Skip to content

Articles from December 2018

Celebrating Principal’s Appreciation Month at Rogers Ranch STEM Academy!

October is Principal’s Appreciation Month, and we are thrilled to honor and celebrate our incredible school leader, Kaitlin Gretkierewicz!  At Rogers Ranch STEM Academy, we recognize the vital role our principal plays in shaping the success of our students, staff, and entire school community.

Our principal leads with passion, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, ensuring that every student receives the best education possible. Whether it’s fostering a positive school culture, advocating for new initiatives, or being a constant source of support for students and staff, our principal goes above and beyond every day.

This month, we encourage everyone in our school community to take a moment to share your appreciation—whether it’s a kind word, a thank you note, or just letting our principal know how much their hard work means to you.

Let’s come together and make this Principal’s Appreciation Month extra special! Thank you, Kaitlin Gretkierewicz, for everything you do to make Rogers Ranch STEM Academy a fantastic place to learn and grow.

Read more

Dallen Bjerkness Receives Excellence in Education Award

Each year one teacher from each school is selected to receive the district’s Excellence in Education Award. This prestigious award is given to those who attain high academic achievement for their students, provide exceptional service and leadership at their school, and make a positive difference outside of the classroom and in the community.

Congratulations to Rogers Ranch STEM Academy, Dallen Bjerkness

Read more

Rogers Ranch STEM Academy’s Classroom Spotlight: Critique a Flawed Response with Eureka!

Rogers Ranch performed this months classroom spotlight for the Governing Board members and community. Ms. Leary, Ms. Oines and 7 of our very own 5th grade mathematician demonstrated an instructional routine from Eureka called Critique a Flawed Response.

Eureka is our new math curriculum and the instructional routine is used in classrooms to get students to analyze a mathematically incorrect solution, identify the errors within it, and explain why it’s flawed, promoting deeper understanding by actively engaging with potential misconceptions and strengthening their own conceptual knowledge.

Read more

Change in Half Day Schedules for 2024-2025

The Laveen School District will be implementing a change to the district calendar beginning next school year (2024/25) that will impact the Wednesday half-day schedules.

Currently, we have 15 half days each year in which our staff receives professional development following dismissal. We also have four half days for parent/teacher conferences.

Next year, instead of the 15 half days in which our schools dismiss three hours early, we will dismiss an hour and a half early every Wednesday (36 days).  Half-day schedules on parent/teacher conference days as well as the last day of school will remain unchanged.

The reason for this change is twofold.

First, early-release Wednesdays allow for more instructional time in core subject areas. Students will follow a schedule similar to a full school day. This change will make the calendar more consistent for families.

Second, Laveen is in the process of implementing Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for staff. By offering this time weekly, instead of once or twice a month, staff will receive more quality research-based training that is conducive to developing a strong Professional Learning Community and will ultimately improve student learning.

For more information, visit our FAQ on this topic.

Read the letter from Superintendent Dr. Jeff Sprout.

Read more

Free Meals Provided to All Laveen Students in 2024-2025

Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, all Laveen students will receive breakfast and lunch at no charge.

The Laveen School District has been selected to participate in the USDA Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). This provision to the school breakfast and lunch programs allows schools/districts to provide meals at no cost to ALL students. The program may be extended to subsequent years.

While the program is in place, families will not have to apply for free or reduced-price meals. However, all Laveen families will be asked to complete the simplified Alternate Income Form/ Formulario Alternativo para la Elegibilidad Basada en los Ingresos to collect important data used for each school’s federal funding allocations.

Adult and additional student meals, as well as a la carte items, will be still be available for purchase. Visit the Purchasing Additional Food Items page for details.

Read more

Laveen Schools Now Enrolling for August 2024

All Laveen schools are currently enrolling new students to being in August 2024.  Please visit our Registration page to enroll your child using our secure online parent portal or to access printable enrollment documents.

Parents/guardians will need to present the required documents listed below in person for verification to complete the registration process. These documents must be verified prior to the start of school.

  • Child’s original birth certificate
  • Child’s immunization record
  • Proof of Residence, such as utility receipt or lease agreement (refer to Arizona Residency Guidelines)
  • Legal papers, if applicable for custody
  • Withdrawal form and report card from previous school
  • Photo identification for parent/guardian.

*Please note, Vista del Sur is an accelerated school and students must take an assessment prior to enrolling. Paseo Pointe is a dual language immersion (DLI) school, incoming students must enroll in the DLI program.

All Laveen school offices are open Monday-Thursday this summer and available to complete your child’s registration. Please be advised most school offices will be closed July 1-5. Please call for hours.

Read more

Rogers Ranch, MC Cash Receive Tree Grant

More trees are coming to Laveen! Thanks to the Trees for Kids grant a total of 26 trees will be planted at MC Cash and Rogers Ranch. The grant is providing funding for the purchase of the trees and for professional planting services. Our grounds crew will be coordinating the planting and performing the maintenance of the trees. To increase awareness of healthy environmental practices, students from each school will be invited to participate in the planting of a tree on their campus.

Friday, May 3rd Rogers Ranch students took time away from the classroom to help plant some of the tree provided to them by the Trees for Kids grant.

Read more

Rogers Ranch is First School in AZ to Receive National Certificate for STEM Excellence

Rogers Ranch STEM Academy is the first school in Arizona to receive the National Certificate for STEM Excellence.

The Certificate, provided by the National Institute of STEM Education (NISE) recognizes individual school campuses that have integrated STEM best practices and 21st Century learning and professional development. Rogers Ranch STEM Academy has shown a commitment to and growth in both these areas.

“Our mission has always been for Rogers Ranch to reflect on the inside and outside what a school STEM school exemplifies,” explained Rogers Ranch principal Megan Hamburgh who led the school to certification. “This certification reinforces the vision Rogers Ranch teachers and staff have had for our school.” 

To receive the certificate, Rogers Ranch completed a three-phase process, comprising  27 indicators, to elevate a culture of STEM teaching and learning across the campus in less than nine months. This included developing a STEM action plan for implementation, embedding STEM strategies into instruction and assessments, and using STEM protocol to guide instructional decisions. Additionally, a team of educators completed the National Certificate for STEM Teaching.

Rogers Ranch was also named an NAU STEM Focus School for the Future in 2022-2023. This program helped Rogers Ranch build the capacity to design and implement effective STEM instruction with the goal of developing a STEM-literate workforce. 

“We were able to take the intentional work done through the STEM Focus Schools for the Future process to reflect and refine for this national certification.  As a campus we will continue to reflect, grow and refine to be a high achieving academy that reflects what STEM education is,” noted Hamburgh. 

Read more