Education

Oceans of Possibilities: Maricopa County Reads’ 2022 Summer Reading Program Begins

Sixty-five libraries across the county are gearing up for Summer Reading as Maricopa County Reads opens June 1 with a community goal of 50 million minutes read. Maricopa County Reads is one of the county’s largest literacy efforts and plays a vital role in reducing learning loss while transitioning between school years.

“Building a community of readers means we are building a community of problem solvers, collaborators, and lifelong learners,” says Bill Gates, Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, District 1. “The Summer Reading program is just one way to continue building an even brighter future for Maricopa County.”

Participants earn one point per minute for reading physical or electronic books (including graphic novels) or listening to audiobooks. Additional points are earned for attending in-person and virtual events hosted by librarians and local performers, completing summer reading challenges, and participating in community experiences to find secret codes while exploring Maricopa County. Prizes vary based on the number of points readers achieve. Readers who achieve 1,000 points can choose a free book for their home library or to donate to a local Head Start classroom. The theme of this year’s program is “Oceans of Possibilities,” encouraging readers of all ages to explore the many stories from under the sea.

The primary goal of the program is to interrupt the summer slide, the common term given to the learning loss experienced by children while transitioning between school years. The secondary aim of the program is to promote early literacy among prereaders and their families during the summer months. The Maricopa County Reads summer reading program began in the summer of 2013. It has continued to grow, and now hosts 65 public, tribal and military base libraries within Maricopa County. More than 80,000 children, teens, and adults participate in the program annually.

The program runs through August 1 and all Phoenix Public Library locations are participating.

To learn more, visit maricopacountyreads.org

MARICOPA COUNTY READS POINTS & PRIZES

HOW TO EARN POINTS:

Read physical and electronic books. Listen to audio books. Attend online events. Participate in community experiences. THE PRIZES:

500 Points:

Free personal pizza coupon from Peter Piper Pizza (ages 0-11). Free lemonade coupon from Raising Cane’s (all ages). Free kids meal from Rubio’s (kids). Free chips and guacamole appetizers (teens and adults). 750 Points:

Arizona State Park Pass (all ages). Phoenix Mercury Tickets (all ages – up to four tickets). 1,000 Points:

Free book (all ages). Grand Prize and Weekly Drawings:

Family Passes to Legoland Discovery Center. Family Passes to Sea Life Aquarium. Family Passes to Harkins Theaters. Family Passes to Hurricane Harbor. Childsplay Theatre 2-Ticket Bundle. Childsplay Theatre Prize Pack. Family 4-Pack of tickets to the Superbowl LVII Experience. Changing Hands’ Prize Packs. Arizona Science Center Prize Packs.

Education DVUSD Expands Its Gifted Services for North Valley Students Scan to Register!

By DVUSD Superintendent Dr. Curtis Finch

Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) has been around for decades with its birth in New River in the 1930s. Today, DVUSD is one of the best unified school districts in all of Arizona with 92% of its 42 schools as A or B rated, 23 A+ School of Excellence designations, and the highest Forbes ranked K-12 mid-size system in which to work in the entire nation. On top of all of that, DVUSD is internationally recognized as one of only 11 K-12 model Professional Learning Community districts in the world. If there is an educational award of excellence available, DVUSD is likely in the running. Currently, DVUSD has several schools who intensely focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), STEAM (plus STEM plus Arts), language immersion (Spanish and Mandarin Chinese), traditional education at the Traditional Academy at Bellair, Career and Technical Education for high school students, and online learning at Aspire, Deer Valley’s K-12 Online Academy. This coming school year, DVUSD will continue to expand its programming by providing a robust continuum of schoolwide gifted services at Las Brisas Elementary School. Bright Beginnings, a preKindergarten through 2nd grade program, provides hands-on learning opportunities for early childhood students, immersing them in a literacy-rich classroom while engaging in an inquiry-based learning environment and adding exposure to world languages. Las Brisas offers additional options, such as a gifted cluster model, content replacement for English Language Arts and Math, and Walk-Up to Math for grades three through six. All students at Las Brisas will benefit from the gifted

approach to learning as the teachers at Las Brisas are certified in gifted education. Kindergarten Registration Now Open!Deer Valley is opening its third Renaissance Highly Gifted Academy this fall for 3rd through 6th grade students, also at Las Brisas. The specialty focus of this academy will be Global Studies. Students will regularly engage in problembased and project-based learning in an

Spots are filling quickly for the 2022-23 school year advanced and enriching curriculum that includes a focus on learning about cultures and languages from around the world. All students in Renaissance participate in STEAM learning, in addition to physical education, music, art, and band.ENROLL NOW: dvusd.org/enroll LEARN MORE: dvusd.org/kindergarten DVUSD is anticipating many open enrollment students coming to Las Brisas, so begin the process as soon as possible to make sure you get your seat. If you are interested in gifted education, Las Brisas Elementary is the place to be next year. To learn more, visit dvusd.org. Dr. Finch is the Superintendent of DVUSD and can be reached at superintendent@ dvusd.org.

Free FASFA Help Available for Local High School Students and Their Families

Applying for financial aid for college or any type of postsecondary education can be a challenge. Luckily for local students and their families, there’s 24/7 help available through an innovative chatbot program called Ask Benji.

Ask Benji is a first-of-its kind chatbot specifically designed to help students, parents/caregivers, and educators get quick answers to a wide variety of questions about the FAFSA. The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for post-secondary funding opportunities at universities, colleges, and trade schools. Ask Benji is free and easy to use. Questions are confidential and Benji responds 24/7 within 60 seconds.

“On behalf of the partners, we are thrilled to be able to expand Ask Benji statewide,” says Richard Daniel, executive vice president and chief operating officer for College Success Arizona, Expect More Arizona and Achieve60AZ. “The expansion of Ask Benji comes at an important time when we’ve seen drops in FAFSA completion and college enrollment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Ask Benji was launched in October 2019 as a partnership of ASU, College Success Arizona, Achieve60AZ, the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education, the Arizona College Access Network (AzCAN), Helios Education Foundation, Mesa Public Schools, Maricopa Community Colleges and Be a Leader Foundation. In 2021, it was expanded to serve students state-wide thanks to a $1.5 million grant.

Visit askbenji.org for more information about Benji, the FAFSA, and other resources. Text “Help” to Benji anytime at 602-786-8171 to get started. Opt out at any time by texting “Stop.”