September 12, 2008
Dear Staff,
I have been enjoying seeing all of you as I travel around the school district. The child centered focus demonstrated by the care and attention to the needs of all of our students is so very apparent in each one of our schools. I have seen some interesting things from science lessons about density where kids are predicting what will float to all kinds of math investigations lessons where students are stretching their thinking about place value and number sense. At one school I got to meet Baxter, the Diamondbacks mascot, and got swatted on the behind in front of a couple of hundred kids and then was handed the microphone! Luckily I was able to think of something to say and we all enjoyed a humorous moment together. I even got to join a classroom in a “movement – dance” activity and attempted to demonstrate that I still have enough coordination and flexibility to do something like that (kind of). All in all, this has been a great beginning to the year for me because I have been spending a lot of time with you and the students. You have made me feel very welcome in your schools and classrooms and I want you to know how much I appreciate that.
As we move through the school year, work continues on a number of important district-wide projects. The Compensation Committee is developing the transition plan for educational credits to move to a system where teachers are paid more quickly for valuable professional development that leads to increased student achievement. The Evaluation Committee is working on a differentiated approach to evaluation so the necessary support and attention can be provided where it is most needed. Plans for Staff Development Day are being made by schools and departments and the Support Staff Council is working together to ensure that meaningful experiences will be provided for members of the support staff on that day (October 13). As is the normal practice, lots of staff members are involved in helping us do all of these things and their willingness to give their time and energy is greatly appreciated.
Let’s remember to keep the spirit of Ron Clark’s message alive as the year continues. We can and will make a huge difference for each and every child that enters our classroom doors!
David
District News
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Political Activity Policy and Guidelines
This fall will no doubt be an exciting and challenging time as various
national, state, and local elections take place this November. It is an
important time for our nation and for our students to learn first hand
about the issues and the political process, and for all voters to
express their will.
It
is critical that all employees understand Kyrene School District Policy
(GBI Staff Participation in Political Activities) as it relates to our
actions in the workplace. In addition to Policy GBI, the AEA has a memo
regarding the Use of School Resources to Influence Elections, which has
assisted in our understanding and supports the District policy.
Briefly, the major points to remember include:
·
Employees can engage in political activities, including campaigning
during off hours, as a private citizen (during non duty time outside of
the classroom). Employees must not represent that they are acting on
behalf of the school district while engaged in activities to influence
the outcomes of an election.
·
Employees may express their opinions or preference on elections outside
of the classroom or work role.
·
Employees may have bumper stickers, etc. on their private vehicles while
the vehicle is parked in a parking lot owned by the district.
·
Employees cannot use district resources (time, energy, materials,
technology, etc.) to support political activities.
·
Employees cannot advocate a position during work hours, which would
include wearing political buttons, T-shirts, caps, etc., or posting
political posters or distributing flyers on district property.
·
Students may not be involved in the writing, addressing, or distribution
of materials to influence the outcome of an election or to advocate
support or opposition to pending or proposed legislation.
·
The discussion and study of politics and political issues, when such
discussion and study are appropriate to classroom studies, are not
precluded under the provisions of the KSD policy.
Interested in pursuing a
Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from NAU?
There will be an
informational meeting with Dr. Jim Davis from NAU for all those
interested in enrolling in the NAU/Kyrene Master’s Degree Program in
Elementary Education. This meeting will be held on
Monday, September 22, 2008
at 4:30 pm at the District Office. We will be meeting in the CAT Room
which is located between the Technology Department and the Curriculum &
Assessment Department. If there is enough interest, this two-year
program will run from January 2009 through December 2010.
Critical
features include:
-
Two year program/six semesters
-
Winter (January - May) 2009
and 2010
-
Summer (June) 2009 and 2010
-
Fall
(August - December) 2009 and 2010
-
Classes are held on Monday
nights starting at 4:30 pm
-
Classes in June are held M-Th from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
-
Classes are convenient -
All courses offered at Kyrene School District locations.
-
No classes during Fall
Break, Winter Break, Spring Break, or on holidays.
-
Start
date of next cohort: January 2008 if there are 15 individuals interested
in enrolling.
-
On-line
and fax enrollment. Mail option is also available.
-
Guaranteed admission.
-
Local advisement with office assistance at the NAU East valley office.
-
97%
graduation rate.
-
Go to
http://home.nau.edu/bursar/fees_fall_grad.asp for information
regarding NAU’s current tuition rates.
-
If you will be attending this
session, please contact Patty Hineman at x4115 or by email at
phineman@kyrene.org.
Why is the Kronos Clock a minute or two off from our School Clocks?
Have you ever noticed
that the Kronos time clocks reflect a different time than our school
clocks? With our current limitations, the Kronos clocks cannot be
synced with the school clocks. The Kronos clocks are aligned with the
network time (which is controlled by NASA – wow!). The school clocks
are also aligned to an atomic clock, but from a different source. At
some point, when our clocks and phones all run on the same network, the
times will be the same.
School News
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Mirada
Kyrene de la Mirada
Elementary School welcomes two mural artists to our campus during
September. Their visit is made possible by a grant from the Arizona
Commission on the Arts and funds from donations to the school. Joan
Bourque and Sallie Cross will be working with 5th grade
students to create three murals to enhance the main entry hall. The
theme is life skills, which our students learn about and use in our
school. The ideas for the drawings are from the students and the
students will do the drawing and painting under the supervision and
guidance of our guest artists.
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