September
26, 2008
Dear Staff,
The October fall
break is just around the corner! I hope that you will have the chance
to rest and enjoy the cooler weather that is beginning to settle in. As
we think about keeping the spirit of Ron Clark’s message alive, let’s
continue to discuss how each and every staff member contributes to the
success of our students. We all play a part in this work and need to do
all we can to achieve the mission of the district: …continuous
academic and personal growth for every student. While Kyrene
is a high performing school district when compared with the rest of
Arizona, we know there are students who are not experiencing the kind of
success we desire for them. Let’s think about the results we are
getting and reconsider what we are doing. If what is being done is not
working then we need to try something different.
I will soon be
visiting every school and department across the entire school district
to have this discussion with all staff members. My goal is to complete
these visits by winter break. I look forward to seeing every one of you
and hearing your ideas about how we can make a great school district
even greater! It is my greatest privilege to work with such a
compassionate, talented and dedicated staff and I look forward to our
continued work together.
David
District News
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Kyrene Staff!!
On July 29th,
we were all amazed and filled with energy after hearing the motivating
presentation of Ron Clark to the entire Kyrene staff! His message of
encouragement and a “can do” attitude has inspired many to strengthen
their focus on positive school, work, and learning environments, as well
as to renew our faith in the fact that all students can learn and
achieve! Hopefully, YOU were inspired and have been able to keep your
enthusiasm and renewed focus strong as we end the first quarter of the
year.
Are you inspired?
Would you like to be eligible for some great prizes, including an
expense paid trip to Atlanta to attend one of Ron Clark’s weekend
workshops? If so, please read below about Kyrene’s new “Inspiration
Award” and think about sharing your inspiration with others!
The
Kyrene Inspiration Award will be sponsored annually to acknowledge those
employee(s) who demonstrate outstanding, unique, and inspired actions to
support students and their achievement. This year, the award is focused
on the following; “How were you
inspired by Ron Clark’s presentation to change your teaching or
interactions with students to support their achievement?”
Employees
who wish to be considered for the Kyrene Inspiration Award should
complete the application form
T:\Instructional Services Tools\Inspiration Award and submit it to
Sandy Anderson, Mail Stop #7, or
sander@kyrene.org no later than 4:30 pm on October 24, 2008.
Applications must be completed by one staff member only (no teams, etc.)
Winners will be announced the week of November 3, 2008. Decisions of
the judges are final. Winners may be asked to share their inspiration
and learning with others.
Please
see the prize list below and print the application today! Again,
applications are due no later than 4:30 pm on October 24, 2008!!!!
2008—2009
Inspiration Award Prize Descriptions
2 Grand Prize
Winners:
An
expense paid trip to attend the Ron Clark Academy’s Educator Conference
from February 6—8, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia. Award
includes:
-
1st
Class round trip ticket from Phoenix to Atlanta (donated by a Kyrene
Family)
-
Hotel room for
two nights
-
One Professional
Growth Day (Guest Teacher or Support Staff Substitute)
-
Conference Fee
-
Friday Night,
February 6, 7:30—10:30 pm: Conference Kick Off and Movie Night:
Attendees will hear a keynote address by Ron Clark, followed by a
viewing of the Emmy-nominated movie, The Ron Clark Story.
Dinner will not be provided, but refreshments will be served.
-
Saturday,
February 7, 8:00 am—5:30 pm: Concurrent Workshop Session:
Participants will rotate through staff development workshops
taught by Ron Clark, Kim Bearden, and other members of the RCA
faculty. For complete bios of the RCA faculty, please visit
www.ronclarkacademy.com A continental breakfast and lunch
will be served. Workshops will include:
-
How to Have a
Creative Classroom in a Time of Increased Accountability
-
Vocabulary
and Reading in the Content Areas
-
Hands-on
Science
-
Ron Clark’s
Math Methods for Raising Test Scores!
-
Innovative
Strategies for Connecting with Parents and the Community
-
Setting
Student Expectations to Foster Excellence
-
Implementing
the Essential 55 and more!
-
10
Third Prizes:
One copy each of the film, The Ron Clark Story.
Idealistic
young teacher Ron Clark (Matthew Perry, in an Emmy-nominated role)
is full of hope as he leaves the familiarity of his hometown for New
York City's provocative and volatile inner-city public school
system. Clark's fearless devotion and fresh approach to learning is
his key to unlocking the chains of ignorance that bind his students.
Randa Haines directs this Emmy-nominated biographical drama based on
the inspiring true life of the innovative educator.
Important Information Regarding Support Staff Holiday Pay
A question came up at
the last Secretary’s meeting about support staff work hours during the
weeks that contains a holiday or work weeks that contain less than 5
work days (examples: the week before school starts; Thanksgiving week;
the week before winter recess; the last week of school, etc.). The
following scenarios apply to benefits-eligible employees (those
employees who work 20 or more hours per week in a non-temporary
position). Please note that an employees FTE is always converted to
average hours per day by taking their total FTE, multiplying by 40, then
dividing by 5.)
-
Holiday pay is
calculated based upon an employee’s average hours per day, regardless of
their regular work schedule. For example, if an employee is contracted
to work 25 hours a week (.625 FTE) and Monday is a holiday, the employee
would get 5 hours of holiday pay and would work 20 hours for the
remainder of the week. If an employee usually works more or less than 5
hours on the day the holiday falls, then they will still only receive
their average hours per day as holiday time, and the employee should
still work 20 hours the remainder of the week to make their total paid
hours for the week equal 25 hours.
-
During a week that
has only 4 paid days, (i.e., week before winte recess, last week of
school, etc.) employees can only work a total number of hours equal to
their average hours per day times 4 work days. If an employee is
contracted to work 25 hour per week, the employee would only work 20
hours during a four day work week (5 hours per day times 4 work days).
The following table
might be helpful:
|
Employee’s
FTE |
Employee’s
Total Hours per Week |
Employee’s
Average Hours per Day – This is also the amount of hours an employee
received Holiday pay for |
Hours employee
should work during 4-day work week |
Hours employee
should work during 3-day work week (Thanksgiving) |
|
1.00 |
40 |
(40/5) = 8 hours |
(8x4)
= 32 hours |
(8x3)
= 24 hours |
|
.875 |
35 |
(35/5) = 7 hours |
(7x4)
= 28 hours |
(7x3)
= 21 hours |
|
.750 |
30 |
(30/5) = 6 hours |
(6x4)
= 24 hours |
(6x3)
= 18 hours |
|
.625 |
25 |
(25/5) = 5 hours |
(5x4)
= 20 hours |
(5x3)
= 15 hours |
|
.500 |
20 |
(20/5) = 4 hours |
(4x4)
= 16 hours |
(4x3)
= 12 hours |
Teacher Evaluation and Growth Committee Update
The Teacher
Evaluation and Growth Committee continues to work together for the
2008-2009 school year! The committee includes both teachers and
administrators in Kyrene. The committee members are:
Anna
Montablo, Akimel A-al
Randi Malin,
Mirada
Rebekah
Osborne, Paloma
Cindy Eger,
Cerritos
Jim
Verrill, Sierra
Marianne
Lescher, Mariposa
Jama Nacke,
Pueblo
Patty Weegar,
Instructional Services
Gina Taylor,
Instructional Services
Kelly Alexander,
Community Education
Mark Knight, Human
Resources
Vickie Middleton,
Human Resources
Some of the work
planned for this year is to monitor the pilot of a newly developed
evaluation instrument with teachers who are in their first year of
teaching and new to Kyrene. These pilot teachers are located in 7
schools (Aprende, Mariposa, Sierra, Altadena, Centennial, Milenio, and
Norte). This evaluation continues to be based on the Arizona Teaching
Standards. The intent of this newly created instrument is to
acknowledge and support that a new teacher has different needs than
those of an experienced Kyrene teacher.
This fall, the
committee will also begin making revisions to the current T+3 Evaluation
Instrument. As the work of the committee progresses, regular updates
will be communicated through this publication.
Long Term Solutions Group and the Use of Certified ACA
The work in the Long
Term Solutions Group these past two years has been to identify trends in
ACA use and look at ways to reduce absenteeism among certified staff as
well as to communicate with employees about the many benefits of prudent
use of ACA time. Dr. Knight, Executive Director, Human Resource Services
Division and KEA President Margaret Bowerman were pleased to share
information to the Kyrene Governing Board last year that indicated that
overall use of non-leave ACA decreased over the last two years.
We believe one of
the contributing factors for this decrease was a clearer understanding
by employees of the leave policies. Another factor was regular
communication to principals and employees about restricted days. In
keeping with our goal to communicate with employees we are including the
following information that aligns with our Meet and Confer agreement:
1.
ACA may be
used for:
·
illness
·
good cause
personal
·
professional
reasons
·
religious
observances
· when
applicable, in accordance with The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Please note that Meet
and Confer states, “With an emphasis on maintaining the flexibility of
ACA days, the Board and the Association agree that in using ACA days
employees will consider the continuity of quality instruction, and the
impact of the absence on the operation of the school.” All
ACA
absences must meet
the guidelines described above. Days used that do not meet the
guidelines may result in a deduction of a day’s pay or other
consequences (as per KSD policy) for each day in question.
2. ACA
may not be used for:
·
recreational
purposes
·
to seek or
engage in other gainful employment
·
the school day
prior to or following a holiday
·
the school day
prior to or following a No School Day, as indicated on the district
calendar
·
the first,
second, and final week of the contract year
·
during parent
conferences
·
on required
student testing days
·
during staff
development activities
3. Exceptions
to the restrictions may be made on those occasions when an employee:
·
is absent due
to illness
·
is absent due
to leave
·
is absent due
to the Maricopa County Health Exclusion Order
·
is required by
any branch of local, state, or federal government to keep an appointment
·
desires to
attend a professional workshop, seminar, or conference (and use ACA)
·
desires to
observe a devotional celebration (religious observances)
·
desires to
attend to a responsibility that can only be performed during the school
day or is not under the control of the employee (e.g., graduation,
wedding, probate will, court proceedings, adoption, etc.)
·
other rare and
unusual circumstances
Exceptions must be
requested in writing prior to use, have the written approval of
the principal/supervisor, and may require documentation. The Request
for Restricted Use of ACA Form may be found at
www.kyrene.org/hr. Completed forms should be given to the
certified staff member’s principal or supervisor for approval.
We also have
discussed examples of inappropriate use of ACA. This would include any
time the event is under the control of the employee and does not follow
acceptable use as indicated in Meet and Confer. Examples include any
vacation (recreation), the employee’s own wedding, attending a college
class, or any extended period of time which does not qualify for a leave
(FMLA, General Medical, Military or Personal). Leaves are approved by
Human Resources.
To promote
consistent and fair treatment for teachers across the district in
approval of restricted use of ACA, we ask that you read and understand
your Meet and Confer agreement pages 7 – 9. We also encourage you talk
with your supervisor and KEA representative about appropriate use of
this very valuable benefit!
C.A.S.A. Vida (Community Assisted Schooling Alternatives.)
The C.A.S.A. Vida
program is available to families that have chosen to home school their
children. The program serves students in grades Kindergarten through
six grade. The program is currently located on the campus of Lagos
Elementary School. Kyrene offers this program for home schooling
families in the community and throughout the valley. As with all
Kyrene schools, we have open enrollment families that travel from as
far as Buckeye, Queen Creek, Laveen, and North Phoenix to have their
children attend. The program is offered one day a week and exposes
home school students to, Science, Technology, communication skills,
Art, Music and Physical Education. Our teachers are all certified
Kyrene employees who work part-time contracts. Four of our teachers
are Kyrene teachers who previously retired and who have chosen to
return to Kyrene on a part time basis. We are so fortunate to have
their expertise return to Kyrene! C.A.S.A. Vida serves about 125
students and Kyrene receives a portion of the same state formulas and
funding mechanisms that provide funding for all public schools.
Informational Meeting for ASU’s DELTA Doctoral Program in Educational
Leadership
There will
be an informational meeting to learn more about ASU’s DELTA Doctoral
Program in Educational Leadership on November 20, 2008. This meeting
will be held at the Kyrene District Office from
4:30-5:30 pm. The DELTA
(Dynamic Educational Leadership for Teachers and Administrators)
doctoral program is an executive leadership educational program
designed for practicing professionals seeking an alternative to
traditional graduate programs. If you are interested in attending this
informational session, please email Patty Hineman at
phineman@kyrene.org.
Social Studies Trade Books on Review
Social Studies trade books are on 60-Day
Review in the Curriculum and Assessment department until November 14.
There are books for each grade level, K-8th.
Teachers and Administrators please come and give some feedback on these
resources. If a grade level wants to come together and you let us know
in advance, we’ll find a place for you to sit together. For more
information contact Jackie X4192 or Joy X4112
On-Site Opportunity Available at Lomas and Cielo
Kyrene has a unique
program known as
On-Site Security. Most
schools have an on-site employee living on campus in either an apartment
or a trailer. Four hours per week (at a rate of $12/hour or $18/hour if
it is overtime), the on-site checks to make sure the buildings are
secure in the evening and ensures that the alarms are set. The fee to
live in the apartment at Lomas and Cielo is $775 per month (including
utilities). Kyrene employees interested in applying for the position may
do so online or obtain an application at the Furlong Center. Please
contact x4174 or email
rysmith@kyrene.org with any questions.
Kyrene Employee Immunization Clinic
Where: Kyrene School District
Office- Conference Room A on the first floor
When:
October 13, 2008
(Staff Development Day)
Time: 11:45 a.m.-
12:45 a.m.
Cost:
Influenza $26
Tetanus: $ 40
Pneumonia: $38
This
Clinic is for all Kyrene employees and their adult family members
Grand Canyon
University
Grand Canyon
University wants to
cover the cost of your books for your first two classes and
waive your application fee!
To take advantage of this promotion you must have your
application completed to start classes on October 27th and indicate your
payment method before October 1st. Time is of the essence, so please
contact us today to
find out how to take advantage of this great opportunity!
Please contact Margaret Orr @ 602-639-6539 (morr@online.gcu.edu)
or Holly Mitchell @ 480-620-8551(hmitchell@gcu.edu). Degree
Programs offered 100% online (* also indicates cohort option) include:
*M.Ed. in Educational Administration, M.Ed. Teaching English to Speakers
of Other Languages (TESOL), M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction:
Instructional Technology, *M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction: Reading,
M.Ed. in Special Education, M.Ed. in Elementary Education, M.Ed. in
Secondary Education, M.A. in Teaching (MAT), and BS in Elementary and
Secondary Education.
Click here for voucher.
School News
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Pueblo
Diane Godfrey, 6th grade
Social Studies teacher was the first-place winner in the University of
Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies fifth annual lesson plan
competition. Congratulations Diane for your recognition.
Click here to read letter to Principal, Tom
Seiger.
Mariposa
Understanding larger
numbers can be a daunting task. To help students at Mariposa understand
how much a million is, Mrs. Patterson’s 3rd grade math class
decided to try and collect one million pennies. That’s $10,000!! Each
classroom will have a penny collection jar. Once a class collects 1000
pennies, they will add it to the school total. Benchmark amounts will be
shown on the announcements. Last week the project kicked off by showing
a jar full of 1000 pennies. The next “show and tell” will be when
10,000 pennies are collected. So far we have 7,212 pennies.
Once the goal of
1,000,000 pennies is met, the school will donate 50% to local charities
and 50% will be used for activities, equipment, and supplies for our
school. Not only are students learning a valuable mathematical lesson,
but they are also showing that Mariposa KARES (Kids Assisting,
Respecting, Educating, and Serving)!
KMS
One of Kyrene School
District’s very own is heading to Washington, D.C. in October as one of
the thirty young scientists named by the Society for Science & the
Public as a finalist of its 2008 SSP Middle School Program—America’s
premiere science competition for middle school students.
Rebecca Smouse from
Tempe, Ariz., was selected as a finalist with her project, “The Ants Are
Marching One by One.” Smouse participated in the Arizona Science and
Engineering Fair in spring 2008, hosted by Arizona State University’s
American Indian Programs, qualifying her for this competition.
Smouse is
currently an 8th grader at Kyrene Middle School in Tempe.
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