For the third consecutive year, the City of Scottsdale is being honored for helping young people succeed, and the Scottsdale Unified School District is proud to be part of that recognition.

The City has been named one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People by America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth. The quality of education in Scottsdale’s schools was cited as a key factor in the ranking.

More than 1,000 communities nationwide vied for the organization's recognition.

Criteria for selecting the top 100 included community support of children and youth; resources children and youth receive; children and youth outcomes; community innovations in the areas of policy, practice and resources; progress to date and plans for the coming year and broad diversity of American life.

The initiative is sponsored by Colin Powell. For more information about America's Promise, please visit www.americaspromise.org.

The Foreign Language Immersion (FLI) program at Pueblo Elementary School offers parents an opportunity for their child to learn a second language at a time when children learn languages best.

For the 2008-09 school year, the FLI program will be open to incoming students in kindergarten and first grade. English speaking students enrolled in this program will spend half of the school day learning regular curriculum in Spanish and the other half learning in English. Students are taught the curriculum and will learn to speak, read and write in two languages.

Pueblo is currently accepting open enrollment applications for students who will be entering kindergarten and first grade in 2008-2009 for its Foreign Language Immersion Program. For more information about the Foreign Language Immersion Program, please visit www.susd.org/Pueblo/ or call Pueblo Elementary School at 480-484-3100.

With tax season upon us, it’s a great time to think about ways you can reduce your 2008 Arizona State Income taxes. Although the deadline has passed for claiming a tax credit on your 2007 State taxes, it’s never too early to make a donation that can be claimed when you file your 2008 State taxes.

Did you know that Arizona law allows taxpayers to receive a tax credit of up to $200 for individual filers and up to $400 for married filers? You can claim the tax credit when filing your 2008 Arizona State Income Tax. The school must receive the funds by December 31, 2008. It’s a win, win situation for you and the school!

To contribute online, please visit: http://payments.susd.org/

If you have additional questions, please contact Scottsdale Unified School District at 480-484-6143, or the Arizona Department of Revenue at: www.azdor.gov/ResearchStats/Schooltaxcredit.htm.

When it comes to schools, there are many choices available in Scottsdale. Here are a few key points to consider when comparing schools to make your final enrollment decision.

Specialized programs – International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), Gifted programs, Fine Arts programs, Athletics, Special Education and more!

Outstanding teachers – SUSD has more "Highly Qualified" teachers, 97 percent, than any other Arizona school district.

Top test scores – as much as 30 percent above state averages on AIMS and as much as 43 percent higher on Terra Nova.

New facilities – Arcadia, Chaparral, Coronado and Saguaro high schools are being reconstructed and renovations are being made to Desert Mountain High School.

Saguaro High School won its second consecutive Class 4A Division I football title with a 23-21 victory over Tucson Canyon del Oro Saturday at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

Congratulations to the Saguaro Sabercats football team and athletic staff!

Arcadia High School's Girls' Swimming and Diving team earned its second consecutive 1st place title at the 4AII State swim championships on October 20th and 21st at ASU. Lindsey Stevens was named 4AII girl outstanding swimmer of the meet.

The Boys Swim team had outstanding performances and earned 2nd place, only 67 points behind Flagstaff. Michael Zoldos was named 4AII outstanding boy swimmer of the meet.

Arcadia dominated overall in the number of state champions in many individual events as well as in relays.