The Tribune has started a new education blog, ED Xtra — Schooling Arizona. The blog will feature items written by Tribune staff and local and state education figures. Click on http://edxtra.freedomblogging.com/ to go beyond today’s education headlines and inside classrooms in the East Valley and elsewhere.
Trib kicks off education blog
The Tribune has started a new education blog, ED Xtra — Schooling Arizona. The blog will feature items written by Tribune staff and local and state education figures. Click on http://edxtra.freedomblogging.com/ to go beyond today’s education headlines and inside classrooms in the East Valley and elsewhere.
No school on Monday
There will be no school on Monday in honor of Labor Day.
Gilbert district board to meet
The Gilbert Unified School District governing board will meet Tuesday at the district office, 140 S. Gilbert Road.
The board will meet for a 6 p.m. work study session to discuss Arizona online instruction and graduation requirements.
The 7 p.m. regular meeting will follow, with board members possibly approving an agreement with the East Valley Institute of Technology for joint technological education courses, and possibly approving a new policy on staff conduct.
Information: (480) 497-3300 or www.gilbert.k12.az.us.
Spirit Night to help Higley football
Higley High School Knights Football will host a Spirit Night to raise money for the team from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Gilbert Chick-fil-A, 4908 S. Power Road. Chick-fil-A will donate 20 percent from items sold during those two hours to the football program.
Information: (480) 988-6252.
Higley district board to meet Thursday
The Higley Unified School District governing board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the district office, 2935 S. Recker Road, Gilbert.
Information: (480) 279-7000 or www.husd.org.
Tourney to benefit Poston Butte
A fundraising golf tournament to benefit the athletics and arts departments at Poston Butte High School will be 6:30 a.m. Saturday at The Golf Club at Johnson Ranch, 30761 N. Golf Club Drive, San Tan Valley.
Costs are $80 or $300 for a foursome. The goal is to raise $10,000 for the school, which opened July 20 and is the second high school in the Florence Unified School District.
The community event will also feature bounce houses, music, food, a helicopter ball drop, raffles, prizes and a silent auction.
A vendor fair with 40 booths will follow the golf tournament from noon to 4 p.m.
For more information, call (602) 443-0073 or visit www.mybiznow.com/golf.
Reapply for school lunch program
Higley district parents whose children participated in the National School Lunch Program last year need to reapply to receive benefits beyond Sept. 15.
Parents can complete the Free/Reduced Lunch Application at www.husd.org. Go to “Parents,” click on “Food Services” and click on the blue link at the top of the page that says “Click here to learn about our online payment system.” You will then be directed to MealTime Online. Select the “Free/Reduced Lunch Application” icon and complete and submit the form.
Applications are also available at all school offices as well as the district office.
Information: (480) 279-7063.
Centennial teacher wins award
Nancy Foote, a teacher of gifted math and science students at Centennial Elementary School in the Higley district, has received the 2009 izzit.org Teacher of the Year Award. During a June awards ceremony in Chicago, Foote was presented with the David and Annette Jorgensen Award for Excellence. She also won an all-expenses paid trip to Chicago for the conference and $1,000 cash.
Foote was one of seven teachers across America selected for the award. Her winning essay detailed how she uses several izzit.org videos to introduce her students to economics and the value of competition.
Izzit.org is a nonprofit organization that provides classrooms with free educational videos and daily current event discussion topics to encourage critical thinking.
Information: www.izzit.org/games.
Honor teachers who make difference
Valley students can recognize the teacher who’s made a difference in their lives with the 10th annual Fulton Homes Teacher of the Week program, run in partnership with KMLE. The program will kick off by honoring its first weekly winner on Sept. 18, during the “Ben and Matt” show on KNIX.
Every week, students are asked to nominate their favorite teacher for the chance to win a prize package that includes $300 in cash, and prizes from Fulton Homes and the Dairy Council of Arizona. The winning teacher will also be spotlighted on the “KNIX Morning Show With Ben and Matt.” At the end of the school year, the 34 winning teachers will be honored at a special luncheon, where one outstanding teacher will be selected as “Teacher of the Year.”
Information: www.fultonhomes.com and click on the Fulton Foundation link.
Higley Veterans Day Celebration
The Higley district will hold its second annual Veterans Day Celebration Nov. 10, and is encouraging veterans in the Higley community to attend and be honored at the celebration. Veterans who would like to participate can RSVP by calling (480) 279-9000 or e-mailing rsvp@husd.org.
The celebration will be at 9:45 a.m. Nov. 10 at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts, 4068 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert.
Family night at D-Backs game
The Coronado Elementary School student council will sponsor a Family Fun Night at Chase Field for an Arizona Diamondbacks game. The game against the Colorado Rockies will be at 5:10 p.m. Sept. 19. Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers will perform after the game.
Lower-level bleacher seats are available for $12, and lower-level third base reserve seats can be bought for $25. Ticket requests should be made by Sept. 14.
The teacher with the most game attendance will receive two free third base reserved tickets for the game. The student with the most tickets purchased will receive three free tickets to another September game and will be recognized on home plate before that game.
Information: (480) 279-6942.
Mesa board to meet Tuesday
The Mesa Unified School District’s governing board is scheduled to meet Tuesday night. An executive session will be 5:30 p.m. at 549 N. Stapley Drive. During a study session that follows, the board will hear a report about air quality in schools and an update on district projects. A regular meeting will begin at 7 p.m. For information, call (480) 472-0223.
Students learn how water is managed
Students from Mesa’s University Public Schools Polytechnic Elementary School, a public charter school, took a trip Friday to the banks of the Salt River near Saguaro Lake to learn about how water is managed. During the event, part of SRP Water Education Day, students saw how hydroelectricity is made and how water makes its way through canals.
Families invited to health fair
Mesa families are invited to the Mesa Unified School District’s Community Health Education Connections for Kids (CHECK) Fair. The event will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 26 at Mesa High School, 1630 E. Southern Ave. Families can take part in vision, hearing and dental screenings and car-seat inspections or learn more about behavioral health services, special education resources, the Department of Economic Security and more. For information, call (480) 472-7278.
Meeting for parents of Native Americans
Parents and guardians of Native American students in the Mesa Unified School District are invited to a public meeting about Impact Aid, Title VII and Johnson O’Malley funding.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday at the district’s Student Services Center, 1025 N. Country Club Drive, Mesa.
Participants can offer ideas on how the school district should use the money to provide services that supplement their children’s education.
For more information, call the Native American Education Program at (480) 472-0577.
Basha to host band invitational
Chandler’s Basha High School will host the Sounds Along the San Tans Marching Invitational Oct. 17. Up to 20 high school marching bands will participate. Visitors to the event will hear musical styles from classical composers like Shostakovich or Glass. Carnival food will be sold. Tickets are on sale the day of the show at the gate of Jim Wall Football Stadium, 5990 S. Val Vista Drive, Chandler.
Chandler board to meet Wednesday
The Chandler Unified School District governing board is scheduled to meet 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in a study session to hear an update on single-gender classrooms, the budget and the H1N1 immunizations. The board will hold a regular meeting at 7 p.m. All public meetings are in the district office, 1525 W. Frye Road. To reach a board member, call the district office at (480) 812-7600.
District offers senior discounts
The Chandler Unified School District is offering senior citizens the chance to attend events free of charge.
A Golden Circle season pass allows seniors to attend regular-season home athletic and fine arts events at Basha, Chandler, Hamilton and Perry high schools. Passes are available at the high schools or at the district office, 1525 W. Frye Road.
To have a pass mailed, call (480) 812-7650.
Share positive stories, events
Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day is a campaign to share positive stories of events and happenings in school districts and charter schools.
Most stories have been shared through the Web site AzSchoolsMakeaDifference.org and an e-mail newsletter. This year, information can be found through Twitter (@azschools) and Facebook. Parents, teachers, administrators, students and anyone interested in Arizona public education can follow the regularly updated pages.
To submit a story, go to www.azschoolsmakeadifference.org/tellstory.asp or e-mail info@azschoolsmakeadifference.org.
Tween Express slated for October
The Chandler district will offer Tween Express, an intersession camp that will run Oct. 5-20 at Bogle Junior High School, 1600 W. Queen Creek Road, Chandler. Trips and activities are geared toward students in grades fifth through eighth. Swimming, video games, movies and more are planned. For information, see www.cusdcommunity.com or call (480) 224-3915.
Musician, comedian to perform
Musician and comedian Michael Sicoly will perform 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19 as part of a benefit concert for ICAN, a downtown Chandler youth center that offers after-school programs and weekend events for at-risk youth. The performance will be at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave.
For more information about the event, or to learn more about ICAN, contact (480) 821-4207. To purchase tickets to the concert, contact the arts center box office at (480) 782-2680 or online at www.chandlercenter.org.
Education briefs run on Sunday. To submit an item for Gilbert and Queen Creek schools, send information to Hayley Ringle at hringle@evtrib.com.
Apache Junction, Chandler and Mesa school briefs are compiled by education reporter Michelle Reese. Contact her at mreese@evtrib.com or (480) 898-6549.
