Superintendent's Message:
Dear Kyrene Staff,
As you well now,
this time of the year is very intense. We have worked with students for
a quarter, have reported their progress, and will soon conduct
conferences with parents about how things are going. The three-week
Conference Window is set for October 29 through November 9. We agreed
to this district-wide window with the intention of not scheduling other
events that could conflict with the actual conferences or compete with
the time needed to prepare for these. Your feedback has indicated that
this plan is helpful and we will to continue to seek other ways to
support the important work you do with students and their families
throughout the course of the year. One of the most important things I
learned as a teacher in my first couple of years, was how
important it is to have consistent communication with students and
parents about progress (or lack of) on a regular basis. Conferences
should confirm and enhance information that has already been shared. I
became very good at this after some hard lessons!
Let me take the
opportunity to thank you for taking the time to prepare for and conduct
these conferences. Students and parents greatly benefit from being able
to spend this time with you and they greatly appreciate it, too!
District News:
Community Education Presents Ed2Go Online Courses
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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.
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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.
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Hundreds of courses are
offered and new course selections start every month.
Please contact Sandy
Bawden at 480-783-4062 if you would like to register or receive
additional information.
Response to Intervention Workshop-
HOT HOT HOT
TOPIC !!!!!
-Learn an
overview of the RTI Model and AZ’s RTI Plan.
-Workshop on Tuesday, November 27th from
4 – 6 pm in the Kyrene District
Office.
-Presented by
Council for Exceptional Children and Kyrene ESS.
-Guest speakers, recertification credit.
Please RSVP to
Joanne Thomas jthoma@kyrene.org
by November 16th.
Learning
Opportunity
You are invited
to hear Dr. James T. Webb, recognized as one of the 25 most
influential psychologists in gifted education, present on the topic,
“Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students.”
When:
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 Where: Kyrene
School District Office - Board Room Time: 4:00 –
6:00 p.m. Cost: Free! Earn
Recertification Credit
James T. Webb, Ph.D., ABPP-CL
consults with
schools, programs and individuals about social and emotional needs of
gifted and talented children. In 1981, Dr. Webb established SENG
(Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted Children, Inc.), a national
nonprofit organization that provides information, training, conferences
and workshops.
A frequent
keynote and workshop speaker at state and national conventions, Dr.
Webb, a licensed psychologist, is board certified as a Diplomate in
Clinical Psychology. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association,
he served for three years on its governing body. He has served on the
Board of Directors for the National Association for Gifted Children, and
was President of the American Association for Gifted Children.
Currently, Dr. Webb is President of Great Potential Press, Inc.
Dr. Webb is the
lead author of five books, two of which were published in 2007.
-
Guiding the
Gifted Child: A Practical Source for Parents and Teachers
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Grandparents’
Guide to Gifted Children
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Misdiagnosis
and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD,
Asperger’s, Depression, and Other Disorders
-
Gifted Parent
Groups: The SENG Model, 2nd Edition
(New)
-
A Parent’s
Guide to Gifted Children
(New)
Guiding the
Gifted Child
won the National Media Award of the American Psychological Association
as the best book for "significantly contributing to the understanding of
the unique, sensitive, emotional needs of exceptional children.” Over
120,000 copies of this book have been sold.
Register today
on KIP under the Exceptional Student Services link!
Questions?
Contact Lori McClellan, Gifted Coordinator, at (480) 783-4151 or
lmcclellan@kyrene.org.
School News:
Sierra Teacher Models Good Character
Sierra fifth
grade teacher, Katie Jacques, traveled to Ghana in West Africa during
Fall Break as part of the Habitat for Humanity program. Katie’s
students were very excited to hear about her adventures upon her return.
Even though Sierra students did not go, they experienced her trip
through stories and pictures. This experience was life changing for Ms. Jacques, as she was
able to visit with children and adults living in very harsh conditions.
They were all grateful for her work and her kindness towards them. Her
team built two homes for families. The Sierra community is extremely
proud of Katie. She exemplifies our Character Counts program with her
caring ways and commitment to citizenship!
Trish
Stressman Harvest Moon Garden Party
Friends of Trish and
Scott Stressman are sponsoring a silent/live auction to help them with
therapy equipment, home modificaitons, and medical expenses. Trish, a
teacher at Kyrene de las Brisas Elementary School, was left paralyzed
after a Memorial Day accident injured her spinal cord.
The event will be held
on Sunday, October 28th from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM. Entertainment and
refreshments will be available. The event will be held in the club
house at Trilogy at Power Ranch, 4369 E. Village Parkway, Gilbert,
Arizona 85298. Tickets can be purchased for $5.00 before the event
and for $7.00 at the door. If you would like more information,
please contact Cathleen Beck, 480-726-1540.
Kyrene Brisas Supports Dimes for Diabetes
Brisas has been
collecting change during the month of October as a part of the “Dimes
for Diabetes” campaign benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation. The school is working cooperatively to meet individual class
goals and has collected over 110 pounds of change so far! The campaign
is getting Brisas hyped up for the JDRF Walk on Saturday, November 3rd
at Tempe Town Lake. Many Brisas students, teachers, families and friends
are already signed up to walk together on “Team Kamani,” started by Myah
Kamani, a Brisas fifth-grader. Super Geckos are learning they can make a
Super Difference!
Lights on AfterSchool Celebration!
Monte Vista Kids Club was featured in the
Ahwatukee Foothills News on
Wednesday October 24th, 2007.
The AFN visited Kyrene Kids Club on October 18, 2007, to celebrate
Lights on AfterSchool. LIghts on AfterSchool is a nationally recognized
day which celebrates after school programs across the United States.
Montessori- Did you Know?
Did you know
that Dena Berg, one of our Club Leaders in Training at the Kyrene
Montessori program,
is the Vice President of Community Service for the Arizona FCCLA?
As part of her role, she picks the Arizona state service projects, and
she has helped raised thousands of dollars for Autism research.
Thank you, Dena for your commitment and hard work.
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