GLENDALE UNION A proud member of the Glendale Union High School District Moon Valley High School | 3625 West Cactus Road, Phoenix, AZ 85029 | moonvalley.guhsdaz.org | Fall 2014 Preparing each student for higher education by ensuring all students reach their full potential in every class. The Glendale Union High School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. TT El Glendale Union High School District no discrimina a raza, color, nacionalidad, género, edad, o habilidad diferenciada. From the Desk of Principal Mr. Nathan Kleve……… Rocket News is published for the parents and members of the Moon Valley High School community and is also available online at : moonvalley.guhsdaz.org. Editor: Kara Martin [email protected] The school year is in full swing and our teachers are looking to build upon our successes from last year. The 2013-2014 academic year was filled with many accomplishments, and we believe our success is a direct result of high expectations, quality teaching, student work ethic, student involvement, and parental involvement. These factors will be the driving force of our continued success. Moon Valley was recognized by the Arizona Department of Education as an “A” rated school. We are, not only the highest rated school in the West Valley, but we again led the state in academic growth points! U.S. News and World Report recognized Moon Valley with the Silver Award, an award given to the top high schools in the nation. Furthermore, Glendale Union High School District was labeled an “A” district, with all nine high schools earning an “A” ranking. Our vision statement of ,“preparing each student for higher education by ensuring all students reach their full potential in every class”, has led to the highest passing rate in the district. Our student intervention model, which includes our 8th hour program, ensures students are accountable for their learning and maintains focus on academic success. This focus has enabled students to continue to outperform their peers on state assessments. Moon Valley had the highest overall AIMS passing rate in the district! Additionally, our senior class was able to secure over $5 million in scholarships! We are extremely proud of our students as they continue to demonstrate they can compete with students nationwide. As parents, please continue to be involved in your child’s education. Our parent portal is a great opportunity to monitor their progress. The Parent Portal allows 24/7 access to your child’s grades. If you would like access to your Parent Portal contact, please contact the school at 623-915-8002. Cactus Park West Hosts Annual Neighborhood Appreciation Day On October 4th, the Cactus Park West Neighborhood Association will host its annual Neighborhood Appreciation Day. Members of the association collaborated with the City of Phoenix, Phoenix Police Department, Phoenix Fire and local businesses to bring a day of celebration to residents. Attendees will be able to visit a range of booths that will have public service information about preventing teen dating violence, recycling information from the Public Works Department, fingerprint kits for parents wishing to be prepared in case a child goes missing, and the Arizona Humane Society will have information available about World Pet Day. Moon Valley Career Center http://moonvalley.guhsdaz.org/academics/career_center Got College? Visit the Career Center and navigate your future. Located in the Media Center and open daily before and after school and during both lunches. Moon Valley is pleased to contribute in this endeavor. Our Fine Arts Department will liven up the gathering with band performances that includes our Drum Line and routines by our Dance Team and Flag Line. Our Key Club and Student Council will volunteer by running booths, cooking and serving hot dogs and brats. Neighborhood children can get their jump on in the bouncy houses, and there will be a variety of carnival style games and activities like three legged races and a pie eating contest. Local businesses are sponsoring raffles for such things as free Blizzards (Dairy Queen), certificates for free dental care (Singh Smilecare), a Fry’s grocery card, and many more. St. Mary’s Food Bank will also be there with a donation booth, so bring those canned goods and get a raffle ticket for each one. It will be a great day of fun in the community, and Moon Valley is proud to be a part of this collaborative event. GUHSD Announces Override Special Election The Glendale Union High School District is currently in the fifth year of a budget override. By state statute, every five years, a special election must be held with a majority vote necessary to approve the continuation of a maintenance and operation (M & O) budget override. This continuation will not increase taxes. The GUHSD Governing Board authorized a Citizens Committee of more than 90 people to review the district’s M & O budget with the two-fold goal of making recommendations on whether or not to call for the election, and recommending program cuts or reductions if the override funding is not available next year. After numerous citizen and community meetings, the recommendation was to call for a special election to renew the override funding, which will not be an increase in taxes. Should the election fail, the committee recommended reductions in the amount of $7.6 million. In addition to recommending the elimination of educational and extracurricular programs and services, the committee discussed alternative ways to generate revenue to compensate for the shortfall if the override fails. The committee examined such possibilities as charging fees for participation in clubs and athletics, increasing event ticket prices, and increasing student parking prices. However, the committee also realized that revenue generated from these sources is not significant enough nor are these funds sustainable to offset the need for an override. After the committee presented their findings to the board, the Glendale Union High School District Governing Board unanimously called for a special election on November 4th, for the renewal of the Maintenance & Operation Override. KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS: The following are signs that may point to a possible mental IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: health problem or emotional disturbance in an adolescent:  You are not alone  Decline in school performance  Loses interest in things usually enjoyed  Inability to cope with problems and daily activities  Unexplained changes in eating or sleeping  Severe mood swings  Poor concentration – can’t think straight or make up his/ her mind  Sexual acting out  Sad and hopeless for an extended period of time  Every child’s mental health is important  Many children have mental health problems  These problems are real, painful, and can be severe  Mental health problems can be recognized and successfully treated Did you know that 1 in 5 children and adolescents have a mental health disorder that can be identified and treated?  Anxious or worried more than other young people  Use of alcohol or drugs  Intense fear of becoming fat  Persistent nightmares  Threats of self-harm or harm to others WHAT CAN YOU DO:  Considers suicide  Listen to your child  Self-injury or destructive behavior  Don’t make judgments  Frequent outbursts of anger and/or aggression   Repeated threats to run away Assure them things can get better  Strange thoughts, beliefs, feelings, or unusual behaviors  Contact the school social worker  Unable to recover from the loss or death of someone  Avoids friends or family and wants to be alone most of the time  Inability to sit still or focus attention Geri Gardner 623-915-8175  Call the Crisis Line 480-7841500  Call 911 in emergency MV BLAST CENTER Hours of Operation Need Help? Monday - Friday 7:00 to 7:55 AM Not sure how to work out a math problem? Monday - Thursday 2:40 to 4:00 PM Want to get your homework finished? Open until 8:55 AM on EOP days. Need to finish reading a book? Study for 15 minutes in the morning you receive breakfast, Visit the Moon Valley BLAST Center and a delicious snack in the afternoon. CADETS GRADUATE SUMMER ACADEMIES By Commander Patrick MacLean In the early weeks of this summer, Moon Valley’s NJROTC cadets were busily packing and getting underway for Naval Area 11 Leadership and Sail Academies. Two groups of cadets were selected to represent the school at the prestigious Camp Navajo Leadership Academy and the San Diego based Sail Academy. Selection to either program is recognition of the cadet’s past performance and future potential. The academy at Camp Navajo developed leadership, communication, and teamwork skills. While there the cadets also participated in physical training, platoon drill practice and leadership seminars. Between events they prepared for barracks and personnel inspections. The week long training ended with a formal graduation ceremony where the cadets were awarded their silver shoulder cords, a symbol of their leadership skill. Cadet Saul Cisneros, a 2013 Leadership Academy graduate, was one of only four cadets selected to return to this year’s academy as a staff cadet. Congratulations to cadets Madison O’Neal, Cassandra Harris, Lynnisha Jones, Cesar Corral, Darron Litzin, Diego Mussi and Andrew Chavez. At the same time several hundred miles away in San Diego, California, cadets Gabriel Aviles and Skye Harris experienced a different kind of academy. Their week involved navigation, seamanship, small boat skills, and sailing. Living right on the beach of Fiddler’s Cove on Coronado Island in San Diego harbor, the cadets rose before sunrise, exercised, and got underway crewing 23, 25, and 27 foot sail boats. The academy closed out with a regatta between all nine boat crews. The cadets earned their sea cruise ribbons as well as the exceptionally rare Sail Academy award.