Back to School AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
WWW.AHWATUKEE.COM
JULY 20, 2022
Portrait of a Kyrene Kid drives school district BY ERIN HELM AFN Guest Writer
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yrene School District, over the summer, launched a vision for its students that will be a touchstone for future decision making and the foundation upon which the District’s next strategic plan is built. The Portrait of a Kyrene Kid is a model of the competencies each student should possess by the time they finish 8th grade in Kyrene. The District expects students who
complete their Kyrene education to be: • Adaptable Learners; • Collaborators; • Communicators; • Community Contributors; • Critical Thinkers; • Problem Solvers; • and Self-Advocates. The Portrait is the culmination of a yearlong effort to engage hundreds of stakeholders, including current and former students, staff, District leaders, the Kyrene Governing Board, local business represen-
tatives and other community partners. Each group participated in activities to identify what skills and attributes students will need in order to be successful in the future. The groups imagined not only what students will need to succeed in high school, but also in college, the next generation workplace, and future communities. “I am grateful to our Kyrene community for the time, effort, introspection, and imagination that went into the development of this portrait,” said Superintendent
Laura Toenjes. “It is of the utmost importance that we prepare our students for the classrooms and careers of tomorrow. The pace of change in our world is only increasing, and it is incumbent upon us to equip students with the skills necessary not only to keep up with rapid change but to stay ahead of it.” All Kyrene families and staff were also asked to participate in a visioning survey
ministrators have identified as priorities for the 22/23 school year are establishing positive relationships between the school and home; creating a safe and orderly learning environment; and returning to what we do well - providing a high quality education with positive learning outcomes for all students. Now more than ever, we need our students to be just that - students. We want them to have the experiences that are so key to high school and to the human experience - whether it’s competing in a band championship or attending the varsity football game or acing a science exam. Public education plays a vital role in our communities and neighborhoods and we are proud to be a family of schools that offers excellent opportunities for young people. We pride ourselves on quality programs, caring administrators and teachers, and a high level of excellence in academics, athletics and activities. With the involvement of our families,
our community, and our business and faith-based organizations, we can all forge a new chapter as we look towards a successful future. How can you be involved? Continue to be engaged with your home campus. Reach out and connect with your student’s teachers. Attend an athletic event or extracurricular activity so you can see the spirit and culture of our schools for yourself. Follow your school on social media and keep an eye out for your principal’s newsletters. Our ultimate goal is that families are involved with their neighborhood schools and support their child(ren) and their community. When families and neighborhoods flourish, strong connections are forged, and there are positive outcomes for all involved. One of the ways that we believe we can support our families is to provide consistent experiences between TUHSD and our Tri-District partners – Tempe Elementary and Kyrene school districts.
For the past year, we have been working in a collaborative manner to develop a common calendar that would begin with the 2023/2024 school year. The goal was to work on relevant options that would meet the needs of families, students, and staff at all three districts. After carefully considering input from a wide variety of stakeholders, our respective Governing Boards approved the new calendars. We hope that this will be a step in the right direction for our families who have students in multiple districts. You can find the calendar on our website by clicking on “Calendars and Schedules”. Please remember that this does not affect the upcoming school year but will take effect in August 2023. We share this information with you well in advance so that you may plan accordingly. Thank you for your time, your positivity, and your involvement. We look forward to welcoming your student(s) back to school on Aug. 4.
see KYRENE page 33
Tempe Union Superintendent addresses families BY DR. KEVIN MENDIVIL AFN Guest Writer
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ear TUHSD Families, I hope that you have all had the chance to rest and relax over the past few months. We are looking forward to welcoming students back to our schools on Thursday, Aug. 4 – just a few short weeks away. Much of the work your school and district administrators have undertaken this summer is tightly focused on the idea of a reset. School improvement is a never-ending journey and we know how important it is to both evaluate the past school year and plan accordingly for the future. We also know that our families and students have experienced a wide variety of stress and disruption since March 2020. Certainly, many of us are ready for a reset of our own, in all different areas of life. A few key themes that our school ad-