A Message from the Board
President
On behalf of the Governing Board, I want to take
this opportunity to wish everyone at TUSD the
happiest of holiday seasons.
This year, in light of the sobering national and
international events of the past several months, it
seems particularly important to relax and rejuvenate
our spirits with loved ones. The familiar themes of
community-building and collaboration on a district
level that I have stressed throughout my tenure as
Board president also apply to our need for strong
ties with family and friends on a personal level.
I also encourage you to reach out and connect
with your neighborhood schools during this holiday
season by attending annual musical concerts and
dramatic productions.
Consider lending your support to one of the many
food drives, toy drives or other fund-raising
activities that our students organize at this time
of year to help their less fortunate neighbors.
Adult participation in such activities truly is the
best way to model for our students a lifelong
commitment to community service.
Speaking of role models, I want to personally
congratulate Kathy Lloyd and Kathy Krucker for their
recent recognition as Arizona Science Teachers of
the Year (see article).
Their achievement not only inspires their colleagues
and students, but it also brings state and national
recognition to the positive work we do at TUSD.
Across the state and around the country,
educators acknowledge the alarming shortage of such
committed and passionate teachers, particularly for
science and math.
With that in mind, TUSD has begun a collaborative
effort with the Arizona Board of Regents to improve
teacher education (see
"Partnership Grant for Improving Teacher
Education,").
Through a partnership between Arizona State
University and TUSD's Science Resource Center, we
will provide opportunities for new teachers to
develop best practices in math and science
instruction that ultimately will help our students
achieve greater academic success.
One of the most uplifting portions of each Board
meeting is the ratification of such collaborative
efforts that create expanded opportunities for our
students In November, for example, we were pleased
to recognize three grant-funded projects involving
TUSD and several community organizations: Linking
Intervention Networks for Kids in Schools (LINKS),
an alcohol, drug and violence prevention program (see
article); and Opening Minds Through the Arts
(OMA) and Project Shine!, two initiatives that
incorporate arts-infused programming into the
academic curriculum (see
article).
My heartfelt thanks to these and all the
hardworking employees of our district who help make
TUSD the best it can be.
Carolyn Kemmeries
Board
Report
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