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!

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.

You can pick up an Open Enrollment packet at any of the 32 SUSD schools and on the district web site.

Upcoming Dates for Kindergarten Round-ups:

• Cheyenne Traditional School, 11130 E. Cholla St., Scottsdale, at 8 a.m. on January 6 in the Cafeteria
• Anasazi, 12121 N. 124th St., Scottsdale, from 8-10 a.m. on January 9 in the Cafeteria
• ANLC, 4330 N. 62nd Street, Scottsdale 85251, at 9:30 a.m. on January 13 in the Front Office
• Copper Ridge, 10101 E. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale 85255, from 5-5:45 p.m. on January 21 in the Cafeteria
• Laguna, 10475 E. Lakeview Drive, Scottsdale 85258, at 9 a.m. on January 21 in Room 203 (band room)
• Desert Canyon, 10203 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road, Scottsdale 85255, at 6 p.m. on January 22 in the Cafeteria
• Hopi, 5110 E. Lafayette Blvd, Phoenix 85018, at 6 p.m. on January 27 in the Cafeteria
• Kiva, 6911 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley 85253, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on January 28 (adults only) in the Cafeteria
• Cochise, 9451 N. 84th St., Scottsdale 85258, from 6-7 p.m. on January 29 in the Media Center. Classroom tours and bus ride around the neighborhood at 9 a.m. on January 30. Meet in the Media Center.

This morning I answered the following question:

HELP! Relocating to Scottsdale and want some honest parents’ input on the schools. Any recommendations?  Looking for real human comments on elementary schools and their experiences.

Since my response would be helpful to anyone considering a move to the area, I thought I’d share it here today.

I have a son who has attended six of the Scottsdale schools and would gladly share our experiences with you off-line. Also, I serve on the board of directors for the special education group above (my son is diagnosed with autism) and on the citizen’s committee providing oversight to the last year’s bond election which will fund much technology over the next seven years.

Here are a few local parent organizations which you can use to you get additional first hand contact with parents in Scottsdale many schools.

Scottsdale Parent Council

Scottsdale Supporters of the Gifted

Special Education Parents Advisory Council

 

Also, you can visit the Scottsdale school web site, scroll down to the bottom, where you will see the Schools link. When you click on that link, the list of schools will come up with their web sites. Most will have links to the PTA organization for the particular school, which may give you more parent contact information.

IMPORTANT: You need to know that the city of Scottsdale and Scottsdale Unified School district boundaries are different. Buying a home with a Scottsdale address does not guarantee that you will be in the Scottsdale school district.

Call or email if you’d like to discuss more.

Here are some of the most useful links for parents, getting ready for the coming school year:

• Calendar
• Schools
• Boundary Maps
• Registration
• Start and Release Times
• Kids Club After School Child Care

I support this decision as I think it will take some time to find the right candidate to fill this position.  Our school system has been very lucky to have Dr. Baracy refocus the energies of the school district and provide a collaborative environment.   The Scottsdale school district consists of 33 schools and is ranked among the highest in Arizona. Student test scores are high, parents are involved, and there’s an expectation for improvement to continue, even as budgets are being tested by increasing costs and reduced funding.

Having worked with both Katy and David, on technology initiatives, school bond budgets, and special education improvements, I agree with that they will be very complementary to each other. 

To get the full story, read School district to operate with co-superintendents in the East Valley Tribune.

More Scottsdale school links:

• Welcome Video
• Newcomers Information
• Special School Programs in the District