District Dialogue For employees of the Laveen Elementary School District
February 14, 2014
Note: We have had a request to produce the District Dialogue twice per month. It will now be issued on the second and fourth Friday of the month.
Schools scheduled for A+ site visits M.C. Cash and Trailside Point schools will host the A+ School of Excellence committee during upcoming site visits. The visits are part of the schools’ applications for the A+ School designation.
Preschool students show off their new tricycles alongside Tribal Education and Early Childhood leaders (from left): Aurora Nevarez, Mario Molina, Kandy Clauss (preschool coordinator), Sandra Bautista and Meghan Lawrence (preschool teacher).
Gila River donates preschool equipment Members of the Gila River Tribal Education and Early Childhood Special Services departments donated numerous pieces of equipment to our preschool. This included a book center, tricycles, bookcases, a dress up cart and much more. Because the preschool serves members of the Gila River Indian Community, Tribal Education wanted to make a contribution that would help support the program and its students. Preschool Coordinator Kandy Clauss provided the group with a wish list of 50 items; every item on the list was fulfilled.
Home Depot volunteers assist students planting vegetables.
Home Depot donates garden Home Depot donated materials to build a garden at Desert Meadows. Employees from the store also donated their time to help set up the garden last Friday. Kindergartners immediately started planting vegetables and will learn about growing food.
Employees of the Month Congratulations to Dulce Bejarano and Eric Pederson, Laveen’s Employees of the Month for December. Ms. Bejarano is a 7th grade math teacher at Cheatham. She was recognized for her communication and collaboration skills, especially pertaining to special education. She provides detailed feedback on student performance for IEPs that is highly valued by the special education team. She has a genuine desire to assist in the development of students and helped start the school’s NJHS chapBejarano ter. Mr. Pederson is a computer technician at Trailside Point. He was recognized for taking on the huge task of getting the Trailside Point staff acclimated to using laptops instead of desktop computers. He seeks staff out to ensure their technology is working properly and is happy to answer the many questions staff may have. Mr. Pederson responds promptly to work orders and never fails to find the solution to a problem. He keeps the staff up to date on the new systems and offers helpful Pederson tools to further assist his coworkers.
Community hears about state budget, legislation
Miranda
Mendoza
Approximately thirty people attended the district’s Key Communicators meeting on January 30. Participants received an overview of Governor Brewer’s proposed education budget and heard from local community representatives about issues impacting Laveen. State Representative Catherine Miranda discussed bills being introduced in the legislature. Felicita Mendoza, of Councilman Michael Nowakowski’s office, was also on hand to talk about issues impacting Laveen residents.
ASU’s Honor College to host session Representatives from Arizona State University’s Barrett, The Honors College will host an informational session on February 19 about their Summer Scholars program. Open to high achieving 7th & 8th graders, the summer experience provides participants with exposure to university-level academics, residential life, and community-building with other students who share in their interests and abilities. The informational session begins at 6pm at Vista del Sur.
Calendar February 17 Presidents Day No School February 20 Kindergarten Round Up 5:00 pm—7:00 pm February 24 Benchmark Testing March 3 Read Across America Day March 12 Staff Development Half Day Release March 13 Governing Board Meeting 6:00 pm
Community Happenings February has already been a busy month in the Laveen Community. On February 1, the annual parade was held. Chaired by Cheatham principal Rick Stephen, the parade featured a vintage aircraft flyover and numerous parade entries. Many Laveen student groups participated. On February 9, the annual Laveen BBQ was held at Corona Ranch. Laveen district, as well as several school groups, hosted information booths.
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FEBRUARY 14, 2014