T H E E VA E D I T I O N

THE EVA EDITION Parent Newsletter for East Valley Academy Volume 4, Issue 2

December 2009

Principal’s Pen Dates to Remember December 10 Awards Ceremony

December 16, 17, 18 Finals

December 18-19 Early Release, 10:50 am

December 20-Jan 3 Winter Break

January 4 School Resumes

January 13 Late Start

January 18 No School-Civil Rights Day

January 21 SIAC meeting, 5pm

Defining the Future For information regarding the proposed recommendation for the 2010-2011 school year, visit www.mpsaz.org/ future. Your input is encouraged!!

Dear Parents, It has been a busy and productive first semester. Considerable focus has been placed on academic success in the classroom, and teachers have gone above and beyond to assist students in being successful. I have been delighted to see many students taking advantage of the tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:30 and our lunch time tutoring program. Please encourage your students to take advantage of these opportunities. The AIMS tests were administered in October to those students needing to retest. We will hopefully have the results to send home with students before the winter break. Be sure to ask your student to see his/her scores. The next round of AIMS testing will be in February for reading and writing and in April for mathematics and science. Eleventh and twelve graders who have not passed these and all current tenth graders will be testing at this time. We will continue to hold our popular Saturday AIMS sessions to help prepare students. Letters are being sent home to all students who qualify for these special AIMS tutoring sessions. Call Mrs. Baldwin at 472.9352 for more information. My MPS, an online communication tool that gives parents access to information about their child, is available. We are glad to see many of our parents taking advantage of this wonderful communication tool. If you have not received your activation information, please call 480.472.9351. Graduation is rapidly approaching. If your senior has not turned in their baby picture, please send one as soon as possible in order to be included in the graduation media presentation. You may also call Pam Lemons in the media center at 472.9357 to see if your senior has turned in all necessary items for graduation. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. A BIG thank you to the anonymous family who sent flowers with the lovely note. We do appreciate the kind words! Thank you to all our parents for sending your student to East Valley Academy. Sincerely, Susan Scoon

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Who’s in the Spotlight? Students of the Month Student of the Month is an honor that is earned through academic achievements. Each month teachers from each department are given the opportunity to select the individuals they wish to have recognized. Students are selected from both the morning and afternoon sessions and names are posted on the bulletin board in the main hallway as well as read aloud during school announcements and printed in the East Valley Academy Newsletter. Also, at the end of each semester an awards assembly is held to further allow recognition from peers and staff. September Spanish Reading Science Math English Social Studies October Spanish Reading Science Math English Social Studies

A.M.

Steffen Vickman Charles Dale Charlotte Flores Derek Grell Marc Lukey Kori Shapiro and Norma Silvestre

Manuel Jimenez Allora Arnold Jose Medina Gonzales Paula Lobato

A.M.

P.M. Allora Arnold

Sara Desmarais Adrianna Garza Marc Lukey Cyerra Salaz Pope Clayton Agren

Perfect Attendance-Way to Go! Blanca Alvarez Esthela Alvarez Allora Arnold Eduardo Avila Elide Barcenas Danielle Barnett Brigham Brown Emily Burke Yarely Cardenas Jacob Collins Sara Desmarais Omar Duarte Sarah Easterday Johnny Esparza

P.M.

Gabrielle Felix Charlotte Flores Howard Gaebel Dominique Gonzales Johnny Goude Jr Holly Graham Fisher Carlos Gutierrez Mckenzie Hamilton Cynthi a Hernandez Vanessa Hernandez Kiara Holt Manuel Jimenez Wendi Laramie Nicole Lusk Ana Martinez

Gabriela Noguiera Sabrina Thompson Celia Romero Gerardo Rocha 10-22 through 11-11 Veronica Martinez Skylar McMillan Rita Maria Mendez Chad Mills Nathan Modlin Zachary Molina Gina Myers Pamela Ochoa Raquel Ojeda Ramirez Nicholas Puglise Amy Quintana Diana Quintana Francisco Rojas Celia Romero Jason Ruan

Chelsea Sanchez Suri Sanchez Laura Smith Ashley Stockton Gabriel Suarez Erin Thompson Sabrina Thompson Amanda Tiernan Kendra Tokeshi Jesus Torres Terrazas Kara Vaden Jaqueline Vazquez SteffenVickman Daniel Villalba Brandon Whitaker

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Citizen of the Month Each month staff members submit to the Awards Committee names of students who have been shown to be outstanding citizens on a continual basis. While the award is not an academic award, the recognition garnered for these outstanding citizens can be based on peer leadership, cooperation, courtesy, generosity, respect or any number of other redeeming qualities exhibited both in and out of the classroom. Students are selected from both the morning and afternoon classes and names are posted on the bulletin board in the main hallway as well as read aloud during school announcements and printed in the East Valley Academy Newsletter. EVA students are involved and active in making our school a better place; they are doing great things and deserved to be recognized for their efforts. September A.M. Carlos Gutierrez September P.M. Denise Vasquez

October A.M. Gabriela Nogueira October P.M. Vanessa Hernandez

Native American Student Achievement In June and July, Samantha Nez attended the Med Start summer program at the University of Arizona. She took three college classes and had the opportunity to experience the college lifestyle. She also got to go on different field trips to nearby medical facilities in Tucson. Samantha plans to go into the health career field.

Deductive Reasoning After completing a chapter on deductive reasoning, Mrs. Endrizzi's Geometry classes used their logic skills in writing. The medical students were asked to persuade an elderly patient to check-in to an assisted living facility. Other EVA students chose topics related to their EVIT studies. If you walked down EVA's hallway, then you saw the wonderful display. If you didn't walk down EVA's hallway, then you missed seeing the wonderful display! (What type of logical statements did you just read?)

Sundaes on Friday

Answer: The last two sentences are a conditional statement and an inverse.

Ask your EVA student if they have enjoyed a caramel or chocolate sundae lately. Every three weeks students with PERFECT attendance can enjoy making their own ice cream sundae at lunch. Remember PERFECT MEANS PERFECT so no absences or tardy slips are accepted. Miss School – Miss Out!

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AIMS Update The Fall AIMS retesting took place in late October. We are hoping to receive the results prior to the December break. Results will be sent home with the students and a phone message will notify parents when this occurs. All retesting students had a staff mentor who worked to encourage your student’s preparation and positive mindset for the test. A cadre of teachers offered AIMS tutoring for reading, writing, and math. A number of students took advantage of this free tutoring, and hopefully this paid off for them during testing. All tenth graders will be tested in the spring. Those students who have tested previously but still need to pass will also test, as well as any student who has passed, but wants to try for a score of Exceeds. AIMS Spring Testing dates are as follows: Writing Reading Math

February 23 February 24 April 7

Please ensure that your student is in class by scheduling appointments after school hours or on different dates. Your child can prepare for this assessment by paying attention in class, having good attendance, and attending AIMS tutoring. To request AIMS tutoring, please call Ms. Baldwin at 480-472-9352. EVA provides mentors for all students who have taken the AIMS and not yet met the standard. Providing an environment in which all EVA students can perform at their highest level on AIMS is a specific goal of all EVA staff.

My MPS Mesa Public Schools is proud to introduce My MPS, an online communication tool that gives parents access to information about their child. Using the Internet, a parent can review and monitor school information for their child, including attendance, grades, class schedule, course history and AIMS test scores. Each family will have an activation key to login to My MPS and creat an account. With the user ID and password, the parent can view and monitor information for each of their children. Activation keys are available in the school office. As a safety measure, the district asks that you visit the school office to pick up and sign for your activation key. Families who have children at more than one MPS school may visit the most convenient campus to receive the code for all children in the family. For instructions on creating a My MPS user account with your activation key, parents may refer to the instructions that will be distributed with the activation key or visit the district Web site at www2.mpsaz.org/mymps. Student achievement is our top priority in Mesa Public Schools. Research concludes that a parent’s interest and participation in their child’s education is a key to academic success. Please call 480-472-9351 for more information.

Technology at Work for EVA Students in Room 145 In order to provide more opportunities to all EVA students, the computer lab is now open continuously on Monday through Thursday from 8:00am to 5:30pm and Friday from 8:00am to 2:37pm. This will allow students to come in if they need extra time to finish assignments for their A+ lab class or MDLP class.

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Message from our Success Facilitator – Jo Ann Baldwin Seniors have their eye on the prize – graduation! In just six months, those seniors who have fulfilled MPS and Arizona requirements for graduation will walk down the aisle and receive their diplomas. Mark your calendars for May 27th at the Mesa Center for the Arts. Students will practice in the morning from 8:30 11:00 A.M. and the evening graduation will begin at 7:00 P.M. For those seniors graduating in December, we will honor you with a graduation luncheon in the EVA Student Center on December 11 at 10:00am. Family members are welcome to attend. Please RSVP with Ms. Baldwin at 480-472-9352. We encourage all December graduates to come back and walk in the ceremony in May.

Important Graduation Information Students may order graduation announcements, rings, caps and gowns, and other senior products through Herff Jones, and its representative – Eric LaDue. Mr. LaDue gave an assembly presenting school rings. Seniors voted on their choice of Graduation Announcements. Students were given information regarding caps and gowns, and announcements. Mr. LaDue is happy to answer all questions and can be contacted at 480-688-5382.  Seniors, bring in your baby pictures and “baby blurb” (short message) to the Media Center ASAP. This information is used in a media presentation on graduation night. Pictures are scanned and returned to students.  If seniors haven’t already paid their $20 registration fee, the fee is due to Mrs. Peters immediately. Checks can be made payable to East Valley Academy.  Cap and gown fee of $32.40 was due November 26. If you have not paid it, please do so.  Graduation pictures for seniors have been taken by Lifetouch Photography here at school and will be used as the “senior picture” for the yearbook and in the graduation media presentation. If a student obtained senior pictures from another source, they can be included by bringing them to Ms. Lemons in the Media Center. Important Dates December 10 Awards Ceremony, 10:15 and 2:00 December 11 December Graduate Luncheon A lot of hard work goes into making Graduation a very special evening both the graduates and their families will remember for years. Please help us by paying your fees and turning in the needed information in a timely manner. We also want to ensure that NO students miss their own graduation due to financial hardship. Please contact Ms. Baldwin at 480-472-9352 for support regarding finances or to give contributions to assist a senior with fees. All of these matters are kept confidential. .

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Counselor’s Corner — Mrs. Patterson KUDOR Career Planning

Success Bulletins

Mesa Public Schools has purchased the KUDER career planning program for all of the schools. Our 10th graders will be doing the interest inventory and skills assessment beginning in November. Our 11th graders will be doing resume writing. Our 12th graders will do college and scholarship searches using the KUDER program. Mrs. Patterson and Mrs. Lemons, our Media Center Specialist, will be assisting the students in using this program.

Students and parents may access the current month’s Success Bulletin on EVA’s website. Visit www.mpsaz.org/eva. A paper copy of the Success Bulletin may also be obtained in EVA’s office or Media Center. The most important part of the Success Bulletin is the listings of scholarships available for our students. It is each student’s responsibility to find his/her own scholarship. After meeting with Mrs. Patterson, students wanting to continue their education should see Mrs. Lemons in the Media Center. She will show them how to access the Success Bulletin online as well as access the Kudor program. Additionally, new scholarships come to the Media Center daily. Seniors should be checking weekly with Mrs. Lemons to see what new scholarships have come in.

Senior Planning Conferences Mrs. Patterson has finished meeting individually with each of EVA’s seniors this month. Some of the items discussed with each senior were graduation status, graduation, career plans, educational plans, and tasks to complete before graduation. Please call Mrs. Patterson at 480-472-9351 if you have any questions about the items discussed.

Postgraduate Application Forms Selective Service Young men who turn 18 must register with the Selective Service. Once they turn 18, they have 30 days to register. Students can sign up by going on line at: www.sss.gov or they can go to their local post office and complete a registration form. It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s the law.

Seniors who plan to attend a 4-year school next year should be filling out the school’s application form now. Those who plan to attend community college or a technical school can complete the application now or early next year in most cases. Check with the college or school you wish to attend for details on the application process.

Protect Yourself, Your Belongings The Mesa Police remind you to keep doors and windows locked to both your home and vehicle, and never leave personal items such as purses, wallets, electronics, newly purchased items and other valuable items unattended in your vehicle. Keep garage doors closed when not in use, and please remove toys, skates, scooters and bikes from the front yard when not physically present.

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Mesa Baseline Rotary The 4th Annual Bob Saemisch Community Connections Project with

East Valley Academy 2009-2010 Rotary Coordinator: Mary Finnegan

We are excited to announce East Valley Academy’s fourth year partnership with Mesa Rotary called Community Connections. This partnership will focus on mentoring high school seniors as they prepare to move into the work force, transitioning from a member of our high school setting to a member of our community. The partnerships include the following adults and students: Mentor Student Student Student Mary Finnegan Cyerra Salaz Pope Felicia Toya Aaron Huber Paula Lobato Carlos Gutierrez Vanessa Hernandez Kit Filbey Angelina Morales Chris LaBarge Raeann Perez Amber Savory Lorena Rodriguez Daniel Lovell Ashleigh Goldwood Catherine Marguarny Gerrick Monroe Jacob Rivera Delton Harper Artemio Ortiz Geoff White Abby Lopez Bernardo Espinoza Every learning experience our EVA students are involved in allows them to grow! Thanks to all who are participating!

English Department News Ms. Perez’s sophomore class have revisited paragraph writing strategies and immersing themselves in interesting short stories. Ms. Perez will rev up their persuasive writing skills, while taking breaks with more reading. The Junior AA class has been busy with Anglo-Saxon literature and has now entered the Renaissance. We have completed a heroic creative writing assignment and soon will continue to hone their writing skills for their up and coming Composition class next year. Mrs. Stebbins' Combo English 11 and 12 class is currently studying Greek mythology. Students will be composing an essay exploring the importance of mythology and children's stories to a culture. English 12 students are studying world literature and analyzing the literary elements found in short stories and poems. Students in the A.M. class will be writing an essay describing someone heroic in their lives, while students in the P.M. class will be composing a biography. Students in English 11 are continuing their exploration of American literature by studying the literature and ideals of the American Revolution. Students will be working on an essay in which they propose a social change in our community and use elements of persuasion to convince us this change is necessary to improve our lives. Mrs. Baldwin’s sophomores have been busy learning research techniques, and will revisit the 6 traits of writing this term, and then work on honing their persuasive writing skills. The senior English and Dual Enrollment students of Mrs. Baldwin are currently completing a Rhetorical Analysis of a Website. Their next task is to write an argument of definition. The following skill will be to examine and then complete a casual argument.

Principal– Susan Scoon Phone: 480-472-9351 Fax: 480-472-9393 Their Potential Students Reach Helping All

EVA High School WE’RE ON THE WEB! www.mpsaz.org/eva MESA, ARIZONA Permit No. 161

PAID NONPROFIT ORG U.S.POSTAGE

S.H.OUT Club members are busy helping our community. Individuals are working to feed the homeless at Paz de Cristo. We will be continuing our monthly work sorting medical supplies for Project CURE. We also hosted a Halloween Party for La Mesita on October 30. Students presented the children with home made masks, played games, colored, and provided refreshments. We will be sorting food for the United Food Bank as well as picking citrus in late winter. We will also be setting up a team for a charity walk in the early winter. It’s not all work for S.H.OUT members, however, as they continued with the fun after hosting the La Mesita party by meeting at Golfland for pizza, and then a trip through the Gauntlet Haunted House. Some of us played Spooktacular Goofy Golf instead, but a good time was had by all. S.H.OUT Club is EVA’s service learning club, and all EVA students are welcome to attend. Students who complete 150 or more service hours from 9th through 12th grade receive a gold seal on their high school diploma and recognition for their service.

Mesa Unified School District #4 East Valley Academy High School 1727 West Main Street Mesa, Arizona 85201

November S.H.OUT News

Buy Yearbooks Now East Valley Academy yearbooks are on sale now! A limited number of yearbooks have been ordered; please buy your copy soon. Purchase a yearbook by bringing $35 and visiting Mrs. Lemons in the Media Center. Remember to keep your receipt for proof of purchase!