Message from the Superintendent: We made it! The end of another successful school year

Is it me, or did this school year go by incredibly fast? It is hard to believe we have come to the end of another school year. This is a good time to reflect on all the accomplishments and progress your students have made and begin to reenergize yourself for next school year. This summer, I hope you take time to rest and do some of the things you enjoy doing.

When I was hired as superintendent, the Governing Board asked me to do three things:

• improve the culture and climate of the District;
• address the financial challenges the GESD was facing; and
• improve student achievement and learning, the primary reason for our existence.

We can be proud of the significant progress that’s been made in two of these three areas. Although progress has been made in the student achievement area, we need to continue our work in this area to ensure ALL students are learning at the appropriate rate. Your contributions to this growth are appreciated.  A positive climate and culture, and healthy, sustainable finances are the foundation for raising our students’ academic achievement levels.

At the beginning of this school year, we made a commitment to be All In as it relates to student achievement.  This commitment and effort must continue. We will carry this effort forward as we proceed to more clearly define our practices for ensuring student learning. We will refine pacing guides to assure consistency in the standards being taught to students throughout the District. We will also refine our student assessment practices to ensure assessment data is timely and beneficial in our efforts to identify and respond to students’ learning needs. In addition, we will reach agreements on the resources we will use to support student learning.

Fredi Lajvardi, a teacher from Carl Hayden Community High School, will be the keynote speaker for our Welcome Back event to start next school year. Mr. Lajvardi is one of two teachers who led a team of students to the Marine Advanced Technology Education Center’s Annual International Remotely Operated Vehicle robotics competition in 2004. This group of high school students competed against and beat college teams from all across the United States, including MIT. Some of you may know, four of the students on Carl Hayden’s team were undocumented immigrants. 

Mr. Lajvardi will reinforce that when we raise expectations, students will meet them. The Carl Hayden students are an example of this, and they have much in common with the young people in our classrooms. Our students will rise to the expectations we set for them. We need to raise our expectations and support you in getting them there. Focused and structured intentional work led by our Educational Services Division and other departments will be a priority for us moving ahead.

The accomplishments of the Carl Hayden Underwater Robotics Team are outlined in the documentary, Underwater Dreams. We are in the process of making this documentary available to you and hope you are able to watch it prior to the Welcome Back event in August. The movie Spare Parts is the Hollywood version of the same story. 

Again, thank you for your hard work and commitment to our students, community and school district. Best wishes for a safe, restful summer break. I look forward to seeing all of you in early August!

Segotta-Jones appointed assistant superintendent for education services

The Glendale Elementary School District Governing Board unanimously approved the appointment of Cindy Segotta-Jones as the District’s new assistant superintendent for educational services.

Segotta-Jones has been an educator for 34 years. After starting her career as a second-grade bi-lingual teacher in Texas, she dedicated the majority of her career to the Cartwright Elementary School District where she served as a teacher, principal, and director for early childhood education, language acquisition and curriculum and instruction. Segotta-Jones also served as the assistant superintendent for educational services at Cartwright, where she took the district from having six underperforming schools to none. Her extensive experience in education also includes GESD, where she served a brief stint as interim director of curriculum and instruction, and for the past year as the IT and School Improvement Coach at one school.

Segotta-Jones earned her Bachelor’s degree from Adams State College, where she held a dual major in elementary education and Spanish; and a Master’s degree from Arizona State University in elementary education with an emphasis on early childhood education.

Payroll news and reminders

Balance of Contract

Balance of Contract amounts will be paid through the same method employees elected to receive their regular pays. Therefore, those employees who have direct deposit will receive their balance of contract via direct deposit; those who get live checks will receive live checks. Balance of contract checks will be issued June 18.

Performance Pay

The first half of 2014-15 Performance Pay is scheduled to be paid to eligible employees on July 2.  For those wishing to bridge the gap to the first regular pay of the new school year, the Payroll Department is offering July 30 as an alternate date to receive this performance pay.  Payment will be issued via the employee’s regular pay method (direct deposit or live check).  A Performance Pay Selection form is available on the Payroll Department web page. The form is due by May 29, 2015.

Year-Round Pay

Returning employees who opted for year-round pay will receive regular bi-weekly pays through August 13, 2015.  Employees who are terminating at the end of the school year will receive their final check on June 18, 2015.

Important Dates

As the 2014-15 school year winds down, please make note of the following important dates:

• May 21, 2015        Pay #23 for Pay Period Ending May 8 for All Employees
• May 28, 2015        Last Day of School
• May 29, 2015        Teacher Workday/Checkout
• June 4, 2015          Pay #24 for Pay Period Ending May 22 for All Employees
• June 18, 2015       Pay #25 for Pay Period Ending June 5 for All Employees  PLUS  Balance of Contract for Teachers/Employees Whose Work Calendars End this Period (Employees on year-round pay will continue to receive paychecks every two weeks throughout the summer.)
• July 2, 2015          First Half of SY 14-15 Performance Pay to Eligible Employees
• July 27, 2015         New Teachers Report for Induction Training
• July 30, 2015        Optional Date to Receive First Half of SY 14-15 Performance Pay
• August 3, 2015      Returning Teachers Report for Orientation/Training
• August 10, 2015    First Day of School
• August 13, 2015    Final FY 14-15 Pay for Employees Who Chose Year-Round Pay Option
•                               First Pay for New Teachers
• August 27, 2015  First Pay for Returning Teachers and Other School-Term Staff
• June 16, 2016       Balance of Contract Pay for FY 2015-16

Please contact the Payroll Department at extension 7105 if you have any questions.

Professional growth documentation due for classified, certified

Classified Professional Growth documentation for classes already approved and completed, grade reports (i.e. transcripts or certificates of completion) are due by June 15. Applications for any new classes/workshops to be taken need to be submitted before to the start of the class/workshop. Any salary increases warranted will be applied at the start of the employee work calendar. Please refer to the Employee Handbook for more detailed information regarding this program or contact the Human Resources department if you have any questions.

Certified staff who anticipate salary advancement for professional growth must submit an official transcript of completion of coursework/training no later than June 15 to be eligible for next year.

3rd Annual Digital Learning Academy set for June 5

The GESD Educational Technology Team invites you to the Third Annual GESD Digital Learning Academy on Friday, June 5, from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Challenger.

As we look forward to next year, and the continuing changes in standards, a renewed commitment to utilizing technology as a learning tool for students continues to grow. GESD teachers are fortunate to have such resources as a SMART boards, document cameras and projectors in every classroom. These tools have enriched instruction and presentation of information for students in meaningful and engaging ways. The addition of four computers in nearly every classroom has done the same for students, who now have more opportunity than ever to process and publish their learning through digital resources.

One of our primary desires is to provide you the necessary assistance to utilize the technology available to you in meaningful ways. This is communicated in the GESD Vision Statements: “Inspiring Learners as Leaders,” and the strategic goal, “We organize instructional time and resources around a 24/7 global learner.”

The GESD Digital Learning Academy is a step toward providing this support. We hope you will join the Educational Technology Team for a day designed to be both educational and inspiring. The Third Annual GDLA offers a diverse program with a range of sessions to match the needs of our beginning technology users as well as our teachers who are proficient at integrating technology into their instruction. For more information, and to sign up go here.