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Superintendent's Message February 16, 2018

2nd Period Dance Class at FHHS

Dance is Back in Fountain Hills!

Another new elective at both the high school and middle school this year is dance. Taught by FHUSD alumna Gianna Levin, dance is offered as a year-long course to one section of 5th grade students, two sections of combined 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, and two sections of high school students. Altogether, there are 135 students enrolled in these dance classes.

Ms. Levin attended FHUSD schools from kindergarten through 12th grade and shared with me that one of the best parts of her experience this year is, "......seeing kids dancing on the same gym floor I danced on and practicing in the same dance room I used to practice in. It's also great getting feedback from parents about their appreciation for dance being back in our schools and how they appreciate their kids having the opportunities they have in our program."

Though Ms. Levin has worked with middle school-aged students before, she had not taught middle school classes until this year. One of her favorite surprises has been how fun and enthusiastic the middle school dancers are in her classes. "Any idea I throw at them, they run with it enthusiastically! They are so eager to learn and they take it very seriously. It's been great working with them every day!"

"At the high school, starting the pom team has been a lot of fun because it provides more performance opportunities for those students who want to perform. It also raises school spirit and adds another sense of connectedness to the school environment."

A typical dance class begins with a 10 to 15 minute warm-up which combines stretching, conditioning, and technique. The warm-ups are codified and memorized. The class then works on "technique in the center" (which I learned means all of the students working together), followed by "technique across the floor" (which I learned means two students at a time doing the given movement and demonstrating for the rest of the class). Students then work on a combo, or snippet of a dance, for the remainder of the period. A different combo is learned every week and they cover different dance genres including jazz, ballet, and modern.

Junior Caitlyn Prucella said, "Dance is different from any other elective. You get to express yourself and learn what you're good at. I felt comfortable from the very beginning and I've learned a lot of dance moves that I never discovered on my own. I loved the dance concert and was surprised at how big the crowds were for both nights."

Jordyn Halvorsen, a senior, is also enjoying this year in dance. "Since I'm from a competitive dance background, it's cool to have my friends from there in the same class with me. I love the class! Ms. Levin is great because she's very concerned about all the dancers and helps everyone. She's very encouraging to everyone."

Dance is another example of the amazing electives available at the middle school and high school. It's nice to have choices.

Mr. Jagodzinski's School Safety Upgrades Survey

Mr. J. is in the final stretch of his doctoral program and as part of his dissertation, he is studying the perceptions of parents, teachers, and support staff in regard to school safety upgrades within the school district. The study is entitled School Safety Upgrades and Perceptions on Safety Protocols in Prevention of School Shootings.

The study utilizes an online Google survey, and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The link to the survey is provided below. The purpose of this study is to identify the safety upgrades and protocols that have been implemented in district schools and to gauge how effective they are perceived to be by parents, teachers, and support staff. I am confident that the information gathered from his dissertation will be beneficial to our school district and to other schools across the country.

For more details, see the high school's newsletter linked above.

Please follow this link to participate in the survey: School Safety Upgrades Survey

Regards,

Patrick Sweeney, Ed.D
Superintendent

Looking Ahead

View Upcoming Events

02/19/2018	President's Day--No School
02/22/2018	Kindergarten Round-Up @ MMES between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM
02/23/2018	Kindergarten Round-Up @ MMES between 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM or between 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM.
02/23/2018	Senor Taco Day--Fundraiser for McDowell Mountain Elementary School (the school receives 5% of all proceeds)
02/24/2018	15th Annual FHUSD PTO Gala @ We-Ko-Pa Resort, Fort Mcdowell, Gala Information: http://www.fhusdpto.org/gala-event/