DVUSD News - Around Our Schools - September 20-24, 2010

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From: "DVUSD News" <no-reply@dvusd.org>
Subject: DVUSD News - Around Our Schools - September 20-24, 2010
Date: September 27th 2010

Around Our Schools

September 20-24, 2010

Deer Valley Elementary Schools

Anthem

Anthem School is excited to be blasting off this year with a focus on aerospace. The school is partnering with the Civil Air Patrol as students participate in S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, and math) activities and experiments.

Anthem’s kickoff event on Friday, September 24 will be a school-wide paper airplane contest in which all students and staff will use the scientific process and newly acquired knowledge of flight to construct the best paper airplanes possible. Winners from each building will face-off against SAGE teacher Monica Charnell (the staff winner).

Constitution

Student of the Month and Pillar Pride recipients for the month of August were recognized on Friday, September 17. Students were rewarded with cookies and juice with Principal Stephanie Tennille and a special certificate. Student of the Month is awarded based on academics and Pillar Pride is awarded based on character.

August 2010 Student of the Month recipients:

Kindergarten: Azahel Armenta, Johanna Sierra, Evan Rodriquez, and Jenna Simonson

1^st Grade: Diana Encinas, Kevin Barrera, Tanner Simonson, and Juan Sanchez

2^nd Grade: Orlando Ochoa, Nemanja Pavkovic, Stefanie Cervantes, and Mayela Rivera

3^rd Grade: Sydny Vazquez, Aurora Angeles, Elisha Jackson, and Abraham Espino

4^th Grade: Matthew DeKoch, Tyler Eccles, and Henry Hill

5^th Grade: Maria Valencia, Itzel Delgadillo, and Enrique Soto

6^th Grade: Angel Lopez Valericia, Gold Carbonell, Nathallie Hughes, and Hugo Carrillo

August 2010 Pillar Pride recipients:

Kindergarten: Estefania Enriquez, Geovani Mancillas, Sabrina Gillespie, Anabell Flanders, and Esther Malish

1^st Grade: Denise Martinez, Cal Dennison, and Ariana Frogge

2^nd Grade: Yasmin Zapien, Breya Simonson, Yahir Lopez Lopez, and Edwin Santiago

3^rd Grade: Joseph Sandavol, Angel Rufino, Maria Tellez, and Francisco Valencia Benales

4^th Grade: Avelinne Santiago, Kianna Moreno, and Alexis Whidby

5^th Grade: Salvador Diaz, Vanessa Leonardo, and David Flores

6^th Grade: Jazmin Velo, Maria Sanchez, Elvira Alvarado, and Celina Carrasco

Arizona’s Young Readers author Dow Kump visited Constitution students in grades 3-6 and spoke about the writing process “How to Become A Star Writer” and his action/adventure book, “Project-00”.

Copper Creek

Copper Creek music teacher Cathie Sturm is the Westwind Harmony Chorus director and third-generation Sweet Adelines chorus member. Women from all over the valley are welcome to join and receive professional training and learn fun holiday songs, and then perform with the chorus in December. This year, the chorus will be offering singing holiday grams on December 18. The chorus will call and sing holiday songs to your favorite person for $7.00.

Diamond Canyon

Diamond Canyon has been awarded with a $1,000 Go Active! Academics Award sponsored by McDonald's Owner/Operators of Arizona and the Arizona Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Funds will be used to purchase exercise equipment for a "Let's Get Fit" program.

Las Brisas

Las Brisas students celebrated Constitution Day by having a Patriotic Ceremony last Friday, September 17. Each student and staff member received a flag from the PTSA.

Mountain Shadows

Mountain Shadows is implementing READ 180, an innovative reading intervention program by Scholastic. In the READ 180 classes, students and teachers will work together to build essential literacy skills, bring student’s reading up to grade level, read at least 25 books this year, show students that they can attain reading success, and apply those new literacy skills to other subjects such as social studies, math, and science.

Mountain Shadows will be hosting the Holiday Book Fair on October 18-22.

Mountain Shadows selected new student council members for 2010-11. Student Council members are: Nikki Zimmerman, President; Michelle Boetcher, Vice President; Shawna Norman, Secretary; and Emille Thompson, Treasurer.

A Volunteer Training Session will be held on the Mountain Shadows campus on Wednesday, September 29 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. in the media center. Parents who want to volunteer in classrooms or attend class field trips area required to take this training once.

Mountain Shadows PTSA Wants to Buy Two Classes Lunch! PTSA is holding a Fall Membership Contest until Thursday, October 28.The Contest is based on student members not parent or guardian memberships. The class with the highest student percentage in grades K-3 and 4-6 will receive a special lunch from Macayo’s, KFC, or Subway sponsored by the PTSA.

New River

New River PTSA is hosting the annual Fall Round up Saturday, October 16 from 3-7 pm.

This fun filled afternoon will include games, food, raffles, and auctions. Anyone wishing to donate items for the auction or raffle can contact the school office at 623 376-3500.

The students at New River celebrated Constitution Day by wearing Red, White, and Blue. Classes took part in a variety of activities learning about the Constitution and its importance to our country.

Park Meadows

Park Meadows’ annual PTA sponsored cultural arts program has secured the support of local businesses State Farm and M&I Bank to sponsor awards for participating students.

State Farm representative Mark Crotty (for the second year in a row) will provide the Award of Excellence awards to students whose work is selected to advance to state level competition. He also works with the school to promote monthly art contests for students. The State Farm Agency is located 21610 North 35^th Avenue, Suite 164 in Glendale.

M& I Bank representative Amber DiPentino will sponsor participant medals for all students who submit artwork. This is Mrs. DiPentino first year as a sponsor and has a daughter attending Park Meadows. The M&I Bank is located at 19828 North 27^th Avenue in Phoenix.

The national PTA Reflections Cultural Arts Program offers students from preschool through high school a chance to create theme-based original artwork in one of six areas: literature, musical composition, photography, the visuals arts, dance choreography, and film production. Each has its own set of rules and submissions are assessed by judges with experience in each area.

Park Meadows will recognize all students and display their work at the Celebration of the Arts on January 19, 2011. The Park Meadows band and chorus will also perform. For more information, please contact Carey Crabbs, Reflections 2011 Chairperson, at 623-445-4113 or carey.crabbs@dvusd.org.

Park Meadows cafeteria manager Julie Pruitt and her staff for recently awarded with the “Kid Clean Kitchen of the Year Award.” This distinction is given for maintaining the highest sanitation and food safety standards for the school district and customers for the 2009-10 school year.

Sierra Verde

Sierra Verde sponsors a new club called GEMS (Girls Engaging in Math and Science) club. The club is for girls in grades 4-5. SAGE teacher Patricia Eberhardt leads the club on mathematics and science journeys each Wednesday from 3:30-4:30 p.m. until mid October.

Sierra Verde’s “Pizza Night” on Wednesday, September 22, 6 p.m. will be hosted by Sardella’s Pizza. Sierra Verde teachers will compete in a box folding and pizza eating contest. Fifteen percent of the proceeds from this night will support Sierra Verde students. The class with the highest percentage of attendance will earn a free pizza party.

Sunrise

Sunrise students received a visit from Fox 10’s Whirlybird on Thursday, September 15. Over 100 parents and grand parents were there.

Deer Valley High Schools

Barry Goldwater HS

The Barry Goldwater HS chess team has won three out of three matches against Youngker, Maryvale, and Trevor Brown High Schools. Varsity players are Ethan Morgan, Yaroslav Pilipenko, Anuvind Menon, Joel Southwick, and Joseph Cross. In pursuit of Victory with Honor, the BGHS chess players approached their matches with poise and confidence in themselves and were respectful of their opponents as they played their best chess. The team will be competing at Alhambra High School for the state team invitational on Friday, September 24 and Saturday, September 25.

Language arts teacher Ronda McWhorter was elected as treasurer to the state AIA Forensic League of Arizona (speech and debate) Board.

Barry Goldwater senior Joshua McWhorter has been asked to perform at the 20^th Annual ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence Ceremony.

Mountain Ridge HS

Mountain Ridge students Sarah Cowan, Brett Fischer, Andrew Liu, and Taylor Scott have qualified as National Merit Semi-Finalists. These students will advance on to the finalist round of competition. The National Merit Scholarship Program selects the top 1% of the highest scorers in each state and recognizes them as Semi-Finalists for the National Merit Scholarship.

Sandra Day O’Connor HS

Based on the May, 2010 Advanced Placement scores, Sandra Day O’Connor had 22 students who are AP Scholars, seven students who are AP Scholars with Honor, and seven students who are AP Scholars with Distinction.

AP Scholars = students receive scores of 3 or more on three or more AP Exams

AP Scholars with honor = students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams

AP Scholars with distinction = students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Students are:

AP Scholars

Alexandra Birr

Christopher Church

Joshua Coombs

Daniel Cotton

Anna Freydenzon

Michael Fu

Rachel Gress

Chase Hardesty

Zachary Jenner

Kelly Keffeler