View this month’s Paw Prints school newsletter.
Desert Meadows 6th Grader Wins District Science Fair
Congratulations to Desert Meadows School 6th grade student Selasi Abaya who took the Grand Prize Award in the district science fair. Selasi engineered and demonstrated a food airdrop.
Each Laveen school sends their two science fair winners from each grade level (Grades 4-8) to compete at the district level fair. Ribbons were awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from each grade level.
Desert Meadows students compete in mock trials
Six Desert Meadows Youth and Government Club members participated in a mock trial at the recent Judicial Conference hosted by the Valley of the Sun YMCA.
Members prepared for several weeks by digging through the details of a case — preparing questions, opening and closing statements, and witness testimony. They combed through police reports, affidavits, and evidence, just as they would in an actual case.
They participated in two trial simulations and were scored by a judging panel on their statements, arguments, questions, etc.
The team; consisting of Emily Cota, Alexandria Grayman, Arianna Quintero, Luis Ruiz Piñon, Jeffery Jackson-Martinez, and Shahid Clarke; took 3rd Place out of the eight middle school teams that competed.
Preschoolers Create Statues To Reflect Who They Are
Desert Meadows School preschool students finished their first unit of “Who we are” and made paper statues of themselves to express how individual and special they are.
Students brought home outlines of themselves and, with their families, listed all the things that make them special. The statues were returned to school and displayed around the cafeteria so families could view them.
School Newsletter for September
View this month’s Paw Prints newsletter, published by Desert Meadows’ Newspaper Club.
Desert Meadows Principal Receives Pinnacle of Leadership Award
Desert Meadows Principal J.P. Ketcham was honored with the district’s Pinnacle of Leadership Award at the September Governing Board meeting. This award honors administrators for their exceptional leadership, outstanding accomplishment, and dedicated service to Laveen’s students and community.
District Implementing Closed Campus for 2018-19
All Laveen schools will move to a closed campus when the new school year begins in August 2018. Read the principal’s letter for more information.
Students Take Virtual Field Trips
In the Desert Meadows classroom, students watched as dinosaurs sat atop the desks, they entered the eye of a tornado, and also took a tour through space. It was all part of Google’s Augmented Reality (AR) Pioneer Program in which students take virtual field trips.
Using AR technology, teachers select a module and place 3D objects in the physical classroom. By holding a programmed smart phone up to a coded sheet of paper, students can walk around objects and move in close to see details.
The Expeditions AR program allows teachers to bring the world into their classrooms, helping engage students with immersive lessons that aligned with grade level standards.
Preschool is Coming to Desert Meadows
Desert Meadows will be adding a preschool for the 2018-19 school year. Registration for this program begins February 6, 2018.
The tuition-based program will be run by certified teachers and will have the same operating hours as our school, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Preschool will be open to children that are four and five years old. Three-year-olds may be accepted depending on available space. Children must be potty-trained prior to enrolling.
Please visit the district Preschool page for more details.
Join our interest list to be informed of important preschool updates.
Meadows Students Participate in Hour of Code
Desert Meadows celebrated Computer Science Education Week by participating in Hour of Code. Students from kindergarten through eighth grade learned about careers in computer science and had the opportunity to code their own app, game or website. We encourage parents to join the Hour of Code movement by going to Code.org.