SUSD Update:
2020-2021 School Year Enrollment
- Regular enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year begins Dec. 2. Click here for more information.
- Priority period 1 for open enrollment applications ends Dec. 1. More information on open enrollment can be found here.
M & O Budget Override
Thank you, SUSD Community, for taking part in the recent Maintenance and Operations budget override election. We appreciate your support of the important programs this override funds, including current classroom sizes, all-day kindergarten, technology, professional learning opportunities for staff, competitive teacher pay and cocurricular studies, such as art, music, world languages and athletics.
School Letter Grades
- State Board of Education school letter grades for the 2018-2019 school year saw 27 of 29 SUSD schools receiving a grade of either an A or B.
- 16 schools repeated their A grades from the previous school year.
- Coronado High School improved from a C to a B.
- Desert Canyon and Ingleside Middle schools improved their B's to A's.
- Tonalea K-8 students grew in 10 of the 14 test areas.
- Additional resources are committed to Tonalea and Yavapai Elementary to help raise their state school letter grades.
Growth Schools
- Enrollment growth over the past year at Anasazi Elementary School and Echo Canyon School has met goals established for them in 2018. As a result, they have been removed from the 'growth list.'
- Support will continue for Navajo and Yavapai Elementary schools over the next year as they reach for the 400-student threshold. Unique circumstances at Navajo (Aug. 2018 fire forced students and staff from their home campus) and Yavapai (hosting Hohokam Elementary for the next two school years while Hohokam is being renovated) contributed to their remaining on the growth list.
Superintendent Search
Applications are being sought for to fill the position of SUSD Superintendent, from which our current superintendent, Dr. John Kriekard, will retire on June 30, 2020. The application window closes Jan. 10, 2020. Consultants McPherson and Jacobson are overseeing the process.
The SUSD Governing Board has approved the following selection criteria for the next superintendent:
- Data-driven decision making that has produced successful academic outcomes for all children
- A culture of accountability to all stakeholders of the schools and community
- A strategic approach to identifying the needs of the district and our students and possess the ability to develop plans that target measurable growth in identified critical areas
- An understanding of the importance of creating an exceptional educational experience that enables the district to attract and retain students, parents and staff.
The Board will select finalists for the position Jan. 27 - 31. It will interview finalists Feb. 10-14.
Coffee with Kriekard 
T
he Coronado Learning Community is the next stop by Dr. Kriekard in his visits around SUSD this school year. Coronado High School will host the event on Dec. 18 in its Lecture Hall (Governing Board meeting room) from 8 - 10 a.m., or until the last question is asked and answered. While the event is geared toward schools in the Coronado feeder pattern (Hohokam, Pima, Yavapai, Tonalea and Coronado), all SUSD constituents are invited to the event. Dr. Kriekard will provide an update on learning community and District-wide initiatives, and take your questions.
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Gifted Pre-K Program Expands to Kiva Elementary
SUSD is pleased to announce that it will add a Pre-K Gifted classroom at Kiva
Elementary for the 2020-2021 school year, complementing the
Pre-K Academy at Redfield Elementary.
The Gifted Pre-K Academies at Kiva and Redfield are designed for identified young children who have superior verbal and quantitative abilities and talents. Enriched classroom environments are led by gifted-certified teachers and include musical instruments and a world language.
Find out about Pre-K testing and enrollment at
susd.org/Gifted
, or by calling (480) 484-7932.
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SUSD High Schools Make the STEM Grade
Arcadia, Chaparral, Desert Mountain and Saguaro are among Newsweek magazine's top 5,000 STEM high schools for their excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs, and dynamic learning environments. The announcement was made on National STEM Day, Nov. 8.
A broad set of quantitative and qualitative data inputs from the past four years were used by STEM.org Educational Research to determine the top schools.
"Children don't realize it, but they're natural STEM learners," says Nancy Cooper, Newsweek's Global Editor in Chief. "We need to make sure that innate drive curiosity and creativity aren't lost along the way. These high schools are helping to ensure America's future in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is in good hands."
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It's the Real Thing: Coca-Cola Scholars Semifinalists
Chaparral's Riley Glick joins Desert Mountain's Jessica Keane, Tara Namie and 1,925 other high school seniors nationwide who have been named semifinalists in the prestigious 2020 Coca-Cola Scholars Program.
The SUSD trio's applications were chosen from among 93,000 submitted to the annual scholarship program. It recognizes outstanding 12th graders for their capacity to lead and serve, and for having demonstrated their commitment to making a significant impact on their schools and communities. Regional finalists for the $20,000 scholarships will be named in the coming months.
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Schools' Cans, Robots Converge, Canal-side
Scottsdale Arts' recently concluded Canal Convergence annual event featured the imaginings of SUSD students who were tasked with turning pink, recycle garbage bins into works of art. In so doing, the bins had to emphasize the Convergence's theme this year, "The Story of Water." As you can see, students from Anasazi, Laguna, Pima, Pueblo, Tonalea and Yavapai took on the creative challenge with great enthusiasm!
Additionally, Arcadia, Chaparral and Saguaro High school art and robotics students were challenged to destruct, then reconstruct, recycle bins to portray the future of sustainability. Focused on innovation, technology and design, each class received access to city experts to advise their creations.
Thank you to Scottsdale Solid Waste Services and Cox Communications for supporting this public art project!
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Theater Students Take Center Stage
The on-stage and behind-the-scene talents of SUSD Theater and Theater Tech students were on display at the annual Arizona Thespians Festival in Phoenix. For two days, high school students from around the state rehearsed, re-wrote, rolled out cable and performed with and for each other.
SUSD students were outstanding ... of course!
- Saguaro freshman Spencer Wareing's 10-minute, original play was among the three chosen out of 29 submissions to be 'workshopped' in the prestigious 'Playworks' playwriting competition.
- Chaparral senior Cannon Cook won the Ovation Scholarship.
- Desert Mountain students won the Improv tournament.
- Chaparral seniors Cole Carney, Alyssah Clavien, Cannon Cook and Sophie Streich had the best cable-rolling time out of 61 teams, taking the state title for the second year in a row.
- Two Desert Mountain students were cast in the final three Playworks productions, with one appearing in the winning show.
- Saguaro's light-hang team grabbed third place.
- Chaparral and Desert Mountain were named Gold Honor troupes for their community service, performances and activities throughout the year.
- Chaparral's Advanced Theater and Theater 3 students performed a one-act musical, The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley, earning a Superior rating and finishing second among 47 entries.
Look out, Broadway: here comes SUSD!
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Arcadia Marches Away with State Titles; Band Director Honored
When the Spirit of Arcadia High School marching band rolls in to a state tournament, heads turn, including those of the judges. And rightfully so - Arcadia brought home the hardware not once, but twice, in the recently concluded 2019 marching band season. Arcadia nabbed both the Arizona Marching Band Association (AzMBA) Class 2A and 1A/2A grand championships, as well as the Division III Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association (ABODA) state title in back-to-back weekends. WOW!
What's more, Arcadia director Jan Gardner has been named one of School Band and Orchestra's "50 Directors Who Make a Difference." Gardner represents Arizona in the magazine's December 2019 edition that will be out soon. Directors are nominated by students, former and current colleagues, musical instrument retailers, band parents, administrators, friends and former band directors. Reviving the dormant Arcadia music program to this in just a few years is truly an amazing accomplishment!
Shout-outs, too, for the Saguaro High School marching band, which finished fifth in ABODA's Division IV, and Chaparral's marching band for its sixth place finish in Division III. Desert Mountain had a good season, as well, finishing sixth in AzMBA's 3A/4A grand championship competition
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Fall Sports Wrap-up
Football:
Let's start with the BIG news - Saguaro High School will play Dec. 7 in the first-ever AIA Open Division state championship game, facing 6A power Chandler High School. The #3 Sabercats, winners of six consecutive state championships, go into the Sun Devil Stadium tilt with a 9-1 regular season record. En route to the title game, they knocked off #6 Horizon and #7 Hamilton by a combined score of 69-19. The #1 Wolves defeated Chaparral's #8 Firebirds and #4 Salpointe Catholic to get their title shot. No matter what happens on Saturday, it's going to be super-exciting!
Congratulations to Saguaro head coach Jason Mohns, named the Arizona Cardinals' High School Coach of the Year.
Swim & Dive: 
What would a Division I girls swim and dive state championship competition be without Chaparral standing atop the podium? The Lady Firebirds swam away with their sixth consecutive state title in November (four in Div. 1, two in Div. II), with three juniors - Ashley Strouse, Greer Pattison and Morgan Brophy - taking three events each, two individual and one team. Team titles included a state-record time in the 200-yard medley relay, as well as medals in the 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle relays. Xavier came in second, and it wasn't even close, 480 points to 320.
Desert Mountain sophomore Kylie Ney won the 500-yard freestyle title in Div. II.
Newcomers to the podium this season were the Saguaro boys swim and dive team, which took the Div. III title behind first-place finishes in the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relays, and the 1-meter dive. Just eight students comprise the Sabercats team - Henry Bentson, Asher Good, Miguelangelo Miranda, Parker Orcutt, Gage Quick, Caden Richter, Denton Smith and Caden Spychala, making the accomplishment even more amazing! Saguaro edged out Phoenix Country Day by 23 points in the win.
In Div. I, Chaparral senior Matthew LeBlanc won the 100-yard breaststroke, having taken the title each of his high school years as a Firebird. LeBlanc is headed to Penn to swim next year. Teammate Ellis Bohon took the 500-yard freestyle title. He will swim for Grand Canyon University next year. The Chaparral boys swim and dive team finished second to Brophy this year.
In Div. II, Arcadia junior Grant Stoddard brought home medals in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly.
Golf:
Shooting a 6-under-par 140 secured Arcadia junior Gavin Aurilia the Div. II boys state golf championship in late October in Tucson. The Arcadia team finished third overall; Saguaro was ninth. Chaparral finished third in Div. 1 play.
Badminton:
Congrats to the Saguaro duo of Nancy Cryan and Israa Kingwaba, finalists in the Div. II badminton doubles championships. The girls nearly pulled off the upset of #1 Mesquite in two, tight sets. Since then, Cryan has been nominated as a potential Player of the Year and is on The Arizona Republic's All-Arizona badminton team. Teammate Kingwaba received an Honorable Mention, as did Chaparral's Emi Pham in Div. I. Pham and sister Midori made it to the state doubles semifinals this year.
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Upcoming Events
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Dec. 3:
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Governing Board Special Meeting, 5 p.m., Rooms A & B, Mohave District Annex, 8500 E. Jackrabbit Rd., Scottsdale
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Dec. 3:
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SUSD Gifted Education Parent Seminar: "Mindfulness, Mental Health and Well-being - Meeting the Needs of Gifted Children," 6 p.m., Community Room, Saguaro High School, 6250 N. 82nd St., Scottsdale
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Dec. 11:
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Early Release - All grade levels
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Dec. 14:
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First Lego League (FLL) Robotics Tournament, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Mohave Middle School, 8490 E. Jackrabbit Rd., Scottsdale
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Dec. 17:
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SUSD Governing Board Regular Meeting, 5 p.m., Board Room, Coronado High School, 7501 E. Virginia Ave., Scottsdale
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Dec. 18:
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"Coffee with Kriekard" - Coronado Learning Community, 8 - 10 a.m., Lecture Hall,, Coronado High School, 7501 E. Virginia Ave., Scottsdale
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Dec. 18 - 20:
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High school final exams - Early Release -
High school only
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Dec. 20:
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End of Quarter 2/Semester 1
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Dec. 23 -
Jan. 3:
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Winter Break
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