About Paradise Valley Unified Schools in Desert Ridge Cashman
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SUMMER/FALL 2013 Photos courtesy of Alyssia Saxton About Paradise Valley Unified Schools in Desert Ridge See page 8 Cashman Park Update See page 17 FirstService Residential See page 20 ASSOCIATION & COMMUNITY NEWS l SCHOOL NEWS l CULTURE & ARTS l OUR RESOURCES l DINING & ENTERTAINMENT Contents Desert Ridge Lifestyles magazine is the official DEPARTMENTS community magazine of Desert Ridge, brought to you by the Desert Ridge Community 15 ASSOCIatION & 32 dINING & EntertaINMENT Association. It is designed to keep you informed COMMUNITY NEWS 35 Our RESOURCES about what’s happening in your community, 30 Culture & Arts from clubs, activities and community programs to school information, special events and more. Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, FEATURES photographs or illustrations without written permission from the publisher is prohibited by 8 20 law. Trademarks, logos and content provided COVER STORY HELLO, OUR NAME IS FIRSTSERVICE by advertisers, sponsors and partners are NEWS ABOUT OUR ELEMENTARY, RESIDENTIAL owned by their respective companies and Our service is the same, but we’ve just all rights are reserved by them. The views, MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH statements and claims of advertisers or SCHOOL LOCATED IN DESERT RIDGE taken on a new name and it’s time to other DRL contributors do not necessarily About our schools in the Paradise Valley reintroduce ourselves. represent those of the publisher, Desert Ridge Unified School District 27 Community Association. 18 PERSONAL SAFETY DID yoU KNOW? The Phoenix Police Department is INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT YOUR tasked with protecting the community Printed in the USA. ©2011 and we do our best to be there as much Desert Ridge Lifestyles Magazine. DESERT RIDGE COMMUNITY as we possibly can.. All rights reserved. Please recycle. MANAGEMENT TEAM AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS Photos by Tina Dickson MANAGEMENT TEAM Proudly Managed by FirstService Residential COMMUNITY ASSOCIatION 5415 E. High St., Suite 220, Bldg. A10 Phoenix, AZ 85054 MANAGEMENT TEAM TERRANCE SMITH CHRIS JENNESS ALYSSIA SAXTON DUSTT Y WA KINS CarmellO SHELLEY BONI 480-551-4300 Community Residential Lifestyles Compliance MUSARRA Administrative [email protected] General Community Coordinator Coordinator Compliance Coordinator Manager Manager Coordinator COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT VICE SECretarY TREASURER DIRECTOR DIRECTOR DIRECTOR Doug Dickson PRESIDENT Dan Oseran Brad Slager Kathy Crawford Greg Abrams Steve Burns Communications, Reginald Younger, Jr. Communications Finance Committee Nominating Cashman Park Community Awareness Finance and Community Design Review Committee Chair Chair, Community Committee Chair, Exploratory Committee Chair Awareness Committees Committee Chair and Cashman Park Awareness Committee Communications Committee Chair Exploratory Committee Vice-Chair and and Cashman Park Communications Exploratory Committees Committee 4 Desert Ridge Lifestyles Summer/Fall 2013 From the Board From the President You may have has to excellence in our community and noticed the changes raising property values in Desert Ridge. to neighborhood entrances throughout Green Actually Saves Green MEETINGS & EVENTS Desert Ridge. All Not only do these improvements look of the Association good, they’re also incredibly efficient! The MEETINGS conversion to LED lights in our monuments maintained entrance MEETING LOCATION Doug Dickson monuments have and throughout our washes will save over $350,000 in electricity over the life of the 5415 E. High St., Suite 220, Bldg. A10 received a much-needed Phoenix, AZ 85054 facelift. The improvements include new bulbs. Our new irrigation controller has (Parking Garage on 54th Street) plantings, boulders, advanced irrigation already saved over $10,000 this year alone systems, ultra-efficient LED lighting and by applying the proper amount of water and BOARD MEETINGS signage. These improvements are important instantly detecting leaks as they occur. The August 28 n September 25 investments into our community and funded best part is that we’ll enjoy these savings n by the reserve funds of the Desert Ridge year after year, allowing us to stretch every October 23 November 20 Community Association. They are part of Association dollar, minimize our impact on Open session meetings the ongoing commitment your DRCA Board continued on page 35 at 6 p.m. MORNING COFFEE CLUB Communications Chair Sponsored by AAA Landscaping When we’re children, come. We wanted to hear from all the August 13 at 9 a.m. the year clearly schools in our community, whether the begins in the fall, newest addition to our educational offerings EVENING COFFEE CLUB not in January. The in Desert Ridge, Fireside, or our perennially October 8 at 6 p.m. length of the year excelling elementary school at Wildfire. corresponds to the We hope that their insights will provide us DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE length of the school with a view to the heart and future of our Subject to Change year, and not the Dan Oseran community. August 22 length of the calendar. Many of us bought houses in Desert Ridge It is the school year that defines time for us Sept. 5 n Sept. 19 because of the quality schools in the area, growing up, and indeed, in looking back, including Pinnacle High School, which Oct. 3 n Oct. 17 n Oct. 31 I often remember things by what grade I was in rather than the year it took place. at one time was the highest ranked public Here we are again at the beginning of the high school in Arizona. The school system 2013-2014 school year, a time of great in Desert Ridge not only helps educate our excitement for the community, and another youth, but helps maintain our propertyMEETINGS & EVENTSEVENTS year by which today’s children will define values. In no small part due to the high their lives. caliber of schools we have, Desert Ridge LTOCA ION AND rebounded from Arizona’s real estate losses dates TO BE DETERMINED The Communications Committee thought at a faster pace than the rest of the State. that the timing of this issue of Desert Ridge Living in a community with schools like ours ADUlt MIXER Lifestyles would be a perfect opportunity for is an immeasurable value and truly an honor. us to look at the schools in our community. MOVIE IN THE PARK We asked each school’s principal to give We hope that the next few issues will us an idea of what they see as important equally reflect the positive values of Holiday LIGHTING CONTEST milestones for their school in the year to continued on page 35 Summer/Fall 2013 Desert Ridge Lifestyles 5 Cover Story ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS IN THE Paradise VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT MISSION The mission of the Paradise Valley Unified School District is to cultivate, lead and inspire world-class innovative thinkers and expert communicators through a focus on the relationship between educator and student built around challenging, meaningful and engaging curriculum. PV Schools and Desert Ridge Welcome to Paradise! By Marty Macurak Education programs and choices in Communications Officer the district include K-12 International Paradise Valley Unified School District Baccalaureate; Core Knowledge®; Science, Members of the Desert Ridge Community Technology, Engineering and Math; a have the good fortune to be in the Paradise wide variety of Gifted models, including Valley Unified School District – PV Gifted pre-K, Gifted digital learning centers Schools for short – one of the state’s largest and early graduation options; and special and most respected public K-12 districts. education services, fine arts focused programs, The district’s science-technology-engineering- career and technical education, before- after- PV Schools offers individualized instruction, math pipeline begins with pre-K programs. school enrichment, and AIA athletics and challenging coursework, and a wide array Students committed to a STEM career can extracurricular activities. Special Education of academic and extracurricular programs ultimately apply for acceptance into the Center for programs serve students with a variety of Research, Engineering, Science and Technology, for parents and physical and intellectual abilities. students. Students the district’s STEM specialty high school. have the option to “We also have some new public charter open-enroll in the The district has 30 elementary schools schools,” says Macurak, “including Fireside school that best suits offering free, full-day kindergarten and an Elementary in the Desert Ridge community, their learning style, extended school day for grade 1-6. Eight which houses a Gifted Education preschool academic interests middle schools host grades 7 and 8, and and K-6 program.” Fireside also has the and priorities. six high schools serve grades 9 through distinction of being the district’s newest Pre-K programs 12. The schools in the immediate area of school, with sustainable energy return introduce the littlest Desert Ridge are Fireside, Desert Trails systems that are incorporated into the learners to language, and Wildfire elementary, Explorer Middle school’s science instruction programs. The math and science School, and Pinnacle High school. two-story, 88,664-square-foot building uses with a hands-on, reclaimed water for irrigation among other Fireside Principal “The Desert Ridge community is ideally Drew Davis with experiential features, and harvests nearly as much energy students approach. situated to access almost all of our schools,” and water as it consumes. says district administrator Marty Macurak. continued on page 9 “Every school has a unique academic approach, leadership style and culture – and for parent and student our customers, it’s all about choice.” The district is an Arizona Online Instruction provider with pvOnline, offering even more learn-as-you-go flexibility for busy K-12 Instruction in appropriate and safe use of students. Many students use a combination technology begins in elementary school for PV of in-school and online coursework to pick Fireside Elementary school uses its sustainable students. The district considers technology building systems to teach students about to be a critical component of teaching 21st up knowledge in special areas or to graduate science.