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THANK
YOU FROM BRAD
BARRETT
Attached
is a letter
sent by former Kyrene Superintendent Brad Barrett
thanking everyone in Kyrene for their thoughtfulness
following the death of his daughter-in-law.
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MONDAY MESSAGE
Hello all!
Thank
you for a spectacular first week of school! The 118th
year of learning in Kyrene got off to a great start due
to the diligence and attentiveness of the Kyrene staff.
Each year I marvel at the ability of public school
systems to get thousands of children, staff, and parents
to the right place on the right day to begin a course of
learning that will change the way they look at the
future, and how the future unfolds because of what
they learn. Kyrene staff accomplishes this better than
many districts that I have experienced. I'm quite sure
that very few organizations can accomplish what we do in
the timeline that we are given. I applaud your work and
wish for your continued success this school year.
Maria
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NEWSFLASH
Niños Kids
Club Receives NAEYC Accreditation
Last
week, Niños Kids Club received accreditation through
the National Association for the Education of Young
Children (NAEYC), the first Kyrene Kids Club site to
receive this highly-sought after and prestigious
distinction. The accreditation process includes
surveying staff and families, creating an action plan to
make any necessary improvements, completing a program
description, and receiving a validation visit from an
NAEYC accreditation validator.
Congratulations
to Beth Tenkely, Kids Club Coordinator at Ninos, and all
of the Kyrene Kids Club staff that contributed toward
this outstanding accomplishment.
National
Council for Geographic Education Recognizes Kyrene
Teachers
Kyrene teachers Diane Godfrey (Pueblo) and Sheila Nice (Altadeña)
are being recognized by the National Council for
Geographic Education with its Distinguished Teaching
Achievement Award. They will receive the award in
October at the National Conference for Geographic
Education. The attached
press release provides additional information regarding
their award. Congratulations to Diane and Sheila.
City
of Tempe Providing Free Student Bus Passes
The city of Tempe is offering free bus passes to youth
between the ages of 6 and 18 who live and go to school
in Tempe. Students in Kyrene are eligible for this
program. A bus pass registration session will be held
from 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday, August 18 at the Tempe Union
High School District Office, 500 W. Guadalupe Road in
Tempe.
Students
under the age of 18 will need to bring their parents
with them in order to sign up. The student must provide
proof of where he or she goes to school, including a
school identification card, a recent school report card,
a home school affidavit of intent or a private school
affidavit of intent. Proof of residency, such as a
recent utility bill or a valid Arizona driver’s
license or ID card, also is required. More information
about the Tempe Youth Free Bus Program can be found at www.tempe.gov/tim.
Feel free to share this information with any interested
student.
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MAJOR
INITIATIVES
Communications Audit Focus Groups
Focus groups for Kyrene’s upcoming Communications
Audit are currently being organized. Thank you to the
many individuals that have already chosen to
participate. Openings are still available for the
teacher, parent, support staff, community member, and
Spanish-language focus groups. The focus groups –
which will last 1 hour – will take place starting on
the evening of August 29 through the morning of August
31.
If you are interested in participating, would like to
nominate someone, or have questions about the
Communications Audit, feel free to contact Johnny
Cruz at (480) 783-4174.
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TRAINING
AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
August 24 Early Release
Day
On August 24th all Kyrene teachers will be
participating in the first district-wide Early Release
professional development opportunity
We will be focusing on writing for our elementary
schools. The
focus for middle schools will be on Writing and Reading
Across the Curriculum (WRAC).
The Curriculum and Assessment Department has
designated individuals at each site who will be
conducting these training sessions.
Elementary
teachers will be learning the importance of the Six
Trait Writing Model, how to consistently score papers
using the rubrics, and how to provide corrective
feedback to students. Teachers will be using original writing samples from the students
that they are currently teaching.
We will emphasize the importance of writing in
developing deeper learning for students.
Middle
school teachers will be learning about Writing and
Reading Across the Curriculum (WRAC). Specific lessons
have been developed for the math, science, and social
studies teachers for use the first nine weeks.
Language Arts teachers will act as consultants
for the teams and exploratory teachers will learn
strategies for incorporating writing and reading into
learning activities for students.
Teacher
Support for Implementing the New Reading Material
This summer
hundreds of teachers attended the second, more in depth
reading training called Planning with Holt (for middle
school language arts teachers) or Planning with Harcourt
(for elementary teachers). This is a different training
than the training offered in May 2005. If you were not
able to attend the trainings this summer, there will be
opportunities available in August and September. The
classes for August are posted in the PGO.
The Curriculum and Assessment Department is in the
process of scheduling after school reading trainings in
September and will advertise them once the dates have
been confirmed. It is an expectation that teachers
attend a 3-hour training. We believe the workshop is
very beneficial to teachers.
Kindergarten – Planning with Harcourt
August 22 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the District Office
1-2 Grade Teachers –
Planning with Harcourt
August 22 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the District Office
3-5 Grade Teachers –
Planning with Harcourt
August 22 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the District Office
6-8 Grade Teachers –
Planning with Holt
August 16 or August 22, 4:30-7:30 p.m. in the Manitas
lab
How
do you motivate students?
The
Curriculum and Assessment Department is offering a class
on Student-involved Assessment. Teachers will learn
about how to motivate and involve students in classroom
assessment, how to teach students to create and maintain
student portfolios, and how to organize and conduct
student-led conferences. Each participant will receive a
notebook of practical ideas that can be used immediately
in the classroom. Sign up for one class on the PGO:
August 18 or September 22.
ASU
Language and Literacy Master’s and Reading Endorsement
Program
The ASU
Language and Literacy Master's and Reading Endorsement
Program will continue to be offered at various
school sites in Kyrene for Fall 2005. Some of the
classes begin on August 16, 2005. Since this is
considered a "rolling cohort," participants
are able to enroll in this program any time a new class
is offered.
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STAFF
REMINDERS
Homeless Student Identification
As many of you know, we continue to have more children
and families in our community experiencing homelessness. Please
remind your staff to inform Roxanne
Richardson, our district homeless liaison, if they
become aware, or suspect, a child may be experiencing
homelessness. We are required by law to enroll homeless
children even if they cannot provide a birth
certificate, immunizations, previous school records,
etc., as well as provide many additional services.
Homeless families (also referred to as families in
transition) have many rights that we need to ensure we
provide to them.
Kyrene Kids Club Employee Benefit
Kyrene Kids Club is currently offering childcare with
no monthly tuition charge to Kyrene School
District employees, including:
-childcare before and/or after school at
any Kyrene Kids Club school-age program (program
offerings vary per site, so please check for details)
-childcare on Staff Development Days for
school-age children
Kyrene
Kids Club will continue to offer the employee 20 percent
discount for all Early Learning Center programs (infant,
toddler, 3 and 4-year-old programs).
To
register for this benefit, please visit the Customer
Service Center (at the District Office) to complete
registration paperwork and pay the $20 activity fee.
Enrollment is based on availability. If you have
any questions or would like a registration packet,
please contact Jane
Cicotte at x4039 or Terry
Rodriguez at x4096.
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KYRENE
CLASSIFIEDS
Supplemental Education Department
The Supplemental Education Department is hiring
additional staff. If you or someone you know enjoys
working with children (ages 6 weeks through 8th
grade) and is looking for employment with the Kyrene
School District (or if you are looking for additional
duties and compensation), check out the employment
opportunities on the Kyrene
Web site.
For
information on jobs with Montessori or C.A.S.A. Vida
programs, contact Shannon
Andress at x4054.
For information on jobs with before and after school
enrichment programs, contact Ashley
Coates at x4089.
For information on jobs with Kids Club programs, contact Jena
Brandon
at x4059.
Instructional Assistants: Special Education
Kyrene is currently in need of additional instructional
assistants for Special Education programs. Benefits are
available after 20 hours and are prorated as with any
part-time employee. For more information on how to
apply, visit the Human
Resources page on the Kyrene Web site.
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