rio rico news letter

SantaCruzValleyUnifiedSchoolDistrict#351374W.FrontageRoadRioRico,AZ85648

(TheSantaCruzValleyUnifiedSchoolDistrictNo.35newsletter ispublished three timesperyear toinformthecommunityofprograms,philosophies,andplansof thedistrict.Questionsorcomments

shouldbeaddressed to the superintendent.)

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FEDERALGRANTAIDSKIDS,PARENTSPage4

Middle schoolbandevents

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PeñaBlanca improves

Multilingualdogs

SanCayetanoparent team

Newhighschool teachers settle in

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SANTA CRUZVALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL

NewsletterFALL 2009, Vol. XVI, Issue 1

‘EDUCATE EVERYONE EVERY DAY!’3535District No.District No.3535353535 “We believe that everyonewill experience successful

learning every day.”

FarmingwithwateratRRHS

NEWADMINISTRATORSSETATRRHS

Page8

Photo / Eleanore Rankin

The Mountain View Elementary staffwould like to honor Rohnda Kridler, affec-tionately knownbyher students asCoachK.Mrs. Kridler recently graduated with herbachelorofartsdegreeinphysicaleducation-- not aneasy task for amother and full-timeteacher. Abounding with fresh ideas andplenty of experience, Coach K has earnedthe right to be heard. Here are some of herthoughts on physical education:

• Teacher quality is an important factorin effective instruction. In what ways hasbecoming fully-certified made a differ-

Coachsaysactivitybuildscharacter

SeeCOACH / Page 5

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

“What used to be fun now has pur-pose,” says coach Rohnda Kridler of her instruc-tional program at Mountain View.

Photo / Tracy Hall

Rio Rico High School students in an agriculture class spend time raising tilapia fish at the aquaculture center. From left areDaniel Miranda, Eduardo Romo, Kzandra Castro, Alexis Rivera and Julio Villarreal.

Dear District No. 35 residents,

If we believe only the cur-rent headlines, everyonewould assume that public ed-ucation has gone into a de-cline fromwhich it will neverrecover. The economic re-cession and its related finan-cial crisis is all one hearsabout in today’s press. De-spite the immediate urgencyof our budget issues, it is im-perative for all those involvedin public education to realizethat this crisis will not lastforever. Within a few years,the economy will right itself,and public monies will once

again be more accessible toschool districts.Forward-looking govern-

ing boards shall begin to pre-pare themselves now for thismore optimistic time. Yourgoverning board extensivelydiscussed the budget issuesthis spring. To the best of ourcapability we prepared thedistrict for a tight budget.Nowwe are dedicating one

meeting a month to dis-cussing the possibility of acompletely new focus onreading and literacy in the el-ementary schools. And weare not only considering thetraditional elementarygrades K-5, but we are dis-cussing at length how to bet-ter prepare the five-year-oldsbefore they enter kinder-garten. Everyone recognizesthat a good elementary edu-cation will provide the foun-dation for better educational

results in the years of middleschool and high school.Our strongest focusmay be

on the early school years, butexpanded programs in themiddle schools and highschool vocational programsare also being funded, thanksto the Maintenance and Op-erations budget override ap-proved three years ago.Growth in education is

slow and sometimes elusive.Having served on the govern-ing board for more than 10years, I’mconvinced thatDis-trict No. 35 is moving for-ward, improving educationfor the students in thedistrict,and providing some of thebest educational opportuni-ties in Southern Arizona.

Sincerely,Brian F. VandervoetGoverning Board President

, Santa Cruz Valley District #35 Fall 2009 Newsletter

NOGALES INTERNATIONALWICKCOMMUNICATIONS

SANTA CRUZ VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT No. 35

ROSIESIMPSONMember

MissionStatement

HARRYCLAPECKClerk

BRIANVANDERVOETPresident

SUSANFAUBIONMember

“We believe that everyone will experiencesuccessful learning every day.”

ROBERTVALDEZMember

Board members can be contacted through the district office:

281-8282or by writing to: Santa Cruz Valley Unified School

District #351374W. Frontage RoadRio Rico, Arizona 85648

Manuel C. CoppolaPublisher & Editor

268W. View Point Drive, Nogales, Arizona 85621,520.375.5760 Fax 520.761.3115

On theweb:www.nogalesinternational.com

To advertise in your school newsletter please contact:Maria or Carmen

at the Nogales International:520.375.5760

SCVUSD#35TRANSPORTATION

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For information or questions call:(520)761-2164 (direct line)

[email protected]

School Board

DANIEL FONTESSuperintendentSanta Cruz ValleyUnified SchoolDistrict No. 35

Board focuses on readingTOBOLSTER YOUNGSTERS

By Brian F.Vandervoet

Governing Board President

Santa Cruz Valley District #35 Fall 2009 Newsletter,

Discussing the after-school program at Calabasas Middle School are, from left, Aileen Robles, principal Dave Verdugo andAnnairam Salmon.

Photo / Jeffrey Lawrence


Grant to aid learningfor students, parents

Newadultprogram

Free programs to benefit stu-dentsandparentsarebeingofferedasaresultoftheU.S.DepartmentofEducation’s Community LearningCenter Cycle 8 grant awarded toCalabasasMiddle School.The school was one of 38 in Ari-

zona to be awarded the five-year21stCenturygrant fundingofmorethan $500,000. State officials notedthat the 2010 grant cycle was themost competitive to date, with 176schools applying.CMS is excited to begin the first

year of the new grant. The schoolhassomegreatthingsplanned,andschool officials hope that studentsand parents will take advantage ofthe wonderful opportunities tolearn and grow.The CMS 21st Century Commu-

nity Learning Center consists oftwo interrelated programs, one forstudents and one for adults. Thepurpose of the interrelated pro-grams is to improve CMS studentacademic success, to provide op-portunities for youth development,and to provide parents with thetools necessary to help both theirchildren and themselves. All of the21st Century programs are free.

Academic opportunitiesThe student program provides

studentswithbothmorningandaf-ternoon opportunities for improv-ing academically. The morningprogram provides an opportunityfor students to do their homeworkin a safe and comfortable environ-ment and to receive assistancefrom certified teachers. The afterschool program provides opportu-

nities for students to receive addi-tional help from certified teachersincore subject areas.Theprogramalso provides opportunities foryouthdevelopmentthroughpartic-ipation in various supervised clubsand activities. These clubs and ac-tivities cover a broad spectrum ofinterest.The adult program is new this

year. The school is beginning itsadultprogrambyofferingbothpar-enting skills and English languageclasses. Parents may sign up forthese classes by calling CMS at(520) 375-8602 or (520) 375-8600.The school's outreachcoordinator,Manny Carrillo, oversees the adultprogram.ContactPrincipalDavidVerdugo

or site coordinator Mike Stabachfor information related to the pro-gramat (520) 375-8600.

Middle school band (grades 6to8)offersmanyactivities for stu-dents. Trumpet players StevenMabanteandBenNoriegaofCoa-timundi Middle School played aneye-watering rendition of taps onthe anniversary of the Sept. 11,2001, attack on theUnited States.Two days later, the Calabasas

Middle School/Coatimundi Mid-dle School Band Boosters heldtheir first of four quarterly pan-cakebreakfasts atCMS.Thepan-cakes, fruit, and sausages weredelicious, and the pancake pa-tronsmade for great company.It seems that these pancake

breakfasts are becoming quite acommunity event. The secondpancake breakfast will be held atCoatimundi on Sunday, Nov. 15,from 8 to 11 a.m.CMS and CTMS band students

have also found outlets formusic

outside of the local community.Five CTMS students auditionedfor theUniversity of ArizonaOut-reach Honor Band and all fivemade the cut: eighth gradersTyler Bauer, Andrea VanDuinen,and Gabriel Paco, and seventhgraders Mario Moreno andMan-nyMoreno.

S. Arizona’s finestThe Outreach Band is a group

of Southern Arizona's finestyoungmusicians. These studentsget to participate in rehearsalsand perform with UA studentsand faculty. Of course, there areplenty of performances going onhere in Rio Rico.The Calabasas Fall Concert

washeldonSept.25,andtheCoa-timundi Fall Concertwas held onOct. 1. Both concerts showcasedthree concert bands and a jazzband. The next concerts will beheld Tuesday, Dec. 15 (CMS) andThursday, Dec. 17 (CTMS).

Fromperformancesto pancakebreakfasts

By Patrick Echlin

By Michael Stabach

MIDDLE SCHOOL BANDS

Enjoying pancakes at a band fundraiser are Fiona Bogart, a sixth graderfrom Coatimundi Middle School, and Christine Bogart, a Rio Rico High Schoolteacher.


OutsideTheBoxThinking

Photo / Tracy Hall

Principal Stephen Schadler, left, andart teacher Mark Dittmar of MountainView Elementary School, were recog-nized as the Principal and Teacher ofthe Year for Santa Cruz Valley UnifiedSchool District No. 35. After nearly 50combined years in education, bothmen realize that part of the secret tosuccess comes from learning how tothrow away what’s not working, tomake room for what does.

ence in your P.E. instruction?Onedifference is thatmy instruc-

tion has becomemore objective-ori-ented.My purpose is more than to just

have fun. It’s to give the students thetools they need to grow into happy,healthy and responsible adults.

• You are known as a passion-ate teacher.Brieflydescribeyourwork ethic.

My friends say I’m a tirelessworker. Ha. I don’t mind arrivingearlyor staying late. I lovewhat I’mdoing, and I really hope to make adifference inmy students’ lives.

• What are some ways youhelp your students believe theycan exceed their personal best ifthey set their minds to it?I’m all for the underdog. This

year has been the most rewarding.We are learning fromaperspectiveof stamina and endurance, and wehave come to agree that we need toworkhardinorder toprevail.Prac-tice is a necessity, and with limitedtimeit isuptoeachstudenttochooseactivity throughout theweek.

• In your instruction, you reg-ularly encourage the qualities ofcommunity-building, honesty,and trust. Why is this important?We’re in this together. Spencer

Johnson said, “Integrity is tellingmyself the truth. Honesty is tellingthe truth to other people.” AndThomas Paine believed that “char-acter is much easier kept than re-covered.” I want my students to ac-knowledge their role in the commu-nity and embrace the good they canshare.Weare so lucky to be a communi-

ty filledwith diversity.

• How would your P.E. pro-gram be different if time andmoney were not factors?Routines would be more consis-

tent if Ihadmoretimewithstudents,but I’m not going to dwell on whatIdon’thave.FornowIhave40min-utesaweekandIamgoingtodothemost I canwith it. We also have theafter-school programandMorningMileage club to supplement whatwearedoing.Finally, Ihave thespe-cial events that all of the studentslookforwardto: theFunRun,Char-acter Counts Olympics, and the oneand only Field Day.

Coach getsher degreeContinued fromPage 1


Student achievement rises notablyPEÑABLANCAELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Melissa Bracamonte, a third-gradeteacher at Peña Blanca Elementary, wasnamed the school's Teacher of the Year forthe 2008-2009 school year.Last year teachers and staff were asked to

nominate a teacher whose commitment tostudents and to the school community stoodout among all others.Ms. Bracamonte won hands down be-

cause of the time and effort she puts forth toherprofession.Beyond teaching,her roles atPeña Blanca include sponsorship of StudentCouncil and the yearbook; Girl Scout leader;and Peña Blanca’s RIF or Reading is Funda-mental representative.

Refreshing"It’s refreshing to work with such a com-

mitted and dedicated woman," saidAnnabelle Cerezo, a fifth-grade teacher atthe school. "She gives all she has to her stu-dents and to PeñaBlanca."ClarissaBracamonte, theschoolsecretary,

noted how Ms. Bracamonte brings out theverybest inallherstudents."Ifastudent is ‘inhis shell,’ Ms. Bracamonte has the ability totake himout,” she said.The award winner continues to play a

huge role in Peña Blanca’s extracurricularactivities, andshecontinues to inspireyoungminds throughher teaching.

Teacher of theYear donatesmanyhours tosupport youth

By Andrea Danielson

MelissaBracamonte is a third-grade teacher.

Photo / Andrea Danielson

Peña Blanca Elementary celebrated inlate September the school's recent achieve-ment of being labeled a “Performing Plus"schoolandmeetingtherequirementsofAd-equate Yearly Progress for the 2008-2009school year.These two labels were acquired as a re-

sult of the students' exemplary AIMS (Ari-zonaInstrument toMeasureStandards) testscores. The test was administered to allthird-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students.All the students were given balloons on

the day of celebration as a reward for theirhardwork.At theendof thecelebrationstu-dents let go of the balloons as a symbol oflaunching a new school year with evenhigher expectations than the last.PeñaBlancamadeasubstantialleapfrom

being labeled as “Underperforming” in

2007, to rising above the next label of “Per-forming” andmaking it all the way to “Per-forming Plus,” in just one year.According to Principal Sandra Figueroa,

this kind of growth is uncommon in such ashort amount of time, and it takesmost un-derperforming schools an average of threeyears to realize this type of academicgrowth.The following data shows the most im-

pressivegains that thosestudentsmadeasaresult of last year’s AIMS test and how theycompared to the previous year:

3rd Grade• Reading: Increasedfrom45percent in

‘07-'08 to 58 percent in ‘08-‘09.

4th Grade• Writing: Increased from52percent in

'07-‘08 to 76 percent in ‘08-‘09.5th Grade

• Writing: Increased from 64 percent in'07-‘08 to 77 percent in '08-‘09.

The results of this data were due to thehard work and dedication of the educatorsat Peña Blanca. Teachers spent a great dealof time last year disaggregating data fromthepreviousschoolyearstodeterminewhatareas Peña Blanca students were weak inandwhere they were strong. The results ofanalyzing this data then led the instruction-aldecisionsteachersmadeintheclassroomand defined what tutorials and enrichmentclasseswere needed.The community at Peña Blanca began

this school year with a new sense of pride,and is reaching out to attain the higher la-bels of “highly performing” or “excelling”for this academic year.

By Andrea Danielson

Peña Blanca students and faculty celebrate the designation of “performing plus.”Photo / Andrea Danielson


Rio Rico High School’s newCareer Technical Educationprogram in culinary arts has at-tracted approximately 75 stu-dents.A two-year program, it offers

collegecreditwhenstudentsob-tain a "B" or better. Sixty-onestudents have received theirSanta Cruz County Food Han-dler’s permits, and the students,mostly juniors, are motivated tolearn.Maryann Kinzel, a registered

dietician, is the instructor. Sheand her students are anxiouslyawaiting the opening of thenewly remodeled kitchen anddining room, which are locatedon the RRHS campus. Mean-while, students are learningsanitation, safety, and measur-ing techniques, andhowtocom-plete an effective job applica-tion.

They have formed a restaurant-touring group, and it is theirhope to tour restaurants wherelarger groups of customers areserved in and around Rio Rico.Recently several students visit-ed the Elk’s Lodge in Green Val-ley, where they observed howmore than 275 people wereserved for a Greek buffet. Thechef took the students to thekitchen and allowed them towitness the operation from be-hind the scenes.“We have an outstanding

group of students who are com-mitted to becoming experts inthe culinary arts field," Ms.Kinzel said. "In the four yearsthat I have been in Rio Rico, Ihave seen restaurants in thisarea spring up everywhere, andthis is a valuable and excitingprofession in both the privateand the public sectors.”

Teacher transfers givenwarm welcome at RRHS

STAFFCHANGES

Lara Hull won't let the Rio RicoHighSchoolclassof2013outofhersights. In fact, she's been trailingthem."I like to joke that I loved the

class of 2013 somuch that I decid-ed to follow them here to RRHS!,"quipped Mrs. Hull, who came toRRHS this year after serving as thelibrarian for Calabasas and Coat-imundimiddle schools. "Seriouslythough, I loveworkingwith all thestudents, whether helping thempick out a good book or assistingwith a complicated research proj-ect."Several other new RRHS faculty

made the horizontal move fromother sites within the district. ForAmanda Chavez, a special educa-tion teacher, it wasn't a matter ofshadowingformerstudentsastheytransitioned to thehighschool, butrather transferring fromMountainView Elementary School in orderto work at the same school as herhusbandof oneyear, physical edu-cation teacher JonChavez. But thetwo ended up passing like ships inthe night because Jon, due tobudget cuts, ended up being reas-signed to CMS.Perhaps a little less dramatical-

ly, Christina Angulo alsomade theswitch from a district school, Cal-abasas, to RRHS where she teach-es special education. While previ-ouslyworkingwithat-riskyouthatthe Santa Cruz County JuvenileDetention Center, Mrs. Angulo'sjoy of teachingwas ignited."The program (at the detention

center) offered a transition pro-gram,many awareness programs,andat-grade-level contentmateri-al,"Mrs. Angulo recalled. "Theex-perience I obtained with the stu-dents made a great impact onme.This experience sparkedapassioninside of me. From then on, mygoalwastobecomeagreat teacherand prepare myself to the best ofmy ability."AlthoughMiranda Valencia did-

n't make a strictly horizontal leap,like some other new RRHS teach-ers, she did have previous experi-ence in the district. She substitutetaught,and isnowworking towarda degree in K-12 special educa-

tion/K-8 elementary. Currentlyshe teaches special education atthe high school."I absolutely love working with

the older student population hereat Rio Rico High School," she said."I look forward to being more in-volved in student activities, help-ing outmorewhere I can."

New additionYet another special education

addition to the Hawk family islong-time teaching veteran RonBacklund. This marks his 19thyear teaching. "I am excited andthankful this year to be teachingLifeSkillsatRioRicoHighSchool,"he said. "I enjoyworkingwith stu-dents of all abilities."There are also two newEnglish

teachers at RRHS, Stephanie Car-rasco and Amanda McKay. Ms.Carrasco is in her third year ofteaching, and her second at thehigh school level. She just com-pleted her master's program atNorthern Arizona University, "andwasfortunatetofindateachingpo-sition here. I truly appreciate howkindandwelcomingthestaffat thehigh school has been and I lookforward to the rest of the schoolyear." She teaches freshmen andjuniors.Ms. McKay, a 2008 graduate of

Central Michigan University, hastravelled extensively in LatinAmerica. She is bilingual andteaches English language learn-ers.Brian Yoder technically isn't

new to RRHS this year, but the

2009-2010 school year does markhis first full one since taking overasanEnglish teacher inJanuary.Agraduate of the Colorado prairieand,more academically, ColoradoState University, Mr. Yoder is "at-tempting to live in partial seclu-sion." Having chosen to work inthe SantaCruz river valley,Mr. Yo-derwouldseemtohaveachievedameasure of success in his goal.The math department too has

seen the addition of new facultywith the hiring of Janna Larsonand Cary Todd. Mrs. Larson re-ceived her master's of educationdegree in May, with an emphasison the teaching of math to highschool students."I returned to school in order to

pursue my dream of becoming ahigh school math teacher," shesaid. "I had a wonderful mathteacher when I was in high schooland always wanted to be just likeher." In addition to being heavilyinvolved in her church, Mrs. Lar-son said, "I love to spend timewithmyhusband, readingbooks,walk-ing my dog, or learning a foreignlanguage."Mr. Todd grew up in near

Philadelphia and has taught inGlendaleand, for fouryears,ontheNavajo reservation. He said heloves to hike in the desert.MitchCrossley, thehighschool's

new head football coach, hascoached at the high school, juniorcollege and semi-pro level. He hasalsowon two state championshipscoaching baseball.

By Morgan Falkner

From left, Special Educationteacher Miranda Valencia workswith a student.

Photo / Morgan Falkner

Culinary arts amonghigh school subjects

NEWONCAMPUS

Abel Granillo, left, and Luis Soberanes Del Grande inspect the kitchen.Denise Armenta, left, and Ann Cisneros organize pots and pans.

Photo / Eleanore Rankin


First-year Rio Rico High School Princi-pal Jim Anders is all too aware of the re-volving door that his position has becomein recent years. He insists, despite similarclaims by his immediate predecessor, thathe's "going to be here for the long haul."That means a potential six-year run as

the site administrator for the 1,100-plusstudent body that has seen, since KateMueller left after the 2005-2006 schoolyear, two principals in three years. At thatpoint, the Northern Arizona Universitygraduate and former NFL football playerwill have reached retirement age."At thatpointwe'll see,becauseI'llbe57

years old," the burly principal said.Inthetwomonthssincehetookover,the

jobhashad itsupsanddowns. "SomedaysI'm like, 'What have I gotten myself into?'Andotherdaysit's like, 'Thisisprettycool,"he said.Mr.AndersandCarmenDeLaOssa, the

school'snewassistantprincipal, both indi-cated in recent interviews that they havesettled into the job nicely.

‘Learning curve’Henotedthat thereisdefinitelya"learn-

ing curve" to the position.His two years asanRRHSassistantprincipalwerevaluable,hesuggested,butultimatelyapersoncan'tfully understand all that the position en-

tails until he or she actually wears thecrown and is responsible for the entirerealm."The first year is the hardest," he said,

but perhaps the most daunting momentwas late in the 2008-2009 school year,whenhe said that on topof his usual assis-tant principal duties, hewas forced to takeon increasing responsibilities -- those or-dinarily belonging to the existing princi-pal.

‘Up to the mountain’"By the end of the last school year I was

thinking that I'm going to go up to themountains and I'm not sure I'm going tocome back," he said with a grin whileshaking his head. "But I told myself, 'Thiswill pass.'"Now that it has, "dealing with students

and teachers has been good. I feel like Ihave good support from (school and dis-trict) administrators and from teachers."Perhaps the most vexing part of the newjob is dealing with the school and districtbudgetarybelt tightening thathasresultedfromtheeconomicdownturn that struckayearago.Doingmorewith less,he indicat-ed, has proven to be an ongoing struggle.Mrs. DeLaOssa,who came to RRHS af-

ter serving as the dean of students at Cal-abasas Middle School for five years, de-scribed her familiarity with former CMSstudents as amixed blessing.

"I think it's a positive for them (the stu-dents) having a relationship" with an ad-ministrator withwhommany already hadfamiliarity. But, she concedes, "It dependson the student." Some of her former stu-dents -- and theirparents --maynotbeen-tirely pleased that shemade the leap withthem to the high school.

The right climate?One thing she pointed out that's helped

her set the right climate has been theteachers' diligence in reporting studentswhoarecontinuallylatetoclass."I likethatteachers are on top of tardies," she said. Interms of disciplining high school studentsversusmiddle schoolones,Mrs.DeLaOs-sa said it's largely "more of the same.Theremightbemoreserious issues(at thehigh school). It was a little rough at first,but I feel it's gotten better."Nowthat she's settled intohernewposi-

tion, "I'm really looking forward to puttingmore ofmyself into this school," saidMrs.De La Ossa, who began working for thedistrict in 1998 when she taught sixth-gradeLanguageArts and Social Studies.Given the amount of time both have

spent in the district, and the point Mr. An-ders is at in his career, it would seem thatboth administrators anticipate being atRRHS formore than a year or two.

'New' administrators settling inRIO RICOHIGH SCHOOL

By Morgan Falkner

At Coatimundi Middle School, the sixth-grade enrichment class has been participatinginthe“Pennies forPeace”curriculum,basedonthe book “Three Cups of Tea.” It’s the story ofGreg Mortenson, an American who tried toclimb K2, the second-largest mountain in theworld, which is located in the South Asian na-tion of Pakistan.He became ill and was brought down the

mountain and nursed back to health by the vil-lagers in Korphe. He noticed there were noschools there, and he promised to return and abuild a school for them.The students are learning about the children

in Afghanistan and Pakistan, their lives, theirculture, and their education. One student com-mented, “I have taken things for granted inmy

Money collectedfor schools inAfghanistan

By Mary Kotnour

Conferring about a student are Assistant Principal Russell Paperman,left, administrative intern Larry Brown, middle, and Principal Jim Anders.

Photos / Morgan Falkner

Assistant Principal Carmen De La Ossa, left, speaks with secretaryRosa Monarez.

New to CoatimundiMiddleSchool,butnotto the Santa Cruz Val-ley Unified SchoolDistrict, is LeticiaFierrowhois teachingsixth-grade languageartsandsocialstudies.Beginning as an

aide in thedistrict,Ms.Fierro finished hercourse work and ex-ams last May to be-come a certifiedteacher.“With twoyearsworkingwithTitle 1 in small

groupsofchildrenonreadingand languagede-velopment, I got hooked,” she said.Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Ms.

Fierrogrewup ina small townnearSacramen-to, Calif. She enjoys cooking, reading and trav-eling. She has worked for the school districtsince 2000 and lives locally.

“It’s been both challenging and exciting atthesametime," shesaid. "Iamvery fortunate towork with an incredibly talented, professional,and caring group within the sixth-grade team.Everybody at Coatimundi Middle School hasbeenwonderful, and I look forward towhat thisyearwill bring for all of us.”

By Mary Kotnour

First-year teacherenjoys challenges

Leticia Fierro

SeePENNIES / Page 9


Calabasas welcomes new staffSCHOOLNEWS

Calabasas Middle School has added afewfreshfacesthepastfewyearstoamost-lyveteranstaff.Theycomefromallpartsofthe country and bring a wealth of experi-ence to Rio Rico to share with their stu-dents. This year is no different.Jonathan Chavez is no stranger to the

school district. This is his fifth year teach-ing overall and first at CMS. For the firstfour years of his teaching career hewas atRio Rico High School, where he taughtphysical education classes and one inweight training.AtCalabasasheteachesphysicaleduca-

tion during the first semester and healthduringthesecond.Heisalsohelpingmon-itor the English Language Learner stu-dentsduringtheT/Eperiods.Duringthoseperiods students work on improving theirEnglish skills through the Rosetta Stonesoftware program.During his undergraduate studies he

lived in Iowa foroneyearbefore returningto Arizona. He graduated from RRHS in1999.Someofhishobbiesincluderunning,playingdifferent sports,watchingallkindsof different sports on TV, attending sport-ing events -- especially those at the Uni-versity of Arizona -- hanging out with hisfamily, especially his wife, Amanda (whoteaches at RRHS), and raising their puppyDaisy. Amandawill be giving birth to theirfirstchildinMay,andbothofthemareveryexcited.Mr. Chavez thoroughly enjoys teaching

because he likes helping out the studentswho come from this community. He saidhe loves living in the area andworking forPrincipal David Verdugo. Mr. Chavez re-marked how theCMS staff has been noth-ing but friendly and helpful.Tonya Latvala joined the CMS crew

back in January. Joiningmid-yearwasdif-ficult, but she said she received consider-able support from fellow teachers. ShemovedherefromMichigan'supperpenin-sula. She graduated fromNorthernMichi-gan University in December and receivedher seventh-grade language arts job aweek later.She said she enjoys activities such as

photography, dance and volleyball. So farshe loves living here. “Everything hasbeen going great and I plan to be here forawhile!” she exclaimed.Joseph Hammond began his CMS ca-

reer teaching sixth-grade science duringthe second quarter of the 2008-09 schoolyear.Hehas inheritedhis own students byvirtue of teaching seventh-grade level sci-ence.Mr.Hammond is currently enrolledin Pima Community College’s TeacherPreparation Program and is teaching un-deran interncertificateuntilhecompletesthe requirements for a provisional certifi-

cate.GrowingupinaruralcentralOhiocom-

munity, he became interested in natureand science at a very youngage.Those in-terests ledhimtopursueandreceiveaB.A.degree in zoology fromMiami (Ohio)Uni-versity in 1994andaMaster of Sciencede-gree, also in zoology, from the same uni-versity two years later.His educational work experience in-

cludes teaching assistantships duringgraduate school, a visiting-instructorposi-tion with Grand Valley State University,serving as an interpretive naturalist posi-tion with Franklin County Metro Parks inOhio, a volunteer naturalist position withThe Conservancy of Southwest Florida,service as the co-leader of ColumbusAudubon’s Avid Birders group, and muchfreelance natural history work leadinghikes and presenting programs.He has also led birding and natural his-

tory tours throughout the United States aswell as Canada, Belize, Guatemala, CostaRica, Panama, Ecuador, Trinidad and To-bago, the Netherlands Antilles, and Israel.In addition to nature, he enjoys naturewriting and photography.“Sharingmy love of nature and science

withpeoplebringsmegreat joy, and I can-not think of a better group of people toshare that with than our students.” Mr.Hammond is married to Jill Hammond, aseventh-grade teacher at CoatimundiMiddle School.Warren Matlock, CMS's seventh-grade

math teacher, was born in Seattle andraised in the nearby city of Snohomish,Wash. During his youth, he was active inBoy Scouts and earned the rank of EagleScout.Aftergraduatingfromhighschoolin1991,Mr.Matlock joined theUnited StatesMarine Corps and served from 1991 to1996.He enrolled atUtahValley StateCollege

(now Utah Valley University), where heearnedanassociatedegree inphysical ed-ucation in 1999.While attendingUVSC hejoined theUtah ArmyNational Guard andserved from 1998 to the present. Mr. Mat-lock attended Southern Utah Universityfrom 1999 to 2002. From January 2005 toJune 2006, Mr. Matlock and his NationalGuardUnitweredeployedatArRamadi,AlAnbar Province, in Iraq.Hecurrentlyhastherankofcaptain.Up-

on completion of his combat tour in Iraq,Mr. Matlock added to his family legacy bybecomingafourth-generationcombatvet-eran. His great grandfather served inWorldWar I, hisgrandfather inWorldWarII, his father in Vietnam, and Mr. Matlockhimself inOperation Iraqi Freedom. Inhisspare time, he enjoysmost sports and out-door activities. He is a first-year teacher,but last year he worked as a substituteteacher in Provo,Utah.Mr.Matlock is also

a first-year assistant football coach, thehead coach for wrestling, and assistantbaseball coach. He also served as a highschool football and wrestling official thepast two years. In 1991, he married Kim-berly Peterson and they have one daugh-ter, Kjerstin.Michael Collier is a retired special edu-

cation teacherwhohas returned to schoolfor a second dose. He taught at MaranaMiddle School for four years, then trans-ferred to Mt. View High School where hetaught foranadditional12yearsbeforere-tiring. He enjoys flying his Funk, a small,two-place1948vintagetailwheelairplane,anddrivinghisyellowT-Buckethotrod.Heis also a closet piano player/hack.He said he loves CMS, its staff, and the

students. Finally, he loves to bodysurf andisanArizonanative.Mr.Collier is current-ly the eighth-grade special educationteacher.JenniePaperman,anotherofCMS’sspe-

cial education teachers, brings plenty ofexperience with her. In New York sheworked for eight years in an early-inter-vention program for special education.She also worked in a second-grade class-room from 2007 to 2008. Ms. Papermanhas a B.A. in sociology and anthropologyfrom theCityUniversity of NewYork.She is currently working on a Masters

for Curriculum and Instruction in Educa-tion from Arizona State University. Hergoalsare tohelp studentsdo theirbest andlearn to followall therulesatCMS.Shebe-lieves that family involvement and goodcommunicationare important for a child’ssuccess. Being amother of three children,Ms. Paperman knows how important agoodeducationis.SheismarriedtoRussellPaperman, anassistant principal at RioRi-coHighSchool.Whennot teachingorbusywith family responsibilities, she enjoysbaking to relax and unwind.Michelle Castellano, originally from

Tampa, Fla., is CMS's new eighth-grademath teacher. She has lived in Arizona forthe past 11 years, during which time shereceived her B.A. from the University ofArizona and a Master's in Reading/Mathfrom ASU. She is currently consideringpursuingherPhDinEducationalTechnol-ogy fromNorthernArizonaUniversity. Forthe five years prior to coming to CMS, shetaught gifted education in Sells.When sheis not teaching, Ms. Castellano enjoysspending timewithher husband, childrenand young grandson.Elisabeth Hughes was born and raised

inKalamazoo,Mich., andNoble,Okla. Sheteaches sixth- through eighth-grade art.Her focus as an artist is in three-dimen-sionalmedia suchas ceramics, steel fabri-cation, and fine metals. She is fond ofworking in textile arts such as weaving,knitting, and quilting.

By Jeffrey Lawrence

Prize-winningart ondisplay inschool office

San Cayetano Elementary School stu-dents are to be congratulated for their rib-bon-winning performances at the SantaCruzCounty Fair, Student Art Festival, andJuriedArt Showheld Sept. 18-20. All of thestudents' artwork thatwas enteredwonei-ther first, second or third place.Receiving first-place blue ribbons were

GiselleMada,ParkerHayesandAhizaCar-rillo. Students that received red-secondplace ribbons were Alejandro Santos, AizaCarrazco, Roshan Miranda, Omar Valen-zela, Graci Costa, Megan Condes and LuisMertenez.Placing third and receiving a white rib-

bonwere Carlos De la Cruz, Gabriel Cluff,Ashley Maldonado, Leonardo Magallanes,Yazmin Baldenegro, Samantha Thorn-bloom, Kevin Flores, Rene Cañez andYadelleMendez.The student artwork, along with their

ribbons,willbedisplayedin themainofficebuilding at San Cayetano. Congratulationsto all the student artists. You shouldbeveryproud of yourselves!

By Kate Granchelli

SAN CAYETANO ELEMENTARY

Students won many ribbons at this year’s SantaCruz County Fair.

life.” Said another: “I appreciate my educationmore now.”Part of the curriculumentails collectingpen-

niestohelpbuildschoolsinthosetwopoor,war-torn lands. Some of the students went to class-rooms and gave a presentation on "Pennies forPeace" and left a container they had decoratedfor the class to collect pennies. The collectionendedOct. 1.

PENNIESContinued fromPage 8


Students reflect on howPatriot’s Day hits home

“Hi. I’mCody’smom.”In those four words, the re-

alityofhow9/11andtheensu-ing wars overseas have im-pactedRioRicowasmadeper-fectly clear to the students atMountain View ElementarySchool.On Friday, Sept. 11, the

Mountain View students andfaculty paused for a ceremonyto remember the events ofwhat is now called Patriot’sDay and the sacrifices madeby somany citizens.“Hi. I’m Savannah’s dad.”School Principal Stephen

Schadler explained why theinclusion of some local sol-diers is so important. “One ofour six pillars of character isCitizenship, and for some rea-son today’s political climatemakes itdifficult to teachwhatthis means. 9/11 seems likeone of the few opportunitieswhere the entire countryagrees we should stop andgive thanks for what we havein America, and when kidsconnect their friendsandrela-tives to this cause then it does-n’t seem so abstract.”The remembrance actually

began two days earlier whenState Rep. Frank Antenorispoke at an assembly forfourth- and fifth-grade stu-dents onbehalf of the JoeFoss

Institute. Foss was a WorldWar II hero who went on tolive a distinguished life as aprofessional football player,generous altruist, and an oth-erwisegreatAmerican leader.The Institute is dedicated to

spreading his examplearound the state.Mr. Antenorihas himself retired from themilitary and now gives pre-sentations to schools when heis not in session in Phoenix orworking at his private-sectorjob.Friday’s school-wide cere-

monies began with StudentCouncil treasurer Alicia Con-treras carrying in the Ameri-can flag to the music of RayCharles’ classic "America theBeautiful." Student Councilpresident Alexandra Schadlerled the school in the Pledge ofAllegiance, and StudentCouncil historian Jesus Gon-zales read a brief passage ex-plaining the attacks of Sept.11.Next came a moment of si-

lence which ended when Stu-dent Council vice presidentJustin Fischer rang fourchimes, one to commemorateeachof thehijackedairplanes.For the third year in a row,

family members who haveserved in the military werethen invited to introduce

themselves to the audience.Specialist DianaCohn (Cody’smom) andAgentCarl Carlson(Savanah’sdad)wereonhandto say a few words, and theystayed to visit with students intheir children’s classroom af-terwards.“It’s important to me that

ourcommunitymemberspar-ticipate,” Mr. Schadler said. “Ithinkour students need toun-derstand, actually we all needtounderstand, thatmanypeo-ple are making many, manysacrifices so thatwe canenjoyour freedoms, includingschool. I try to impress uponthe students that this givesthem amoral obligation to dotheir best because so manyothers are fighting for them tohave this opportunity.”Student Council secretary

Maggie Bencomo led theschool in the CharacterCounts pledge, and schoolcounselor Doug Fleck shareda few ideas about how stu-dents can display the ideal ofCitizenship in small waysaround their community. Theceremony ended with theMountain View choir per-forming “You’re a Grand OldFlag” and the students liningup for a red, white and bluepicturewithOldGlory.

Mt. View Elementary third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders form an American flag as part of their annual Patriot’sDay commemoration.

Photo / Tracy Hall


This yearatCoatimun-di Middle School, theEnglish LanguageLearner class is going tothe dogs.Ayda Sandoval, who's

new to CTMS but not tothe school district, isshaking things up bybringing her dogs toschool periodically. Ms.Sandoval is not only anexcellent teacher -- shewas named Teacher ofthe Year last year at RioRico High School -- butshe is also a certified dogtrainer.

Multilingual“My dogs are multilin-

gual," Ms. Sandoval said."They know body lan-guage, Spanish and Eng-

lish. Thanks to our newstudent Carol, I’m teach-ing someofmydogsChi-nese, too!”Periodically, Ms. San-

doval uses the dogs to in-crease interest in theclassroom during the re-quired four hours of in-struction for ELL stu-dents.

‘No excuses’“I want my students to

know that even my dogscan learn a new lan-guage,sotherearenoex-cuses for them not tolearn English. ‘Todo sepuede en esta vida si unole hecha muchas ganas!’(“All in life is possible ifone puts forth effort.Nothing in life is easy, butwith perseverance, onecan conquermiracles.”)Ms. Sandoval got start-

ed in dog training after

viewing a video by San-dra Davis doing dogdancing.“I was intrigued and

wanted to learn, so I tookan online course and be-came a certified trainer,"she explained. "I now dodogdancing, Frisbee, ba-sic and advanced dogobedience, and my bor-der collies and I arelearning sheep herding.”

EncouragementEncouraging her stu-

dents to pursue theirdreams, persevere intheir work and push pastobstacles are lessonstaught outside the Eng-lish language in this ELLclass. Students look for-ward to the days whendogs visit her classroom.The students work hardto earn this privilege.

By Suzanne KellerHoeflich

Cao Qixuan helps dogs learnChinese as she learns English.Foreground, from left, are CaoQixuan, Gerardo Betancourtand Paula Ahumada. At rearare Jesus Grajeda and YeseniaRodriguez.

Dog Days of EnglishMOTIVATING STUDENTS


How does one connect goal-setting,community awareness, health and fit-ness, fund raising, and parent involve-ment? Naturally, bywalking -- walking toschool and walking more once you getthere.For three years, Rohnda Kridler at

Mountain View Elementary has spon-sored the Morning Mileage Club that in-vites students to walk laps around theplayground before school starts. Everyfive miles logged garners a necklace anda charm. A healthy lifestyle in a social en-vironment is themessage.Two years ago, Mountain View joined

students around the world on Interna-tional Walk to School Day. The conceptwas simple.Abuswaschosen todropstu-dents off about¾of amile fromschool, sothat students and chaperones could walkthe rest of the way. Community aware-ness was easy to come by as neighborsopened their doors and excited dogsbarkedbehind their fencesat thepassers-by.This year, District #35 Transportation

Director RicoQuirozwants to expand theevent to four times a year for all buses.“This is a just great program for stu-

dents,”Mr.Quiroz said. “It helps studentsrelax their minds before entering theschool grounds, and it creates a wonder-ful atmosphere when you see all of thestudents together walking to school. As astudent, Iwas fortunateenoughtowalk toschool almost every day, and I rememberbeingwithmy friendsbefore school start-ed.We enjoyed ourselves.”Mr. Quiroz and Mountain View Princi-

pal Stephen Schadler have beenworkingcloselywithSarahPrasekandothers fromthe Safe Routes to School effort to make

this event sustainable."In thenext fiveyears, I'd love forwalk-

ing and biking to become a regular andenjoyableway for students to commute toand from school in District 35," said Ms.Prasek, who is the Safe Routes to SchoolProgramcoordinator for theUniversity ofArizona-Santa Cruz Cooperative Exten-sion."I'd especially like to see improve-

ments to infrastructure around schools,such as new paths and sidewalkswith at-tractive street-scaping, safely connectingfamilies to school sites,” Ms. Prasek said."Along with nutrition education, P.E.classes, and more, Safe Routes Programswill empower young people to makehealthy choices that positively impactwell-being throughout one's life."Toward that end, about a year and a

half ago, Principal Schadler had singleposts sunk into the four corners of theplayground to mark out a rough patharound the field.“Thiswasnotonly tohelpguidethestu-

dents as to where they were supposed tobe walking for the Morning MileageClub,“ he explained, “but also to visuallyinvite the parents and community mem-bers who are waiting for their kids to fin-ishwith soccer practice to get out of theircars andwalk a few laps” themselves.That initial effort was followed by par-

ent Claudia Bojorquez, who coordinatedthe donation of railroad ties, and that of aMountain View family, Hector and LizRobles, donating funds from a softballtournament topurchase the rest.Nowtheword is starting to get out.One of the district bus drivers, Patricia

Reyna, walks 2.5 miles daily. She's verypassionate about it and says the trail

walking helps her unwind and has givenher increasedenergy.ShewalksatMoun-tain View because, when walking alone,she feels safer here and the trees andgrass aremuchmore tranquil thanwalkselsewhere.“I love it every time I leavework late in

the afternoon and see a few moms orcommunity members walking and talk-ing,” Mr. Schadler said. “They feelhealthy,safe,andIhopetheyfeel that theyare a part of the school.”This success upon success has led Mr.

Schadler toponderanext, andperhaps fi-nal, progression – raising money with aWalk-a-Thon.“I have always felt that fundraising, a

necessary evil to begin with, should trywhenever possible to contribute to thelarger purpose of the school,” he ex-plained. “Having kids sell trinkets from acatalog to guilt-ridden relatives does lit-tle, if anything, to support studentachievement. But giving students a goalof walking, say, three laps a day teachesgoal-setting and fitness while also pro-moting positive social behaviors.“Think about it – when have you ever

been angry and stormed off somewhere?Afterwalkingfor justa fewminutes it’s re-ally hard to stay angry or even to remem-berwhat youwereupset about in the firstplace! I’ll be very curious to observe thebehavior of our students during Walk-a-Thonweek.”Eachstudent isbeingasked toraise$10

for the school’s student activity accountthrough a combination of more lapsand/or more pledges. The money raisedis used to support field trips, certificates,andotherstudentrecognition throughoutthe year.

Walking trail connects communityFITNESS ANDFUNDRAISING Romeronamed

to represent SCat county eventfor teachersSan Cayetano third-grade teacher Kathy

Elisa Romero was honored as a nominee onAug.27fortheSantaCruzCountyTeacheroftheYear. A total of 15 teachers in the county werefeted by County Superintendent Alfredo Ve-lazquez at the AmericanaHotel inNogales.Eachof the15hadbeenrecognizedas teach-

ers of the year at their prospective schools thepreviousMay.The teachers were presented with plaques

and $100 gift certificates by U.S. Rep. Raul Gri-jalva’s office, and gift baskets. San CayetanoPrincipalGailRichsaidthatMrs.Romerowouldnever seek recognition for herself. She teachesbecause she loveswatching children grow.She’s taught at San Cayetano for five years

and is building a reputation based on fine, suc-cessfulwork in the classroom. She’s the profes-sionalwhoweneed to holdup as amodel. Oth-er young teachers need to know that the com-munity recognizes the contributions of youngteacherswhowill carry on the legacywhen theveterans move on. Congratulations, Mrs.Romero.We are proud of you!

By Dora LopezEffortless runner AndresEstrella, grade 5, leadsJonathan Paperman, grade4, and SebastianGutierrez,grade 1, in earn-ing miles. The boys partici-pate in MV’s MorningMileage Club.

Photo / Tracy Hall

Kathy Elisa Romero


Grant supports a new parent teamThankstothefederalgovern-

ment’s economic stimuluspackage, San Cayetano Ele-mentary has received a grantdesigned to bolster parental in-volvement.

Committee membersSchool counselor Dollie

Bauer serves as the grant facili-tatorandwouldliketothankthefollowingmembers of the com-mittee: Principal Gail Rich, Jen-nifer Argyros, Judy Seaman,LizzyNaff, ReneCelaya,GilbertEscobar, Marcia Escobar, YvettCota, Debbie Condes, NicholasNapolean and Bertha Ro-driguez.The committee is comprised

of school staff members as wellas parents who have showntheir dedication to the school.

Recent research by the North-westRegionalEducationalLab-oratory found that “clearly, par-ent involvement is effective infostering achievement and af-fective gains at all levels, andschools are encouraged to en-gage andmaintain this involve-ment throughout the elemen-tary,middle school and second-ary years."

Early involvementThe research also shows that

the earlier in a child's educa-tional process that parent in-volvement begins, the morepowerful theeffectsare likely tobe. San Cayetano is inviting allparents tocometosupport theirchild’s academic achievement.Foradditionalinformation,con-tact Dollie Bauer at SanCayetano at (520) 375-8300.

By Bertha Rodriguez

The school’s parent committee displays their vision: “The most important 20 minutes of your day…read with a child.”

Photo / Bertha Rodriguez

San Cayetano Elementarywould like to present the newestadditions to the teacher team thisyear.The first-grade team welcomed

Jamie Woodward and Joanne LaVoie to the school. Ms. Woodwardhas taught first through fourthgrades and worked as a reading

specialist in Phoenix and Sahuari-ta. She has been living in southernArizona for seven years and is ex-citedtohaveherson,Trent,attend-ing SanCayetano’s preschool.Ms.LaVoie, originally fromOre-

gon, came to Arizona 10 years ago.After working for Apache JunctionUnified SchoolDistrict as akinder-garten teacher, she moved to RioRico, where she hopes to have agardenandfruit treesreadybynext

summer.New to the third-grade team is

KimBartholomew,whogrewup inAmado. She received her bache-lor's degree in elementary educa-tion.Sheishappytostarthercareerat San Cayetano. The fourth-gradeteam welcomed Cara Simmonswhosebackgroundisinmediapro-duction. Her interest in teachingled her to pursue Pima’s post-bac-calaureateTeacherEducationPro-

gram. Ms. Simmons said she feelsprivileged to be teaching in thebeautiful SantaCruz Valley.The school also welcomed Kate

Granchelli as the new art teacher.She is originally fromBuffalo, N.Y.,where she received her bachelor'sof fine arts degree in design. Aftermoving to Las Vegas, where shewas a private tutor/live-in nannyfor Anthony Zuiker, the creator ofthe TV show "CSI," she decided to

pursue hermaster's degree in sec-ondary education with a K-12thgrade art education certification.Ms.Granchellihas lived inSpain

and Brazil, and has traveled tocountlesscountries inSouthAmer-ica andEurope. Her belief is that itis important to know what theworld has to offer. She teaches herstudents the value of knowledgethrough art.


New faces arrive at SanCayetano schoolBy Bertha Rodriguez

Enthusiasticinstructors ...New this year at SanCayetano are, fromleft, JamieWoodward, KimBartholomew, KateGranchelli, CaraSimmons andJoanne La Voie.


WILL YOUR CHILD BE READY FOR SCHOOL?

Ask yourself these questions. Does your child…•Have trouble seeing people and objects?• Have difficulty hearing voices and other sounds or remains usually quiet for long

periods of time?•Have difficulty talking and pronouncingwords properly?•Move aboutwith difficultywhen crawling,walking or running?• Learn slowly…andhave difficulty understanding?•Have trouble playingwith other children or getting alongwith adults?•Have other special health problems?If you have answered “yes” to one ormore of these questions, call your local school

today. Learn about Preschool Screening for 3-5 year olds. Your childmayneed specialservices. CallyourlocalD.E.S./DivisionofDevelopmentalDisabilitiesforservicesavail-able to children ages birth through two.

Students in Kindergarten through the age of 21.Children learn at different rates. All new enrolled in public schools are required to

be screened for the following areas of development that affect learning.

VisionHearing

CommunicationAcademic

Social/Emotional/AdaptivePhysical Development

•If you have concerns about a child’s progress in school or one of these develop-mental areas, you need to contact the school inwhich the child is enrolled.

•If the student is being home-schooled, the parentwill need to contact the schooldistrict inwhich they reside. If the student is in a private school, the parent or schoolofficial can contact the school district inwhich the private school is located.

EVERY CHILD COUNTS/CADA NIÑO CUENTACHILD FIND

The SantaCruz ValleyUnified SchoolDistrict policies regardingChild Find, referral and identification of students suspected of having a disabilitymay be reviewed in the district of-fice, Special Education office or any school office during regularworking hours on request. These policiesmay also be accessed on the districtwebsite atwww.santacruz.k12.az.us.

CONTACT: MELISA LUNDERVILLE/SANTA CRUZ VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 35 • 1374W. FRONTAGE RD., RIO RICO, AZ. 85648 • (520) 281-8282 EXT 8289

ESTARA SUNIÑO(A) LISTO(A) PARA LA ESCUELA?

Hágase Usted estas preguntas. Tiene su niño(a)…• ¿Problemas para ver gente y objetos?• ¿Dificultades en oir voces, otros sonidos, y permanecer callado por mucho

tiempo?• ¿Dificultades al hablar y pronunciar palabras?• ¿Dificultades almoverse, gatear, caminar o correr?• ¿Dificultad en comprender y aprende lentamente?• ¿Dificultades en jugar con otros niños y llevarse bien con adultos?• ¿Tiene algún otro problemade salud?Si surepuestaes“sí”aunaomásdeestaspreguntas, favordecomunicarseconsues-

cuela local. Informese acera de las entrevistas pre-escolar para niños de 3 a 5 años deedad. Suniño(a)puedenecesitar serviciosespeciales. LlamealD.E.S./DivisióndeDis-abilidades para servicios disponibles para niños de nacimiento hasta 2 años.

Estudiantes en Kinder hasta la edad de 21.Losniños aprendenendiferentesmedidas. Todos los estudiantesnuevosmatricula-

dosenescuelaspublicasestanrequeridosqueseleshagaunexamenparalassiguientesareas de desarrollo que afectan el aprendizaje.

VistaOído

ComunicaciónAcadémicoComportamiento Social/Emocional/Adaptación

Desarrollo Físico

• Si Usted tiene preocupaciones del progreso de unniñoen la escuela en una de es-tas areas de desarrollo, necesita ponerse en contacto con la escuela en donde elniño estámatriculado.

• Si el estudiante está recibiendo enseñanza escolar en casa, los padres necesitanponerse en contacto con el distrito escolar en donde radican. Si el estudiante está enuna escuela privada, los padres o oficial escolar pueden ponerse en contacto con eldistrito escolar en donde se localiza la escuela privada.


Santa Cruz Valley Unified School DistrictNo. 35 has established policies and writtenprocedures consistent with IDEIA and Ari-zonaAdministrativeCode for the following:

• Child Identification and Referral – Thedistrict has a procedure for identifying stu-dents aged birth through 21years who mayhave a disability, including those enrolled inprivate schools within the district boundaryorhomeschooled. Screeningproceduresin-clude a review of hearing, vision, languageand communication, learning abilities, andpersonal-social skills. Screening must becompleted with 45 days of entry if no docu-mentationof previous screening is availablefor newly enrolled students; or within 45days of notice of parent concern.• Specific procedures including timelines

for the completion of a full initial evaluationor re-evaluation.• Development, implementation, review

and revision of Individual Education Plansfor students identifiedwith disabilities.• Procedures to ensure that services are

delivered in the least restrictive environ-ment, that is, removing the student from theregular educational environment ONLY to

theextent that theyareunable to succeed inthat environment.• Procedural safeguards for parents and

students including complaint proceduresand dispute resolution.•Operationofpreschoolprogramsforstu-

dents identified with disabilities, includingthe safeguards for a smooth transition fromearly intervening services to preschool.• Opportunities for public participation in

the adoption of policies and procedures.• Discipline procedures used for the sus-

pension or expulsion of students with dis-abilities.• Procedures for access to special educa-

tion services for students with disabilities inprivate or home school students.Information regarding any of the above

policies or procedures or any questions re-garding programs and services for studentswith or suspected of having a disability maybeobtainedbycontacting the special educa-tion department at (520) 375-8289 or by vis-iting the special education department linkon the district website atwww.santacruz.k12.az.us

New procedures areinstituted for students


Red, white and blue, the colors ofOld Glory, are also the colors of thecoveted ribbons that were awarded to11 Mountain View Elementary artistsat this year’s 94th Annual Santa CruzCounty Fair.Among the 11 first-place winners

was second-grader Roberta Gracia.She was awarded a K-2 reservedchampion ribbon in addition to a blueribbon for her colorfully painted papi-ermâché animal inspired byOaxacanwoodcarvings.First-grader Laura Robles and fifth-

grader Alicia Contreras were alsoawarded blue ribbons for their sculp-tures, with Contreras bringing homeanadditional best of show for her divi-sion.Otherblueribbonswereawarded to

Angie Alvarez, third grade, and LuisFierro, fourthgrade,whousedcoloredpencils andmarkers inaNativeAmer-ican style, reminding the viewer ofArizona’s history.Habid Calderon, the youngest stu-

dent to participate, won a red ribbonfor his sophisticated pen and ink car-toon, while the oldest children, GloriaContreras, Adriana Felix and Belen

Valencia, nowmiddle-schoolers, eachreceived blue ribbons and, for Contr-eras, a best of show.Mike Romo, whose two appear-

ances on FOX-11 TV delighted theMt.View community, was awarded a blueribbon for his colored-pencil draw-ings. David Alvarez received a red rib-bon for his mola-like coyote crayonrendering. Both of the boys’ pieceshung in Tubac’s prestigious Hal Em-pie Gallery in May, and have sold asgreeting cards and prints.Many of Mt. View’s entrees were

created during the school’s summerart program. Under the direction ofteacher Mark Dittmar, students metfor up to 16 hours a week during themonth of June for small-group in-struction in drawing, collage and pa-pier mâché.Entrieswerecreatedusingavariety

of mediums, with the identity of eachartist kept secret from the judges whoscored work on the basis of creativity,skill, educational quality, and appear-ance according to the artist’s age andthemedium used.

Artists accumulate ribbons at SCC fair

MVES artists display their ribbons. From left areMike Romo and David Alvarez , fifth grade , RobertaGracia, second grade, teacher Mark Dittmar , AliciaContreras, fifth grade, Luis Fierro, fourth grade, AngieSantos, third grade, and Laura Robles, second grade.

Aspiring Mt. View artist, Roberta Gracia, secondgrade, poses with her prize winning work. Gracia wasawarded four ribbons at this year’s Santa Cruz CountyFair.

Photos / Tracy Hall


Fourth-graders from San CayetanoElementary School are joining SuperBowl most valuable players Peytonand Eli Manning and Scholastic BookClub to help donate one million booksto disadvantaged children.This fall students working with

fourth-grade teachers Jackie Salis-bury, Bertha Rodriguez, Cara Sim-mons, and Kathy Alford pledged toread 100 books as part of ScholasticBook Club’s Classrooms Care pro-gram. This philanthropy-based litera-cy campaign is designed to teach chil-dren about the joys and importance ofreading and giving.“Kids have big hearts, and nowhere

is that more evident than when chil-dren help children through the Class-rooms Care program,” said Judy New-man, president of Scholastic BookClub.“Classes around the country are

reading 100 books each. When theymeet that goal, the Mannings,

Scholastic, and our charity partnerswill put one million books into thehands of the neediest children. Thekids in San Cayetano get to see first-hand that their efforts can make theworld a better place,” Newman ex-plained.To participate, classrooms join ei-

ther “Team Peyton” or “Team Eli” andkeep track of their progress using anoversized Classrooms Care poster. Acompanion website permits classes toshare and compare their achieve-ments with other participating class-rooms around the nation. The websitealso provides activities, motivationalvideos featuring the Mannings, e-cards, a sweepstakes, and details onthe program’s charity partners.“Scholastic Book Club’s Classrooms

Care lets both students and teachersdemonstrate our spirit of service andsharing while also instilling a passionfor reading,” Mrs. Rodriguez said.

A bookdrive for needychildren gets local help

rio rico news letter

Documents

tight budget

early school years

coach rohnda kridler

years of middleschool

involvedin public education

budget issuesthis spring

public monies

dear district