View this month’s Paw Prints school newsletter.
Desert Meadows 6th Grader Wins District Science Fair
Congratulations to Desert Meadows School 6th grade student Selasi Abaya who took the Grand Prize Award in the district science fair. Selasi engineered and demonstrated a food airdrop.
Each Laveen school sends their two science fair winners from each grade level (Grades 4-8) to compete at the district level fair. Ribbons were awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from each grade level.
Desert Meadows students compete in mock trials
Six Desert Meadows Youth and Government Club members participated in a mock trial at the recent Judicial Conference hosted by the Valley of the Sun YMCA.
Members prepared for several weeks by digging through the details of a case — preparing questions, opening and closing statements, and witness testimony. They combed through police reports, affidavits, and evidence, just as they would in an actual case.
They participated in two trial simulations and were scored by a judging panel on their statements, arguments, questions, etc.
The team; consisting of Emily Cota, Alexandria Grayman, Arianna Quintero, Luis Ruiz Piñon, Jeffery Jackson-Martinez, and Shahid Clarke; took 3rd Place out of the eight middle school teams that competed.
Laveen Conducting Community Forums, Surveys
The Laveen Elementary School District wants to hear what you have to say about your school and your school district!
We will be hosting a number of town hall forums for parents, staff, and students to share feedback on their experiences with us. These sessions will be moderated by Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates (HYA).
HYA has been contracted by the district as an independent third party to conduct a comprehensive, thorough, and productive community engagement process. The team’s goal is to provide the Laveen District with accurate information identifying and measuring community, parent, student, and staff perceptions of Laveen’s schools.
Please visit our Community Survey page for dates and locations of upcoming parent forums.
In addition to the forum, an online survey will also be shared with all families in the coming weeks.
Join Us for a Presentation on “How Education is Funded in Arizona,” presented by AZED101
How does Arizona really fund public education? Where are my tax dollars really going? Has Arizona always been at the bottom in education spending? Why aren’t teachers being paid more?
If you’ve had these same questions, you will not want to miss AZED101’s presentation On How Arizona Funds Education. AZED101 is a non-partisan, grassroots effort dedicated to informing citizens about education funding in Arizona. The group is comprised of volunteer parents, teachers, and students from public, charter, and private schools. In order to understand the problems with education funding, they researched the facts of the situation and are presenting information all across the state.
March 27, 2019 at Paseo Pointe School, 8800 S. 55th Avenue
Join us at 5:30 p.m. for pizza with the presentation beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Childcare for students in Grades K-6 will be available on site.
Visit laveenschools.staging2.juiceboxint.com/azed101 for more details and to register
Preschoolers Create Statues To Reflect Who They Are
Desert Meadows School preschool students finished their first unit of “Who we are” and made paper statues of themselves to express how individual and special they are.
Students brought home outlines of themselves and, with their families, listed all the things that make them special. The statues were returned to school and displayed around the cafeteria so families could view them.
School Newsletter for September
View this month’s Paw Prints newsletter, published by Desert Meadows’ Newspaper Club.
Desert Meadows Principal Receives Pinnacle of Leadership Award
Desert Meadows Principal J.P. Ketcham was honored with the district’s Pinnacle of Leadership Award at the September Governing Board meeting. This award honors administrators for their exceptional leadership, outstanding accomplishment, and dedicated service to Laveen’s students and community.
District Implementing Closed Campus for 2018-19
All Laveen schools will move to a closed campus when the new school year begins in August 2018. Read the principal’s letter for more information.
Students Take Virtual Field Trips
In the Desert Meadows classroom, students watched as dinosaurs sat atop the desks, they entered the eye of a tornado, and also took a tour through space. It was all part of Google’s Augmented Reality (AR) Pioneer Program in which students take virtual field trips.
Using AR technology, teachers select a module and place 3D objects in the physical classroom. By holding a programmed smart phone up to a coded sheet of paper, students can walk around objects and move in close to see details.
The Expeditions AR program allows teachers to bring the world into their classrooms, helping engage students with immersive lessons that aligned with grade level standards.