District

Dialogue

Biweekly news from the Laveen Elementary School District April 25, 2014

The District Dialogue is issued on the second and fourth Friday of the month.

Trailside Point team takes Bronze

Trailside Point’s middle school gifted team took

Third Place and won a bronze medal in the recent

Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement

(MESA) Day State On-Site Competition.

Competition participants work on engineering

challenges and problem solving. Trailside’s challenge

was to build a tall tower out of spaghetti, marshmal-

lows and a limited amount of tape.

Teams from Rogers Ranch and Vista del Sur also

participated in the

event.

Trailside’s team, from left: Sadie Check, Faith Stockton, Michael Lynd, Victor Martinez with Mrs. Sarah Zembruski, princi-pal and Mrs. Betty Ehret, Gifted Coach

Cheatham participates in Relay for Life

Cheatham’s student council members, teachers,

and staff walked together at the American Cancer So-

ciety’s Relay for Life held at Betty Fairfax High

School on March 29.

Relay participants took turns either walking, or

running, around the track from noon until midnight

— representing the fact that cancer never sleeps.

Cheatham was not only the largest team in at-

tendance but was also named the most spirited team

at the relay.

The t eam

raised over $600 to

donate to Relay for

Life to help aide can-

cer research and join

the fight against it.

Laveen art students showcase work Students in Laveen School’s Art Club showcased their work in a recent art exhibit. The event was held in

conjunction with the Laveen Art League’s Art

Walk.

Members from the Art League have been

visiting with the Art Club students to teach

them a variety of techniques. The artists helped

Art Club students create pieces such as gourd

drums, ceramics, papermaking, jewelry, and

copper pins.

The art exhibit was held April 11 in Build-

ing A.

Special thanks to Laveen Art League mem-

ber Michael Dicken for organizing the event.

Visiting artists include: Susan Sanborn, ceram-

ics; Andrea Berusqui, cardboard bracelets; Mi-

chael Dicken, papermaking; Laura Zelins, cop-

per pins; and Shelley Fletcher, gourd drums. Ms. Jamie Polich is Laveen School’s art teacher and Art Club

sponsor.

PAGE 2 April 25, 2014

Lions recognize student artwork Each year, the Laveen Lions Foundation spon-

sors a Peace Poster Art Contest within the Laveen

District.

The group selects one winner from each school.

These students were recognized at the April board

meeting. The First Place winners from each school

are: Jacqueline Ruiz, Cheatham; Francisco Herrera,

Desert Meadows; Guadalupe Barraza, Laveen; Liz-

bet Suarez, M.C.Cash; Carlos Grijalva, Rogers

Ranch; Sarah Lynd, Trailside Point; and Vicky Ross,

Vista del Sur.

Parents or Not, Young Kids Impact Us All

Information from First Things First

This month, communities across the nation hosted

events aimed at raising awareness of the importance

of early childhood as part of Week of the Young Child.

While some may think these activities are exclusively

for parents or individuals who work with young kids,

they really were aimed at showing how early child-

hood affects us all.

Research shows that a child’s early experiences

have a tremendous impact – not just on kids – but on

their communities, too. Children who are prepared

for kindergarten are more likely to do well in school,

graduate and go on to college. As adults, they tend to

be healthier and earn more. They also are less likely

to become part of the criminal justice system or the

welfare system.

So – whether you have a child 5 and younger in

your life or not – investing time, energy and re-

sources in helping kids arrive at kindergarten pre-

pared to be successful is not only right, it’s smart.

Here are just a few ways that you can make a differ-

ence in their future – and the future of our state.

Spend Time with Young Children – Talk, play, sing

and read with the young kids in your life every

chance you get. Those quality interactions help build

brain connections that give them a strong foundation

upon which all their future learning will be built.

Work With Young Kids – Kids need as many caring

adults in their lives as possible. If being a preschool

teacher or other early childhood professional is not

for you, consider volunteering with community organ-

izations that work with children 5 and younger and

their families.

Be A Voice for Children –Help build awareness of the

importance of early childhood and what can be done

to promote school readiness for all children.

By working together, we can keep the conversation

about what young children need going beyond a week

or month’s worth of events and ensure that all kids

have the opportunity to succeed in kindergarten and

beyond!

To learn more, visit azftf.gov.

Twenty Laveen students are

Barrett Summer Scholars Twenty seventh and eighth grade students from

the Laveen District were accepted to attend the Bar-

rett Summer Scholars program hosted by Arizona

State University and Barrett, The Honors College.

These students will have the unique opportunity

to live on the ASU campus for one week and experi-

ence college life through a

variety of intensive-study

courses, taught by Arizona

State University instruc-

tors, while covering subject

matter not typically pre-

sented at their grade level.

Only 200 students are selected, from each grade

level, from across the state. In addition to the honor

of being selected, many students also were awarded

full or partial scholarships for the program.

CONGRATULATIONS

School of Excellence A +

M.C. Cash &

Trailside Point

Announced April 24, 2014