SACATON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT № 18

District ♦ Newsletter

• A Monthly Publication for Parents & Families of Students in the Sacaton School District •

November (Suam Mashath) 2015

GOVERNING BOARD President, Mrs. Laurie Thomas + Clerk, Mrs. Elaine Moyah + Member, Ms. Judy Antone + Member, Ms. Michelle Lyons + Member, Ms. Jane Johnson

District Superintendent: Dr. Douglas E. Price Website: www.sacatonschools.org

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♦ Family Health & Wellness Day ♦

A Family Health and Wellness Day is being planned for Tuesday, November 17 at Sacaton Elementary School that will focus on student and parent wellness and personal health awareness. In addition to a wellness run and various on-site Community health-care providers, students in the 3rd and 4th grades will be participating in a football mini clinic sponsored by the Arizona Cardinals from 1:30-3:00 pm. The District’s annual Thanksgiving Holiday Dinner will also be served on this day for students and their parents. Please watch for informational fliers that will be sent home soon with all students for details on this important school/Community event. Healthy students supported by healthy parents lead to increased student learning and higher levels of academic achievement.

♦ “Superintendent’s Corner” ♦

Dear Parents and Community Members, Thanks to the more than 350 students and families who attended our annual District Family Astronomy Night last month. The weather was great, the cloudless night sky was perfect and the telescopes were awesome. Getting a closer look of this infinite universe we live in that evening was remarkable. We are delighted that so many students and families chose to participate. I also want to thank all of the parents and guardians who visited with the teaching staff in October during the first quarter Parent-Teacher Conferences. We are thankful that you took this time to learn about your children’s school experiences and how they are faring with their academic achievements. Please mark your calendar for November 17. We will be celebrating “Family Health and Wellness Day” for both our schools. The day will begin with a Wellness Run led by a group of Gila River Indian Community runners. Community members will be singing as well as Basket Dancers helping get the runners off to a good start. After the Wellness Run, the school district will host our annual Thanksgiving Holiday Dinner where a traditional turkey dinner will be served. Six or more G.R.I.C. agencies will be on hand that day at the Elementary School to share health and wellness information with parents, students and Community patrons. After dinner, the Arizona Cardinals will be on the Elementary School campus in sponsoring a Football Mini Clinic for our 3rd and 4th grade students including wellness activities. It should be a fun day for everyone! There’s one more bit of news I would like to share with you, too. At their October Board Meeting, the Sacaton Elementary School District Governing Board adopted the following District Goals for the 2015-2016 school year.

Sacaton Elementary School District District Goals for 2015-2016

1. Ensure the fiscal sustainability of the District

a. Optimize classroom funding while addressing non-competitive salary issues and providing appropriate benefits for

all District employees

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School District Goals Continued ….

b. Pursue new significant revenue sources, including grants and gifts c. Increase capacity and program through continued growth, achievement and operational efficiency

d. Renew existing funding sources including Impact Aid and Gila River Indian Community support

2. Maintain and enhance a rigorous and relevant curriculum a. Support the transition to the Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards and Assessment requirements b. Survey and report assessment data to inform and support student academic achievement c. Support continuous academic growth, and emphasize the writing skills curriculum d. Fully implement District technology programs and transition to a 1:1 technology program that supports learning e. Emphasize character development, performance-based learning, relationships and individual responsibility

3. Promote professional development and instructional improvement

a. Implement the state-mandated performance-based evaluation system b. Facilitate staff collaboration to support continuous professional learning that will enhance student achievement and

the operational efficiency of District operations c. Encourage employee wellness and personal health awareness

4. Involve and engage Community in District pursuits

a. Encourage and support partnerships and collaborations with business and Community groups b. Enhance District communications by improving the District website and e-mail service, and by utilizing web-based

resources c. Recognize contributions and achievements of Community members, students, teachers and staff, and promote the

strengths of the District d. Offer programs and facilities which invite Community participation

5. Sustain modern, safe and efficient facilities for students, staff and Community

a. Continue to investigate and implement strategic safety and security improvements at each school site b. Provide emergency preparedness training and practice for staff and student safety and security

Sincerely,

Dr. Douglas E. Price Superintendent

♦ New Student Council Elected at Elementary School ♦

In late September Student Council elections were held at Sacaton Elementary School. Congratulations to the following students who were elected to the council for the 2015-2016 school year. President – Alayna Mark Vice President – Ricky Lewis Treasurer – Joriah Johns Secretary – Charity Van Hardenberg Members – Juan “Bob” Canales, Alyssa Salcedo, Vermilia Paul, Mateo Antone, Koemi Galaz, Shoshanna Van Hardenberg, Hailey Raphael, Monique Kisto, Taliyana Jackson, and Bannon Blackwater

♦ Standards vs Curriculum ♦

The field of education, just like other professional spheres such as the medical and legal fields, uses jargon or terminology that is not always generally understood by the public. Two examples of this from education are the oft-heard terms, “standards” and “curriculum.” Here is what both terms mean so the next time you hear these words being used by your child’s teacher or administrator, you will understand what they are talking about.

Standards – Simply stated, standards are what a student needs to know and be able to do by the end of each grade. When a teacher talks about math standards, for example, this simply refers to the mathematics your student is learning at school.

Curriculum – Basically stated, curriculum refers to the resources used for teaching and learning the standards. Again, using math as an example, curriculum equates to the math problems that your student is doing in math class.

★★★ Science Super Stars ★★★

The Sacaton School District would like to congratulate the following 4th grade Elementary School students and former 8th grade Middle School students for scoring exceptionally high on the state AIMS Science test administered last spring. Though state English language arts and math exams are given through the AzMerit Test, science for 4th and 8th grade students continues to be tested through the AIMS Test. Here are our “Science Super Stars” who deserve our praise and congratulations. Elementary School 4th Graders – Nadia Stone and Gerald Van Hardenberg

Middle School 8th Graders* - Phillip Lewis, Michael Lopez, Annalissia Mills, Dominique Morago, and

* Were promoted last May and Jones Williams are now 9th grade students

It should be noted that students in Mrs. Millers 4th grade class scored a bit higher than students across the state in the “Scientific Testing (Investigating and Modeling)” Strand/Concept and tied with students statewide in the “Analysis and Conclusions/Communication” Strand/Concept. At the Middle School, Mrs. Kinnamons’ 8th grade students fell just .2 points short of the statewide average in the Strand/Concept – “History and Nature of Science.”

♦ Brandi Youtsey New Kindergarten Teacher ♦

At the October Governing Board Meeting, Ms. Brandi Youtsey was hired as a new Kindergarten teacher to support small groups of children with math instruction for the remainder of the 2015-2016 school year. A native of Coolidge, Youtsey attended Central Arizona College for her first two years of post-secondary education and was a member of the Vaqueras National Women’s Softball Championship Team in 2003. Brandi continued her education at Northern Arizona University where she obtained a BS Degree in Elementary Education with an Emphasis in Physical Education in 2006. She completed her Student Teaching at West Elementary School in Coolidge teaching first grade students. Ms. Youtsey is a Certified Child Care Provider through the Arizona Department of Health Services and has worked in both a part time and full time capacity as the Coordinator of Youth Programs for the City of Coolidge over the past fifteen years. Brandi’s interests lie in physical fitness and sports… and she firmly believes in living an active lifestyle. She has three brothers who are all active in sports, as well. The District extends a warm welcome to Brandi Youtsey as a new Kindergarten math teacher.

♦ Ms. Rychel Presents at N.I.E.A. Convention ♦

Sacaton Elementary School Principal Ms. Leslie Rychel was recently a presenter at the 46th Annual National Indian Education Association (N.I.E.A.) Convention in Portland, Oregon held in mid-October. Ms. Rychels presentation, “Interactive Teaching Strategies for Making Learning Comprehensible for ALL Students” focused on student engagement. When student engagement increases, so does academic achievement. A number of activities were featured in the workshop that revolved around reading, speaking, and listening skills that informally engaged participants with content area. Continued on Back Side →→→→

Ms. Rychel Presents at N.I.E.A. Convention Continued ….

For nearly five decades, the N.I.E.A has served as an advocate for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students in advancing academic and cultural educational opportunities for Indigenous children throughout the United Sates. This year the theme of the conference was “Building Education Nations Through Traditional Foundations” that served to bring educators together to address the needs of Native students and help them grow – academically and culturally. The District is honored to have had Ms. Rychel represent Sacaton Schools and Gila River Indian Community at this national gathering of educators of Native students.

♦ AzMERIT Family Report ♦

Last year the AzMERIT Test began to be used across Arizona to measure student achievement in English language arts and math replacing the AIMS Test. An AzMERIT Family Report detailing your child’s scores in these two core subjects should be mailed to homes starting in early November. If you have not received your child’s scores by the middle of the month, please contact the school to ensure a report is mailed home. Again, it should be reiterated that last year was the first time the AzMERIT Test was given. It is a completely different test than the AIMS Test, so comparing the results to AIMS is not appropriate. Teachers had not seen this test before and students only had access to some practice items a few weeks before the test, so scores are lower because of a lack of familiarity with the test format. The important thing these results tell us is not that scores are falling, but rather that expectations are rising. What students need to know and be able to do on the AzMERIT Test requires much more than the AIMS Test. It should also be noted that starting this school year, students will no longer be taking the exam on paper, but are being moved to an all on-line testing format. This will mean additional training for teachers in how to administer the test on-line while students will need to know how to use these computer tools on which they are taking this high-stakes test. If you have any questions concerning your child’s results, please contact his/her teacher, or, Mrs. Amanda Billings, District AzMERIT Testing Coordinator.

♦ No Technology Will Replace This ♦

In our modern, technology driven culture, it seems that there is a smart phone APP for everything …. well, almost everything. Keep this mind, however, when thinking about APPs and reading aloud to your young child.

“There’s no APP to replace the lap. READ aloud to your child 15 minutes EVERY day!”

♦ “A Moment in Time in O’odham History” ♦

In this month’s “A Moment in Time in O’odham History” column we look at how wheat dramatically and positively changed life for the Pima people beginning in the 1700s. But the story of successful agricultural practices by O’odham peoples began being documented even before this time by Spanish missionaries passing through the area in the 1600s. When Father Eusebio Kino first visited the Pima villages, he was quick to point out the extent and quality of cultivated and natural Pima food stores. The Pima grew a variety of food crops including corn, tepary beans, melons, cotton and a variety of squashes which served as staple food and fiber crops. By 1680, Pima corn, in fact, was traded as far as the New Mexican settlements near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Pima did not grow food as a commercial crop, instead growing sufficient crops for subsistence, limited trading purposes and seed for the following season’s crop. Their incorporation of Spanish wheat altered this pattern and served as the basis for Pima prosperity in the latter eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Planted in the fall and harvested in late spring when winter stores were at their lowest, wheat was a complimentary crop planted off-season from the traditional crops of corn, beans, melons, and squash. Since it could be stored long periods, wheat provided the people with a balanced food supply and insured a stable economy. While it did not immediately modify their economy, within decades it would significantly change the economy in a variety of ways including expansion of the Pima irrigation system. Continued on Next Page →→→→

“A Moment in Time in O’odham History” Continued ….

Adaption to wheat shifted the economic focus of the Pima. Once bartering simple manufactured goods such as cotton blankets, woven baskets and pottery, by the latter eighteenth century the Pima were exporting limited agricultural commodities and moving towards a quasi-commercial economy. The integration of wheat into the economy enabled them to improve their standard of living and acquire new technology such as metal tools. Having always used the Gila River to their advantage, the Pima now combined their agricultural expertise and the river with a new crop – wheat – to expand trade networks. By the waning years of the eighteenth century, the Pima were well on the road to economic prosperity. Passing through Uturituc (west of modern-day Sacaton) in the spring of 1774, New-Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza Jr. described “fields of wheat …so large that, standing in the middle of them, one cannot see the ends because of their length. They are very wide, too, embracing the whole width of the valley on both sides [of the river].” Anza traveled through the village of Sutaquison (near the modern-day village of Sweetwater) and described fields planted with “sixty to eighty fanegas (Spanish unit of dry measure equaling about 95-125 bushels) of wheat, marvelously fine and about ready to harvest.” And so it was that wheat came to prominently have an uplifting and profitable role not only in the Pima economy, but in life in general. Even today, fields of wheat can commonly be seen growing on the Gila River Indian Community after all these many, many years.

♦ Dr. Price Goes To Washington ♦

Sacaton School District Superintendent Dr. Douglas Price recently went to Washington D.C along with other Arizona school superintendents and governing board members serving Native American students regarding federal Impact Aid funding and the Elementary-Secondary Education Act. The Sacaton School District receives the majority of its operational monies from federal funding. Dr. Price, along with the other Arizona educators, met in person with Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick and Congressman Ruben Gallego. The group also met with staff of the other Arizona delegation – Sen. John McCain, Sen. Jeff Flake, Rep. David Schweikert, Rep. Paul Gosar, Rep. Martha McSally, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, and Rep. Matt Salmon. The message conveyed to the Arizona Congressional delegation was fourfold:

1. A request of each Congressperson to join the Senate or House Impact Aid Coalition 2. Support the House proposal for a $10 million increase 3. Stop the sequester 4. Reauthorize the (ESEA) Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Impact Aid Program

Impact Aid and ESEA funding is vitally important to the operation of the Sacaton School District. Please let your U.S. Representative and Senators know how critical these funds are for YOUR school district!

♦ Rosie Ollerton Returns To Work In District ♦

Former Sacaton Elementary School Principal Rosita “Rosie” Ollerton has returned to work in the Sacaton School District – this time as a Special Education Resource Teacher for 5th and 6th grade students at the Middle School. Ollerton is glad to be back in the District; she said, “I love the kids and I love the Community!” Mrs. Ollerton is a native of Eloy, Arizona where she grew up in a migrant family picking cotton and potatoes. She said she and her family even lived in a barn for a while. As a young girl, Mrs. Ollerton would pick cotton from 12:00 midnight until 4:30 am, go home and get cleaned up, and then attend Central School in Eloy. She is also the first member of her family to graduate from college. Ollerton holds a BA Degree in Elementary and Special Education from Arizona State University and an MA Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. She is certified in Elementary Education and Special Education, and has Endorsements in ELL and as a Reading Specialist. Furthermore, Mrs. Ollerton holds a Principal’s Certificate and a Superintendent’s Certificate. Rosie has an extensive background as an educator in the public schools of Pinal County. She first worked 11 years as a teacher in the Casa Grande Elementary School District at both Ocotillo and Ironwood Schools. Continued on Back Side →

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She then became an Assistant Principal at Eloy Elementary School for four years followed by serving as principal of Sacaton Elementary School from 1996-2000. Rosie would then spend the next six years as a Special Education Comprehensive Life Skills teacher in the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada. She then returned to Arizona where she spent the next four years as a Special Education teacher in the Tolleson and Avondale School Districts in the West Valley. After this term, Rosie worked once again as a Special Education Comprehensive Life Skills teacher in the nearby Toltec School District for two years. After Toltec, Mrs. Ollerton served as a Special Education Resource teacher in the Eloy School District for a year before returning to work in Sacaton in October. It is interesting to note that Mrs. Ollerton knows many people and has close ties with the Community after she and her first husband farmed here for some twenty five years. During this time, she and her husband grew primarily cotton and some watermelon in an area from Blackwater to Bapchule. They also raised various vegetables on a 2-3 acre plot of ground and gave away these food items to Community members at no charge. Mrs. Ollerton has six grown children, three of whom are also teachers and a fourth a school supervisor. In her free time Mrs. Ollerton loves to read and also enjoys art work. She previously volunteered time at the former Casa Grande Regional Medical Center (now Banner Casa Grande Hospital) and likes to listen to various types of music including country, jazz, classical and opera. In addition, Ollerton also enjoys camping with her large immediate family. One other fact to know about Mrs. Ollerton – she can cook! For a number of years she and her husband owned a Mexican food restaurant in Eloy where everything including tortillas were made fresh daily. Welcome back to Sacaton, Rosie!

♦ Advice for Parents on Media Use by Children ♦

There is no mistake that children growing up today are doing so in what is being called the “digital age” – that is, using various types of computers such as personal computers, laptops, tablets, smart phones, etc. in conjunction with the Internet to perform a variety of activities including looking things up, listening to music, sharing photographs, sending messages, etc. Did you know that 30% of American children first interact with a mobile device while they’re still in diapers? So, the big question many parents have is this: “How much time should I allow my child to use a computer device?” This is the answer the American Academy of Pediatrics gave after recently convening a two-day symposium where researchers, educators and medical experts met to evaluate data to create guidelines for parents on media use by children. “Digital life begins at a young age, and so must parental guidelines. Children who are ‘growing up digital’ should learn healthy concepts of digital citizenship. This means parents should model good etiquette in their own online interactions and set reasonable limits on their own screen time. Overall, the focus should be on fostering positive and beneficial digital engagement, and teaching kids and teens how to use the Internet responsibly. Currently, there are no maximum hours to which parents should ascribe; instead, parents should curate their children’s interactions with media and co-view what they are doing.” A formal set of guidelines will come out in 2016.

♦ A Budget Isn’t Just About Money ♦

Periodically the District makes Family Financial Literacy one of the Family Meetings for the year including last year when members of the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears along with representatives from Money Management International presented on this very important family topic. Though the topic is not scheduled this year, here are some very important things to consider in terms of maintaining a budget that all experts on financial literacy always stress as a priority. A budget does far more than track expenses - it can positively influence many parts of your life. If you have been resistant about budgeting, you should reconsider because having a budget helps you:

1. Have more control of your life rather than money controlling you 2. Reduce domestic conflict 3. Improve your sleep 4. Reduce worry 5. Increase feelings of optimism 6. Improve your mood 7. Stop “doom-and-gloom” thinking 8. Save money