Phoenix Central - Education

Monday, May 23, 2011

Phoenix Union Foundation for Education Awards A Record $124,000 in Scholarships‏

The Phoenix Union Foundation for Education has awarded a record one-year total of $124,000, in scholarship awards to a total of 46 different students among thirteen different Phoenix Union High Schools. The Foundation raises scholarship funds throughout the year from various fundraising events and donor programs implemented within district personnel. They have also been lucky enough to have generous alumni, corporate and community supporters donate to the foundation as well.

Central High School awarded $6,000

About the Phoenix Union Foundation for Education - http://www.foundation4education.org)

The Phoenix Union Foundation for Education began in 1984 as the Phoenix Union Partnership of Business and Education, Inc. It is a 501(c)3 organization founded to enhance the cooperation and collaboration between the Phoenix business community and the Phoenix Union High School District. The group’s mission statement is "Strengthening our Community by Investing in Student Success." In order to achieve this mission, the volunteer-driven foundation orchestrates many different fundraising events and campaigns in order to provide scholarship assistance to college-going students. The Foundation is comprised of business leaders, retired administrators, and individuals who have an interest in helping students in the Phoenix Union High School District reach their goals of attending college.

Source: Phoenix Union High School District

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Check Out Pueblo Grande Kids Summer Programs‏

Phoenix’s Pueblo Grande Museum is again putting a new twist on kids’ summer programs with a full schedule of innovative, hands-on classes and programs to teach kids about archaeology and the Valley’s ancient cultures. The activities for kids ages 7 to 12 are hands-on give kids a chance to try their hand at tool making and archaeological digs. Participants also can enjoy a unique approach to arts and crafts when they use natural materials found in the desert to make art pieces in much the same way the Hohokam did centuries ago. There also is storytelling programs for children ages 3 to 6.

Classes for children ages 7 through 12 run Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The week-long programs begin July 5 and run through July 29. Classes will focus on stone age crafts, art, survival tools, archaeology and American Indian peoples. Participants will learn how to make tools from stones, gourds and natural materials found in the desert as well as make arts and crafts from natural desert materials. During archaeology week, participants will get a chance to be a real Indiana Jones or Lara Croft and learn actual archaeology techniques. These programs include all activities and snacks. The cost for each program is $55.

Participants ages 3 through 6 can enjoy daily storytelling programs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. each day from July 5-8. Parents can choose story topics that include snakes, fish and coyotes. Kids will also enjoy theme-related crafts and snacks. Children must be accompanied by an adult for storytelling programs. The cost for each daily program is $10.

More information is available online in the Arts and Culture link of the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department website http://phoenix.gov/parks/index.html or by phone at 602-495-0901.

Source: City of Phoenix

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Register for Youth Summer Programs‏‏

Registration opened Saturday, April 30 at 10:30 a.m. for our full schedule of summer programs. You can choose from full-day supervised recreation programs at 12 locations this summer that will keep your kids active, engaged and safe over the break. Or you can choose from a full schedule of general-interest classes and programs from ballet to karate to sports clinics. You can view our full schedule right now and then register online starting at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. You also can register in person at any department community center.

Exact prices, dates, times and other details in the full-day recreation programs vary from center to center, however most are for kids ages 6 up to 12 and run from early June through July. Prices range from $280 to $350 for the seven-to-eight weeks. Some centers offer shorter duration program options at a reduced price. Many centers also are offering programs for teens. General interest classes are available in a variety of lengths, prices and schedules throughout the summer.

You can use any major credit card to register either online or in-person. Check out our department homepage or call 602-262-6862 for more information on parks and recreation in Phoenix.

Source: City of Phoenix

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Grand Canyon Sponsors Phoenix Union Academic Letters program‏

The Phoenix Union High School District Academic Letter Program is continuing thanks to Grand Canyon University, which will underwrite the student recognition events for the next three years.

The Academic Letter program, which began District-wide in 2003, rewards top performing students with school letters, similar to athletic letters, but with the word Academics embroidered on each. Students qualify based on cumulative grade point averages after the first, third, fifth and seventh semesters, and are honored at school ceremonies in the spring semester.

The un-weighted grade point average requirement is 4.0 for freshmen, 3.9 for sophomores; 3.8 for juniors and 3.7 for seniors. Freshmen receive a certificate, sophomores can qualify for the letter, and upper classmen that have already earned a letter, receive service bars for sustaining academic excellence in additional years. A unique feature of the program is the presentation of a lapel pin to the parents of the lettered students during the ceremony.

“This program was originally supported with funds that are no longer available, so we are grateful that Grand Canyon stepped up to help. Their involvement is a perfect connection to our mission of Preparing Every Student for Success in College, Career and Life,” Superintendent Kent Scribner said.

"Clearly PUHSD has a significant commitment to academic excellence, holding all students to the same high standards for performance and rewarding them for their hard work. With GCU's continual emphasis on strong academic achievement and merit-based scholarships, aligning with a program like this is an ideal partnership for us,” GCU Provost, Chief Academic Officer Cheri St. Arnauld said.

Approximately 1600 students are recognized each year through the Academic Letter program.

Source: Phoenix Union High School District

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Osborn School News

Osborn is hosting an important public meeting to discuss the district budget on April 5th at 7:00 pm at the Solano School on Montebello and 15th Ave (just south of Christown Mall).

Mark your calendar for the OMS EXPO 2011 on March 25 from 5:00.pm to 7:30 pm. The event is free and brings together many Phoenix health and educational resources: City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services, Head Start, Healthy Families (Southwest Human Development, DES & First Things First), Birth to Five Help Line, AHCCCS Women’s Health Coalition, Literacy Corner, Native American Connections Family Housing, Native American Community Health Center, Tobacco Use Prevention, Banner Good Sam, Poison & Drug Information Center, Assoc. for Supportive Child Care Home Safety, and St. Joseph’s Injury-free Coalition Car Seat Safety. Various educational institutions including: Phoenix College, Glendale College, Brookline College, and various Phoenix High Schools will also be present. For more information please call Principal Marty Makar: 602-707-2410.

Kindergarten Registration will begin on March 24 at the Osborn Schools listed below. Each school offers unique award-winning programs for students beginning in Kindergarten. Longview offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme as a candidate school (during a two-year certification process). Longview is the only public elementary IB Candidate School in Phoenix. Encanto offers the A+ Spanish Dual Language program which continues through 8th grade at Clarendon and the Osborn Middle School for families seeking a bilingual education for their children. Solano is offering a Modified Traditional School approach to education, and received an A+ award for their Writing Program. Montecito is a Community School with an A+ Peace Program award. Please call the school below for more information or visit the website http://www.OsbornSchools.org for the 2011 Kindergarten application. Please bring immunization records and birth certificate. All children who will be five before September 1, 20011 are eligible to register for Kindergarten.

Encanto School 1420 W. Osborn Rd. (15th Ave. x Osborn Rd.) (602) 707-2300

Longview School 1209 E. Indian School Rd. (12th St. south of Indian School Rd.) (602) 707-2700

Montecito School 715 E. Montecito Ave. (7th St. north of Indian School Rd.) (602) 707-2500

Solano School 1526 W. Missouri Ave. (15th Ave. x Montebello) (602) 707-2600

District Information

Osborn welcomes six AmeriCorps volunteers brought through a partnership with Communities in Schools Arizona to support after school and family programming and to develop Integrated Student Support Services. Athena Torretti, Molly Hynes, Jeanette Goseyun, Steven Keller, Chanel Moody, and Samantha Roney will volunteer for a year in Osborn’s six schools. Each comes to the district with vast experience and a strong commitment to develop community resources to serve students.

Osborn Middle School (7-8)

Congratulations to the Mathematics teachers and students: OMS has earned an A+ Exemplary Program Award from the Arizona Educational Foundation for their Honors Mathematics Program. The program increases academic opportunities for OMS students by accelerating their mathematics coursework. It has grown from serving fifty students in 2006 to more than one hundred-fifty this year: One out of four OMS students are in the Honors Mathematics Program. Four outstanding teachers: Sarah Saiz, Shannon Green, Kelly Doherty, and Eva Gomez, deliver the five sections of high school mathematics and three sections of Honors Pre Algebra which comprise the Honors Mathematics program. Master Teacher Loril Gibson is responsible for student placement and program monitoring. Strong preparation by Osborn’s elementary school teaching staff has more students ready to enter Algebra I (a ninth grade course) in seventh grade. As a result of having seventh graders proficient in Algebra I, the program expanded to include a tenth grade Geometry course for those students as eighth graders. Osborn Middle School is the only middle school in Phoenix that offers Geometry. Last year, there were 20 students from Phoenix middle schools who took the Geometry Qualifying Test and 19 of them were from Osborn!

Accelerated completion of Algebra I offers students greater access to upper level mathematics courses in high school, which has been correlated with increased college graduation rates. Honors Mathematics Program offers students two paths: taking Algebra I as an eighth grader (one year accelerated) or taking Algebra I as a seventh grader (two years accelerated). Our partnership with the Phoenix Union High School District allows students to not only begin the sequence earlier, but also to earn high school credit for mathematics while attending OMS. Last year, 74 Osborn students went to high school having already completed one or two of the four required mathematics courses, giving them greater access to upper level mathematics electives.

Solano School (K-6)

Congratulations to Solano teachers and students: Solano has earned an A+ Exemplary Program Award from the Arizona Educational Foundation for the Solano Writing Project. Each month every Solano student writes a selection based on a writing prompt for their grade level. Teachers focus on a six trait writing rubric as they teach their students the process. The traits are: Ideas & Content, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions. At the end of each month each teacher selects one student’s writing piece which best demonstrates the traits covered in class. The selected student participates in the monthly Writers’ Showcase; a special event at which the principal and other selected students read and discuss their work. The selected writing pieces are uploaded each month and are published on the school website. The monthly writing pieces of all students are posted on a writing wall in the classroom each month and are also collected into a portfolio which is shared with the parents on Young Authors’ Night during the month of May. Since the implementation of this focus on writing, Solano has seen an improvement in our writing scores when compared to state-wide AIMS scores.

How Osborn Schools compare to west of Central charter schools:

83% of charter schools have equal or lower growth in math than their traditional public school equivalent (Credo, Stanford, 2009).

Several local charter schools are failing to meet state standards and are labeled “Underperforming.”

All Osborn District schools meet state standards and are labeled by Arizona as “Performing Plus” and “Performing.”

Source: Cynthia Westberg, EdM, Osborn School District

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Phoenix Union grad is Grammy winner‏

A former Phoenix Union graduate from Central High is now a Grammy award winner.

Dom Flemons, who graduated from Central in 2000, is a member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, which won a Grammy last night for Best American Folk Album for their 2010 album, Genuine Negro Jig.
Flemons, who plays a four-string banjo, guitar, jug, harmonica, kazoo, snare drum, and bones, is one of three band members. Much of the band’s repertoire is based on the traditional Black string music of the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina.

“I left Arizona because I knew the music would take me somewhere-but I had no idea,” Flemons said in his biography on the band’s website.
You don’t have to be born in the Piedmont to feel the music in your blood. “

Flemons’ brother Estaban Flemons is a chemistry and biology teacher at North High School and coaches basketball and swimming at the school. He says his brother began learning the guitar and began to embrace his love of music and performing while he was at Central . He later picked up the banjo, and went to Encanto Park for Wednesday night music jams.

Flemons learned about a Black Banjo Gathering in North Carolina in 2005, and when he made the trip, it changed his life. He met players he had only heard on recordings. He moved to North Carolina, and met up with Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson, his future band mates, who were learning traditional songs at the home of the legendary African American fiddler Joe Thompson.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops have released five albums, and Flemons has two solo albums. They opened for Taj Mahal, and have performed on PBS’ Fresh Air and BBC Radio, as well as several folk and fiddler festivals.

Below is a link to their Grammy-winning photo, and to the band’s website.

http://www.theage.com.au/photogallery/entertainment/music/grammy-awards-red-carpet/20110214-1asn8.html?selectedImage=59

http://www.carolinachocolatedrops.com/

From Website:

The Black string band tradition traces its roots to musicians from Africa who came to the Americas in the holds of slave ships. The anchor instruments were made of gourds with a neck and a variety of string combinations. The same basic gourd banjo, called the ekontone, is played today in Gambia. Alongside the banjo gourd, musicians devised a number of fiddles, American-born relatives of the African ritti or one-stringed fiddle. Eventually, perhaps under the influence or orders of masters who wanted Irish jigs played in their parlors, black fiddle-players picked up the European violin, taking that instrument back to their cabins, adding classical-style fiddle to banjo and percussion; so the blurring of boundaries began.

Source: Phoenix Union High School District

Friday, January 14, 2011

“Experience High School” Campaign Includes On-line Enrollment for Phoenix Union

For the first time, students can apply for a Phoenix Union High School on-line, including selecting magnet programs, small specialty schools or any other school in the District through an Open Enrollment application.

The on-line enrollment application, which is part of an “Experience High School” marketing campaign, went live January 14, and will allow students and parents to explore the variety of opportunities at Phoenix Union, find their home attendance school via an interactive map or select the school of their choice, complete and submit the enrollment forms, and receive an email receipt. The enrollment information will be electronically forwarded to the registration office of the school selected.

The student and parent/guardian will still be asked to come to the school, provide a signature and submit required documentation such as immunization records and a birth certificate to complete the registration.

The District created a recruiting booklet, “Experience High School,” and mailed to almost 8,000 8th graders who attend 13 different partner elementary districts and over 65 schools in the Phoenix Union attendance zone. The booklet is available by request through the Phoenix Union “Experience” website, as well. The booklet and streamlined enrollment forms, as well as the on-line enrollment application will also supplement the recruiting efforts of the high school counselors and other staff members who are going out to partner school districts this month.

“There should be nothing easier than enrolling in one of our schools, and on-line enrollment will do that,” Superintendent Dr. Kent Scribner said. “It will allow students to make their high school choice sooner so that they can begin the process. We envision students and parents also completing this information at computer labs or stations at either their elementary or middle school, or at the high school.”

The goal of “Experience High School” is to market Phoenix Union from a student prospective to a 13 or 14-year old, using Phoenix Union students who represent the vast array of opportunities that await-- from rigorous academics and the many choices of small schools, magnet programs, schools of focus or career and technical education to athletics, the arts, clubs and activities, not to mention fun.

“You only go to high school once in your life, and it is an experience that will be with you the rest of your life, so make it the greatest experience possible by going to high schools that have it all. Our high schools offer more classes, more specialized programs, more support and more opportunities than any other school district,” Scribner said.

The “Experience High School” web address is www.phoenixunion.org/experience.