02 26 16 district dialogue

District Dialogue Bi-weekly news from the Laveen Elementary School District Vista student takes 2nd Place in Regional Spelling Bee

February 26, 2016 AZ Science Center visits Desert Meadows

Vista del Sur sixth grader, Lindsay Davis took second place in last week’s regional spelling bee.

The regional bee went 64 rounds and lasted three and a half hours. Davis and the other finalist competed against each other for the last 44 rounds. The Arizona Educational Foundation, which oversees Arizona’s spelling bees, believes this is a record number of rounds for a regional competition.

Some of the words Davis spelled correctly included: bobbejaan, glockenspiel, asthmogenic, and gnathonic.

Davis will represent the Laveen School District and Region 3 at the Arizona State Spelling Bee, on March 19, 2016, at Eight/ AZ PBS. This event will be taped and aired at a later date.

The Arizona Science Center’s Science on Wheels team visited Desert Meadows’ Family Night event.

The Science Center premiered their new Ecology exhibit. Meadows families discovered what it’s like to see like a bee, made their own animal tracks field guide, explored animal adaptations by examining animal skulls, and more.

Davis shows off her trophy at the Region3 Spelling Bee. With her is her mother, Desert Meadows teacher, Zuzana Finn.

Desert Meadows students participate in some of the handson activities brought in by the Arizona Science Center.

Vista celebrates Black History Month Vista Del Sur commemorated Black History Month with an assembly celebrating some of the many achievements of African Americans around the world. Students learned about inventions from African Americans such as: the traffic light, the folding chair, home alarm system, the lunchbox, mailbox, elevator, fire extinguisher, ironing board, mop, brush, and the air conditioning unit to name a few.

The national step team, The Ice Cold Souljah's of South Mountain High School performed. Two Vista students, Milan Harris, who is also Little Miss Black Arizona, and Sorrayah Johnson, read poems by Nikki Giovanni and Maya Angelou respectively. South Mountain High School teacher, Dr. Breshawn Harris, emceed the event. The keynote speaker, Larry Ross, engaged students in the purpose of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their relevancy in the 21st Century. .

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Trainor, Diaz are January’s Employees of the Month Employees of the month for January are Stacy Trainor, Rogers Ranch Speech Pathologist, and Orlando Diaz, Cheatham Behavior Monitor.

Trainor was recognized for going above and beyond to support the Rogers Ranch teachers and the needs of their students. She prepares individualized speech/language packets so teachers have additional resources when targeting interventions and supports. Trainor has conducted numerous hours of training to new self-contained teachers and often spends time in these classrooms to further support communication. She Trainor Diaz collaborates effectively with her colleagues, communicates well with parents, and is a key component to the school’s success.

Diaz began the year at Cheatham as a guest teacher and soon moved into the role of Behavior Monitor. He was recognized for being effective in his position and is extremely patient with his students. Additionally, Diaz has spearheaded the community service component of the In School Detention (ISD) program. He is reliable and communicates well with parents, students, and staff.

Coyotes bring hockey camp to Rogers

Gifted students learn sustainability

The Arizona Coyotes visited Rogers Ranch PE classes and conducted hockey camps.

It was a great experience for the students as it exposed them to a sport that is unfamiliar to many.

The students were also given tickets to an upcoming hockey game and other fun prizes.

Gifted middle school students visited DIRTT (Do It Right This Time), an environmental solutions company, to learn about the sustainability practices they use in construction.

The students toured the showroom and factory and learned how to build homes and businesses with the environment in mind.

Students even enjoyed lunch provided in the “environmental friendly” cafeteria.

Second teacher job fairs planned

UNICEF Kids Power comes to Desert Meadows

Know a teacher who would like to work for the Laveen Elementary School District? Laveen will be holding a job fair for those interested in joining our team.

Interested teachers should attend the job fair planned for March 31 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Laveen Education Center, 5001 W. Dobbins.

Representatives from each of the schools will be available to share information on the school and conduct screening interviews.

Desert Meadows students are participating in UNICEF Kid Power Month.

Students in grades three through five received Kid Power Bands that track their steps. Students then can go on virtual UNICEF missions to earn points. Points unlock funding from UNICEF partners to provide for food deliveries to malnourished children around the world.

Participating classrooms received Kid Power packs that included the bands and a tablet.

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February 26, 2016