Laveen Elementary School launched new specials this year in STEM. Students were asked to build towers under certain parameters. Then, they reflected on their strategies and collaborated before rebuilding them.
Special Guests Practice Yoga with Laveen Students
Laveen School celebrated this year’s first day of yoga with some special guests.
Mascots from the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, NAU, and GCU all practiced yoga with students and their families.
Laveen Students Take Virtual Field Trip
Imagine staring into the eye of a miniature Category 5 hurricane or getting up close with a strand of DNA. The Google Augmented Reality (AR) Pioneer Program visited Laveen Elementary School with tools that allowed students to do just that!
Laveen Elementary students went on AR field trips, using AR technology to place 3D objects in the physical classroom. Students walked all around the objects, got in close to spot details, and stepped back to see the full picture. The Expeditions AR program allowed teachers to bring the world into their classrooms, helping engage students with immersive lessons that aligned with grade level standards.
Laveen Student Receives “I Can Do It” Award
Congratulations to Laveen School 8th grader Taji Sneed! Taji is the recipient of the Arizona Council for Exceptional Children’s “I Can Do It!” award and was recognized at the February Governing Board meeting. The “I Can Do It!” award recognizes students for their accomplishments in a variety of areas despite their disabilities.
Laveen Students Attend Statewide Youth Conference
Twelve students from Laveen School, a teacher, a counselor, and Dr. Caplinger attended the “Speak Up, Stand Up, and Save a Life” Conference at Grand Canyon University. This conference focused on mental health issues in schools and how students can stand up and make a difference in the lives of their peers.
GCU’s Mascot, Thunder, Participates in Yoga
Grand Canyon University’s mascot, Thunder, visited Laveen School to participate in their morning yoga program. The university’s Antelope took the center mat and performed numerous yoga exercises alongside 200 students. Thunder also brought purple GCU t-shirts for the students.
Laveen’s successful yoga program started back up the last week in August.
Laveen Schools Move to E-Flyers
Beginning in August 2017, Laveen schools will utilize Peachjar’s e-flyer system to distribute flyers, newsletters, and other student-centered information to parents.
E-mail blasts containing flyers from your child’s school, PTO, or non-profit student-centered activities will be sent to parents generally once a week. Flyers are maintained on a dedicated webpage for later reference.
Only school information such as school newsletters, event flyers, and PTO happenings as well as approved flyers from non-profit child-centered organizations such as Girl Scouts, ball leagues, and local community groups will be sent to the email addresses on file for each family. Parents should make sure their school office has their current email address.
Parents may sign up for a free Peachjar account to utilize added features, like combining schools. But, this is not necessary to receive flyers.
Visit www.laveenschools.org/e-flyers for more information.
Laveen Students Go “Above and Beyond” with ASU
Access ASU brou
ght their “Above and Beyond” program to Laveen School. Students in Grades 3-5 participated in the college readiness program — the goal of which is to inspire younger students to start thinking about future career interests.
The students broke into smaller groups and rotated through sessions to hear from ASU alumni describe their careers and how they got to where they are. Alumni touched on the topics of following dreams, finding success, and overcoming obstacles. Guest speakers from the career fields of engineering, psychology, and law presented.
Bus Pass System Being Implemented
Laveen is implementing a new bus pass system for the 2017-18 school year. Because safety is a primary concern of the Laveen School District, this bus pass system will tell our dispatchers if a student was on board and where they exited.
All school buses will be equipped with electronic card readers; new student ID badges that contain a chip will be issued to all bus riders. As students board and exit the bus, he or she will tap their badge against the reader. A green light will illuminate on the reader if the swipe is successful.
While these two measures won’t be fully implemented until August 2017, our front office staff is currently preparing for the new procedures which will take effect May 15, 2017. Transportation labels will be affixed to student badges. This label will contain the student’s route number and bus stop location. In the event a student boards the wrong bus or is unsure as to where they should exit, the bus driver can easily look at the sticker and ensure the student is where they should be.
As these two phases are implemented, it will be important that your child have their badge with them each day. We will never leave a student at the bus stop in the morning and will bring all students to school. However, a student who has forgotten their badge must report to their school office for a temporary pass for the ride home.
Southwest Institute of Healing Arts Provides 100 Yoga Mats to Laveen School
Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) provided 100 yoga mats to students at Laveen School for their new Mindfulness program. The mat purchase was part of the Institute’s February fundraising campaign to support Laveen’s before-school yoga program.