Education

EDUCATION SCHOOL LETTER GRADE RESULTS FOR DEER VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Arizona Department of charter school student,” said Education recently released the Superintendent Dr. Curtis Finch. 2017-2018 A-F Letter Grades for schools. The school letter grade results “This accomplishment isn’t happening for Deer Valley Unifi ed School District by accident. DVUSD teachers, staff, show that 95 percent of DVUSD and administrators are highly focused schools received an A (Excellent) or B on working together and using data (Highly Performing) grade. That’s up to fi nd ways to increase student from 86 percent last year. achievement. We beat this year’s District academic goal of having 92 “We are truly a District of Continuous percent of our schools rated as A or B, Improvement! In addition, DVUSD and we are within reach of our fi vestudents continue to score higher on year goal for 100 percent of our schools AzMERIT tests than the average to be A or B-rated,” said Dr. Finch.

SCHOOL LETTER GRADE

Anthem ....................................................................................................A Arrowhead ..............................................................................................A Barry Goldwater HS ..............................................................................B Bellair ......................................................................................................B Boulder Creek HS ..................................................................................B Canyon Springs ......................................................................................A Constitution ............................................................................................A Copper Creek .........................................................................................A Deer Valley HS ........................................................................................B Deer Valley middle .................................................................................D Desert Mountain .....................................................................................A Desert Sage .............................................................................................A Desert Sky Middle ..................................................................................B Diamond Canyon ...................................................................................A Esperanza................................................................................................B Gavilan Peak...........................................................................................A Greenbriar ..............................................................................................A Hillcrest Middle ......................................................................................A Highland Lakes ......................................................................................A Las Brisas ................................................................................................A Legend Springs .......................................................................................A Mirage .....................................................................................................B Mountain Ridge HS ...............................................................................A Mountain Shadows.................................................................................B New River................................................................................................B Norterra Canyon ....................................................................................B Park Meadows ........................................................................................A Paseo Hills ...............................................................................................A Sandra Day O’Connor HS ....................................................................B Sierra Verde ............................................................................................A Sonoran Foothills ...................................................................................A Statson Hills ............................................................................................A Sunrise .....................................................................................................C Sunset Ridge ...........................................................................................A Terramar .................................................................................................A Village Meadows ....................................................................................A West Wing ...............................................................................................A

EXTRAORDINARY Teachers EXTRAORDINARY Results 95% of DVUSD schools are rated A or B! Kindergarten Registration begins November 1 www.dvusd.org/kindergarten EXTRAORDINARY Teachers EXTRAORDINARY Results 95% of DVUSD schools are rated A or B! Kindergarten Registration begins November 1 www.dvusd.org/kindergarten www.facebook.com/dvusd EXTRAORDINARY Teachers EXTRAORDINARY Results 95% of DVUSD schools are rated A or B! Kindergarten Registration begins November 1 www.dvusd.org/kindergarten www.facebook.com/dvusd EXTRAORDINARY Teachers EXTRAORDINARY Results 95% of DVUSD schools are rated A or B! Kindergarten Registration begins November 1 EXTRAORDINARY Teachers EXTRAORDINARY Results 95% of DVUSD schools are rated A or B! Kindergarten Registration begins November 1 EXTRAORDINARY Teachers EXTRAORDINARY Results 95% of DVUSD schools are rated A or B! Kindergarten Registration begins November 1 SUCCESS STARTS EARLY. www.dvusd.org/kindergarten www.facebook.com/dvusd SUCCESS STARTS EARLY. www.facebook.com/dvusd SUCCESS STARTS EARLY. SUCCESS STARTS EARLY. SUCCESS STARTS EARLY. www.dvusd.org/kindergarten www.facebook.com/dvusd SUCCESS STARTS EARLY. www.dvusd.org/kindergarten www.facebook.com/dvusd

COVER STORY FOOD FOR THOUGHT

By Dave McMinn

Welcome to the heart of “food season.” As the last of the Halloween candy disappears and the rampup to Thanksgiving continues, our activities become centered around food. Between Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving leftovers, holiday parties, and Christmas dinners, this is the most delicious time of the year – as it should be. But as we debate whether turkeys should be roasted or deep-fried, or if pumpkin pie should be served hot or cold, or how much whipped cream is too much (trick question - impossible), we collectively have an opportunity to help neighbors in our community who are forced to get by with a little less.

One of the most basic acts of humanity we can perform is helping those who are hungry. According to St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, nearly 30 percent of our neighbors here in Arizona are part of the working poor. This means they get up and go to work like everyone else, but their wages barely cover housing and other basic necessities. Grocery shopping often means purchasing the cheapest groceries possible, or even expired food. Mealtime, which can be irregular, is reduced to eating not for enjoyment, not for celebration, but simply to survive. And for young children - who are virtually powerless to affect and improve their situation - the lack of nutritious food can lead to health and developmental issues, as well as what’s known as food insecurity.

The reasons behind why a person or family fi nds themselves among the working poor can vary. It’s not always about “lifestyle choices.” Imagine the

fi nancial crisis that accompanies the to be fi lled. And that’s where we sudden death of one of the parents, come in. All of us. The infrastructure the sudden loss of a job, or an ex- is already in place. The warehouses, tended illness. In situations like these, distribution centers, and volunteer Arizonans can turn to food banks for help. And most people would agree that the safety net of a food bank is a staffs are up and running. Now, let’s do our part by stocking the shelves of our local food banks. ” “ According to St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, nearly 30 percent of our neighbors here in Arizona are part of the working poor. good thing for the community. Arizona food banks do an amazing service It’s a common pitch by charities to by providing nutritious food to people compare everyday luxuries to somein need. But here’s the other half of one else’s necessities. But it doesn’t the equation: Those food banks need have to be about giving up your Star-

bucks for a week so you can help the poor. And it’s not about scaling down your Thanksgiving meal and giving the money to charity. But could you throw a couple of extra cans of food into your shopping cart and donate them? Could you go online and give 5 bucks to a local food bank? There are 55,000 of us living in the Norterra/ Deer Valley area. Imagine what we might accomplish as a community if each of us donated just a little to keep our food banks properly supplied.

The act of purchasing and delivering food to the food banks is satisfying on a visceral level. You’re investing time and effort to purchase and deliver a tangible donation. Some people like to make it a family affair, allowing their kids to select the food and ride along for the drop-off, which teaches generosity and compassion. For others, a quick & easy online donation is preferred. Point, click, donate. And that’s perfectly fi ne. In fact, organizations like St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance can turn $1 into 7 meals! And most food banks have programs in place that allow you to receive a tax benefi t for your contributions.

Do you know what’s hard to do? Solving world hunger. Do you know what’s easy to do? Making sure one little girl eats breakfast tomorrow, or that one family has food for a Sunday dinner. This article isn’t intended to be a guilt piece, but rather an invitation to positively affect our community with an act of generosity. Whether you call it holiday cheer, the spirit of the season, or goodwill toward all men, consider extending a small kindness this month to someone you’ll never meet. You won’t regret it…and they’ll appreciate it. As the saying goes - Don’t almost give.

LOCAL FOOD BANKS

STANDING STONES COMMUNITY CHURCH standingstonescc.org 24820 N 16th Ave, Building 1, Suite 100 Phoenix, AZ 85085 (623) 587-9297

ST. MARY’S FOOD BANK ALLIANCE fi rstfoodbank.org General Information (602) 242-FOOD (3663) Make a Donation (602) 343-5636

THE 3,000 CLUB the3000club.org 1741 W. Rose Garden Ln, #6 Phoenix, AZ 85027 (623) 374-2559

OPERATION CARE operationcarefoodbank.org 1827 W. Grovers Ave Phoenix, AZ 85023 (602) 866-0135

TIPS FOR DONATING TO FOOD BANKS

• First up, check with your local food bank or shelter to see if they have guidelines available.

• Not everywhere will accept travel-sized items, while some will gladly take them, if you have spares.

• Virtually all food banks cannot accept past-date food, even if you and I would still eat it.

• Short-dated (things which have expiry or sell-by dates in the next week or so) are also tough for food banks to deal with, because they won’t necessarily be able to process and hand out the items before they go “bad.”

• Many food banks will not accept glass, due to the safety risk and hassle created when things break or shatter. They are also heavier, which can be a problem for some folks who have to carry their food hampers home.

• Food banks cannot usually accept home-canned items, nor fresh food like fruits and vegetables. Some do have agreements with local farms or community gardens though, so it is best to check.

• Some food banks and shelters have lists of their current needed items on their websites. If not, I recommend contacting them and then sharing the information they provide, for example on your Facebook feed, so other locals can fi nd out about the needs.

• Consider making a habit of picking up one item for the food bank each time you go grocery shopping. Maybe a can of soup that is on sale, or something similar. This is a great approach, especially as it is a reminder to be thankful for the bounty we have in our lives. You won’t notice the $1-$2 added to your weekly grocery visit.

• Check with food banks about their policies. Some will only give out healthy food, even if it is the holidays, so your donation of gourmet chocolate dipped biscotti may not make it to a recipient.

• Check if donating over the counter medications to your food bank is okay. If so, consider donating things like children’s vitamins, tylenol, advil, asprin, cold and fl u medication and allergy medication. Remember that these medications usually cost quite a few dollars and people have to live without them, because they can’t afford them.

• Check if they can accept donations of frozen food – some can, some can’t.