Superintendent's Message:
Dear Staff,
Many of you may have noticed that the
media has recently been reporting on one element of the state
accountability system called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Headlines
are used to spark interest and capture the attention of readers. Some
that recently appeared about Kyrene stated, 7 Kyrene Schools fail to
meet federal standards and 3 AF schools fail to meet AYP
requirements. The actual articles under the headlines were fairly
accurate, but unfortunately many readers simply glance at headlines and
do not have time to read the rest. I have learned in recent years that
it is common practice in the newspaper business for reporters to write
articles and then turn them over to “headline writers” who draft clever
words and phrases that will create interest and invite controversy.
It is important for all of us
to understand what all of this AYP hype really means. In Kyrene,
seven schools did not make AYP and in every case (with one exception)
the reason had to do with the percentage of students tested in a
sub-category. The requirement is that 95% of the students in a given
category have to be tested and in almost every case we were hovering at
92%-94% and came very close. Examples of a sub-category are: “Grade
5 Math Low SES (socioeconomic status),” or “Grade 5 Math Special
Education.” Oftentimes one student can be included in 2 or 3
sub-categories, so if that one student is absent, it affects the %
tested in all his/her sub-categories. You might ask what does % tested
have to do with learning. Absolutely nothing! This is actually a very
trivial part of the overall accountability formula that gets undue
attention from the media.
School labels will be released during the
month of October. The label is derived from the overall formula that
includes AYP as well as a number of other elements. Once again, we can
expect that the news media will devote a fair amount of attention to
this and it will be important for us to understand what the labels
actually mean. In my next letter to you I will focus on the labels and
how they are derived.
In the meantime, we all know that
continuous academic progress and personal growth for every
student is what we stand for as our mission clearly states. That
means that we work with each individual student and put 100% of our
attention on how to help that student progress, no matter where they
were when they first came into the classroom. While we do care about
grade level standards and how schools and the district achieve (as a
whole), the focus must be on each child. There is nothing more
important than that! We all need to support each other in doing
whatever it takes for each child to experience success and growth.
Sincerely,
David
District News:
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.
Please contact Sandy
Bawden at 480-783-4062 if you would like to register or receive
additional information.
Summer Academy Principal Position Available
Community Education and Outreach
Services is looking for a highly motivated and energetic certified staff
member to join the Summer Academy team as a Summer Academy Principal. If
you are looking for some extra money this year, a chance to grow your
leadership and organization skills, and something fun to do in June;
please apply on-line and a Summer Academy team member will contact you.
If you have any questions, please contact Josh Glider at x 4132.
School News:
Two
Kyrene Teachers go to Japan!
Congratulations to
Diane Godfrey of Pueblo and Sheila Nice of Altadena on their selection
to be an honored guest of the Japanese Government this October.
Ms. Godfrey and Nice were selected from a pool of over 1700
applicants by the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program..
They will join 198 other teachers in Japan where they will have direct
contact with Japanese teachers and students during visits to primary and
secondary schools. They will also be visiting cultural sites and
local industries. Congratulations Diane and Sheila. We know
that you will represent Kyrene well.
A Fundraiser for our very own
Super
Hero!
Brisas beloved teacher and parent,
Mrs. Trish Stressman (Trish Holland), was in an accident over Memorial
Day and is currently paralyzed from the chest down. She has been
working her very hardest all summer long doing both Physical and
Occupational Therapy and Brisas knows that she’ll be back in the
classroom just as soon as she can! The goal at Brisas this year is to
do as much as possible to help pay for a stair lift for her house – they
are very expensive!
Brisas
will be sponsoring several fundraisers throughout the year to directly
benefit Mrs. Stressman. Brisas will be selling Dog Tag Necklaces or Backpack Dog Tag clips
with the Superman Logo on them for $8 each. This is actually a two part
fundraiser with a portion of the proceeds going directly to Mrs.
Stressman’s fund and the remaining proceeds going to the Christopher
Reeve Foundation. As you all know, Christopher Reeve also had a spinal
cord injury and fought valiantly for Spinal Cord Research. We would
love to “Paint the School Superman” this year!
.You
can order a Superman Dog Tag Necklace or Backpack Clip for only $8 each
by contacting
briptso@kyrene.org or 783-2327.
Congratulations Dr. Knight!
Congratulations to Dr. Karen Knight who
received her Doctorate of Education from Arizona State University, with
a major in Administration & Supervision on Wednesday, September 5th!
Karen has been a teacher at Kyrene del Sureńo for 14 years. During that
time she has taught first grade and has been the literacy and math
coach. Karen's dissertation topic relates to her passion for supporting
student learning in reading and in helping teachers with strategies.
The title of her dissertation is
Predicting
Third Grade Success on the AIMS DPA Using Second Grade Oral
Reading Fluency Scores.
Brisas Ice Cream Social
Come and enjoy the first
major event of the year at Brisas! Join your Brisas friends in the
Mulitpurpose room for some delicious ice cream and baked goods on
Friday, September 28th, from 6:30-8:00 pm. Make your own sundae, join in
the cake walk, or just enjoy the fun filled atmosphere with your family
and friends.
This event is sponsored by the
Brisas PTSO, along with the Kindergarten and 1st
grade classrooms.
A portion of the proceeds, and
money raised from a raffle being held at the event, will be donated to
the Mrs. Stressman fund.
Congratulations Ms. Michell!
Ms. Ev Michell, Principal at Kyrene de las Lomas, is recieving an
Administrator Appreciation Award from the Arizona Association of Health,
Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AzAHPERD) on Friday, September
28th. Ms. Michell is being honored for her support of the PE Pilot
Grant and our district's PE and wellness programs. Congratulations, Ms.
Michell!
Together for
Students
“A Kyrene de las
Brisas/Toyota Financial Services Partnership"
Kyrene de las
Brisas Elementary School is proud to announce their second year of
partnership with Toyota Financial Services of Chandler, Arizona.
Starting on October 1, 2007, 30 TFS associates will volunteer
their lunch hour once a week to tutor 4th and 5th
grade students at Brisas in the areas of reading or math. The program
has been named “Together for Students” or “T.F.S.”, using the Toyota
Financial Solutions initials. As Brisas and TFS share a common mascot,
the Gecko has been chosen as the official logo- prompting the saying
“Geckos helping Geckos”! TFS volunteers were recruited by Michelle
Ryan, Toyota Financial Solutions’ Kaizen Coach, and trained by Brisas’
Literacy Coach Suzanne Carreon and Math Coach Kelly Herrmann. Not only
will Brisas students benefit from a one-on-one mentoring program with
members of the business community, but at the end of the program- in the
Spring of 2008, the students will be treated to a tour of the Toyota
Financial Services facility at Ray and the Loop 101 freeway, along with
a pizza luncheon and “graduation” ceremony. Brisas and TFS look forward
to this being another year of creating positive relationships between
the school and business community, along with benefiting the students of
Brisas Elementary.
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