Rogers Ranch teacher Danielle Shafer was recently surprised at a school assembly after being named Teacher of the Month by “The Husband and Wife Law Team.”
Attorney Mark Breyer, of Breyer Law, presented Shafer with a large check, a plaque, and gift cards for a class pizza party.
Shafer’s photo will also be showcased on almost 30 billboards across the valley for a day.
A team of four students from Rogers Ranch competed in the national MESA (Math, Science, Engineering, and Science Achievement) competition in Philadelphia June 21- 22.
Students Thomas Beltran, Ana Fritts, Isabel Cardenas, and Brenan Wesolek were 5th graders last school year when they won the state competition for the middle school division in Arizona. The challenge was to engineer a project that would solve a real-world problem using an Arduino (micro-computer). Based on an experience by Isabel’s father running a night marathon, the team designed a wristband that could send out an SOS sequence of lights through LED lights for lost hikers and outdoor adventurers to summon help if they were lost or stranded in the desert.
At the national competition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania eleven states were represented. The teams were judged on 4 areas — a 10-page report, a detailed poster, a technical interview with the judges, and a “pitch” presentation.
The Rogers Ranch team came in 2nd place in the poster category for the middle school division. The team also scored 4th place overall when the scores were averaged for all categories.
Most of all, the students had a great time in Philadelphia, learned a lot about engineering, and loved the experience of competing. They have already started planning for next year’s competition.
Rogers Ranch 8th graders are participating in The Great Kindness Challenge! This week-long activity encourages students to perform as many acts of kindness as possible on campus. Using a checklist of 50 kind acts, students accept the challenge and show the world that kindness matters.
Watch the video to see how students kicked off the Challenge.
Beginning in August 2017, Laveen schools will utilize Peachjar’s e-flyer system to distribute flyers, newsletters, and other student-centered information to parents.
E-mail blasts containing flyers from your child’s school, PTO, or non-profit student-centered activities will be sent to parents generally once a week. Flyers are maintained on a dedicated webpage for later reference.
Only school information such as school newsletters, event flyers, and PTO happenings as well as approved flyers from non-profit child-centered organizations such as Girl Scouts, ball leagues, and local community groups will be sent to the email addresses on file for each family. Parents should make sure their school office has their current email address.
Parents may sign up for a free Peachjar account to utilize added features, like combining schools. But, this is not necessary to receive flyers.
Visit www.laveenschools.org/e-flyers for more information.
Laveen is implementing a new bus pass system for the 2017-18 school year. Because safety is a primary concern of the Laveen School District, this bus pass system will tell our dispatchers if a student was on board and where they exited.
All school buses will be equipped with electronic card readers; new student ID badges that contain a chip will be issued to all bus riders. As students board and exit the bus, he or she will tap their badge against the reader. A green light will illuminate on the reader if the swipe is successful.
While these two measures won’t be fully implemented until August 2017, our front office staff is currently preparing for the new procedures which will take effect May 15, 2017. Transportation labels will be affixed to student badges. This label will contain the student’s route number and bus stop location. In the event a student boards the wrong bus or is unsure as to where they should exit, the bus driver can easily look at the sticker and ensure the student is where they should be.
As these two phases are implemented, it will be important that your child have their badge with them each day. We will never leave a student at the bus stop in the morning and will bring all students to school. However, a student who has forgotten their badge must report to their school office for a temporary pass for the ride home.
Over 50 students from across the district participated in the MESA (Math Engineering Science Achievement) Day State Competition. Two of our teams took home medals after placing in a variety of challenges. Rogers Ranch took a 2nd Place medal for the Designer of the Day Challenge and a 3rd Place medal for the “It’s Complicated” Contraption Challenge.
Arizona MESA is sponsored by The University of Arizona. The event was held at the Tucson campus.
Rogers Ranch teacher James Flowers was named an A+ teacher by 12 News. The news station selects one teacher each week to be featured in their A+ Teacher segment. Mr. Flowers was nominated for the recognition by fellow teacher Mr. Peter Stern. Watch the segment on 12News.