The Learning Curve 5-6-2016

We are pleased to share with you the following information from our community partners. Thanks for your support of SUSD!

SUSD Hosts 2016 Bond Planning Informational Meetings

Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) is hosting 2016 bond planning informational meetings at each learning community to provide factual information about a potential Bond initiative. The meetings will include a presentation from Interim Superintendent Dr. Denise Birdwell and Chief Financial Officer, Daniel O'Brien, followed by a Q&A session for the public. SUSD Administrators will also be present.

A potential 2016 Bond Program could support the rebuild and renovations of schools, as well as building improvements (HVAC, roof and lighting), technology and school buses.

All meetings are scheduled from 6-8 p.m. The dates and locations for the five meetings are:

May 9

Coronado Learning Community
Coronado High School
Board Room
7501 E. Virginia Ave., Scottsdale

May 11

Saguaro Learning Community
Saguaro High School Library

6250 N. 82nd Street, Scottsdale

May 12

Arcadia Learning Community
Arcadia High School
Mt. Olympus

4703 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale

May 17
Chaparral Learning Community
Chaparral High School Library

6935 E. Gold Dust Ave., Scottsdale

May 18
Desert Mountain Learning Community

Desert Mountain High School Cafeteria

12575 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale

SUSD Athletes Commit to Colleges

62 SUSD student athletes have made a commitment to participate in college sports. The students have signed a Letter of Intent to play sports in college. Students who have signed a Letter of Intent include:

Arcadia High School

Baseball: Sam Huff - Grand Canyon University
Basketball: Elijah Sikora - Lewis University
Cross Country and Track: Megan Reniewicki - Arizona State University
Football: Kevin Hill - Phoenix Community College and Riley Kaye - Scottsdale Community College
Sand Volleyball: Kara Woodard - Arizona State University
Softball: Emily Ingles - Southern Illinois University
Swim: Matti Harrison - Harvard University and Antonio Ramirez - Ohio State University

Chaparral High School

Baseball: Travis Bailey - Paradise Valley Community College, Nick Castagna - Grand Canyon University, Blake Flint - Hawaii Pacific University, Bryce Pyro - University of Colorado (Colorado Springs), Alex Segal - Wichita State
Basketball: Kayla Shaw - Monmouth University
Football: Brandon Jamison - UC Davis, Kurt Shugart - New Mexico State, Christian Skeptaris - UC Davis
Lacrosse: Russell Gilligan - Norwich University, Logan Hicks - Syracuse University, Noah Plotkin - College of Wooster
Soccer: Jacob Cohen - Southern Methodist University, Allison Jorden - Indiana University
Softball: Marisa Alemany - Bucknell University
Track: Brooke Martin - University of Utah
Volleyball: Abby Akin - Northern Arizona University, Mary Jo McBride - Texas Tech, Lauren Stivrins - University of Nebraska

Coronado High School

Basketball: Aaron Rhymes - Scottsdale Community College
Football: Cristian Alvarez - Briar Cliff University, JC Haight - Briar Cliff University, Dru Tullie - Benedictine College, Alex Ventura - Arizona Prep Academy, Victor Caison Washington - Scottsdale Community College
Soccer: Lauren Russ - Scottsdale Community College

Desert Mountain High School

Basketball: Adam Rees - Pomona Pitzer College
Baseball: Frank Dickson - Arizona State University, Jayson Curtis - Dordt College, Jacob Halland - Howard College, Tucker Rohde - North Dakota State, Tristan Stockman - Arizona Western College
Football: Keaton Licon - Mesa Community College
Golf: Matt McCarty - University of Santa Clara, David Ricciardelli - University of San Diego, Chase Wicklund - Drake University
Gymnastics: Brittany Jones - University of Illinois, Leah Perrino - San Jose State University
Softball: Jana Froehle - Cornell College
Soccer: Parker Caudle - Arizona State University
Tennis: Jeremy Auh - Vassar College

Saguaro High School

Basketball: Kenneth Arrick - Pepperdine, Jenna Marsh - Scottsdale Community College, Amber Rollins - Embry Riddle, Haley Smith - Benedictine
Baseball: Nick Grossman - Scottsdale Community College, Travis Johnson - Yavapai Community College
Football: Julian Carter - Boise State, Kare´ Lyles - University of Wisconsin, Byron Murphy - University of Washington, Michael Weinstein - University of San Diego
Sand Volleyball: Regan Hurkett - University of Hawaii
Volleyball: Sarah Davis - Sacramento State

2016 AEF Arizona Teacher of the Year Will Meet the President

Christine Marsh, 2016 Arizona Education Foundation (AEF) Arizona Teacher of the Year, will be joining other state Teachers of the Year next week in Washington D.C. Marsh is an Advanced Placement (AP) English teacher at Chaparral High School, an A+ School of Excellence in the Scottsdale Unified School District.

The teachers will be recognized by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and other leaders for their accomplishments as distinguished educators at a White House Ceremony, May 3 and at the 2016 National Teacher of the Year Recognition Gala, May 5.

"I am honored and humbled at having the opportunity and the platform from which to meet the President and other policymakers," said 2016 AEF Arizona Teacher of the Year, Christine Marsh.

In addition to attending the events at the White House, Marsh intends to meet with staff members from the offices of Arizona Representatives Kyrsten Sinema and David Schweikert as well as Senator John McCain.

Back to School Drive 2016

Help children return to school equipped to succeed! DONATIONS ARE NEEDED!
Vista del Camino is seeking donations of NEW clothing and school supplies for low-income Scottsdale students from Kinder through 12th grade. Your donation makes a big difference for children in our community!
Families interested in donating to the Back to School Drive can drop off items to the Education Center (7575 E. Main Street, Scottsdale) until the end of June. Summer hours for the Education Center will be 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday - Thursday. Summer hours will begin the week of May 30th.

Donations can also be dropped off to Vista Del Camino (7700 E. Roosevelt St., Scottsdale). Monetary donations can be made to Concerned Citizens for Community Health.

Please see this flyer for additional information.

Four SUSD High Schools Nationally Recognized by 'U.S. News & World Report'

Four Scottsdale Unified School District high schools have been nationally recognized and three were listed in the top 50 high schools in Arizona by U.S. News & World Report's 2016 Best High School Rankings.

Chaparral, Desert Mountain and Arcadia high schools all received silver national awards while Saguaro High School was awarded bronze. All four schools received the same ranking in 2014 and 2015. In addition, among all Arizona high schools, Desert Mountain was named #14, Chaparral was ranked #20 and Arcadia was recognized as #26.

"These awards and rankings reflect the hard work and dedication of our teachers, staff and students," stated Dr. Mitch von Gnechten, SUSD executive director of secondary education. "SUSD would like to congratulate these schools for doing a great job educating and preparing our students for college."

Schools are chosen for the annual awards based on overall student performance on state-required tests, how effectively least-advantaged students are educated and how well they prepared students for college with Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams. During this process, U.S. News examines more than 28,000 high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

SPC Supports Prop 123

The executive board of Scottsdale Parent Council supports the passage of Proposition 123 with the understanding that it is a settlement of the ASBA, ASBO, AEA v DeWitt lawsuit. While we are happy to have this issue resolved, we feel it is important to recognize that it is only a first step in improving district public education funding in Arizona. We look forward to moving forward and working together, with the Governor and legislators, to increase our state's investment in our children and our future.
Scottsdale Parent Council encourages you to vote YES on May 17th to resolve this long standing lawsuit.

Chaparral, Cochise, Copper Ridge, Hohokam and Navajo Earn A+ School of Excellence™ Award

Chaparral High School, Cochise Elementary, Copper Ridge School, Hohokam Traditional School and Navajo Elementary earned the A+ School of Excellence™ Award from the Arizona Education Foundation (AEF).

This is the second time that Chaparral has been honored with the award. Chaparral first received the honor in 2012. This is the first time that Cochise, Copper Ridge, Hohokam and Navajo have earned the award.

"We are extremely proud of the Chaparral, Cochise, Copper Ridge, Hohokam and Navajo communities for earning the prestigious A+ School of Excellence designation," stated Dr. Denise Birdwell, interim superintendent for the Scottsdale Unified School District. "Their commitment to student success shines through every day and this recognition honors the work that is occurring on each of these campuses."

Winning schools are recognized for their ability to meet the needs of their student population both on an academic as well as a non-academic basis. Applications are available to pre-kindergarten through 12th grade schools throughout Arizona. The evaluation of each school is based upon a lengthy written application and a rigorous site visit by a team of judges. In the application, each school provides demographic information, a description of current programs and practices, documentation of parent and community involvement, a profile of the school leadership and a commitment to excellence, equality and service. School leadership must also show a commitment to sustained high achievement. Preparation of applications includes feedback from all stakeholders including students, staff members, administration, parents and community members.

A+ schools receive $500 and a banner designating it as an A+ School of Excellence™. All staff and faculty at awarded schools are eligible for partial scholarships from Argosy University/Phoenix. The award is valid for three and a half years.

The selection panel includes award-winning principals, teachers and community leaders. Panel members conduct site visits to selected schools throughout the state in order to choose award winners.

AZ Ed News Service

STATE, NON-PROFITS AND SCHOOLS ZERO IN ON WAYS TO RETAIN TEACHERS

With a ballot measure focused on education funding set to go to Arizona voters on May 17, Arizona teachers in many public schools may see raises in the year ahead, which educators and teacher advocates say would begin to address one of four key areas that their research points to as contributing to Arizona's teacher shortage. Read more.

News from the Wallace Foundation

New RAND Report Explains ESSA Support of School Leadership Efforts and Evidence Requirements

Recognizing that principals can be powerful drivers of improved teaching and learning, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) opens new possibilities for federal support of efforts to improve school leadership. At the same time, the law requires that these efforts show evidence of effectiveness to be eligible for funding from a number of programs.

A RAND report, issued April 28, 2016, aims to inform readers about the law's major sources of funding for school leadership, ESSA's evidence requirements, and existing research that could qualify a school leadership activity for ESSA support under its most stringent evidence requirements.

Enacted in late 2015 as the successor to the No Child Left Behind law, ESSA is the major federal law governing K-12 education in the U.S. Its Title I section provides the largest source of federal funding for public schools in the U.S., some $15 billion to $16 billion yearly.

SPC's Oath of Civility:

As participants of the Scottsdale Parent Council community, we agree to improve the community through honesty and integrity while listening, speaking, and acting in a respectful manner, addressing the issue without personal attack and being accountable for our words and actions.

In This Issue

SUSD Host 2016 Bond Planning Info Meetings

SUSD Athletes Commit to Colleges

2016 Teacher of the Year to Meet the President

Back to School Drive 2016

Four SUSD High Schools Recognized

SPC Supports Prop 123

Article Headline

AZ Ed News Service

News from the Wallace Foundation

Upcoming Events

Minutes You May Have Missed