Pendergast Students Among First in U.S. to Take Online PARCC Test Thanks to Bond

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1 Register for kindergarten NOW! See details on page 3 Serving the Community of Pendergast Elementary School District #92 Pendergast Students Among First in U.S. to Take Online PARCC Test Thanks to Bond Thanks to new laptop computers and improved wireless capability purchased through the voter-approved 2012 bond election, students in the Pendergast District were among the rst in the nation to participate in the online Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers PARCC eld test. PARCC will replace the state s standardized test, Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS), in the spring of Nearly 650 Pendergast students at six schools took the PARCC eld test in both math and English Language Arts to become familiar with taking online tests and receive an introduction to the types of questions and testing experiences that will be required next year. Pendergast students were among 3,800 Arizona students and 3,000 nationally to participate in the rst round of PARCC eld testing. More test experiences will be provided in April and May. Pendergast Announces New Superintendent Pendergast Elementary School District will be welcoming a new superintendent to the administrative staff in July. Dr. Lily DeBlieux, superintendent of the Adelanto Elementary School District in Southern California, will be replacing Dr. Ron Richards who has served as Pendergast superintendent for 16 years. Dr. Lily DeBlieux Richards will be retiring at the end of the school year. The longest-tenured superintendent in the West Valley, he spent his entire 37-year career in the Pendergast District. DeBlieux was named superintendent of the Adelanto School District, located near Victorville, in The district has 13 elementary and middle schools. She previously served as Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education in Monterrey, CA., has been a principal in the Sunnyside ni ed School District in Tucson and served in the Collier County Public Schools in Naples, FL. She received her Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Education in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of Southern Mississippi. The Pendergast Governing Board engaged The Network for Educational Access, LLC, in November to conduct the search process. DeBlieux begins her three-year contract at Pendergast on July 1. 1

2 Bonds Provide District Students and the Local West Valley Community With New Facilities and Services Bonds approved by Arizona voters in 2012 are responsible for many improvements bene tting children in the Pendergast District that are just now coming to fruition. Phase II of the Hope Center should be completed this summer and other construction projects funded by the bond election will be breaking ground in the coming weeks. The rst phase of the Hope Center was the Villa de Paz gymnasium and meeting rooms that opened in early summer Phase II is the adjoining community center facility which will house health services, community service organizations, space for tness and exercise and meeting rooms. Together, the Hope Center will be 32,000 square feet of space for the Villa de Paz School needs, as well as the Pendergast District and surrounding West Valley community. To provide enough space for the Amberlea gym, additional land was purchased adjacent to the school. The gym should be ready for use by December A two-stage construction project (a gymnasium and new cafeteria) at Desert Horizon will begin in May. The rst phase will be the gymnasium and a kitchen facility to be ready in December. Students will use the gymnasium as a cafeteria while the new facility is completed. Groundbreaking for the new gym at Copper King is scheduled for June. Because that facility will be built where Calderwood currently occupies portable buildings, the move of Calderwood classrooms and of ces to the Copper King community will be coordinated with the construction. Calderwood will be ready for students in August and the gymnasium should be open for use in January. District students and staff are grateful for the priority area voters have placed on children and education in our community, said Pendergast Superintendent Ron Richards. The bene ts of these improvements will have an impact on our families and residents for years to come. Pendergast Elementary School District # N. 91 st Avenue Phoenix, AZ (623) Ron Richards, Ed. D. Governing Board Martin Quezada, Susan Serin, Hilda Ortega-Rosales Ruben Gutierrez Jose Arenas Adrienne Razo, Pendergast Director of Research and Evaluation, and Jeff Lundy of the MIS/Technology Department, and their staffs, partnered in getting the District ready to be PARCC pioneers. The preparation included distribution and setup of new computers, working with the software vendors to permit smooth navigating for teachers and students, training for administrators, teachers and test coordinators and tutorial experiences for students. Taking part in the eld test was very helpful according to Razo Participation in the eld test allowed Pendergast to identify any technology challenges before full implementation next year. From uploading student data to monitoring student progress in the online environment, every participant was able to provide feedback about how to improve the process for next year. In addition, the eld test allowed students and teachers to see the rigor of the standards and assessments within the new common core standards. Razo also saw advantages for teachers and students in participating in the eld test. Our teachers saw that there may be more than one correct answer to a question. Students and teachers saw that getting the correct answer may not be enough, that students will have to be able to explain how they arrived at the correct answer. 2

3 Register Now for the School Year If you are new to the Pendergast District, or have a child ready to begin kindergarten, now is the time to register. The District offers a central location to handle registration for all District schools. The registration office is located at the Pendergast Learning Center, 3841 N. 91st Ave. The facility is located just south of Indian School Road, near the Walgreens. The registration of ce is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Information is available by calling Find registration forms on the Pendergast website: The easiest way to register is to download registration forms from the District website and bring the completed documents to the registration of ce. To register you need 1) certi ed copy of child s birth certi cate 2) immunization (shot) records and 3) two proofs of residency. Residency requirements are in two categories, one item that is a rental or mortgage agreement lease agreement or utility bill (water, gas, electric) and one of these items, a phone bill credit card bill bank statement or car insurance. Kids at Hope Day at Desert Mirage 3

4 Celebrating Success at Pendergast STUDENTS WIN HONORS AT REGIONAL FUTURE CITIES COMPETITION - AMBERLEA COUNSELOR RECEIVES ANOTHER LEADERSHIP AWARD - DISTRICT RUNNERS EXCEL IN HALF-MARATHON - 4

5 Summer School and Recreation Programs for Students Summer school opportunities and a daily schedule of recreation activities at the Pendergast Hope Center will be available for students and families following the end of the school year May 23. Programs include free meals. Already scheduled is a special reading program for third grade students that will be offered as part of Move on When Reading. Classes will be held June 2 to July 3 at Villa de Paz with transportation provided. Parents will be noti ed if their thirdgrade student quali es for the program. The program is free. The District s popular Jump Start program, designed especially for students about to enter kindergarten, will be held at a number of school sites in the District and will run from June 30 to July 25. The program is free and meals are included. The Hope Center, located at the Villa de Paz campus, will offer daily recreation activities for Pendergast and West Valley students all summer, from May 27 to August 1. Besides a drop-in program, a number of camps and special courses for children will be offered at the site, including basketball camps. There is a nominal fee for the programs at the Hope Center and meals are included. A complete listing of all summer programs at the Hope Center and other school sites will be available soon. Hope Center Spring Break Gives a Hint of What s to Come for Summer The District s Hope Center, a community facility located on the Villa de Paz campus, served as a safe, engaging and fun place for children during the District s spring break in March. Daily activities, including sports, games, crafts and movies, were offered and meals were provided. The center will be open all summer for daily drop-in programs, workshops and camps. 5

6 Around the District Students Excel at District Track Meet Drizzly skies didn t dampen the enthusiasm of students participating in the 2014 District-wide track meet, held March 1. In an abbreviated finals due to the weather, Rio Vista won the girls division and Garden Lakes won the boys. Job Fair for New Teachers Community Breakfast Serves Families in More Ways Than One Arbor Day Celebrated With Planting and Poetry at Desert Mirage 6