Yuma School District One and Yuma Union High School District have made several changes this school year to their daily schedules and transportation.  Early release days are now Mondays, and only students living more than 2 miles from school will qualify for bus transportation  if living off base. 

 

Designated school zones have a posted speed limit of 15 MPH.  Drivers are encouraged to adjust their drive time due to the school zones and increased traffic near schools.  Since many of our MCAS children ride the bus to school, please review these safety tips with them:

 

 

According to the Yuma Police department, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths among children age 14 and under.  To reduce the risk of injury, please follow the safety tips below: 

 

 

If you have any questions about school safety or other concerns please contact the Yuma Police Department at 928-373-4700. 

 

Due to the ongoing road repairs on 32nd street and 3E, the Yuma Educational Transportation Consortium is experiencing occasional delays during afterschool drop off times.  Superintendent Darwin Stiffler of Yuma School District One expects the road construction to continue for several more months.  He wants to assure all base housing families that the transportation department is doing the very best under these circumstances.  If you have any questions or concerns in regards to transportation of your children, please contact the School Liaison, Elena McShane at 928-269-5373. 

 

 

The School Year has just begun and there are already several school partnerships being established between MCAS Yuma and our local schools.   Our Yuma schools are able to benefit greatly from the volunteer help that many of our Marines, Sailors, family members and MCCS programs  offer.   I look forward to furthering the development of more positive relationships between MCAS Yuma and our Yuma schools as the 2010/2011 school year continues.

 

 

 This year, Arizona and 35 other states will adopt national core education standards for grades K-12.  The Common Core Standards will provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents have a roadmap for what they need to do to help them.  Further, these standards provide appropriate benchmarks for all students, regardless of where they live, and allow states to more effectively help all students to success.

 

The adoption of Common Core National Standards will allow educators across the nation to share best practices and will allow students, parents and teachers to all be on the same page working together for shared goals.  These standards will define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 educational years so that they will graduate high school fully prepared for college and careers.  These standards are:

 

 

The adoption of Common Core National Standards will ensure that all military children across the country will receive the best possible education, no matter where our military families are stationed and how often they have to move.

 

  

Establishing a good relationship with your child's teacher early in the school year is key to ensuring your child's school year will be a positive one both academically and socially.  Studies show that the more involved parents are in their children's education, the more successful children are in school.  With today's modern technology, there are many ways to keep those lines of communication open with  teachers.  One of the best and most efficient ways to communicate is using email.  Many teachers find themselves with less time to write notes, letters and make personal phone calls to parents due to the many extra demands and duties placed on them during the school day.  However, most teachers will check their emails and respond to them on a daily basis.  During your child's "Open House" make sure to ask for his/her teacher's email address.  If you have not heard back from your child's teacher within 2 days after sending an email, then contact the school office and leave a message.  Finally, if this fails, ask to see the Principal.

 

Did you know that most schools now have an online parent communication tool that can provide valuable educational information pertaining to your child?  Several schools in Yuma utilize these programs, but not all parents are well informed about them.

 

Yuma Union High School District and Yuma School District One middle schools use an online communication tool called "PARENT ASSIST."  Each family is given a special pass-code by the school office at the beginning of the year in order to log in.  "Parent Assist" allows parents and students to view grades, homework assignments, progress reports, report cards, transcripts, attendance records, schedules,  etc.  The Yuma schools that use "PARENT ASSIST" are Woodard Middle School, Castle Dome Middle School, Ron Watson Middle School, Gila Vista Middle School, 4th Avenue Jr. High School, Kofa High School, Cibola High School, Yuma High School,  and Gila Ridge High School.

 

Yuma Catholic High School and Yuma Lutheran school are also utilizing a similar online parent communication tool called "REN WEB." REN WEB also requires a special Logon password that you must obtain from your child's school office or Instructional Technology (IT) department.

 

Not all schools in Yuma offer this modern communication tool, however, the number of schools utilizing this tool is growing each year.  Ask your child's school if they will be offering this type of modern communication tool in the near future.  If your child's school already offers it, please ask the office for the pass-code to access the program.  You will see how easy it is to stay on top of your child's school progress by utilizing the program.