WESD Recognizes September 2023 SUPER Kids and SUPER Staff

The first SUPER Kids and SUPER Staff recognition of the 2023-2024 school year was held yesterday, September 21st. Congratulations to the deserving recipients from Maryland School, Ocotillo Elementary School and Orangewood School! SUPER Kids received a certificate and a free pizza from Peter Piper Pizza while SUPER Staff earned a certificate and a $10 Amazon gift card courtesy of Veregy.

Established in 2006, the WESD SUPER Kids and SUPER Staff program has been celebrating select students and staff from each school for their achievements and contributions for over 15 years. As part of the celebration, I am honored to surprise these outstanding students and staff at their schools with their award and congratulate them.

To learn more and view the September 2023 SUPER Kids and SUPER Staff, please click here.

Maryland Science Teacher Receives Arizona Association for Environmental Education Award

Congratulations to Maryland School science teacher Kate Studey who was recognized as the Outstanding Environmental Educator in P-12 Settings as part of the Arizona Association for Environmental Education (AAEE)'s Excellence in Environmental Education Awards!

The award honors individuals who are distinguished within the field of environmental education in P-12 settings. This is defined as activities that have primarily occurred within formal classroom or school environments with students ranging from preschool to high school. Candidates have completed their work to an outstanding degree that has significantly exceeded expectations, contributed to mentorship and services, engaged with diverse communities in an inclusive manner, and have actively engaged with their local communities.

Kate was officially presented with the award earlier this month at the 2023 AAEE Annual Conference in Prescott. We are very proud of Kate for representing Maryland and the WESD Family!

Mountain Sky PE Teacher Surprised by Fiesta Bowl Charities

Mountain Sky Junior High School PE Teacher Brittany Oddo was in for a big surprise earlier this week. In partnership with College Football Playoff Foundation, Fiesta Bowl Charities presented Ms. Oddo with $1,000 to thank her and celebrate all she does for her students. The award is part of College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers Week, which is dedicated to honoring and recognizing great teachers nationwide. As part of this celebration, Ms. Oddo was selected to receive the award on Tuesday, September 19th, during Big Day for Teachers. Congratulations to Ms. Oddo on this incredible achievement!

Be on the Lookout for our Parent Satisfaction Feedback Survey

One of the main goals of the WESD and Governing Board is to provide students, families and staff the opportunity to provide feedback about our schools. As part of this goal, we are proud to offer our annual Parent Satisfaction Feedback Survey to help us improve and grow as a district.

Be on the lookout for this year’s survey, which should be released after fall break on October 16th and be available through Parent/Teacher Conferences until October 27th. This will be a great opportunity to share your feedback and opinions with us. More information is coming soon! The WESD is working on getting feedback from every family.

Tell Us How We’re Doing through our We’re Listening Tool

In addition to our Parent Satisfaction Feedback Survey, we are also proud to provide our new We’re Listening tool. This tool allows us to listen to comments and questions at all times from our families, staff and community. We have received over 80 responses since introducing the tool earlier this spring, and I want to thank those that are sharing their feedback with us. When you submit a response, you can expect it to be sent directly to the WESD employee who will be able to assist you. We are listening, so please do not hesitate to submit your comments and/or questions. Click here to submit a We’re Listening response today.