Teachers find low-cost and free treasures at Tempe shop
BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Managing Editor
Last year, the average teacher spent about $500 out of his or her own pocket for classroom supplies, according to the Education Market Association. One in 10 spent $1,000 or more.
All told, that’s about $1.6 billion in supplies that parents and school districts nationwide expect teachers to pay for. Treasures 4 Teachers in Tempe is trying
to help reduce that cost.
With a warehouse full of donated materials, Treasures 4 Teachers offers educators low-cost and free books, art supplies, office supplies and pretty much everything you can think of.
Barbara Blalock, the founder and executive director, came up with the idea when she visited a second-grade classroom in 2004.
According to the Treasures’ website, the teacher asked her students to get out a piece of paper and pencil. A young girl
went up to the teacher and gave up her shoe, for which the teacher gave her a pencil.
Blalock found out the teacher didn’t have enough pencils, so she made students give up a shoe to borrow one, knowing that they wouldn’t leave with the pencil and without their shoe.
Blalock realized she wanted to help make sure all teachers had enough resources – and that kids kept their shoes.
July 16, 2017
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START DATES
School districts across the East Valley are preparing to begin the new school year. Here are the main area districts and their start dates:
Chandler Unified – July 24
Gilbert Unified – Aug. 2
Higley Unified – July 24
Kyrene Elementary – Aug. 3
Mesa Unified – Aug. 8
Queen Creek Unified – July 25
Tempe Elementary – Aug. 7
Tempe Union – Aug. 7
(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Heather Maxwell sorts through books in a guided reading program. Maxwell ended up purchasing baskets to display books in her Litchfield Park classroom.
Learning Foundation and Performing Arts school is devoted to becoming a leader in education by embracing the entire student through a balance of education and performing arts.
The mission of LFPA is to provide a well-rounded, rigorous academic and performing arts environment with high standards that prepares students for a path of continuous learning. We value all students as unique individuals who have the capacity to learn and succeed. We believe in an honest and respectful approach that develops students’ positive self-image and integrity.
New principal in charge at Seton Catholic Prep
Anew principal has taken the helm of Seton Catholic Preparatory in Chandler.
Victor M. Serna was appointed to the East Valley’s only Catholic college preparatory high school by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted.
Serna replaces Pat Collins, who retired in the spring after serving the school in various capacities since 1992, including the past 12 years as principal.
Prior to arriving at Seton, Serna was a Master Principal, chosen by the director of Catholic Education in the Los Angeles archdiocese to form, advise and train Catholic leaders.
“My wife Evelyn and I are excited to become part of the Sentinel community,” said Serna. “I consider myself blessed to serve my faith through the ministry of Catholic education. I believe in educating the whole person through a rigorous curriculum, access to co-curricular and extra-curricular activities including leadership opportunities and service to others, personal support, and daily encounters with Christ.”
Prior to joining Seton Catholic, Serna held the position of principal at St. Turibius Catholic School in Los Angeles since 2013.
Prior to that, he served as assistant principal and dean of students at his alma mater, Bishop Mora Salesian High School in Los Angles. He also served as athletic director of St. Mary Catholic School and associate athletic director at the Salesian Family Youth Center, both in LA.
Serna earned a B.S. in criminal justice from California State University and master’s degrees in secondary education and educational administration from Mount St. Mary’s University. He is in the process of completing his third master’s degree in instructional leadership.
He has received Catholic leadership training through the Notre Dame University Alliance for Catholic Education and through the Salesian Leadership Institute for Ministry with the Salesians of Don Bosco, Western Providence.
Serna and his wife live in Gilbert.
Seton is a private, coeducational high school in Chandle open to students of all faiths.
Information: setoncatholic.org.
AGES 3 TO 13 YEARS OLD!
Staff
(Special to the Tribune)
Victor Serna, the new principal at Seton Catholic Preparatory in Chandler, helped train principals through a program run by the Los Anegeles Catholic Archdiocese.
DESERT HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
Enrolling
2017-2018
Desert Hills High School provides students with pathways to success in a safe and nurturing small school environment. We at Desert Hills are committed to providing each student with a rigorous, high-quality education in an AdvanED-accredited school serving young people in grades 9-12.
At Desert Hills High School, students know that they belong! They participate in a wide variety of academic, athletic and artistic programs designed to instill a passion for learning and community service.
Desert Hills offers an education delivered by caring instructors, and our unique block scheduling allows the flexibility to catch up on credits and accelerate learning in order to achieve individualized goals.
Desert Hills is extremely active within the East Valley. Students participate in a wide range of service opportunities, along with sports, clubs, college and university tours and much more, including our popular art and music offerings and agricultural program. For those hoping to graduate with career experience, our Vocational Program and EVIT partnership builds skills in robotics, digital media production, engineering, broadcasting, culinary arts and much more.
We also are partners with a wide range of college and career institutions, including Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Grand Canyon University and the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at Desert Hills High School for information on the many ways we can help students begin their college and career journeys.
We are looking forward to an exciting year, which begins Monday, August 7, and we would like to see you join our Desert Hills family!
Sincerely,
Dave Miller
Principal, Desert Hills High School
Mesa’s wide school selection tailors education to each student
BY HEIDI HURST Tribune Guest Writer
From award-winning neighborhood schools to unique, specialized programs, find options for every child at Mesa Public Schools
At Mesa Public Schools, diverse educational options are available for all students.
Franklin schools are traditional
Franklin Elementary schools take a traditional approach to education.
Students sit at individual desks in a teacher-centered classroom and follow an accelerated curriculum, and behavior expectations are high.
Franklin schools use the researchbased Spalding program for phonics and reading.
“Spalding is structured and provides repetition, which younger children need in reading,” said Emily Kelly, Franklin at Alma principal.
Franklin students are graded on an accelerated scale. For example, an A is 94-100 percent. Students receive progress reports every three weeks, and if a child receives a D or below, the teacher personally calls parents with an explanation.
seen this program before, they say, ‘Is it always that quiet in the room?’ The kids have fun in the classroom, and yes, they can talk. But when it’s learning time, it’s learning time.”
Montessori spurs independent learners
In district Montessori classrooms, students are in a different type of environment. Based on the work of Dr. Maria Montessori, an early 20th century Italian physician and educator, Montessori classrooms are filled with materials that provide experiences for self-motivated independent learners.
Montessori students are placed in multiaged classrooms, based on developmental periods. It is common for students to spend several years with the same teacher. With a balance between freedom and responsibility, students are encouraged to progress at their own pace. Hands-on learning is crucial to ensuring learners are engaged.
“Parents, especially in kindergarten, are impressed with how much their children accomplish,” Kelly says. “If they haven’t
“Montessori reflects kids’ natural curiosity,” explained Dawn Foley, director
(Tim Hacker/Mesa Public Schools]
Montessori kindergarten students puzzle out things at Pomeroy Elementary School.
of curriculum. “Students are given learning outcomes but decide when and how they will achieve those outcomes.”
District Montessori educators are accredited by the state and the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education.
Free K-6 Montessori is available at Bush, Johnson and Pomeroy elementary schools, and a fee-based preschool program is available at Jordan Center for Early Education.
Learning in two languages
At Hermosa Vista and Keller elementary schools, students in the dual-language program are taught half the day in English and half in Spanish. Subjects taught in Spanish are math, science and social studies.
Math concepts are reinforced in English. Students do not need to be Spanishspeakers to succeed in the program.
“When a child is young, what they’re acquiring is so new to them that they’re quickly going to be at the same level for both languages,” explained Veronica Betance-Sandoval, district world languages specialist.
“It’s complicated to believe that it’s possible to get those kids to understand what you’re saying, but then you see it. It helps that we have the most enthusiastic teachers as part of the program.”
The dual-language program is available to students in kindergarten through sixth grade at Keller Elementary, and to students in kindergarten through second grade at Hermosa Vista Elementary, with a subsequent grade added each year.
A global education in Mesa
At Summit Academy, students learn via the highly respected International Baccalaureate program, which focuses on inquiry learning and multi-cultural awareness.
At the elementary level, or primary years program, lessons come alive for IB students because they use creativity to study issues through questioning. There is an emphasis on critical thinking, problem solving and lifelong learning.
At Summit Academy, students can choose to continue with IB at the school in seventh and eighth grade. However, at the elementary level, it’s all-inclusive.
An important aspect of the IB program is world language. At Summit Academy, students take Spanish beginning in kindergarten. At Mesa Academy for
Advanced Studies, which offers the IB Middle Years Program to sixth- through eighth-graders, students may also take Mandarin Chinese.
Mesa Academy and Summit Academy students have the option of entering the IB diploma program at Westwood High School.
Award-winning neighborhood schools
Mesa Public Schools continues to break records for awards that honor excellence.
Currently, the district has an unprecedented 27 A+ Schools of Excellence.
The list includes elementary schools such as Brinton, Falcon Hill, Red Mountain Ranch, Whitman and Zaharis. To attain A+ status, these schools meet student needs, both academic and non-academic, and demonstrate high achievement. Opportunities at Mesa Public Schools are endless.
No matter what parents are looking
for, an excellent choice is just around the corner. Learn more at mpsaz.org/success.
– Heidi Hurst is a spokeswoman for Mesa Public Schools.
(Tim Hacker/ Mesa Public Schools) Summit Academy International Baccalaureate Spanish teacher Martha Garchow high-fives a student during a game meant to teach counting in Spanish.
Chandler schools’ chief:
Judge us by our grads
BY CAMILLE CASTEEL Tribune Guest Writer
As we make final preparations for the start of the 2017-2018 school year, I want to take this opportunity to thank the families of 45,000 students for choosing Chandler Unified School District as their educational provider.
In CUSD, parents may choose from a menu of personalized learning experiences that best meet the needs of their children.
We know you have choices and we work hard to ensure a safe, learning environment for students with many backgrounds and learning styles.
We are known as a premier district of choice. Academic achievement is a high priority in the district as evidenced by test scores that exceed state and national averages.
We pride ourselves on providing outstanding educational programs at all grade levels, including:
• Mandarin Chinese and Spanish immersion programs,
• Elite Performance Academy for our serious young student-athletes,
• Accelerated Middle School,
• STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) diploma,
• Nationally recognized academic, fine arts and athletic programs,
• College preparatory advanced placement instruction,
• Accelerated International Baccalaureate study,
• Science and biotech classes that promote critical thinking,
• Chandler On-line program,
• Access to a variety of preschool and afterschool programming.
Our governing board is visionary and is determined to make Chandler
Unified the top school district in the nation through its Journey 2025 10-year strategic plan.
It focuses on four areas: outstanding students, world-class employees, organizational culture and effective resource management.
Each year, the board determines keys strategies and adopts metrics to measure our success.
Please visit our website at cusd80.com to view our progress.
In order to meet those high standards, our teachers and staff work hard to prepare students for life and career, have diverse paths for learning, create global understanding, provide student-centered learning and engage parents in the success of their child.
Our students are problem solvers, engaged learners, service-oriented, ethical, value diversity and think critically and creatively.
Judge us by the graduates we produce.
In addition to state and national honors in academics, fine arts and sports, CUSD’s 2017 graduating class earned more than $118 million in college scholarship offers, 30,096 college credit hours and nearly 113,000 service learning hours.
As you can see, I am very proud of the accomplishments of our students and
dedicated staff.
I am so confident that we can find the right school environment for your child that I invite you to contact my office at 480-812-7600, so that my staff and I can assist with placement for this year.
– Camille Casteel is the superintendent of Chandler Unified School District.
(Special to the Tribune)
Chandler Schools Superintendent Camille Casteel says students graduate from her district schools as engaged leaders, problem solvers and serviceoriented citizens.
So, Treasures 4 Teachers was born.
Treasures relies mostly on corporate donations for its stock.
“We got a lot of donations from manufacturers,” Blalock said. “We get things from OfficeMax, Target, Jo-Ann, Staples. We have an ongoing donation from Staples every month.”
Last month, Treasures gave out an electronic stapler from Staples with a $10 purchase.
Treasures also gets unusual donations, “things you wouldn’t expect,” Blalock said.
through boxes and looking at the books in a reading program kit. She was in Tempe this time because her daughter is in a drama club nearby.
“I got a box of file folders last time. And a set of shelves, but they didn’t fit in the car, so I had to come back,” she said.
“Ping gives us beanbags” –actually moisture-absorbing bags that can be used as beanbags. “Ikea gives a lot of different things,” she says, pointing to a bin full of purple candles.
Boeing gives them plastic caps from airplane panels. A medical supplier gives them plastic tubing that can be used for crafts or decorating.
They’ve accepted carpet squares, wallpaper and fabric samples. Lately, a bin full of picture frame corners – just the corners – has been available. Last spring, big boxes of leftover Christmas ornaments were there for the taking.
Treasures also takes donations of used items or money from the public. Teachers can find old board games, notebooks, shoeboxes and cardboard tubes.
The items they get are offered to teachers at a tiny price, from free to $1 for a bag full of things and $5 for a bigger bag. They also have furniture, office chairs and bookcases.
The $5 Fill-A-Bag gives the most bang for the buck, Blalock says. Teachers usually fill those bags with brand-new donated books.
“A man gets them from his book sources,” she said. “What he doesn’t want, he donates. He brings them by the pallet.”
“Fill-A-Bag is really cool,” said Heather Maxwell, a fifth-grade teacher at Litchfield Elementary in Litchfield Park.
She makes the long drive because she feels it’s worth it.
“I’d say that I spend at least $300-400 a year out of pocket,” she said. “This helps.”
Maxwell and other teacher friends found out about Treasures 4 Teachers and decided they needed to check it out.
“The first time I was here, there were about six or seven of us on a field trip,” she said.
One recent morning, she was going
“I buy a lot of books for my classroom. I get extra supplies, free three-ring binders. I’m pretty sure they don’t have anything like this anywhere.”
Once, she grabbed a bunch of old VHS cassette cases for free. She had sets of fraction strips for each student, and she used each case to hold a full set. Each student then had their own set perfectly contained.
Like Maxwell, teachers are pretty good at coming up with uses for the treasures. But here, they have help.
“Our volunteers create kits from the stuff they get,” Blalock said. “That way, it’s ready to use.”
Treasures 4 Teachers has 115 volunteers and 13 staff members.
Memberships, which last a school year, are $35. Treasures 4 Teachers also offers
“scholarships” to cover the cost for first-year or needy teachers.
“The Tempe Diablos help with that,” Blalock said. “They’ve been great about giving us funding for memberships.”
Last school year, Treasures gave away boxes full of supplies to teachers. Each box had sets of pens, pencils, rulers, pencil cases, liquid glue and glue sticks, markers, crayons and more. More boxes full of supplies will be given out this school year, too.
Treasures is trying to spread the idea around. There’s another Treasures 4 Teachers in Tucson. Members can shop both locations.
When the Tucson location opened, Treasures wondered how they’d get some of their donated items down there.
“But as soon as they opened, donations started pouring in,” Blalock said. “They’re self-sustaining.”
Treasures has a mobile program, too.
“Thunderbird Charities gave us $25,000 to go to schools that need school supplies,” Blalock said. “We give them out for free.
“It’s a win-win for the businesses, teachers, students and the environment. Seventy-five percent of the donated items would have ended up in a landfill.”
Treasures 4 Teachers is at 3025 South 48th St., Suite 101, Tempe. Shopping hours are Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Check-in ends 15 minutes prior to close. Information: 480-751-1122, treasures4teachers.org, facebook.com/Treasures4Teachers.org.
(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Bins chock full of plastic pieces, pens, pipe cleaners and more can be used to fill a bag for $1.
(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune)
Barbara Blalock says Treasures 4 Teachers tries to do something special for teachers every day during the summer.
UNRIVALED OPPORTUNITIES
Higley Unified School District is the choice of neighborhood families. Students take their advanced academics, athletics, arts, and leadership into the local communities and throughout the world.
ACADEMICS
35+ AP/dual enrollment courses
National Merit Scholars
DECA regional state medalists
BioTechnology
Embry Riddle Engineering
ASU partnered language programs
LEADERSHIP
Service leaders: community, state, national Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership State DECA officers SkillsUSA
ASU Leadership Scholarship recipients
ATHLETICS
NCAA Division 1 Athletes 2016-17 football state champs
Positive Coaching Alliance
Unified Sports Program State Tournament Qualifier: wrestling, basketball, football soccer, softball, volleyball, track, golf
THE ARTS
State champion marching band
State title indoor percussion
Thespian Honors Society
Stellar fine arts, visual arts music and theater programs
