by Dru Bloomfield on June 7, 2010
I know it seems a little odd to talk about Scottsdale schools starting back into session, when many kids in other parts of the country are still finishing up the school year.
However, Arizona schools start early, and if you are planning a move here and want your kids to be there are the first day of class, it’s important to know that most schools are back in session in August.
In the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD), schools start August 9th, 2010.
If you are thinking about a move to the city, here are several links to get you started with your Scottsdale public school research:
My son is going to be a senior in high school this year, and has attended six Scottsdale schools all over the city. I also was very involved with the Special Education Parents Advisory Council for quite a few years. Now, I sit on the SUSD Bond Oversight Committee, which has given me more insight into the school budgeting process, as well as additional contact with the school administration.
If you have questions about the Scottsdale schools, let me know and I’ll help you get your answers.
by Dru Bloomfield on April 14, 2010
Photo Credit: lars hammar
Historically, Scottsdale schools have started at different times, requiring bus drivers to complete three runs, morning and afternoon, one each for elementary, middle, and high schools. Effective next fall, that will change. Middle and high schools will start earlier and at the same time. Elementary schools will start later and all at the same time. District officials project that this change will save the district half a million dollars annually.
The announcement letter reads:
Governing Board Approves a 2-Bell Schedule – Update
Saves SUSD $500,000
At the April 13th Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Governing Board meeting, the Board voted to approve a 2-Bell Schedule which will save SUSD $500,000 annually. “We assembled a task force to study the use of time. They examined research, realities and the factors of teaching and learning. Tonight we recommend to you what we believe is best for students in our school district,” said Superintendent Dr. Gary T. Catalani.
The start times for the 2010-11 school year are 7:45 a.m. for high school, 7:45 a.m. for middle school and 8:45 a.m. for elementary school. The start time for the three K-8 schools is still being determined; the time will either be 7:45 a.m. or 8:45 a.m. Desert Mountain High School and Mountainside Middle School will start at slightly different times to accommodate the shared parking lot at the schools. The exact times will be announced shortly.The only school not affected by the 2-Bell Schedule is Sierra Vista Academy because students attend school four days a week, and SUSD does not provide transportation for these students.
“While this recommendation is driven by the impact it will have on teaching and learning, it will also save the District $500,000. During these very hard financial times, we cannot ignore this savings,” said Superintendent Dr. Gary T. Catalani. The $500,000 savings is from the elimination of 16 buses and the costs associated to operate and maintain these buses. In addition, there will be more bus routes. Middle school and high school students will ride separate buses.
A 2-Bell Schedule will help streamline and increase the ability for collaboration District-wide among all staffing levels. With all elementary and all secondary schools on similar schedules, there is an increased ability for staff members from various locations to work together to improve all aspects of education in SUSD. The 2-Bell Schedule change will also help reduce attendance concerns for high school students who are involved in school-based activities, including athletics and performing and fine arts.
The 2-Bell Schedule change will take effect on August 9. In addition, SUSD’s Community Schools department will continue to offer before and after school programs at its current sites and will incorporate morning and afterschool program at the remaining elementary sites and all middle schools. The before school programs will run from 6:30-8:45 a.m., and the afterschool programs will run until 6 p.m. The fee for the before school program will be $60 a month. The after school fee will vary by number of days and dismissal time. Nobody will be turned away for financial reasons. For more information about before and after school programs, please contact Karen Hearn, director of Community Schools, at 480-484-8614.
by Dru Bloomfield on August 31, 2009
photo credit: woodleywonderworks
From the Scottsdale Unified School District Community Connection newsletter, dated August 28, 2009:
The K-3 Override is a continuation of an existing override approved initially by voters in 2005. The K-3 Override reduces Kindergarten class size to a District-wide target of 21 students to 1 teacher. These funds also allow us to reduce class sizes in grades 1-3 below current staffing ratios. Additional funds are used for instructional assistants in Kindergarten and first grade as needed. The override raises about $3.4 million per year.
To view a complete Fact Sheet about the K-3 Override, please visit www.susd.org.
Since this is a continuation of a previously passed override, taxes will not be increased.
by Dru Bloomfield on August 4, 2009
As a result of my involvement sitting on the citizen’s committee that provided input for the school district’s technology initiatives, I now sit on the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Bond Oversight Committee. We meet at least quarterly review the school district’s schedules, plans and spending. Over the summer, the district and governing board committed to expediting the classroom technology plan, which is outlined in the following communication:
Technology Classroom Upgrades
Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) is excited to announce that construction is starting for our classroom technology updates!
The updates to a typical classroom include a ceiling-mounted projector, a document camera, a wireless audio system and an interactive white board.
Construction begins at Supai Middle School on July 20th and then continues at each school until it is complete. We plan to have construction and implementation complete at 10 schools by the time school starts on August 10th. The amount of time each site will take to complete varies depending on construction requirements and what technology they currently have in place.
Another exciting thing about this process is that you can now follow us on Twitter, where we will be providing ongoing updates. To sign up, visit http://twitter.com/ScottsdaleUSD.
There are also two other ways to stay abreast of our progress on technology implementation. We will have updates in our regular newsletter, Community Connection, as well as a dedicated page on our District Web site that will contain lots of additional information. To sign up for the newsletter, visit http://www.susd.org/district/communications/emss.cfm.
We anticipate that the implementation will be done so that all classrooms meet the standards established by the District’s Technology Plan by the end of the fall semester.
Sincerely,
Tom Clark
Executive Director for Technology and Information Systems
Good news that Scottsdale citizens, parents, and school staff are all committed to making sure our kids (and future leaders) are getting access to and staying up with the technology that will be so much a part of their future!
by Dru Bloomfield on August 3, 2009
Hard to believe that summer vacation is almost over!
Scottsdale schools start class in one very short week. Monday, August 10th. And, high school registration starts today!
I asked my son if he was excited for the school year to begin, and he responded, "A little bit." I remember those days of excitement and dread, coupled with a healthy dose of uncertainty. Old friends, new teachers, leaving the freedom of summers, and having to buckle down to a regimented schedule, and HOMEWORK.
Along with a little help from the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD), I’ve put together a few links to get you the latest updates.
- Calendar - includes holidays and early release dates
- Our Schools - links to all the schools’ web sites and emails to the principals
- Start and Release Times - many of the elementary schools start earliest, followed by high schools, then my middle schools
- Boundary Maps- with changes this year resulting from the merging of two elementary schools
- Open Enrollment and Registration - SUSD accepts students living outside the school district boundaries, based on capacity. If you are new to the area, you can get current registration information here, too.
- Bus Schedules – Route maps for each of the schools. Parents of children in special education students need to call the transportation scheduler.
The City of Scottsdale also offers free after school programs at a number of the elementary schools. This option can be very handy for working parents.
Arizona schools are funded based on the average number of students in attendance for the first 100 days of the prior year. It’s really important for kids to start school on the first day!
by Dru Bloomfield on July 30, 2009
photo credit: Dru Bloomfield – At Home in Scottsdale
From the Scottsdale Unified School District Community Connection newsletter :
SUSD Outperforms the State on AIMS Tests
The Arizona Department of Education recently released the Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) results from the 2008-2009 school year.
Once again, Scottsdale Unified School District continues to outperform the State in the percentage of students passing AIMS across all grade levels and content areas. The average AIMS scores range from 5-18 percent higher than State averages.
Additionally, some individual schools scored exceptionally high on the test. One hundred percent of third graders at Cheyenne Traditional School and fifth graders at Cochise Elementary School met or exceeded the standard in writing. Sophomores at Chaparral High School did extremely well on the math, reading and writing portions of the test; 95 percent passed the math portion, 94 percent passed the reading portion and 90 percent passed the writing portion.
District trends include continuing to outperform the State in writing in all grades.
To view the results, please visit www.susd.org/district/assess/testresults.cfm.
A couple other facts to know about Scottsdale schools:
- Twenty-two “Excelling” schools as rated by the Arizona Department of Education.
- Twenty-seven National Merit finalists.
- SUSD students score higher than state averages on both AIMS and Terra Nova tests at all grade levels and in all content areas.
- SAT scores for our college-bound students were above the state and national averages in both English and Math.
