CREST groundbreaking Community Education department builds stronger community resources through workshops and conferences PVUSD student named West-MEC's Career and Technical Education (CTE) Student of the Month State tax credit deadline is December 31, 2009 Around the district

Happy Halloween!

CREST groundbreaking

Proud partners in providing STEM education to the youth of Phoenix, Paradise Valley Unified School District and the City of Phoenix will celebrate the start of construction for CREST, the Center for Research in Engineering, Science and Technology. This small, specialty school will be located on the campus of Paradise Valley High School and will open fall 2010. A formal groundbreaking ceremony will be held on the southeast corner of the school campus on Monday, November 2, 2009.

Community Education department builds stronger community resources through workshops and conferences

The Community Education department is actively engaged in building stronger community resources within PVUSD through participation and leading of various workshops and conferences this fall.

• Community Educations's Molly Kemp and Jane Tate, members of Arizona Department of Education’s (ADE) 21st Century Vision Team, will present a workshop on marketing 21st CCLC programs to students, staff and community at the ADE Division of 21st Century Community Learning Centers conference.
• Vicki Catlett-Newby will present workshops at the annual conference of the AZ Center for AfterSchool Excellence. The workshops are: Staff Recognition and Incorporating AZ State Standards in Afterschool Activities.
• All staff of the Mascot Clubs will attend the conference, “The Whole Child, the Whole World” to enhance their role as afterschool providers for elementary students in 23 PVUSD schools.
• Jane Tate and Michael Linn serve on the Planning Committee for the National Community Education Association national conference. The event includes a summit on youth leadership and workshops on community building.
• Michael Linn and April Moloney will conduct a workshop on how to plan designer programming, including their newest collaboration with the Phoenix Zoo.

Chris Cook, West-MEC director of marketing and public relations, Sanja Vrcelj and Becky Laidig

Sanja participating in the Healthcare Pathways classroom

PVUSD student named West-MEC's Career
and Technical Education (CTE) Student of
the Month

Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) last week presented Sanja Vrcelj, a senior at Paradise Valley High School, with the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Student of the Month award. Sanja is currently enrolled in both the Health Care Academy course through Paradise Valley High School's CTE and West-MEC’s Emergency Medical Technician program. Sanja received a plaque and a $50 gift card to Best Buy. Local Valley businesses including Phoenix International Raceway, The Orcutt Winslow Partnership and The Sundt Companies donated funds to support the West-MEC CTE Student of the Month. Nominations submitted by CTE teachers consider a student’s academics, attitude, class attendance, leadership and respect towards peers and teachers. Sanja's Health Care instructor is Becky Laidig.

Career and Technical Education courses prepare students to embark on a career in a variety of industries.

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 Visit the PVUSD CTE site

Around the District

Two Sonoran Sky Elementary School students, Joshua Goldring (teacher, Karen Mensing) and Supriya Weiss (teacher, Peggy Woodard), earned first place for their grade level in the Noetic Learning national math competition. Several other Sonoran Sky students scored in the top 10 (Honor Roll) and top 50 percent (Honorable Mention).
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Eagle Ridge Elementary School PTSA was selected as the winner of the Cookie Magazine / School Year’s Eve™ Photo Contest. The prize of $1,500 will be awarded to the PTSA to support the students of Eagle Ridge. School Year's Eve is a holiday developed by Cookie magazine and the National PTA to help get families ready and excited about the new school year.

Paradise Valley High School will present an evening showcase on Monday, November 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. Performances will be held by PVHS Band, Choir and Orchestra, with demonstrations by students in various clubs including Hip Hop Dance, Spirit Line, Drama and Robotics. Families and community members are invited to come tour the campus, meet staff and learn more about the academic programs, dual enrollment, AP classes, CTE and extracurricular classes at Paradise Valley High School.

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