Peoria Unified Sch�l District MARCH 2016 | MONTHLY NEWSLETTER & MENUS PEORI Calendar Highlights: March 2 | Read Across America, Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! March 3 | District Patrio�c Speech Contest March 10 | Third quarter ends March 10 | Governing Board mee�ng, 5 p.m. March 11 | Full Day Staff Development | All schools are closed, district offices are open March 14-18 | Spring Break, all schools and district offices are closed March 24 | Governing Board mee�ng, 5 p.m. March 24 | Elementary Report Card distribu�on March 25 | HS Report Card distribu�on April 2 | Peoria Arts & Cultural Fes�val
Peoria Unified, one of Arizona’s largest unified school districts, prides itself on a 95 percent high school graduation rate, excelling schools, dedicated teachers, award-winning Arts and Career & Technical Educa�on programs, school and student safety and community engagement. WWW.PEORIAUD.K12.AZ.US
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Tax Credits Support Much More for Students Tax credit contributions play a very Overall in 2015, the district received important role to help fund extracurricular $1,635,747, the second highest amount activities for students throughout the to date — $59,000 more than 2014, but district. Arizona tax law allows individuals $4,826 less than the highest record amount in 2013. to make up to a We w o u l d $200 donation and like to thank the those �iling jointly community for to make up to a the incredible $400 donation. support. Our Each year, the students can district makes a ex p e r i e n c e a huge push to build wide variety of awareness of the extracurricular tax credit program activities by reaching out which enriches to our parents t h e i r ove ra l l and community educational members. More than $365,000 of tax credit contribu�ons was directed to field experience. trips in 2015 — such as Jessica Slade’s kindergarten class from Sunset Heights Elementary visi�ng the World Wildlife Zoo.
Community Awareness is Encouraging Don’t look now; it’s legislative season again. Staying abreast of what’s going on at the state legislature is not always easy. But the consequences of decisions made Kathy Knecht Governing Board i n t h o s e few short months can affect our schools, and therefore our children, forever. Parents must stay informed and engaged. For all the talk about “local control,” Arizona’s lawmak-
ers exert a lot of power over school districts, primarily in terms of how much - or how little - funding we receive and how we can use those funds. At the same time, they control how much revenue the state collects to support K-12 public education. Voter beware: lawmakers claim to be for education. For example, lawmakers who cut funding for Career and Technical programs in our schools last year are very busy congratulating themselves for restoring (most of) it this year.
I am encouraged by the rising level of awareness and understanding by parents in our community. People seem to be truly thinking critically beyond sound-bites and political partisanship to truly understand the issues. I am also made hopeful by education rallies at the state capitol and the passage of unprecedented numbers of local school elections in 2015. Two great resources for information on education legislation are Expect More Arizona and www. azednews.com.
EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY, PREPARED TO SHAPE TOMORROW
Copperwood Team Challenge: To Use Recycled Materials in Lunar Base In fi�h-grade at Copperwood Elementary — and advised by gi�ed teacher Krista Gibson — the Galaxy Geeks team of Thomas Archer-Black, Stephanie Lelsz and Ava Serrano competed in the 17th annual Fiesta Bowl Honeywell Aerospace Challenge and won an award for “Best Use of Recycled Materials.” Their challenge was to create recycling efforts on an interna�onal lunar base that can house up to 50 people for two years. While planning the experiment, the team they had to consider societal issues such as housing, cultural differences and language barriers.
Sunrise Mountain Senior Is Presidential Scholar Candidate Aerin Yoon, a senior at Sunrise Mountain High is a candidate for the U.S. Presiden�al Scholars Program. Applica�on for the program is by invita�on only. Each year, just 161 candidates are selected as finalists and receive an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. for a medallion ceremony with President Obama. Congratula�ons and good luck, Aerin!
A Mad Adventure Ensues at Oasis Elementary The Oasis Elementary Drama Club presented Dorothy in Wonderland-The Musical, co-directed by sixth-grade teacher and drama club advisor Lynne Harwood and choir teacher Ma�hew Torrez. Dorothy in Wonderland-the Musical tells a story of when the worlds of Oz and Wonderland collide. More than 40 students in fi�hthrough eighth-grades had a role in the play or behind the scenes. Students in principle roles from Kansas/Oz were: Kamille McDonald as Dorothy Gale; Kenna Moore as Toto; Kaitlyn Davis as the Scarecrow; Kennedy Baldwin as the Cowardly Lion; Shane Washington as the Tin Man. From Wonderland: Sophia Phu as Alice; Kayla Bollinger as the White Rabbit; Maddie Stuckey as the Mad Ha�er; Kassidy Wilson as the Queen of Hearts, and Assistant Principal Stephen Balliet as Humpty Dumpty.
MARCH 2016 PULSE | PG 2
Student Artwork Selected for Display at Peoria City Hall Apache Jared Davis 1st grade Alex Harr 3rd grade Ma�hew Pop (Day) 6th grade Cheyenne Adian Osornio 6th grade Ernesto Osornio 8th grade Cory Wood 5th grade Country Meadows Ava Anderson 3rd grade Alyssa Chris�an 3rd grade Ariah Salas 3rd grade Desert Harbor Abigail Abdiyev 7th grade Kate Federico 2nd grade Emily Rosales 3rd grade Fron�er Jessica Evans 8th grade Caden Foulke 8th grade Haven Wray 7th grade Ira Murphy Karla Avilez 3rd grade Alyssa Bueno 8th grade Perla Desmond Reyes Kindergarten Lake Pleasant Olivia Canyon Kindergarten Chan� Cervantes 6th grade Tatum West 3rd grade Oakwood Blythe Esquibel 5th grade Amber Sawyer 8th grade Gil Stauffer 1st grade Oasis Lexie Le 3rd grade Michelle Lillywhite 8th grade Madeleine McCann 8th grade
Student Artwork Selected for Gallery by Peoria Mayor Peoria Mayor Cathy Carlat recently launched a new arts program to encourage students from kindergarten to eighth grade to create masterpieces to showcase in Peoria’s City Hall lobby and of�ices. Believing that a city in not complete without a strong representation of the arts, the Mayor held a reception at City Hall for 27 students, and their
family members, whose artwork will be on display for six months. The gallery will display new student artwork during the �irst semester of the 2016-17 school year. Art teachers and students interested in participating in the program can contact Andre Licardi, Cultural Arts Coordinator for Peoria, 623-773-5193 or andre.licardi@peoriaaz.gov.
Country Meadows Elementary students Alyssa Chris�an, Ava Anderson and Ariah Salas had their artwork selected by City of Peoria Mayor Cathy Carlat and City Council members for display in a City Hall.
Nationwide Search Underway for New Superintendent Peoria Uni�ied’s Governing Board has entered into an agreement with the Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) to conduct a search to �ill the vacancy that will be created as a result of the
impending retirement of Superintendent Dr. Denton Santarelli. The nationwide search for a Superintendent began mid-February when Peoria Uni�ied parents, guardians and employees
were invited to take a survey to share the attributes that are most important in a new superintendent. The public will have an opportunity to meet prospective candidates at an upcoming Candidate’s
Forum. The Governing Board will announce the name of the new Superintendent at the April 14 Governing Board meeting, and the new superintendent will assume duties on July 1.
MARCH 2016 PULSE | PG 3
Peoria High Student Earns Gold Medal in Math Peoria High freshman Alicen Adolf captured the gold medal during a competition held on Mathematics Day at ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. Throughout the day, young women interacted with mathema�cians, engineers and professors from STEM fields.
Vistancia Reads Their Way to the Top in Peoria Firefighter’s Reading Challenge Third-graders in Vistancia, Cotton Boll and Santa Fe elementary schools competed in the annual Peoria Fire�ighter’s Charities “Fill the Boot with Reading” challenge: to read 50 books in two months. Throughout the challenge, �ire crews visited the three schools to talk about the importance of reading, and to read to each third-grade class. More than 250 students completed the challenge reading a grand total of
27,681 books. The classroom at each school that read the most books received the “Boot Trophy” which they can display in their classroom until next year.
The reading challenge program began in 2008 with a two-fold goal: to encourage reading and for the �ire�ighters to provide positive role models to youth.
High school students enrolled in the district’s Fire Science program assisted with the kick-off breakfast in November, and the awards ceremony and barbecue luncheon in February.
Third-graders in Nicole Gonzalez’s class at Vistancia Elemementary read an average of 134 books during the Peoria Firefighters two-month reading challenge.
MARCH 2016 PULSE | PG 4
MET Academy Students Tour Nuclear Power Plant Engineering students enrolled in the MET Professional Academy: Douglas Ulliger, Jesse Delcair, Quen�n Ellis, Michael McGovern, Bradley Imig and Lucas Bacon toured the APS Palo Verde Nuclear Genera�ng Sta�on. In their statement of purpose for the trip they iden�fied the handling of spent nuclear fuel and dry cask ac�vi�es as an area of interest. They toured the Control Room Simulator, where a Palo Verde instructor explained the layout of the control room, some of the important pieces of equipment and allowed one of the students to manually trip the reactor.
Santa Fe STUCO & NJHS Keep Neighborhood Tidy Santa Fe Elementary students: Madison Daley, Leila Coborubio, Victoria Garcia, Estella Garcia, Ciara Nelson, Andrea Lira, Trinnity Mar�nez, Mea Henley, Diego Alcaraz, Isabella Islava, Mara Mar�nez-Gommer, Eleyna Carranza and Ariana Garcia, with advisors Tina Giese and Michelle Bonner, devoted a Saturday morning to clean up the neighborhood around their school. The school adopted a one-mile stretch of 75th Ave. and have been keeping it �dy for 13 years.
Flex Academy Students Join High 5 Club More than 50 Peoria Flex Academy High 5 Club students went spelunking in the Kartchner Caverns in celebra�on of a five percent or more increase in their GPA from spring to fall semesters.
MARCH 2016 PULSE | PG 5
District Awarded Math/Science Partnership Grant Peoria Unified, in partnership with Northern Arizona University, Dysart Unified School District and Glendale Union High School District, was awarded a $560,925 for a Math Science Partnership grant. The grant will provide professional development for sixth- through 12thgrade math and science teachers to focus on science force, mo�on and energy courses.
MET Professional Academy Awarded $70,000 Grant Peoria Uni�ied is one of two districts in the state awarded a $70,000 Media in Education Grant from the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. The grant is directed to the Medical, Engineering and Technology (MET) Professional Academy which will fund technology integration initiatives for the programs. The grant will be used to integrate more technology into the curriculum and give the students resources
that mimic a professional environment. Juniors and seniors who are enrolled in a MET program are immersed in a professional, handson setting where they explore career paths in the medical, engineering and technological �ields. Students can earn up to 18 college credits depending on which path they take through their coursework. In it’s second year of instruction, the MET
Professional Academy currently has 63 students enrolled. Projected enrollment for the 2016-17 school year is 81 students: 35 will return for a second year and 46 will start a two-year program. The grant money comes from an account which grows when newspaper subscribers put their delivery on a temporary vacation hold and donate the value to the Media in Education program.
A Media in Educa�on Grant was presented to the MET Professional Academy and accepted by Superintendent Dr. Denton Santarelli, MET Director Adriana Parsons, Governing Board President Ma� Bullock, Cactus senior Cody Young, Liberty senior Tamara Jun�ff, Cactus senior Casey Smith, Sunrise Mountain senior Jerron McDonald, Cactus senior Cur�s Sapp, Sunrise Mountain senior Paige Hildebrandt, Governing Board member Kathy Knecht and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Heather Cruz.
Peoria High Principal Recognized for Music Advocacy Peoria High principal Paul Bower received the Raymond G. Van Diest Arts Advocacy Award from the Arizona Music Educators Associa�on in recogni�on of extraordinary efforts he has made in music advocacy.
MARCH 2016 PULSE | PG 6
Barnes & Noble Book Drive Contributes 2,600 Books to Peoria Students
Pesticide Application Schedule
It was a very successful book drive for Peoria Uni�ied’s Title I Program held at Barnes and Noble last fall. From November to January shoppers were asked if they would like to purchase a book to donate to the school district and more than 2,600 did! The books have a retail value of more than $12,000 — which is double the amount from the previous year. The books will be distributed to students of all ages in Peoria Uni�ied schools to encourage and promote a love for reading.
Peoria Unified is required to provide wri�en no�fica�on at least 48 hours prior to the applica�on of any pesticides at any school site. Pes�cides are applied in the late afternoon, after school is dismissed. Mar 1 Oakwood, Peoria Elementary, Santa Fe Mar 2 Sundance, Sun Valley Mar 3 Co�on Boll, Fron�er, Parkridge, Sunrise Mountain, Zuni Hills Mar 4 Canyon, Copperwood, Marshall Ranch Mar 7 Pioneer, Sahuaro Ranch Mar 8 Centennial, Oasis Mar 9 Ira A. Murphy, Peoria High Mar 10 Alta Loma, Apache, Cheyenne, Sunset Heights Mar 11 Desert Palms, Heritage, Kachina, Paseo Verde Mar 14 Cactus, Desert Valley, Foothills, Ironwood Mar 18 Country Meadows, Desert Harbor, Raymond S. Kellis Mar 22 Coyote Hills, Lake Pleasant, Liberty Mar 23 Sky View Mar 25 Vistancia Apr 1 Canyon, Copperwood, Marshall Ranch Apr 4 Pioneer, Sahuaro Ranch Apr i5 Oakwood, Peoria Elementary, Santa Fe Apr 6 Sundance, Sun Valley Apr 7 Co�on Boll, Fron�er, Parkridge, Sunrise Mountain, Zuni Hills Apr 8 Desert Palms, Heritage, Kachina, Paseo Verde
MARCH 2016 PULSE | PG 7
Peoria Unified School District BREAKFAST & LUNCH MENU
Numbers to the right of calendar date indicate the 6-day rota�on schedule.
Tuesday
Monday
Thursday
Wednesday
Friday
Mini Maple Pancakes Cereal Kits
French Toast Sticks Cereal Kits
Green Eggs & Ham Cereal Kits
Egg & Bacon Breakfast Sandwich Cereal or Yogurt Kits
Cherry Frudel Cereal Kits
Mini Cheeseburgers Fun Fish W/ Roll Build A Pizza V
Chicken Nuggets W/ Muffin An�pasto Salad W/ Roll Mac & Cheese W/ Roll V
Corn Dog Veggie Sandwich V Sweet Southern Brunch Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Cupcakes Bananas Potato Cubes 4 Cucumbers
Turkey Fe�uccini Alfredo Garden Salad W/ Muffin V Chicken Tenders
Pizza Squares V Gordita Taco Oriental Chicken Salad
Pears Cauliflower Mandarin Oranges
Apples Side Salad Carrots
Frozen Berries Coined Carrots Ranch Style Beans
29/2
Oranges Bell Peppers Chilled Peaches
1/3
2/
3/5
Breakfast Pizza Cereal Kits
Cinnamon Rolls Cereal Kits
Mini Donuts Cereal Kits
Egg Croissant Sandwich Cereal or Yogurt Kits
Teriyaki Chicken Bowl Cheeseburger Yogurt Lunch Box W/ Muffin V
Chicken Nuggets W/ Muffin Pretzel Melt PB&J Pack* V
Grilled Cheese V Meatball Sub Sandwich Chicken Caesar Salad W/ Roll
Hot Dog on a Bun Garden Salad W/ Roll V Cheese Quesadilla V
Craisins Celery Edamame
Grapefruit Bell Peppers Jicama
Peach Cups Carrots Chilled Pineapple
Strawberry Cups Black Beans Side Salad
7/1
8/2
9/3
W/ Crunch Bar
4/6
No School Professional Development
10/4
11
Board Mee�ng 5 pm
S���n� B�e�� 14
15
17
16
18
Mini Blueberry Waffles Cereal Kits
Pancake on a Stick Cereal Kits
Combo (Omelet & Biscuit) Cereal Kits
Yogurt & Gripz Cereal Kits
Strawberry Stuffed Bagel Cereal Kits
Pizza Bites Stuffed Breads�cks W/ Sauce V California Turkey Sandwich
Chicken Nuggets W/ Muffin Breakfast Lunch Box V Teriyaki Beef Dippers W/ Muffin
Mini Corn Dogs Popcorn Chicken Bowl Garden Salad W/ Roll V
French Bread Pizza V Cobb Salad w/Crunch Bar Shrimp Bites
Celery Coined Carrots Applesauce
Chilled Mangos Bell Peppers Jicama
Bean & Cheese Burrito V Taco Salad Bowl Beef Tacos Churro Bananas Carrots Pinto Beans
Pears Mashed Potatoes Side Salad
Fruit Ice Cucumbers Apples
21/5
22/6
23/1
24/2
Board Mee�ng 5 pm
Mini Maple Pancakes Cereal Kits
French Toast Sticks Cereal Kits
Breakfast Bagel Pizza Cereal Kits
Egg & Bacon Breakfast Sandwich Cereal or Yogurt Kits
Mini Cheeseburgers Fun Fish W/ Roll Build A Pizza V
Chicken Nuggets W/ Muffin An�pasto Salad W/ Roll Mac & Cheese W/ Roll V
Corn Dog Veggie Sandwich V Sweet Southern Brunch
Turkey Fe�uccini Alfredo Garden Salad W/ Muffin V Chicken Tenders
Frozen Berries Coined Carrots Ranch Style Beans
Grapefruit Bell Peppers Jicama
Oranges Potato Cubes Cucumbers
Strawberries Cauliflower Mandarin Oranges
28/4
Elementary Breakfast Includes: Choice of Hot Entrée or Breakfast Kit Fruit & 100% Fruit Juice White or Chocolate Milk
Meal Price, $1.50 Reduced Price, 30-cents Milk Carton, 35-cents
29/5
30/6
*PB&J is not served at peanut-free schools. Subs�tu�ons will be made. The Peoria Unified School District is an equal opportunity provider and employer. The Na�onal Clearing House Associa�on requires the following nonsufficient funds disclaimer: if a child brings a check to school, the parent is giving authoriza�on to electronically debit his/her account for the returned check plus fees if the check should be returned. For more informa�on, contact CCM/Restaurant Fund. 1-888-423-8974.
V - Vegetarian op�on of the day.
25/3
31/1 Elementary Lunch Includes:
Choice from 2 Hot & 1 Cold Entrée Fruit & Vegetable Bar (Minimum 5 choices) White, Strawberry or Chocolate Milk Meal Price, $2.50 Reduced Price, 40-cents Milk Carton, 35-cents
Peoria Unified School District is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Peoria Unified School District
High School Menu 2016 Breakfast Prices
Breakfast Meal Includes Entrée, Fruit & Milk
Student Meal $1.75 Reduced Price Meal $0.30 Adult Meal $1.75
Breakfast Entrées Available Daily Assorted Cereal, Cereal Bars & Granola Bars with choice of side item (Cheese, Yogurt or Graham Crackers) Breakfast Pizza, Bagel with Cream Cheese, Mini Donuts, Bread Slices, Pop-Tarts, & Benefit Bars available daily
Monday
Tuesday
Super Bun 29
Mini Pancakes Chocolate Chip French Toast
7
Sausage Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich
2
8
Sausage Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich
9
28
French Toast S�cks
Biscuits & Gravy Fresh Baked Cinnamon Roll
29
Sausage Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich
23
Sausage Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich
30
Breakfast Pla�er
Ham English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich
4
10
Ham English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich
11
Garden Salad Chef Salad Bean & Cheese Burrito Spicy Chicken Sandwich Pizza
Lunch Entrée Specials for March Monday
Chicken Caesar Salad Mandarin Orange Salad Popcorn Chicken Salad Crunch Bar Lunch Box Yogurt, Granola, & Cheese Ham Sandwich Veggie Wrap Taco Salad Cheesy Fajita Chicken Sub 29
7 7
General Tso Bowl Chicken Quesadilla
Gordita Taco Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
Tuesday
Ham English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich
25
Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Burrito
31
Ham English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich
1
Green Chili Egg & Cheese Burrito
28
Gordita Taco Orange Chicken Bowl
Student Meal $2.75 Reduced Price Meal $0.40 Adult Lunch $3.75
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Chicken Caesar Salad An�pasto Salad Popcorn Chicken Salad Crunch Bar Lunch Box Yogurt, Granola, & Cheese Turkey Sandwich Veggie Wrap Cheesy Fish Sandwich
1
4
Philly Cheesesteak Clux Delux Sandwich
11
Staff Professional Development Day NO SCHOOL
Chicken Fajitas Fe�uccine Alfredo
8
Cheese Quesadilla Beefy Mac & Breads�ck
NO SCHOOL Chicken Quesadilla Sichuan Chicken Bowl
Lunch Prices
Raspberry Chicken Salad Chicken Caesar Salad Raspberry Chicken Salad Cobb Salad Southwest Chicken Salad Cobb Salad Bagel Lunch Box Popcorn Chicken Salad Bagel Lunch Box Protein Pack w/ Bread Slice Crunch Bar Lunch Box Protein Pack w/ Bread Slice Pastrami Sandwich Yogurt, Granola, & Cheese Italian Combo Sub Turkey Bacon Wrap California Turkey Sandwich Chicken Caesar Wrap Veggie Sub Veggie Wrap Veggie Sub Super Nachos So� Tacos Meatball Sub
14
21
NO SCHOOL
24
Beverages Flavored & White Skim Milk 1% White Milk Bo�led Water Assorted Fountain Drinks Sides Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Bar Hot Vegetables (Varies Daily)
Grilled Chicken Sandwich Chicken Pa�y Sandwich PB&J Sandwich Chicken Nuggets or Strips Hamburger/Cheeseburger
Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Burrito
March 14—18
Lunch Meal Includes Entrée, Fruit, Vegetable & Beverage Lunch Entrées Available Daily
Glazed Breakfast Bar
3
(Omelet, Biscuit, Hash Brown)
Breakfast Bowl
Friday
Yogurt & Muffin
SPRING BREAK
22
Blueberry Waffles
Thursday
Fruit & Yogurt Parfait
1
NO SCHOOL 21
Wednesday
Yogurt & Muffin
Red Enchiladas Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
9
Green Enchiladas Sichuan Chicken Bowl
3
10
Popcorn Chicken Mashed Potato Bowl Popcorn Chicken Mashed Potato Bowl
SPRING BREAK
22
Chicken Fajitas Mac & Cheese w/ Roll
29
2
Chicken Parmesan Cheese Quesadilla
23
Churro Day
Red Enchiladas Orange Chicken Bowl 30
Green Enchilada General Tso Bowl
24
March 14—18
Popcorn Chicken Mashed Potato Bowl
31
Popcorn Chicken Mashed Potato Bowl
25
Fish & Chips Clux Delux Sandwich
1
Clux Delux Sandwich Baked Potato & Muffin
Menu items are subject to change without no�fica�on. If the first choice is not available, an alternate will be served. Peoria Unified School District is an equal opportunity provider and employer.