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April 8, 2009
Superintendent’s Message
This letter was sent to all Kyrene parents on April 8 with information about the budget and the safety of our school buildings.
Dear Kyrene Parents,
I wanted to provide you with an update on a couple of important issues going on in the school district. The first one is related to the development of the 2009-2010 budget. If you are following the news from the legislature, you know that no decisions have been made about the level of educational funding that will be provided for next year, although it is most certain that reductions will occur. This puts school districts like ours in a very difficult position because we have to plan for the unknown and make difficult decisions that provide the needed flexibility for whatever happens. Recently the Governing Board approved a Reduction in Force process for continuing first year teachers. This action was unusual and unprecedented and has to occur prior to the April 15 statutory deadline requiring that continuing staff members be notified if they will not be receiving a contract. We are also looking at salary reductions and increasing class size ranges along with a long list of other ideas posted on the budget pages on the Kyrene website at www.kyrene.org. It is hoped that the stimulus money coming to Arizona could lessen the need to take these actions, but we have no clear information on what we can expect. I wanted to be sure you knew about this because changes could need to be made that will not be popular or welcome.
The other update is related to the safety of our school buildings across the district. After the roof collapse at Waggoner, I asked for more in-depth than usual inspections at all schools. This work is underway and should be completed within the next two weeks. Any issue that is discovered will immediately be addressed and the community will be made aware of it to ensure that accurate information is available for everyone involved. The safety of our students and staff members is a top priority and we will not knowingly allow anyone to be in an unsafe environment. Information about the additional structural inspections and updates on the Waggoner situation are available on the Kyrene website.
I will continue to communicate about the latest information and welcome your comments, ideas and suggestions. Please let me know if you have any questions or advice as we move forward.
Sincerely,
Are you Planning a Field Trip to the Capitol?
Representative Rae Waters would like all Kyrene teachers to be aware that she is willing to schedule time to talk to student groups when you make field trip visits to the capitol. If you are planning a trip, please contact her assistant, Janelle at 602.926.5550. Janelle will ensure that Representatives McComish and Waters and, Senator Huppenthal, from Legislative District 20 know when you will be there.
Starting April 1 2009 – April 1 2010, use a “Culture Pass” for groups of 4 to visit the following places FREE:
AZ Museum for Youth
AZ Museum of Natural History
AZ Science Center
The Bead Museum
Cave Creek Museum
Children’s Museum of Phoenix
Desert Botanical Garden
Heard Museum
Mesa Contemporary Arts
Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix Zoo
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Taliesin WestAll you need is a library card in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Chandler, Mesa, Tempe OR Glendale. Go to any one of these libraries and ask to check out a pass for the particular place you would like to go. You will be given a pass for 4 that basically just expires after 7 days so you don’t have to return it or anything!! Go anytime from April 1st 2009 – April 1st 2010 and enjoy cold museum A/C with the family for FREE!!!
On-Site Opportunity Available at Lomas and Monte Vista
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 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.
Students Agree; Outstanding Bus Drivers Deserve Recognition
Children’s Choice Essay Contest Underway for Fourth Consecutive Year
To recognize the contributions individual bus drivers make to children’s safety every year, Thomas Built Buses, a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America, sponsors an annual Children’s Choice School Bus Driver of the Year essay contest.
Now in its fourth consecutive year, students in grades K-6 are encouraged to submit 90-word essays to nominate their favorite drivers. Students can describe in their own words and illustrations what makes their school bus drivers so special. The winning essays will be featured on the Thomas Built website when the contest is closed.
Although busy commuters may not notice who is driving the yellow school buses sharing the roads with them, the students on those buses definitely do. They look to their bus drivers not only for a safe ride to and from school, but also as respected role models.
Entries must be postmarked by June 30, 2009. The grand prize winner will earn a $1,000 educational savings bond and a laptop computer for the nominating child and a $1,000 Visa® gift card for the nominated driver. All winners and runners up also will receive Thomas Built Buses jackets and Saf-T-Liner® C2 school bus lunch boxes. To enter the contest, visit www.thomasbus.com/contest for complete rules and an entry form.
Completed forms and typed or legibly printed 90-word essays should be mailed to: Children’s Choice Essay Contest, HMH, 1435 W. Morehead St., Suite 140, Charlotte, NC 28208.
There is no safer way to transport a child to school than on a school bus, according to the School Bus Information Council (SBIC). Consider the following eye-opening facts about school bus safety:
Each year, the nation’s 450,000 yellow school buses annually make 10 billion student trips carrying 24 million children, the SBIC reports.
Today’s buses have safety devices including specially cushioned high-backed seats, flashing red and yellow warning lights, rollover protection, and enhanced braking systems. Buses now also can be equipped with three-point lap-shoulder belts for every seat without reducing passenger capacity.
School bus drivers undergo rigorous special training and must hold commercial drivers licenses and submit to criminal background and substance screening tests.
To nominate your driver for School Bus Driver of the year, visit www.thomasbus.com/contest for complete rules and an entry form.
Camp Invention at Sierra July 6-10
The Camp Invention program focuses on brain-powered activities and powerful projects that enhance creativity, teamwork, and inventive-thinking skills. Children entering grades 1-6 have fun as they participate daily in five activity-oriented modules promoting science, math, history and the arts through creative problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Participants create superheroes, learn about fly, search for lost treasure, and create the next great land vehicle! Kyrene employees receive a discount ($205 instead of $230). Please contact Hope Massar at hmassa@kyrene.org for more information.
Great Teachers Are Appreciated
This former student agreed to have her message, received through the Kyrene Web Server, published in our internal newsletter
Hello,
My name is Amanda Thomas and I attended Kyrene Del Sureno for the 2nd and 3rd grade in 1993-1995. I am trying to find my teacher Melissa Pearson (Pierson?). She has made a great impact on my current position, in fact I am a teacher myself now. Not only did she impact me, but I was certainly a terror to deal with (check your records!). I know it takes extra effort to spend time working with a student who looks like they are going nowhere, and I would really like to thank her for her commitment to my education and future.
Any information you can provide would be a great help.
Thank you,Amanda Thomas
Name: Amanda Thomas
> Respondent_Affiliation: Student
> Organization_Affiliation: Kyrene Del Sureno
> Date: 02/24/2009
> Time: 02:27
Lagos extends a Challenge–Can you win the KYRENE CUP?
The Lagos PTO will be holding our 3rd Annual Golf Tournament at Club West Golf Course on Sunday, May 3rd, 2009. Gather a foursome. There will be contest holes for skill and just for fun. You don’t have to be a terrific golfer – it is a scramble format in which each team player plays from the team’s best ball after every stroke. The tournament concludes with lunch, awards and raffle.
Contact Tanya Yalung at Ext. 1480 if your school would like to enter. The top Kyrene Foursome will win bragging rights and the Kyrene Cup!
Please let us know what you think of this publication. Send your comments, questions, and suggestions to: kalexa@kyrene.org.
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