WESD e-news: November 3, 2023
A Message from WESD Superintendent Dr. Paul Stanton
Greetings WESD Families and Staff,
I want to begin by thanking all of our families for attending parent/teacher conferences last week. Your partnership is critical to the success of your child and the district. Second, thank you to all of our teachers and staff for their work and efforts in making the conferences a great success. Finally, we are grateful for our many community partners who showered our teachers and staff with gifts and treats during conferences.
In today’s update, you will read about our school letter grades, Acacia and Sweetwater’s recent recognition, our upcoming job fair, and the school highlights feature at the October 26th Board meeting.
WESD Celebrates School Letter Grades
The 2023 A-F school letter grades were released last week for all public schools statewide by the Arizona Department of Education. The WESD is proud to share that nine schools received an "A"! Congratulations to five of our schools who earned an “A” letter grade for the first time including Desert View Elementary School (which grew two letter grades from a “C”), John Jacobs Elementary School, Orangewood School, Royal Palm Middle School and Sweetwater School! Additionally, 18 schools were classified as a “B” and three schools ranked as a “C”. Overall, the District received a “B” letter grade. Amazing job to all of our schools for their commitment to growth and educational excellence!
To learn more and view a complete list of the WESD letter grades, please click here.
Acacia and Sweetwater Recognized as Finalists for National Title I Distinguished Award School
Congratulations to Acacia Elementary School and Sweetwater School which are being recognized as finalists for the National Title I Distinguished Award School by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE)! The award is part of the National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program which recognizes qualifying ESEA funded schools and the outstanding academic achievements and growth of their students. As finalists, Acacia and Sweetwater will receive onsite visits from Arizona's NTIDA committee members who will then select two schools to represent the state. In total, 75 Arizona schools applied for the award and 14 were selected to receive onsite visits. The WESD was the only district in the state to have two qualifying schools make the cut! Acacia and Sweetwater will receive their visits this month. Good luck to both schools and great job on representing the WESD Family!
WESD to Host Job Fair on November 9th
Save the date! The WESD is hosting a job fair on Thursday, November 9th, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Administrative Center. We are hiring for a variety of support staff positions including bus drivers, health service technicians, custodians, nutrition services clerks, crossing guards, instructional assistants, office technicians and much more.
Our District offers paid holidays and personal leave, vacation time, competitive salaries, employer-matched contributions to Arizona State Retirement, insurance benefits for employees working 30 hours or more a week, discounts on WESD-sponsored childcare, extensive training and opportunities for advancement.
Walk-ins are welcome! If you are interested in teaching, you are also encouraged to join us! For more information, please call 602-347-2611. To apply online today, please click here.
Desert View, Roadrunner and the Online Learning Academy Featured at Board Meeting
The WESD was proud to feature another group of schools prior to the October 26th Governing Board meeting! WESD Administrative Coach Carol Patterson introduced Desert View Elementary School, Roadrunner Elementary School and the WESD Online Learning Academy as they each shared something special about their school.
To watch the schools' shared highlights on YouTube, please click here.
And Finally,
We are always here to listen to our families, staff and community. If you have a question, comment, concern or compliment, please take a moment to share it with us using our new We’re Listening tool. An appropriate staff member will follow up with you in a timely manner. Please click here to share your feedback with us today.
If you enjoy learning about district and school news, you will love everything that is shared on WESD’s social media pages! Be sure to follow us as we post exciting news every day on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) and LinkedIn. If you are looking for more school-specific news, please click here for a complete list of our schools’ social media pages. Our WESD website is another great place to find important updates and information.
We are truly grateful for you. Thank you for choosing WESD to educate your child.