News for the Osborn School District‏

Congratulations to our Spelling Bee winners:

First Place—Hannah Zozobrado, 4th grade at Solano

Second Place—San Juana Cruz, 5th grade at Clarendon

Third Place—Ericka Morales, 4th grade at Clarendon

Lori Sanders, retired Media Specialist from Encanto, served as pronouncer and Sue Corbin, Board Member, Veronica Griffin, Director of iTeach and to Roberta Figueroa, PreSchool Coordinator served as judges.

The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and the Nawic Education Foundation (NEF) plan to hold their annual Block-Kids Building competition at Clarendon School on February 25 to raise awareness of career opportunities in the construction industry. The Block-Kids Building Program is a national building program competition that is sponsored on the local level by NAWIC chapters and other organizations. The award winning program introduces children to the construction industry in an effort to create an awareness of and to promote an interest in future careers in one of the many facets of the industry. The program is open to elementary school children in grades 1- 6. Osborn plans to select one student from each classroom and two from sixth grade classrooms to represent the district. The competition involves the construction of various structures with interlocking blocks and three additional items. Local winners advance to Regional competition, and one semi-finalist from each region is entered in the National Program competition. National prizes are awarded to the top three projects.

The Osborn Educational Foundation supports innovation in education through Mini-grants to district teachers and staff in amounts up to $300 in support of projects which improve students’ physical and mental health; enhance literacy, math, science and the arts; and promote innovation and enhancement in education. The projects take place during the school year, with a Completion Report due in mid May. Teacher Mini-grants are supported through donations to Osborn Educational Foundation, visit http://www.OsbornNet.org/OEF for more information or to donate to this unique program.

Clarendon School (4-6)

The following mini-grant recipients submitted winning projects: Dual Language Teachers Jon Gorter and Ann Aken whose project Chasing Vermeer will use the funds to purchase thirty copies of the novel and four sets of pentaminos puzzles. Students will study the book Chasing Vermeer and then work with pentaminos puzzles, similar to the character in the novel. Ben Baldner’s project Expanding Non Fiction Resources will purchase comprehension cards, folders and leveled nonfiction books in order to get students excited about non-fiction. Art Teacher Barbara Middleton’s project Weaving will purchase cotton warp, plastic weaving needles, and ten classes worth of yarn. Fourth and fifth grade students will learn the basics tapestry techniques of weaving shapes and planning simple designs.

Clarendon and OMS Band Teacher Theresa Hulihan’s project Composer Workshop will have her sixth grade Advanced Band and OMS Symphonic Band students work intensively with composer and educator Dr. Sy Brandon, focusing on composition, musical interpretation, and artistic performance. The Advanced Band will perform his Civil War Suite in the spring. The Symphonic Band will perform his Legend of 10,000 Lakes.

Encanto School (K-3)

Mini-grant recipients are: Dual Language Teacher Michele Doherty whose project When It Comes to Learning, "One Size Does Not Fit All!" will use the funds to purchase a math work station kit in order to have first graders work independently, with a partner, or teacher to make their own "A-Ha" or "O-Oh" discoveries about mathematics. Jennifer Cook’s project From Tadpole to Frog will purchase tadpole kits and extra tadpoles so that students observe and understand the life cycle of frogs. Rachel Sartori’s project I'm a Smart One! will purchase SMART board counting games and measurement activities to engage, challenge and inform Kindergarten students.

Longview (K-6)

Fifty 6th graders accompanied Band Teacher Helena Elling to attend the Arizona Opera’s “Community Night” final dress rehearsal performance of Madame Butterfly. There were many high schools, middle schools and fine arts charters represented, but Longview was unique from the moment the elementary students pulled up in their charter bus equivalent of a Cinderella coach--all white and beautiful. Needless to say, students were very excited. One student recalled, “My favorite singer in the opera was Madame Butterfly because she had an amazing voice and she didn’t have a hard time to make her voice very great and clear.” Another student said, “My favorite character was Suzuki because she pushed down that guy.” They were enthralled with Symphony Hall—the lobby, “fancy” restrooms, “soft couches”, and the balconies in the hall. When asked if they would consider attending the opera again, they all raised their hands.

New afterschool tutoring groups and Enrichment Clubs are forming at Longview. Some of the Enrichment Clubs are: Yoga Monday, Shred Fitness, Ballet, Tennis, Yoga, Crime Scenes Investigators (CSI), Open Library, Scrapbooking, Fitness Fun, Robotics, Nail Design, Tetherball, and Girls & Boys Baseball

Longview mini-grant recipients include: Special Education Teacher Nora Ryszka whose project I Am Part of the Puzzle. I Am The Peace will use the funds to purchase children's literature and develop lesson plans to support the school’s Positive Behavior program. Bill Lightfoot’s project World History Studies Weekly Newspaper will use newspapers in small group reading instruction to target specific needs of the students. The students can use them to research written reports and as story starters.

Kindergarten teacher Renee Schlenker and sixth grade teacher Stephanie Saclarides are coordinating Longview’s Talent Show, which will take place on March 9. Parents are invited to attend.

Osborn Middle School (7-8)

OMS mini-grant recipients are: Master Teacher Brendan Mann’s project Boys Can Read Too! will purchase book sets by Chris Crutcher, motivating reluctant readers to read inspiring books about boys who overcome odds. Art Teacher Panthea Begay’s project Ceramics at the Middle School will purchase clay, glaze and books to introduce students to ceramics, incorporating art history, cultures, time periods and the progression of ceramics from craft to fine art. AmeriCorps Member Elizabeth VanderLeest’s project Sister To Sister will purchase items for an after-school girls group designed to help young teenage girls develop healthy attitudes and lifestyles through various topic discussions.

Solano School (K-6)

Kindergarten teacher Sammi Miller received a mini-grant from the Osborn Educational Foundation: Her project Interactive Mathematics will purchase early math games, simple addition and word problem centers in order to promote Mathematics with her Kindergarten class through hands-on activities.

Solano School will host the district Soccer Tournament on February 25.

Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for the student council will be on February 23.

Source: Cynthia Westberg, EdM, Osborn School District

Phoenix Union Begins Redistricting Process for Governing Board Election Wards

Phoenix Union High School District will begin the process of re-defining the boundaries of its five single-member governing board districts or wards in January, with community meetings scheduled in each ward for citizen input.

The school district is complying with a 1990 consent decree born out of a court case to review, and if necessary, re-draw the boundaries based on decennial census information in order to keep each ward as “nearly equal” in population, as possible, and in conformance with voting rights requirements. Because of rapid population growth in some areas of the school district, and population loss in other areas, new ward boundaries have to be created. A map of the current governing board wards is included.

Residents of the five wards will have the opportunity to learn about the process and provide input at the following community meetings:

Ward 4 (located within the Phoenix Central Neighborhood boundaries): Monday, January 23 at Metro Tech High School, 1900 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix, 85015. Banquet Room @ 6 p.m.

The reapportioned wards will not be in effect until 2014, when the five single-district governing board terms end. The two at-large governing board seats will be determined in the 2012 election.

The new wards should be equal in population size, and should not dilute minority voting strength. The population of each ward should be approximately 130,000. However, based on the 2010 Census, Ward 1 in southwest Phoenix and Laveen has grown to 169,642 residents, while Wards 2, 3 and 4 in South and Central Phoenix are all less than 120,000. Ward 5 in West Phoenix is at 134,846, which is close to the ideal size.

Phoenix Union has selected Research Advisory Services, Inc. to manage the redistricting process, including the community meetings. Research Advisory Services will make a preliminary presentation to the Governing Board regarding the process and timeline, Thursday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m.at the district office, 4502 N. Central Avenue. This company also provides an online feature to enable citizens to create their own ward map for consideration. Research Advisory Services, Inc. will present options to the Governing Board in March.

Source: Phoenix Union High School District

Osborn School News‏

Superintendent Wilma Basnett is pleased to announce that two Osborn schools have won the prestigious first place Golden Bell Award from the Arizona School Board Association. Golden Bell Awards are one of the most important and coveted education awards in Arizona and are given to school districts from throughout the state that have shown outstanding successes in student achievement. First Place and Runner Up awards are given state-wide in four categories: District-wide Curriculum Delivery and Accountability Program; High School (Grades 9-12); Middle Years (Grades 4-9); and Elementary Years (Pre-K-Grade 6).

Solano Modified Traditional School won a first place Golden Bell in the Elementary Years category. The Solano Writing Project is a school-wide program designed to empower students as writers. Solano staff members believe that one of our most important tasks as educators is to introduce students to written language and to teach them how to use it to communicate effectively and creatively. The Writing Project has not only been a positive experience for the Solano community, it has also contributed to improved achievement for Solano students as they grow and mature in the school. For more information, see http://www.osbornnet.org/programs/A+Writing.htm

Osborn Middle School won a first place Golden Bell in the Middle Years category. Osborn Middle School’s Honors Mathematics program was designed to increase academic opportunities for students by accelerating mathematics coursework and curriculum. The timing of a student’s successful completion of Algebra 1 in their academic career is critical to opportunities afforded them during high school and beyond. Accelerating students’ mathematics curriculum facilitates their enrollment in advanced mathematics courses at the high school level. Our Honors Mathematics Program has grown in both strength and numbers over the past five years. It has grown so large that more than a third of Osborn’s 2011 graduating eighth grade class started high school this fall one or two years accelerated in Mathematics. For more information, see http://www.osbornnet.org/programs/A+Math.htm

Superintendent Wilma Basnett and Principal Karen Epps are also pleased to announce that Solano Modified Traditional School has earned a Highly Performing label from the Arizona Department of Education. Students and staff have worked very hard for this honor. Last year Solano had a high percentage of students who exceeded the state standards!

Clarendon, Longview, and the Osborn Middle School all earned Performing Plus labels and Encanto earned the Performing label. At Encanto, only the third grade is tested for AIMS, and thus the school is unable to demonstrate growth between two tested grade levels (a significant part of Arizona’s formula for determining both types of school labels). Encanto students consistently perform very well on the AIMS. Under Arizona’s new letter labeling system, three district schools are labeled ‘B’ (Clarendon, Osborn Middle and Solano) and the remaining two are labeled ‘C’ (Encanto and Longview).

Volunteers from Rotary 100 brought dictionaries to Osborn fifth graders. This year all 307 fifth graders received their own dictionary to take home. Extra dictionaries are available for students who enroll during the school year. They commented on how polite the children were and how delighted they seemed with their books. Each student received a paperback copy of A Student’s Dictionary & Gazetteer personalized with their name inscribed inside. Research indicates that a dictionary in the home is shared by at least four people- giving the entire family the opportunity to increase their vocabulary. Fifth grade teachers also provide many opportunities for students to increase their word power through the use of their dictionaries throughout the school year.

Source: Osborn School District

Still Time for Fall Classes; Learn About Camp Colley‏

Though some classes are filled, there's still time to register for openings in some fall classes, programs and sports leagues. Check out the Classes and Programs link at the top left of the Parks and Recreation Department webpage to see a full listing of available fall classes, programs and sports leagues for kids and adults of all ages.

Did you know that the Parks and Recreation Department operates an outdoor adventure camp in the cool pines of the Mogollon Rim? Camp Colley, operated with the support of the non-profit Camp Colley Foundation, offers a host of family camps that introduce people to camping and outdoor recreation. Check out the Camp Colley Foundation webpage for details on this great facility and its programs and the ways you can support this wonderful resource

Source: City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department

Phoenix Union Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

It was a first-ever for a Bioscience High School student and business-as-usual for students from North High who were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Steven Alley becomes the first National Merit Semifinalist from Bioscience while Andrew Herschfelt and Steve Jozef join a long tradition of North students who have qualified as semifinalists by being among the highest-scoring entrants in Arizona in the 2010 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT.) Alley is in the engineering pathway at Bioscience. The two North students are in the school’s International Baccalaureate Program.

The 16,000 semifinalists this year represent less than one percent of the 1.5 million juniors from over 22,000 high schools who take the PSAT. National Merit Finalists are highly coveted as prospective students to every college and university in the country, and the designation often leads to academic scholarships.

Alley becomes the first Bioscience student in the six-year history of the school to earn the prestigious recognition. He is a member of the third graduating class at the science and math-focused small school in downtown Phoenix. Alley scored a 223 (of 240 points) on his PSAT, and had a 34 composite score on his ACT last year. Alley arrived at Bioscience as an 11th grader, after attending North Canyon High School his first two years. The Laveen resident has not decided on a college, but has applied to ASU and Arizona. His brother is a sophomore who also attends Bioscience.

Herschfelt’s two favorite classes reflect his interest in engineering and music- physics and advanced concert/marching band. Herschfelt is the percussionist section leader in the band and was selected to regional band last year. He is auditioning for national and international percussion ensembles and drum corps this year, and would like to play in his college band. However, Herschfelt wants to become an engineer, like his father, and complete graduate school. He plans to attend ASU’s Barrett College, and would like to apply electrical engineering in the musical field, possibly in sound technology development or recording.

Jozef would like to use his creativity in the entertainment industry. He loves acting, and has been a cast member for five school drama productions, played guitar in Godspell and was the student director for another play. He is a member of the National Thespian Society, and has spent summers in Wisconsin, working in theatre teaching young actors. While he has always been good in math, Jozef loves writing and says he enjoys words and what they do. He placed second in a school poetry contest last year. His career goals include becoming an entertainment journalist or screenwriter, or working on the creative side of video game production. He plans to major in creative writing, and minor in film or journalism at ASU’s Barrett College.

About 90% of semi-finalists become finalists, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC.) North had six National Merit Scholar Finalists last year and three others received NMSC Letters of Commendation. Since 1990, North has had 90 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists and finalists and 105 Commended students. This year’s Commended students have not yet been announced.

Source: Phoenix Union High School District

Osborn School News‏

School started this morning and we have some great news that will impact the safety of our neighborhoods!

All five Osborn schools received School Safety Grants to support having a School Resource Officer or Probation Officer on campus. Officers are certified and highly trained to work effectively with students, teachers and families in the school community. They provide Law Related Education to students, contribute to the assessment of School Safety and Prevention, are a resource for the students and their families in need of community based services; and serve as a liaison between the school community and law enforcement. The officers also serve as role models and talk with students about issues that have real-life importance, building their trust and confidence to turn to law enforcement if and when the occasion arises.

Officer Marcus Matthews (Police): Osborn Middle School

Officer Jose Morales (Police): Clarendon & Encanto Schools

Officer Stephanie Gardner (Probation): Longview School

Officer Rosario Lopez (Police): Solano School

Osborn Middle School

Literacy Master Teacher Brendan Mann received a $10,000 Media and Technology grant from the Arizona Republic. He plans to use the funds to purchase a classroom set of netbook computers for an Electronic Literacy project. With the daily integration of technology, students can increase their literacy comprehension skills, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Cynthia Westberg, EdM

Source: Osborn School District
602-707-2032
602-670-8226 (cell)

Phoenix Union has new method to monitor concussions as sports season begins

Serious measures are being taken to ensure the health and safety of youth athletes playing contact sports. Even the State of Arizona recently passed legislation regarding players at risk of sustaining a concussion. But one of the most important measures that can be utilized lies inside each player.

Phoenix Union High School District will now use a software program to implement a baseline testing and post-injury neurocognitive testing program for contact sport team members. ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is a widely used, computerized concussion evaluation system that has been donated to the school district by the Maricopa Health Foundation and will be implemented for the first time, this school year.

Previously, Phoenix Union employed the Standard Assessment of Concussion paper testing to run through cognitive evaluations, which are comparable to ImPACT’s system. Camelback High School’s Athletic Trainer Marisa Medrano is eager to implement the software and take advantage of the ease of data generation regarding a student’s recovery progress after being concussed. She noted coaches especially will benefit the statistics provided by ImPACT and that the test results may be more accurate.

“Teenagers will always tell you that they’re fine because they want to get back in the game,” said Dr. Thomas Eccles, Director of Adolescent Medicine at Maricopa Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics. “But we have recognized that continued concussions without adequate recovery will lead to long term problems. ImPACT gives coaches and trainers the data to make better informed decisions about whether or not a player can come off the sidelines.”

Purchase and licensing of the ImPACT software for the Phoenix Union High School District was a project initiated by the Adolescent Medicine Section of the Department of Pediatrics at Maricopa Medical Center and the Arizona Children's Center. After literally waiting on the bench as a sidelines medical service volunteer at Camelback High School football games, Dr. Eccles is pleased to see the school district have an opportunity to magnify its ability to treat its athletes.

“I’ve told my athletes that they don’t want to be drooling on themselves when they are 60 because they played when they should have been recovering,” said Medrano. “I am glad to say through annual education of athletes, parents, trainers and coaches there is more awareness of how costly a hit that a player took could be. And now with ImPACT we will be better able to monitor concussions and work with a physician to read the scores in order to clear students for play.”

About ImPACT

ImPACT is a 20-minute test that has become a standard tool used in comprehensive clinical management of concussions for athletes of all ages. Inherent difficulties make it important to manage concussions on an individualized basis and to implement baseline testing and/or post-injury neurocognitive testing. This type of concussion assessment can help to objectively evaluate the concussed athlete's post-injury condition and track recovery for safe return to play, thus preventing the cumulative effects of concussion. The program measures multiple aspects of cognitive functioning in athletes, including: attention span, working memory, sustained and selective attention time, response variability, non-verbal problem solving and reaction time.

Maricopa Health Foundation

The Maricopa Health Foundation exists solely to support the services of Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) which touches the lives of nearly all residents of Maricopa County one way or another. The Phoenix Cancer Center is a leading provider for cancer care, where patients have access to receive high quality cancer treatment through the latest technology with top physicians and specialists. Programs include the Level I Trauma Center, The Arizona Burn Center and the Arizona Children’s Center. MIHS trains more than 400 physicians a year and provides care to the uninsured and underinsured. For more information, please visit http://www.mihs.org/foundation.

Phoenix Union High School District

Phoenix Union High School District serves 25,000 students at 16 schools covering 220 square miles of central Phoenix. Ten comprehensive schools are members of the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) and compete in football. Football practices have begun this week. Over 1,000 student-athletes participate in football each year. Each school has a certified athletic trainer who works closely with the athletic director, coaches and students to ensure the health and safety of each athlete.

Source: Phoenix Union High School District