Superintendent's Message:
Dear Staff,
I wanted to take
this opportunity to share how thankful I am to work with all of you in
this school district. In my mind, there is nothing more important than
the work we do each and every day to see to it that all students
experience continuous growth. It is very clear to me that Kyrene could
not possibly be the top performing school district it is without your
daily efforts. Whether you mentor new teachers, supervise students at
lunch, write district curriculum, teach in one of our 1000+ classrooms
or administer a school or department, you all contribute to the
greatness of Kyrene. This truly is the best possible place for children
to come to school!
Please take the
time these next few days to spend quality time with those people you are
most thankful for. Remember how important it is to have those people
supporting you in the same way you support the students and families of
Kyrene. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
District News:
Are you a first year in the district teacher? Were you on leave for
over ½ of the year last year (2006-2007)?
The Alternative
Kyrene Pay for Performance Program (AKPPP) is just for you! To
participate in AKPPP, register on the PGO in INFORM for
one set
of classes. Successful completion of the 3 class sessions and the
homework project will qualify you to access the 301 funds at the end of
this school year. For more information about these classes, please
email or call Joy Fogarty in the Curriculum and Assessment department.
Class
1 January 8 January 15 February
12
Class 2
January 9 January 16 February 13
Class 3
January 10 January 17 February 14
Class 4
January 22 January 29 February 19
Class 5
January 23 January 30 February 20
Class
6 January 24 January 31 February 21
iVisions Absence Reporting
This is just a
reminder that support staff (see specifics below) and all Administrators
are to use
iVisions to report and monitor absence requests through iVisions.
Support staff should also document any ACA/Vacation time on their paper
timecard. As we transition to Kronos, this will be reported
electronically.
Currently, the
only employee group that should not be using iVisions is teachers due to
some systems issues we are still trying to work through. Teachers (and
other certified staff) are to continue to always report their absences
through Subfinder (even if they do not require a sub), and use the
traditional planning form when requesting or notifying administrators of
future absences.
Here are some
bulleted items that outline the whole process:
For Administrators
and Exempt
Support Staff
Ø
Report ALL
absences (last minute absences and planned absences) in IVisions
employee portal.
For certified staff:
Ø
ALL
school day absences must be reported in SubFinder, even if a substitute
is not required.
Ø
For planned
absences that will take place at a future date, or absences that will
occur on a restricted day, please submit an Absence Report Form to your
supervisor for approval and
call the absence in to SubFinder.
Ø
Do not use
iVisions for reporting absences.
For school-based support staff,
if you are school-based support staff (except custodians, crossing
guards, and playground supervisors):
Ø
ALL
school day absences need to be reported in SubFinder and reported on
your time card.
Ø
To request
approval for an absence that will take place at a future date, please
submit the request using iVisions
and when the absence has been approved, call the absence
in to SubFinder and report the absence on your time card.
For District office support staff, custodians, crossing guards and
playground supervisors
(and all other non-school based support staff do not use SubFinder for
any absences)
Ø
For approval of
a planned absence that will take place at a later date, please submit an
absence request through the iVisions employee portal and report the
absence on your time card when the absence occurs.
Site Coordinator Needed
How would you like to
earn a $2,500* stipend this school year? Arizona Quest for Kids is
seeking a Site Coordinator or Site Team to coordinate their program at
Kyrene de los Ninos Elementary School.
Arizona Quest for Kids
is a nonprofit organization that prepares high potential, low-income
students for success in college and beyond. Enrolled in the fifth
grade, students are paired with a caring adult mentor who supports their
academic and personal development. Career-focused enrichment
opportunities and a comprehensive college guidance initiative are
essential components of the program. AQFK also provides educational
workshops to parents as they support their child’s pursuit of a college
education.
If
you are interested and would like more information regarding this
opportunity please contact Lisa Begay at lisa@azquestforkids.org or call
602-636-1860.
Special Edition Thank You
A very special thank
you
from the Community Relations Dept. to everyone who submitted either
themselves or a loved one for the Kyrene Insider Veterans Day Special
Edition. We received over 80 names of veterans that were recognized in
the publication. This wonderful idea was given to us by Pat Gerringer
(Business Services). Pat's son David is scheduled to deploy to Iraq for
the third time. We hope to make this a Kyrene tradition honoring every
year those who dedicate their lives so that we can have freedom each and
every day.
Print Shop Ordering Made Easy
The Print Shop would
like to invite those who have not already done so to try its new online
ordering system. This system, called Navigate, allows you to send your
orders electronically. It’s easy! To get started logon to
http://navigate.kyrene.org/printshop using your Kyrene login and
password, fill out the online form and upload your electronic original
using the file upload feature. If you only have hardcopy originals most
sites have a copier/scanner system that allows for scanning of your
hardcopies into an electronic file. It’s, fast, allows for quicker turn
around times and job tracking. If you have questions there is a step by
step word document tutorial with screen caps under the ‘Help’ section.
Hope to see your online orders soon!
"The new Print Shop online system is fantastic. It is user friendly and
efficient. I love using it saves time and the turn around time is
quick." Margaret Marino from Lomas
"Altadeña
Middle School piloted the online print shop process two years ago.
Since the time we first used the system, the staff would agree the
scanning and order process is very user friendly and quick! The turn
around time for receiving your order is cut in half. Comments have been
made how nice it is to have your printing done advance and have them
filed away for that future unit. Staff has also discovered the other
uses of scanning their documents. The documents are saved in .pdf form
and can be pulled up to show the class and can be put on the teacher’s
websites for student’s to print when they have lost their homework
sheet." Linda Crawford from
Altadeña.
Community Education Presents Ed2Go Online Courses
-
Kyrene employees
receive a 15% discount.
-
Courses run for six to
eight weeks and are composed of 12 lessons representing 24 or more hours
of instruction.
-
Certified and Support
staff may request these courses to be reviewed by the professional
development review committee for salary credit.
-
Many courses qualify
for recertification hours.
-
Hundreds of courses are
offered and new course selections start every month. Some of these
courses include, Interpersonal Communication, Creating Web Pages,
Customer Service Fundamentals, Spanish, French, Italian, and Test Prep.
Please contact Sandy
Bawden at 480-783-4062 if you would like to register or receive
additional information.
TRP Winners
The winners of
the Trip Reduction Program monthly drawing for a $20 gift card for the
month of September are Jennie Dorsett from Waggoner and Steve Smith of
Facilities. The October winners were Kristine Bigham of Technology and
Marianne Borghese of Transportation. Congratulations to all of you!
School News:
Lagos Helps Family Resource Center
Lagos recently
had their most successful food drive EVER! In addition to it being our
biggest drive of all time, every one of the 7,029 cans and boxes of food
went directly to the Kyrene Family Resource Center to assist Kyrene
families in need. If you would like more information on how you
can help the Kyrene Family Resource Center, please contact Roxanne
Richardson at x3172.
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