12 04 15 district dialogue

District Dialogue Bi-weekly news from the Laveen Elementary School District

December 4, 2015

Attendance boundaries selected for School No. 8 The Laveen Governing Board selected the new attendance boundaries for School No. 8 at their November meeting. The map shows the new boundaries for the school that will open in August 2016.

These changes will impact some students currently living within the Trailside Point, Desert Meadows, Cheatham, Laveen , and M.C. Cash School boundaries. Letters are being sent to affected families.

As with previous boundary changes, existing students who are affected by boundary changes, but choose to remain at their current school, may do so through open enrollment. Parents and guardians will be responsible for any transportation needs of open enrolled students. Current open enrolled students (students currently attending a school other than the one in which boundaries they live) will not be affected by the attendance boundary changes.

School No. 8 planning meeting scheduled Parents of students who will be attending School No. 8 next fall are invited to attend a planning meeting on December 9 at 6:00 pm to provide input on the school name, mascot, colors, etc. The meeting will take place at the Laveen Education Center, 5001 W. Dobbins.

School No. 8 to offer dual language program Construction has begun on Laveen’s newest school, located near 55th Avenue and Dobbins Rd. When it opens in August 2016, it will feature Dual Language Immersion as its signature program.

Parents will have the option of placing their kindergarten-age students in a classroom where some subjects are taught in English for half of the day, and other subjects are taught in Spanish the other half. If there is sufficient interest, the option may be available for first graders, as well. The program will add a grade each year, so it will eventually be available K-8.

The benefits of Dual Language Immersion include:  Students develop oral, reading, and writing proficiency in two languages.  Students typically meet or exceed the academic performance of students in monolingual English classrooms.  Students are better prepared to engage in a global society that values cultural and linguistic diversity, To assist the district in planning, please complete a brief survey. .

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Sarah Mikula named Exemplary Teacher M.C. Cash resource teacher Sarah Mikula has been named an Exemplary Teacher by the Rodel Foundation of Arizona. She joins just 14 other teachers from across the state who are recognized for their outstanding student achievement. Rodel Exemplary teachers share their knowledge of curriculum, instructional strategies, and classroom management skills with student teachers.

Helms, Cole are October’s Employees of the Month Employees of the month for October are Amber Helms, 5th grade teacher at M.C. Cash, and Anik Cole, Guest Teacher at Trailside Point.

Helms has been a great role model for both the students and teachers at M.C. Cash. She is involved with many extracurricular activities and goes above and beyond when working with the students. This year she is sponsoring the mentoring program, “Heart and Sole” and also serves on the Professional Learning Committee Cole Helms and as a grade level team leader.

Cole took the role of guest teacher this year and immediately stepped in to fill a vacancy. She is dedicated to the students and staff and is always willing to stay afterschool to plan, create lessons, and attend meetings.

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December 4, 2015