD Receives Department of Education Grant

Scottsdale Unified School District was recently awarded a three-year $400,000 grant from the United States Department of Education. The grant was written by Sylvia Cohen, Ph.D. and Birgit Lurie, lead psychologists, to provide early intervention services in elementary schools.  The goals specified in the grant are to create a positive school climate and to increase academic achievement.  There will be more information available at a later date regarding these additional resources for our campuses.

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START SMART August 11th!

Did you know that students are only in the classroom 180 days of each year? 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 learning can only happen when children are in class! Remember to START SMART on August 11th!

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Back to School Checklist

With only a few weeks of summer vacation left, parents are getting their children geared up for the 2008-09 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 11th.

Click on the following links for more information about:

If you have any additional questions, please call the District office at 480-484-6100.

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Math and Science Academy Moves to Saguaro

The Copper Ridge Math and Science Academy, which provides accelerated courses, is moving to Saguaro High School. The Scottsdale Governing Board officially approved the change recently.

The academy, formerly at 10101 E. Thompson Peak Parkway, moves in August to the more centrally located Saguaro, 6250 N. 82nd St., for the 2008-09 school year. It will become a specialty program within the high school.

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Ed Center Resumes Regular Office Hours

As the 2008-09 school year approaches, the SUSD Education Center resumes regular office hours on Monday, August 4th. Although most departments will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 4:15 p.m., the lobby will remain open until 5 p.m.

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SUSD Community Schools Pre-K Programs are Growing!

For the 2008-09 school year, new classrooms for three-year-olds will be offered at Copper Ridge, Aztec and Cherokee Elementary Schools. Copper Ridge now has four Pre-K classrooms planned for the fall!

In addition, the Kids Club and Early Birds programs will enroll three-year-old children next year. The Pre-K and Kids Club programs will partner to provide a familiar and safe environment for the three-year-old students.

Visit http://www.susd.org/CommunitySchools or call the Community Schools office at 480-484-8614 for more information. Registration packets for the 2008-09 school year are available at participating schools and the Community Schools office.

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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.

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Upcoming Events

The first day of the 2008-09 school year is AUGUST 11th, and learning begins on the very first day. All SUSD students should START SMART on August 11th.

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Campus Kudos!

• While many of their peers were off enjoying the summer holiday, Arcadia High School students Timothy Rayes and Kelly Zucker, along with their teachers Eric Bodznick and Cheryl Dunham, were part of a group of 58 talented and dedicated Valley high school students and teachers engaged in solving real-world problems. The interns worked alongside Biodesign Institute scientists as part of Arizona's largest high school bioscience internship program at Arizona State University. Each student/teacher pair worked on a research project and was mentored by a Biodesign researcher who supervised the team's day-to-day progress. The daily exposure to the large research teams and world-class facilities of the institute gave the interns an in-depth introduction to the career of a research scientist. The six-week paid internship was made possible through a $50,000 grant from the ASU Foundation's Women and Philanthropy program.
  
  
• Nick Handel, an International Baccalaureate student and rising Desert Mountain High School senior, was one of ten students in the nation to be awarded a trip to Uganda. He won for his work in organizing a Chapter of Invisible Children at DMHS, and because of the highly successful fund raising efforts of its 30 members. Nick led his Chapter to become the top western mountain region fund raiser for Gulu School in Northern Uganda. Gulu School provides scholarships and mentors to 570 students with preference given to orphans, heads of household, abducted returnees, child mothers and people living positively with HIV/AIDS. The DMHS Chapter has raised more than $17,000 for these Ugandan students.
   
• Wade Wilbur, Coronado High School; Danielle Desjardins and Bridget Williams, Desert Mountain High School, were selected by Scottsdale Sister Cities to receive an all expense paid scholarship to attend the Sister Cities International Youth Conference this month. There were about 400 students from America, Morocco, Iraq and other countries who attended the conference.
   
• School may be out for students, but some teachers headed back to school so that they will be better able to help their students during the upcoming school year.

  One Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) teacher recently hosted a workshop to teach teachers how to guide their students through the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair.

  There were 18 teachers from across the state – including three SUSD teachers – who attended. They were put to work designing their own science fair project complete with a research plan, original research, a collection of data, a completed display board and a final presentation. Then the teachers received instruction on how to improve their expertise in hands-on discovery methods and how to incorporate the scientific method.

  The SUSD teachers who attended were Kathleen Gaydos from Cocopah, Steve Williams from Arcadia Neighborhood Learning Center and Pamela Whiffen from Mohave, who hosted the workshop.

We are looking for stories about the accomplishments of SUSD students. Do you know a student who has something to brag about? If so, please send the details in an e-mail to Becky Kelbaugh and be sure to include the student's name, grade and school.

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How Can I Help?
We truly appreciate the volunteers that serve in a variety of capacities throughout the Scottsdale Unified School District. Whether in offices, classrooms, playgrounds or on field trips, volunteers enrich the educational experience for SUSD students. Although working with students is a great responsibility, it is also highly rewarding.

To learn more about how you can help, visit http://www.susd.org/district/legal/volunteer.cfm.

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To view archived issues or subscribe to Community Connection, please visit our Web site at: www.susd.org/district/communications/emss.cfm

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

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.