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Volume 3 - Issue
22 - February 28, 2005 |
K-8
Programming Study Update
In an e-mail from Dr. Schauer on Friday, you received further
information on the recommendations the K-8 Committee
presented to Dr. Menconi in the Board Study Session. The document Dr. Schauer sent out included the
guiding principles of the committee’s work, as well as
information on each specific recommendation that Dr.
Menconi is now considering. Over the past several months,
Kyrene has embarked on a thorough examination of
possible refinements, adjustments, and changes to
components of K-8 core and elective programs as well as
administrative, instructional, and classified support
models. The purpose of the K-8 Study is to ensure
that programs offered in the Kyrene School District
produce higher levels of student learning and
achievement (effective) and are affordable based upon
current budgetary limitations (efficient). This
committee, which includes teachers, parents, support staff,
and administrators, has developed a
series of ideas for Dr. Menconi to consider for
recommendation to the Governing Board. Various
strategies to communicate program developments have been
included via public meetings, staff, and community
forums, employee newsletters, community newsletters, Web
site updates, and Board study sessions. At the Governing
Board Meeting on March 8th, the Board will
consider Dr. Menconi’s recommendations (based on the
work of the K-8 Committee). A fact sheet and
school presentation detailing the outcomes of the
Board’s decision will be provided after the Governing Board meeting.
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Employee
Childcare Benefit
Earlier
this year we shared with all employees that Kids Club,
Kyrene's District-sponsored childcare program, will begin
to offer free before and after school childcare to all
Kyrene School District employees beginning in the 05-06
school year. We
are currently working with staff from our other
childcare providers to determine if this same benefit
can be offered to Kyrene employees whose children
participate in other childcare programs. Please take a
minute to respond
to this brief
survey to assist us in our planning.
The survey will be open until Friday, March 4th at 12:00
p.m.
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AIMS
Data
Kyrene is one of the top performing
districts in the State of Arizona. We are very proud of
the education that we provide our students, and continue
to strive the best possible education for all students.
Our goal is that all students will meet and exceeds the
standards on the AIMS tests. The Arizona Instrument to
Measure Standard (AIMS) is designed to assess students
on their mastery of the State Standards. Standards are
the identified learnings for students in Arizona. The
Arizona Board of Education and Department of Education
has defined and adopted rigorous for all students. It
is the goal of NCLB that 100 percent of students meets
state standards by 2014.
The
charts below provide a longitudinal look at student
performance on the State AIMS Test. Students were
tested in grades 3, 5 and 8 from 2000 through 2004. The
percent of student who meet or exceed the standards
(passed) the test are given.
Grade 3 AIMS Assessment
Results
(M/E = Meets and Exceeds)
| |
|
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
Average |
|
AIMS Math |
% M/E |
78 |
80 |
82 |
77 |
81 |
80 |
AIMS
Reading |
% M/E |
89 |
87 |
89 |
85 |
85 |
87 |
Grade 5 AIMS Assessment
Results
(M/E = Meets and Exceeds)
| |
|
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
Average |
|
AIMS Math |
% M/E |
66 |
71 |
71 |
69 |
71 |
70 |
AIMS
Reading |
% M/E |
84 |
78 |
79 |
74 |
72 |
77 |
Grade 8 AIMS Assessment
Results
(M/E = Meets and Exceeds)
| |
|
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
Average |
|
AIMS Math |
% M/E |
37 |
35 |
33 |
34 |
44 |
37 |
AIMS
Reading |
% M/E |
74 |
79 |
77 |
72 |
72 |
75 |
The
chart display indicates that all students are not
meeting the standard. The results also indicate that
growth from 2000 to 2004 is not always evident. One
goal of the K-8 Programming Study was to increase
student achievement. The AIMS assessment results
indicate that some students are not meeting the
standard and could be at great risk
for not earning a high school diploma.
It is
important for the Kyrene community to recognize and
applaud the exceptional results on the AIMS Test, with
the understanding that it is our goal for all students
to meet or exceed the standard. Recommendations from
the Solutions Teams for the K-8 Programming Study were
based in part on assessment results.
[top]
Elementary
School Health Offices receive Certificate of Achievement
Arizona’s
Department of Health Services recently celebrated all Kyrene
Elementary School Health Offices for their
outstanding work to meet 95% or better of the
Kindergarten students who were fully immunized as
required by Arizona State Law, for this school year
2004/2005. There is a lot of hard work done behind the
scenes (e.g., collecting data from immunizations
records, calling
parents, calling doctors, calling back for follow ups)
that these school health offices
deserve this great recognition!
Thank you all for the hard work you do to achieve
this accomplishment!
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District
Contacts
Recently
the Programs and Services page (off of the KSD homepage)
(http://www.kyrene.org/ps/)
has been updated to include listings that meet the needs
of our internal and external customers.
For example, there is now information on where to
get information about a particular program including
e-mail, Web page, and phone number. Because it is so
inclusive, this updated page will take the place of
the current "Contacts" page. Further, the current school contacts page is now
located on the school page. (http://www.kyrene.org/ksdportal/school_directory).
Please remember that we also now have a new
"Contact look up" search function on the home page.
[top]
District
Art Show
On
Tuesday, March 1, 2005, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., the Kyrene
School District’s Annual Art Show will begin. Superintendent
Menconi will share
opening remarks at 6:30 p.m. at the Opening Night Reception
at the District Office. Artwork from each of Kyrene’s 25 schools’
students will remain on display daily at the District
Office from Monday February 28 through Thursday March 3
from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Come enjoy our talented young artists’ showcase
and gaze into their imaginations.
(For those of you who work in the District
Office, please make a note of the event and remember to
put any valuables away before you leave on Tuesday.)
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Opportunity
for Parents to Review Kyrene Writing Curriculum
The
Arizona Department of Education adopted the new Arizona
Writing Standard in June
2004.
In the 2004-05 school year, schools are expected to
transition to the new standard with mandatory use of the
Arizona Writing Standard in the 2005-06 school year.
The
Curriculum and Assessment Department has been working
with the Writing
Curriculum
Revision Committee to align the Kyrene Writing
Curriculum to the new Arizona State Writing Standard.
The committee is composed of a cross section of Kyrene
educators and administrators. All Kyrene schools had an
opportunity to provide written feedback to the committee
in January 2005. The committee has read and responded to
all feedback making changes to the document as
necessary. In addition, a writing expert and a representative from Tempe Union High School District are
currently reviewing the document.
Kyrene’s
Governing Board will conduct the first reading of the
Kyrene Writing Curriculum at their meeting on March 8th,
2005. Parents will have an opportunity to review
the document online at www.kyrene.org
from March 9th through March 21st, 2005.
Please direct all questions and/or feedback to Patty
Hineman in the Curriculum and Assessment Department. The
Kyrene Writing Curriculum will go before the Governing
Board on March 22 for final approval.
[top]
Transportation
Thinks…SAFETY
When working in Transportation, you will always hear the word
safety. It
is the number one focus when transporting our students! To have the privilege of transporting our
students, a driver must have a Commercial Drivers
License (CDL), which
requires 18 hours in the classroom and a minimum of 20
hours behind-the-wheel training. To maintain a CDL, a driver is required to have
an annual physical, yearly drug test, and CPR and First
Aid Training.
To provide additional safety measures, we acquired an Automated
External Defibrillator (AED).
Fourteen drivers were certified on the AED in
October 2004 and fifty drivers/monitors were certified
in February 2005. The
Transportation Department was the first in the District
to implement AED training for their employees!
Another important aspect of safety is the required
pre-trip inspection on every bus. The pre-trip
inspection includes: a 7-point inspection of brakes,
fluid leaks, gauges, tires, steering, lights, etc. Drivers do not leave the bus yard until every checkpoint
has been inspected/tested. Every Transportation Employee
has been trained to have a keen awareness of safety.
It’s our commitment to the Kyrene community!
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Professional
Development Opportunity
Announcing The Ninth Alliance Summer Geography Institute
June
11-20, 2005 and July 11, 2005
This
geography education training will be scheduled for June
11-20 of 2005. All K-12 teachers and those who deal with
K-12 education outreach are invited to apply. The 10-day
institute will include:
-
hands-on activities that are classroom ready
-
guest
speakers from the academic world of geography
-
lots
and lots of fun.
ASGI
ELIGIBILITY:
The application process is open to all K-12 teachers and others associated with K-12 education
outreach. This program is not limited to conventional
geography teachers. We view geography as an integrative
discipline that fits almost all instruction. Enrollment
will be limited to 24.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION -- YOUR COSTS:
Approximately $194 dollars plus registration fees of
approximately $75. You will be required to sign up for 3
hours of graduate credit through Arizona State
University
HOW TO
APPLY:
http://alliance.la.asu.edu/azga/
Go to Outreach and Events
and click on ASGI
Mail to:
Alliance
Summer Geography Institute
Department of Geography
Arizona
State University
P O Box
870104
Tempe,
AZ 85287-0104
Deadline
for applying: April 25, 2005
[top]
Jury
Duty FAQ
As
part of our civic responsibility, employees in Kyrene
are frequently asked to serve on Jury Duty. Changes in court procedures and District policies
have prompted a number of questions to be raised.
Employees who need information regarding Jury
Duty can now access a list of frequently asked questions
on the HR Web
page.
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Family
Fun Event Saturday March 5th
Kyrene
Kids Club cordially invites you and your family to
attend their second annual Family Fun Event! From
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Saturday March 5th,
join in this celebration of children and families with a
Spring Fling event at Milenio. All Kids Club families
are welcome to join us for food, fun, and creating great
memories! Some of Saturday’s activities include
carnival games, inflatable bouncers, popcorn, cotton
candy, and an opportunity to get photographs/autographs
with a professional athlete!
[top]
Kyrene
Classifieds: On-site Position
There is an on-site
position open at Akimel/Estrella. Kyrene employees who
are interested in the position can apply online
or obtain an application at the District Office.
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Student
Involved Assessment
The
Curriculum and Assessment Department is offering two
classes called Student Involved
Assessment on April 5 and again
on April 21. These three-hour classes give the
rationale for student involvement in classroom
assessment, teach the participant how to teach students
to create and maintain a personal portfolio, and show
how to organize and conduct student-led
conferences. Each participant will receive a
notebook full of practical ideas that can be used
immediately in the classroom. Register on the
Professional Growth Catalog online. Visit
the Staff Development Web
page for additional information about upcoming
training and staff development opportunities.
[top]
Arizona State Retirement
System Newsletter
Click here to read the latest edition of the Arizona
State Retirement System Newsletter.
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