Kyrene Elementary School District

KMS students enjoy Unity Day
    On Friday, Jan.18, Kyrene Middle School will participate in its second annual Unity Day. The purpose of this day is to expose the entire eighth-grade class to activities that will empower them to be more just and inclusive.
    Eighth graders will rotate through four different activity stations that will be facilitated by KMS staff members. Each activity will assist in laying the groundwork for students of different backgrounds to step out of their comfort zones and start building a better understanding and awareness of themselves and the people around them.
    These activities will teach the students lessons about leadership, self-esteem, self-awareness and understanding and celebrating the diversity among us.
    To spread the spirit of Unity Day through the entire KMS campus, sixth- and seventh-grade classes also will participate in diversity activities in their Academic Lab classes.

 

Tempe Elementary School District

Valenzuela receives Rodel Award
    The Rodel Foundation of Arizona has named Thew first-grade teacher Tracey Valenzuela a 2008 Exemplary Teacher. She won a $10,000 savings bond and a chance to train student teachers. Valenzuela was recognized because of her excellent instruction to Tempe students.

Thew Elementary first-graders Alejandro Vargas and Athyna Gutierrez snap a photo of their teacher, Tracey Valenzuela, (right) who was named one of the 2008 Exemplary Teachers by Dr. Carol Peck of the Rodel Foundation (photo by Tempe Elementary Schools).

    The Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona, which aims to create a top-notch education system in the state by 2020, created the award to celebrate the work of teachers in low-income schools. The 12 Exemplary Teachers named this year will each train six Promising Student Teachers, who are also selected by the Rodel Foundation. The goal is to have the best teaching, mentoring and modeling for some of the best potential teachers.
    The Rodel Foundation has previously recognized two other Tempe Elementary School District teachers. Thew third-grade teacher Phyllis Elton was named an Exemplary Teacher in 2006, and Scales fourth/fifth-grade teacher Linda Laneback received this honor in 2004.

De Herrera named an  Amgen-NSTA Fellow
    The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), in partnership with the Amgen Foundation, announced the 2007 Amgen-NSTA Fellows and Associate Fellows in the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy.
Selected from nearly a thousand applications from across the country, the 200 Amgen-NSTA Fellows and Associate Fellows included Heather De Herrera of Connolly Middle School. De Herrera, who was named a Fellow, will take part in a year-long program of science-related activities and professional development opportunities.

    Representing 37 states and the District of Columbia, the 2007 Amgen-NSTA Fellows and Associate Fellows were selected on the basis of several criteria, including displaying a strong interest in growing as a professional science educator. During their fellowship, recipients will engage in web-based professional development activities; attend the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in March; and participate in the Research Dissemination Conference or a Professional Development Institute.
    Co-founded by the Amgen Foundation with a 3-year, $3 million grant, the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy was established to help promote quality science teaching in the U.S. by providing professional development and mentoring support to early-career science teachers.

Scales staff talks technology
    Scales Principal David Diokno and teacher Linda Laneback recently presented to the National Conference for State Legislators at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. Diokno, Laneback and several of Laneback’s fifth-grade students spoke to more than 400 state legislators from across the country.
    Their presentation covered the impact of technology on education. Laneback spoke about how she seamlessly infuses technology into lessons. One student spoke about a global warming project that couldn’t have been done without the extensive use of technology. Another student shared how technology is helping her learn and putting her on her desired career path to be a chemical engineer when she grows up.

Gililland teacher wins Mentor Award
    Gililland Orchestra Teacher Tammy Mason has been selected as the Arizona Music Educators Association Oustanding Mentor Teacher, for providing outstanding service to music education students. Her award will be presented at the AMEA convention in January at an evening reception for presentors, mentor teachers, student teachers, and ASU alumni.
    Mason has hosted student teachers and ASU music interns over the past 15 years at Gililland Middle School.

Time for free full-day kinder registration
    The time for kindergarten registration is almost here! Tempe Elementary staff will hold a special evening kindergarten registration on Tuesday, Jan. 29, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at all Tempe Elementary K-5 schools. All children turning 5 before Jan. 1, 2008 are eligible.
    Parents need to bring their child’s certified birth certificate, documented immunization record, and two verifications of residence. The kindergarten program is available to all children living throughout the Valley. It’s important to register early, as classes fill up fast.
    For more information, call 480-730-7321 or visit www.tempeschools.org/parents/register.htm.

Students recognized by the Phoenix Suns
    APS and the Phoenix Suns recognized Gililland Middle School sixth-grade students Nick Ortega and Daphne Vilchis for the Quest for Quality Student Recognition Program. They were brought to half court of US Airways Arena to be recognized in front of thousands in attendance at the Suns game to be recognized for their motivation, excellence, and positive influence at GMS.
    Suns player Boris Diaw was on the court to meet the students and congratulate them for their efforts. Both students were nominated for being model students and demonstrating citizenship, high academic achievement, and positive behavior in the classroom.

Bustoz completes
‘Girls on the Run’
    Bustoz Elementary completed its fall season of Girls on the Run with 17 amazing participants. Girls on the Run is national program for third- through fifth-grade girls. It encourages positive social, emotional, and physical health through practices twice a week.
    The girls at Bustoz trained and participated in lessons for 12 weeks and then recently participated in a 5K run at Tempe Town Lake.

Private AND Charter Schools
Tempe Prep in space station contest
    The Tempe Preparatory Academy recently participated in the ninth-annual Honeywell Fiesta Bowl Aerospace Challenge, with one team making it all the way to the finals on Dec. 29. The preliminary event, held Dec. 3-4 on the campus of Arizona State University-West, boasted more than 850 participants in grades five through eight.

    Tempe Prep entered two groups of students, both lead by science teacher Theresa Trogen. One group was made up of eighth graders, including Jonathan Tetreau, Luke Waletzko, Andrew Lafferty, and Jaron Hudson; the other team was comprised fifth and sixth graders, including Sydney Trogen, Kristian Charboneau, Triston Hudson, Jeremy Tetreau, and Ethan Roberson.
    In the competition, the students are faced with team-building, communication, problem-solving and critical decision-making challenges. The competition is designed to enhance the knowledge of space technology through the development of a new generation International Space Station complete with a physical scale model.
    It was an intense day of competition for both groups, and the younger group ultimately placed in the finals. The team was one of only six selected to compete at the Challenger Space Center on Dec. 29, where they presented their model once again in a 10-minute presentation before another panel of judges and a set of astronauts. The winner of this final round won a trip to Houston to tour the NASA facilities. Tempe Prep did not win.
    Tempe Prep is located at 1251 E. Southern Ave. Visit the school’s Web site at www.tempeprep.org.