Board of Trustees Report s8

Florence Unified School District #1 March 2012 Board Report Dr. Amy Fuller, Assistant Superintendent for Instructional and Bilingual Services

Common Core Standards Update Important changes to our common core implementation plan were altered by the Arizona Department of Education. The new mandate is asking for districts to implement the English Language Arts common core first and the math second. We will come up with an optimal plan for the district and will keep you informed.

Governor’s visit Honorable Jan Brewer, AZ Governor, honored us with her presence on February 1st. Her visit to Poston Butte High School was a Part of the Centennial Celebration. We had over 2000 people in attendance; most of them were our students. I proudly report to you that our students were very respectful and attentive during the almost one hour program/presentation. She brought a ray of hope to public education, and our students were powerful examples of future leaders. I hope the message was mutually understood.

YMCA Mentoring Program We are excited to partner with the YMCA on a national one-to-one mentoring program. The purpose of the mentoring program is to help our at-risk youth move to resiliency and have a better future. The goals of the program are for our youth to increase in self–esteem, decision-making skills, school performance, and healthy interpersonal relationships. The youth are matched with an adult for one year. The mentors (23 yrs. or older, fingerprinted, other requirements...) are asked to attend 15+ hours of therapeutic professional training, so they can understand cultural/social development, mental health issues, risk factors, and how to communicate and relate to youth. The YMCA will interview and screen for mentors and FUSD will refer the youth. We encourage responsible adults to volunteer for this life changing experience. If interested, please contact Jennifer Hewitt at 602-212-6179.

March Truancy Report Our Truancy Coordinator, Don Thornton has been working very hard trying to inform parents and students of the importance of attending school. In the spirit of keeping up with our policy and State mandates, he has taken other measures to get this message across. He has made 10 home visits, 8 school visits, sent out 36 letters to parents, has placed 23 students under contract, and 5 students were cited. We are hoping his efforts together with everyone’s efforts pay off and students attend school on time.

DISCIPLINE HEARINGS # of Hearings # Long Term Suspensions Anthem K-8 0 0 Circle Cross K-8 0 0 Copper Basin K-8 2 0 Florence High School 3 1 Florence K-8 2 1 Magma Ranch K-8 0 0 Poston Butte High School 15 9 Skyline Ranch K-8 2 0 Walker Butte K-8 1 1 STEP Alternative Program 0 0 Total Hearings in Feb 2012 25 12 Note: 14 disciplinary hearings are already scheduled for March.