Articles from December 2022

Laveen’s Kids Club is now enrolling for Winter Break Camp. Camp is open to children in Grades preschool-6 and will be held December 20- January 3 at Desert Meadows School. Visit our Day Camp page for details and to register.

On October 28, 2024, the Arizona Department of Education released new letter grades for each school based on the latest state assessment data from the 2023-24 school year. All schools in the Laveen School District have received top marks with Four schools earning an “A” rating and five schools earning a “B” rating from the Arizona Department of Education for 2024. Laveen District schools are the highest-performing schools in the community.

Laveen Elementary School, Paseo Pointe Dual Language Academy, Estrella Foothills Global Academy, and Vista del Sur Accelerated Academy all received “A” Labels. Cheatham, Desert Meadows, Rogers Ranch, M.C. Cash, and Trailside Point received “B” Labels, also considered to be “Highly Performing.”

Background: The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) issues annual achievement profiles for every public school in the state of Arizona, based on an A through F scale. The system measures year-to-year student academic growth; proficiency in English language arts, math, and science; the proficiency and academic growth of English language learners; and acceleration/readiness indicators.

Each year one teacher from each school is selected to receive the district’s Excellence in Education Award. This prestigious award is given to those who attain high academic achievement for their students, provide exceptional service and leadership at their school, and make a positive difference outside of the classroom and in the community.

Congratulations to Laveen Elementary School, Luke Smith

The Laveen School District will be implementing a change to the district calendar beginning next school year (2024/25) that will impact the Wednesday half-day schedules.

Currently, we have 15 half days each year in which our staff receives professional development following dismissal. We also have four half days for parent/teacher conferences.

Next year, instead of the 15 half days in which our schools dismiss three hours early, we will dismiss an hour and a half early every Wednesday (36 days).  Half-day schedules on parent/teacher conference days as well as the last day of school will remain unchanged.

The reason for this change is twofold.

First, early-release Wednesdays allow for more instructional time in core subject areas. Students will follow a schedule similar to a full school day. This change will make the calendar more consistent for families.

Second, Laveen is in the process of implementing Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for staff. By offering this time weekly, instead of once or twice a month, staff will receive more quality research-based training that is conducive to developing a strong Professional Learning Community and will ultimately improve student learning.

For more information, visit our FAQ on this topic.

Read the letter from Superintendent Dr. Jeff Sprout.

Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, all Laveen students will receive breakfast and lunch at no charge.

The Laveen School District has been selected to participate in the USDA Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). This provision to the school breakfast and lunch programs allows schools/districts to provide meals at no cost to ALL students. The program may be extended to subsequent years.

While the program is in place, families will not have to apply for free or reduced-price meals. However, all Laveen families will be asked to complete the simplified Alternate Income Form/ Formulario Alternativo para la Elegibilidad Basada en los Ingresos to collect important data used for each school’s federal funding allocations.

Adult and additional student meals, as well as a la carte items, will be still be available for purchase. Visit the Purchasing Additional Food Items page for details.

All Laveen schools are currently enrolling new students to being in August 2024.  Please visit our Registration page to enroll your child using our secure online parent portal or to access printable enrollment documents.

Parents/guardians will need to present the required documents listed below in person for verification to complete the registration process. These documents must be verified prior to the start of school.

• Child’s original birth certificate
• Child’s immunization record
• Proof of Residence, such as utility receipt or lease agreement (refer to Arizona Residency Guidelines)
• Legal papers, if applicable for custody
• Withdrawal form and report card from previous school
• Photo identification for parent/guardian.

*Please note, Vista del Sur is an accelerated school and students must take an assessment prior to enrolling. Paseo Pointe is a dual language immersion (DLI) school, incoming students must enroll in the DLI program.

All Laveen school offices are open Monday-Thursday this summer and available to complete your child’s registration. Please be advised most school offices will be closed July 1-5. Please call for hours.

Two Laveen students are the recipients of the Arizona Council for Exceptional Children’s “I Can Do It!” awards. This year’s winners are:
Michael Luz, Trailside Point 2nd grader – nominated by Sarah Steele
Gabriel Ruiz Coronado, Laveen School 7th grader – nominated by Leah Hall
The council featured the two in their conference video which can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/915838521?share=copy
(timestamps 2:55 Michael Luz, 6:26 Gabriel Ruiz)

Check out the May/June issue of our school newsletter, The Hawk. Past issues can be found under the “About Us” tab.