November, 2014 S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T :  Letter from the administration  Early Release Schedules Desert Mirage Elementary School F r o m I N S I D E TH I S I S S U E : Soccer Game 11/3 Early Release 11/5 Box Tops 11/6 Soccer Game 11/10 No School 11/11 Early Release 11/12 Kids @ Hope Luncheon 11/14 Soccer Game 11/17 Early Release 11/19 No School 11/2628 Santa Shop y o u r p r i n c i p a l Dear Parents, Thank you to everyone for attending our Fall Carnival. It was great to see students enjoying the games and many wearing their costumes. I want to thank Central Christian Church for providing the carnival games and music. On Monday, Nov. 10th, we hope you will join us for our Desert Mirage Veterans’ Day Assembly. We will be honoring our veterans and active duty service members with a short ceremony on the lawn behind the cafeteria. The DM choir will be singing a variety of patriotic songs; and our own Mr. Clawson, Staff Sargent in the Air Force, will be sharing his thoughts on Veteran’s Day. We would love to have any Veterans, current members of the armed forces, family members and community members join us for this event. On the evening of Nov. 10th, the Desert Mirage Choir will be having their Patriotic Concert at 6:00 pm. It is sure to be a wonderful evening. Desert Mirage will be hosting a Kids at Hope Luncheon on Nov. 14th for 12/1-10 the ACES that support our Bobcats. We hope to see parents, guardians, grandparents, aunts, uncles and important friends join us for lunch. We will have Thanksgiving Break Nov. 26th, 27th and 28th. I am very thankful for the wonderful students, teachers, staff, parents and community members that make Desert Mirage such a wonderful place. Please look for educational articles we will be including in our monthly newsletters. This month’s article is called “Autism Defined”. Susie Torrejos Principal Margie Suero Assistant Principal A C A D E M I C A C H I E V E M E N T Congratulations to the students at Desert Mirage who excelled in the academic instruction. We are proud of you! Honor Roll Kaley Campbell Miyah Davis Zemzem Elemo Elizandra Herrera, Joaquin Hoskie Melanie Sanchez Aisha Khan Honor Roll Brett Baehr Jenessa Estorga Brianna Grady Jada Johnson Layne Marquez Yasmin Mendoza Jacee Noriega Joey Orta Rachel Reynolds Mrs. Heroux’s Homeroom Mrs. Garcia’s Homeroom Principal's List Zeen Alqaraghuli Thomos Del Cid de Santiago Kiley Fratt Mia Hernandez Raquel Nowakowski Brianna Saenz Principal's List Jordan Hall Mackenzie Carlos Makayla Byus Mrs. Knoebel’s Homeroom Honor Roll Kendre Godson Priscilla Knoebel Robert Kramer Miguel Nowakowski Honor Roll Josafat Alexander Sean Ball Jacob Caballero Omar Canales Robert Lincoln Ally Nguyen Angelica Sanchez Darren Strauch Mrs. Pacheco’s Homeroom Ms. Bridgford’s Homeroom Principal's List Hannah Cisneros Bella Farmer Ciara Smothers Principal's List Sidney Casillas Liam Costello Jocelyn Lopez Brianna Maldonado Honor Roll Alisson Acosta Corrales Alexis Frederick Roselyn Gutierrez Samir Noriega Agamez Mrs. Richardson's Homeroom Principal's List Hayden Camp Maci Danowski Sarah Garcia Mackenzie Parkhouse Maritza Pimental Salazar Honor Roll Dominic Medina Luis Bernia Rodriguez Mr. Martinez’s Homeroom Scholastic Merit Samantha Lu Alexa Maestras Principal's List Rook Bowman Tony Chavez Marrisa Cintron Honor Roll Zahraa Alqaraghuli Amnesty Chavira Jordan Hammes Tank Hodge Roselin Ramos Kristen Trieb Catherine Zarate A C A D E M I C A C H I E V E M E N T Congratulations to the students at Desert Mirage who excelled in the academic instruction. We are proud of you! Mr. Clawson’s Homeroom Principal's List Jenesis Barajas Kayden Blakely Landon Davis Raymond Gerkitz Haydn Kelly Charisma Medina Danielle Thomas Honor Roll Leslie Giron-Castro Elizabeth Negrete Kelly Grady Isaiah Lopez Weaver's Warriors Scholastic Merit Lizveth Rodriguez Carrillo Ms. Robertson-Tate’s Homeroom Principal's List Anton Benedetto Isabella Gutierrez Kimberly Sanchez Amanda Smith Tommy Thompson Andrea Villezcas Principal's List Miranda Beltran Sarayah Levert Jael Noriega Agamez Daniela Nunez Sally Phan Kayla Souza Dominic Torricelli Honor Roll Erickson Cabera Desiree Para Mrs. Necaise’s Homeroom Principal's List Victoria Cisneros Samantha Lopez Eric Machado Ivran Romero Ariana Saiz Honor Roll Jailyn Crenshaw Andrew Lacrosse Aiden Ly Matthew Messer Aaron Socaciu Samantha Velazquez Robertson’s Rockstars Scholastic Merit Kierstin Smothers Principal's List Genesis Gonzales Mohammad Khan A diana Perez Sara Shorty Allen Vega Honor Roll Marina Castaneda Angela Wilson Earegood Geiger Nation Principal's List Sienna Blakely Michelle Lemka Arisa Mora Honor Roll Xavier Gomez Robert Sanchez Kevin Trieb Daniel Vides Fall Festival-Fun for Everyone Bobcat Pride Awardees We are proud of our students and the excellent behavior they model. Here are the students selected for the month of September. The names published in the October Newsletter were the winners for August. KG– Alexis Stewart and Frances Duenas 1st - Dino Haley and Isabel Lopez 2nd - Evelyn Silva and Nicole Zarate 3rd - Yanexa Mendoza and Nicholas Saenz 4th - Zeen Alqaraghuli and Kaley Campbell 5th - Gabby Barba and Jacob Caballero 6th - Sarah Garcia and Jordan Hammes 7th - Victoria Cisneros and Andrea Villezcas 8th - Elizabeth Nunez and Dominic Torricelli EARLY RELEASE DESERT MIRAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 8605 W Maryland Ave. November 5, 12, and 19 Glendale, Arizona A.M. Preschool 8:10 A.M. — 10:10 A.M. P.M. Preschool 10:40 P.M. — 12:40 P.M. A.M. Kindergarten 7:30 A.M. — 9:30 A.M. All-Day Kindergarten 7:30 A.M. — 12:00 P.M. Grades 1-8 7:30 A.M. — 12:00 P.M All children are capable of success… Dear Parents of 6th-8th grade students, Please come to our 8th Annual High School Expo! Attending the expo will give students and families a wonderful opportunity to see what high school options are available in our community. With local high school representatives being there, many of your questions can be answered as you plan for your child’s future. Students will have a chance to win door prizes by entering their names into our expo drawing. Refreshments will also be available. Come join us as we plan for the future! Questions: Asking questions is a great way to help narrow your school search. Be sure to consider your child’s needs when asking questions. Create a sheet of pros and cons for each school. Here are some questions you may want to ask: ¨ Is this school public, private, charter or alternative? ¨ Where is the school located? ¨ If your child has special needs, what kind of support can the school provide? ¨ What kinds of facilities are provided at the school? (i.e. modern buildings, wireless/laptops, computer lab, playing field/sports facilities, etc.) ¨ How many students attend the school? (Do you want your child to attend a larger or smaller school?) ¨ Does the school have a traditional academic program or an alternative/creative approach to learning? ¨ What is the school’s level of academic performance on AIMS? ¨ How much technology is used in the classroom? ¨ What extracurricular activities are offered? ¨ What are the expectations of parent involvement? ¨ What is the school’s discipline policies? ¨ How does the school communicate with parents? 8th Annual High School Expo November 5, 2014 The Hope Center 10550 West Mariposa St. Phoenix, AZ 85037 5pm—7pm If you have any questions please email Mr. Zañartu [email protected] Mr. Zañartu, School Counselor Autism Defined 1 in 68 children nationally are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, making it the most prevalent childhood developmental disorder in the U.S. (CDC 2014) WHAT IS AUTISM? Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive developmental disorder that encompasses Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Formerly, each disorder had distinct criteria. Now only one set of criteria exists with all three under a single diagnosis: ASD. ASD is characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Although the presentation of ASD varies significantly among individuals, it affects every age group and occurs in all ethnic and socioeconomic groups. It can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination, sensory processing and attention, as well as physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. While there is no known cause for ASD, it likely begins in very early brain development (quite possibly even before birth) long before observable symptoms of the disorder ever emerge. The disruption in brain development leads to an interrupted learning process and as a result, development occurs more slowly. Currently trained professionals can only diagnose ASD by observing emerging behavior or by noting significant differences from how a person's peers function. For many, the most obvious signs and symptoms of ASD tend to emerge between 2 and 3 years of age. For others, differences may not become obvious until childhood, adolescence, or, for some, even adulthood. VERY EARLY INDICATORS As early detection improves, we are heading toward a shift in our consideration of ASD as a behavioral disorder. We need to stop waiting for behaviors to emerge before we consider an individual to have ASD. As we develop more accurate early detection methods, we may be able to identify the learning disruption that leads to ASD. Then we can develop more effective treatments that can improve learning and prevent ASD related behaviors from ever emerging. CURRENT VERY EARLY INDICATORS  No babbling or pointing by age 1  No single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2  No response to name  Loss of language or social skills  Poor eye contact  Excessive lining up of toys or objects  No smiling or social responsiveness  Difficulty with engaging Does not seem to enjoy or seek interaction with others LATER INDICATORS  Impaired ability to make friends with peers  Impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others  Absence or impairment of imaginative and social play  Stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language  Restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus  Preoccupation with certain objects or subjects Inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals WIDE VARIATIONS FROM PERSON TO PERSON The presentation of ASD can vary widely from person to person in three areas: 1. Cognition - Some people may have a significant cognitive impairment, while others are gifted in some areas. Many have average or near average IQ. 2. Communication - Some people with ASD may not develop functional communication, while others may have speech, but not use it functionally. Still others will develop language on time and use it appropriately, but have limited social communication skills. 3. Socialization - Social impairment is a hallmark feature of ASD. Some may have little or no desire to socialize, and therefore, do not develop age appropriate skills. Others may have a strong desire to socialize, but because of ASD, they have difficulty interacting appropriately. As a result, they don’t get to socialize as much as they would like. 4. No one presentation fits ever yone with ASD. It’s impor tant to avoid ster eotypes like, “All people with autism do . . . .” Remember, there are just as many individual differences among people with autism as there are among people without autism. Each person has his or her own combination of strengths and weaknesses. As with anyone, we at SARRC choose to emphasize people’s strengths, while also recognizing and supporting their challenges. Autism Incidence Rates The most recent prevalence report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates 1 in every 68 children have ASD, but that's a national aver age acr oss specific states that contr ibute data to the CDC's surveillance study. In Arizona, the rates are slightly higher at 1 in 64. This doesn't mean living in Arizona presents any increased risk for having a child with ASD. It actually means we're better at detecting ASD in Arizona, par ticular ly among Hispanics. The r ates will likely continue climbing as detection and awareness improves. In fact, other studies of population rates indicate they could be as high as 1 in 50. Regardless of the specific rates, many people live with ASD in our society today. We need to do our best to provide opportunities for them to improve the quality of their life.