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Articles from December 2023

Vista Students Recognized in Statewide Art Contest

December 13, 2023
General

Congratulations to Vista del Sur students Leiya Thompson and Kirsten Smith who were recognized by the Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) for their outstanding artwork.

Thomson took 1st Place in the K-2 division. Smith was a finalist in the 7-8 division.

First Place winners will receive a $100 Visa Gift card and a $100 donation to their school’s art department and/or art program. Finalists receive a $25 gift card.

Both students will have their artwork will be displayed at the ASBA-ASA Annual Conference from Dec. 6 – 8, 2023 at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort, on the walls of the ASBA office in Phoenix, and showcased in the ASBA Journal Magazine, ASBA Connect e-newsletter and on ASBA social media.

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10th Annual Winter Festival a Success

December 4, 2023
General

Thank you to all who came out and supported our 10th Annual Laveen Winter Festival. We appreciate all the families and community members who participated in our school-sponsored activities and shopped at the vendor booths and food trucks. Proceeds from this event support the Laveen Education Foundation which provides scholarships to Laveen alumni.

The following businesses sponsored this year’s event.

 

Premier Sponsor

Chasse Building Team

Silver Sponsor

Ghaster Painting & Coatings

Bronze Sponsor

Laveen Dance
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Math Adoption Committee Reviews Publishers

November 28, 2023
General

The K-8 math adoption committee is in the process of reviewing potential curriculum for adoption to begin in the 2024-25 school year. The committee is currently reviewing the following publishers:

Great Minds: K-8 Eureka Math 2

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: K-8 Into Math

Kendall Hunt Publishing: K-8 Illustrative Math

The materials are currently on digital display for community input. Login information can be found here. If you have any questions or comments please contact: Dr. Tracy Watkins at twatkins@laveeneld.org

Visit our Curriculum Adoption page for more information.

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US News Ranks Vista Del Sur in “Best” School Ratings

November 16, 2023
District News

Laveen’s Vista del Sur Accelerated Academy has once again been included in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best” elementary and middle school rankings.

Vista del Sur received a “Best” ranking in both the elementary and middle school categories for 2024.

This recognition is based on the schools’ success in educating students from all socioeconomic backgrounds with the goal of preparing them for success in high school.

“Vista’s impressive rankings speak to the commitment of the schools’ leadership, teachers, and staff to provide each and every student a quality education,” said Dr. Jeff Sprout, Laveen Superintendent. “Our families must also be commended for the level of support they provide to their children as well as their support of the schools’ educational programs.”

The rankings are based on students’ performance on the 2021-2022 mathematics and reading/language arts state assessments and their results in the context of socioeconomic demographics, such as free or reduced-price lunch and underserved ethnicity groups.

U.S. News & World Report predicted math and reading achievement levels based on this data. The greater the actual results compared to the predicted results determined a school’s ranking.

Over 68,000 schools nationwide were evaluated by U.S. News. Vista del Sur was one of 1,100 K-8 schools across the nation to be included in both the best elementary and best middle school rankings.

In addition to being named a Best Elementary and Middle School, Vista was named one of the top ten middle schools in Arizona, being ranked as #8 among Arizona middle schools. The school was ranked #22 in Arizona Elementary Schools.

Vista del Sur is an accelerated school where all students work a grade level ahead in mathematics and English language arts. The school is a U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and an Arizona Educational Foundation A+ School of Excellence. It also received the U.S. News Best Ranking in 2022. It has historically received an “A” label from the Arizona Department of Education each year.

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