Signature. The. Alumni of Downtown Phoenix Schools

Transcription

1 The Summer 2011: News, Events & Resources for Students, Parents & Our Community Signature Alumni of Downtown Phoenix Schools Register with us today to celebrate our rich history since If you are an alumni of one of our schools, a past employee or interested community member, we invite you to register on our website or call us today with your contact information. We would like to include you in the information about the District s 140th Birthday Celebration and news and events throughout the District. Register Online at Or call to register at Please be sure to leave your full name, phone number and address and/or your mailing address on the messaging service. Our Past Schools Adams or Grace Court School Ann Ott Central School Churchill House Douglas School East End School East Lake School Fillmore School Five Points School Franklin School Grand Avenue School Grant School Jackson School Lincoln School Linville School Little Adobe Longfellow School McKinley School Monroe School Preparatory Academy Stevenson School Van Buren School Washington School You Are Invited Celebrating 140 Years of Tradition & Excellence in Our Schools Please save the date and plan to join us on October 19, 2011 at Dunbar School from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm when we celebrate our District s 140th Birthday and Historic Dunbar School. The entire community is invited to attend including students, families, employees, alumni, retired employees, community members, business partners and all. Watch for more information on our school marquees and the October issue of our newsletter. This is a celebration you will not want to miss! Please register your address with us on online at so that we can keep you up-to-date. Our Signature Schools Welcome Back To School The first day of school is August 3rd. Every day counts to insure that every child achieves and excels. Please be sure your children attend on the first day. If you are not yet registered, please call

2 Paul Laurence Dunbar School A Historic Neighborhood School Dunbar School, located at 707 West Grant Street in Phoenix is a gem of a school in the heart of downtown Phoenix. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the school recently completed a restoration that included a new building with twenty three classrooms and a state-of-the art media center, as well as a new cafeteria and beautiful new playing fields. For parents seeking a smaller community school for their students, Dunbar is the perfect educational setting with just under 400 students. It is truly a campus where everyone knows your name. The school meets and exceeds state academic standards with a Performing Plus label as defined by the Arizona Department of Education. The new classrooms enabled the school to expand to a preschool through grade eight school (adding grades seven and eight). This was part of a District-wide initiative developed in the District s Strategic Plan: A Blueprint for Student Success. The District and community celebrate the tradition and excellence of Dunbar School in the heart of Phoenix. Dunbar School - Front Paul Laurence Dunbar Dunbar School - Back Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first African-American poet to garner national critical acclaim. Born in Dayton, Ohio in 1872, Dunbar penned a large body of dialect poems, standard English poems, essays, novels and short stories. His work often addressed the difficulties encountered by members of his race and the efforts of African-Americans to achieve equality in America. He was praised both by the prominent literary critics of his time and his literary contemporaries. Dunbar was inspired by his mother, and he began reciting and writing poetry as early as age 6. He was the only African-American in his class at Dayton Central High, and while he often had difficulty finding employment because of his race, he rose to great heights in school. He was a member of the debating society, editor of the school paper and president of the school s literary society. He also wrote for Dayton community newspapers. He worked as an elevator operator in Dayton s Callahan Building until he established himself locally and nationally as a writer. He published an African-American newsletter in Dayton, the Dayton Tattler, with help from the Wright brothers. His first public reading was on his birthday in James Whitcomb Riley, a poet whose works were written almost entirely in dialect, read Matthew s letter and acquainted himself with Dunbar s work. With literary figures beginning to take notice, Dunbar decided to publish a book of poems. Oak and Ivy, his first collection, was published in Though his book was received well locally, Dunbar still had to work as an elevator operator to help pay off his debt to his publisher. He sold his book for a dollar to people who rode the elevator. It was Dunbar s second book that propelled him to national fame. William Dean Howells, a novelist and widely respected literary critic who edited Harper s Weekly, praised Dunbar s book in one of his weekly columns and launched Dunbar s name into the most respected literary circles across the country. A New York publishing firm, Dodd Mead and Co., combined Dunbar s first two books and published them as Lyrics of a Lowly Life. The book included an introduction written by Howells. In 1897, Dunbar traveled to England to recite his works on the London literary circuit. His national fame had spilled across the Atlantic. Paul Laurence Dunbar died at the young age of 33 in 1906.

3 Rewarding Volunteer Opportunities Your Experience Counts is a program that recruits and trains older adults to work alongside teachers in the classroom, from 1 to 10 hours per week. The program helps to improve reading, writing and math levels in 4th - 6th graders in elementary schools in Mesa and Phoenix, while also providing rewarding and flexible volunteer opportunities for caring and committed older adults (50+). Trained Volunteers: Provide intensive support for under-performing students in skill areas that are critical to their overall academic success Provide positive adult interaction Serve as role models Application, fingerprinting and training required. Volunteer tutor assignments start in August and September If you are interested, please contact [email protected], or [email protected] or call Sharifa Rowe at ext 239. Your Experience Counts is a partnership program offered by Experience Matters, HandsOn Greater Phoenix, Phoenix Elementary School District #1 and other districts in the Phoenix area. Planning Ahead for Your Arizona Tax Credit A Great Way to Support the Students of Our District Arizona allows each state taxpayer to donate up to $200 per year to public schools in support of extracurricular activities and claim a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit. Married couples filing joint tax returns may donate and claim a tax credit of up to $400 per year. Those who are married and filing separately qualify for a $200 maximum state tax credit. Your donation will be used to provide money for extracurricular activities such as field trips, after school tutoring, intramural activities and more. Please consider making your tax credit contribution to our schools. You can make your donation online at send us a check in the mail or call us at Harnessing the Power of the Sun Solar Panels Coming to Bethune, Whittier & Garfield Schools. No Cost to Neighborhood or Schools. For more information on these solar panel projects visit For questions, please call Tax Credit FAQs Who can make a contribution? We can accept tax credit donations from individuals only, not from businesses or corporations. Do I have to have children enrolled in school? No. Any Arizona individual paying state income tax can make a tax credit contribution to be used toward extracurricular activities. Do I have to live within the District? No. Any individual who pays Arizona State income tax can contribute. Copia de Español Si desea una copia de este informe en español, por favor llame al o visite nuestro sitio web en

4 Lowell School Young Scientists & Mathematicians at Work Lowell School s Junior Chapter of MESA Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students at Lowell School are the first in the nation to join the junior chapter of MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement). The students participated in the event at the University of Arizona in Tucson on Saturday, April 30th and are proud to announce our student finalists. Mariah Parham (8th grade student) and Angel Reyes (7th grade student) won second place in NASA Expedition Earth and Beyond. The program is sponsored by the Society of Hispanic Engineering Progressionals, Raytheon, SRP, NASA Johnson Space Center, University of Arizona and Arizona State University. We are extremely proud of our students who worked all year long on Friday afternoons studying and preparing for the event. Arizona State University students mentored the Lowell students throughout the year. Thank you to the mentors and congratulations to our young mathematicians and scientists. District Calendar August 3rd First Day of School 10th - Please Join Us Superintendent s Business Partner Breakfast 7:30 am - 8:30 am 1817 North 7th St. Phoenix, AZ RSVP th Governing Board Meeting 25th Governing Board Meeting September 5th No School, Labor Day 8th 22nd Hard Work All Year Long We are extremely proud of our student scientists and mathematicians at work for their hard work all year long. Mrs. Rosanna Hidalgo, Principal, Lowell School Lowell Elementary School Lowell Elementary School PreK South 3rd Avenue Phoenix, AZ October 13th 19th District s 140th Birthday Celebration Celebration for Historic Dunbar School 27th Dates are subject to change. Please visit for up-to-date calendars and a full listing of school and District events.

5 Governing Board We Appreciate Our Community & Thank You for Your Support Superintendent Business & Community Partners Help Drive Student Achievement Dr. Ruth Ann Marston We want to thank our neighbors and community members who have dialogued with us regarding the restoration of Historic Emerson Court. Soon (if not at the time this newsletter goes to print) the restorations will begin as the roof comes off and the seriously needed updates to Emerson Court begin. We also want to thank our community for supporting our bond election that enables us to make these repairs and restorations. A new air conditioning and heating system is desperately needed, and it was determined during the research phase that the roof needed to come off to replace the rafters. Although it is a major and lengthy task, we are pleased that the restorations will enable us to maintain a comfortable climate and work environment for our valued employees and return the building to the point of pride for numerous historic districts in our community. Emerson Court was once the location of Emerson School. It was built in It is registered on the National Historic Register and is truly a point of pride for our neighborhood. It is an anchor for property values, and it helps to define the character of the neighborhood. Today, Emerson School is located behind Emerson Court on Palm Lane and is home to over 500 preschool through grade six students. Should you have questions now or during the restoration phase, please call the Superintendent s Office at I will be happy to respond to your questions as we work hard to keep our community informed. Thank you again for your support of our bond election and for your input during the planning and restoration stages of Historic Emerson Court. Ms. Myriam Roa At Phoenix Elementary School District #1, we are blessed with so many supportive and generous business and community partners. Our partners contribute greatly to the success of our students and also show great support to our teachers and staff members. For example: Quarles Brady LLP, a law firm with offices across the country and in Phoenix, has been mentoring students at Capitol School for over twenty years. SCF Arizona has been providing back packs to students at one school each year for over a decade. OptumHealth, supported by Walgreens, is in the second year of a very successful back-to-school drive where they provide school supplies to all of our classrooms across the District. Experience Matters, along with HandsOn Phoenix, has implemented highly effective mentoring programs in three of our schools and is presently recruiting additional volunteers for this year s program. HandsOn Phoenix has been working with local companies in their volunteer efforts to help beautify our campuses for many years. One of their most recent efforts with American Express brought beautiful and resourceful gardens to Heard School. Ear Candy, along with the Phoenix Fire Department, has donated hundreds of musical instruments for student use in our schools music programs. The list goes on and on, and we encourage business leaders to join us to determine how your business or community organization can work with us to build a partnership that is mutually beneficial for you and our schools. My next Business & Community Partner Meeting will be held on August 10th from 7:30-8:30 am in the District Governing Board Room located at 1817 North 7th Street in Phoenix. The major intersection is at Palm Lane and 7th Street. Please RSVP at I look forward to meeting you.

6 1817 N 7th St Phoenix, AZ NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID PHOENIX, AZ PERMIT NO. 738 Signature Schools Bethune Capitol Dunbar Edison Emerson Faith North Garfield Heard Herrera Kenilworth Lowell Magnet Traditional Shaw Whittier Copia de Español Si desea una copia de este informe en español, por favor llame al o visite nuestro sitio web en From Traditional to Montessori, we offer many choices in our Signature Schools Traditional Montessori Performing & Fine Arts Dual Language Acquisition Global Investigations Math, Science & Technology Community Schools All of our schools are FREE - even Montessori! We have all the programs many schools have dropped - art, band, music, orchestra and physical education. We boast 4 schools that have been awarded A+ Schools of Excellence over the past 7 years. No matter where you live, we have a K-8 school that is just right for you! *FREE before and after school care is available every school day from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, during intersessions, including summer, for children of working parents. Space is limited Our Schools Offer: All Schools are Either Highly Performing, Performing Plus, Performing or Distinguished Title I A Safe, Happy Learning Environment Highly Qualified Teachers State of the Art Facilities Free Before/After School Care* Free Breakfast & Lunch Free Full Day Kindergarten Call today to reserve priority placement in our K-8 schools. Signature Schools Bethune Capitol Dunbar Edison Emerson Faith North Garfield Heard Herrera Kenilworth Lowell Magnet Traditional Shaw Whittier