Parent/Teacher Conferences

As a reminder, next week is Parent/Teacher Conferences and schools will have early release Tuesday, February 6th through Friday, February 9th. It is critical for parents and guardians to attend these meetings to review their child’s progress and academic growth. We appreciate your commitment to being involved in the education of your children.

WESD Surprises National Board Certified Teachers

In honor of National Board Certification Week, we held surprise celebrations last Thursday for our newly certified/re-certified teachers. National Board Certification is the “gold standard” of education.

Congratulations to:

• Hannah Marcum, first grade teacher (newly certified) at Acacia Elementary School;
• Jessica Schnebelt, middle school English Language Arts teacher (re-certified) at Arroyo School;
• Jessica McFarland, resource teacher (newly certified) at Royal Palm Middle School; and
• Cassie Reidenbach-Noel, instructional coach (re-certified) and Mary Testa, gifted learning center teacher (newly certified) at Sahuaro Elementary School.

In recognition of their amazing accomplishment, each of them received a special pennant and were congratulated by myself and Governing Board President Jenni Abbott-Bayardi, Governing Board Vice President Kyle Clayton, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lyn Bailey, Shaw Butte Assistant Principal and NBCT Facilitator Marcy Hyde, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Paula McWhirter, as well as their school principals, peers and families.

The WESD Family is very proud of these teachers and thanks them for pursuing excellence.

WESD Celebrates January 2024 SUPER Kids and Staff

It was a privilege to celebrate the January 2024 SUPER Kids and Staff last Thursday from Richard E. Miller Elementary School, Royal Palm Middle School and Washington Elementary, as well as additional SUPER Staff from the WESD Online Learning Academy and WESD Administrative Center. Each SUPER Kid received a certificate and an award for a free pizza from Peter Piper Pizza while SUPER Staff earned a certificate and a gift card from either Amazon or Starbucks.

Congratulations to all of the deserving recipients! To learn more and view the January 2024 SUPER Kids and SUPER Staff, please click here.

Save the Date for Future Middle Schooler Night

Discover all the educational possibilities awaiting your child by attending one of our upcoming Future Middle Schooler Nights! Cholla Middle School, Desert Foothills Junior High School, Mountain Sky Junior High School, Palo Verde Middle School and Royal Palm Middle School will be hosting their events on Thursday, February 15th, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity for future middle schoolers and their families to tour one of the beautiful campuses, meet the awesome staff and learn about the programs and school culture.

We hope you can be there to prepare for the next exciting step in your child’s education. To learn more, please click here.

Now Hiring Teachers

Another opportunity to join the WESD Family is upcoming! Our next Teacher Interview Fair will be held on Tuesday, February 13th, from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the WESD Administrative Center, located at 4650 W. Sweetwater Ave. We are currently hiring elementary, middle and special education teachers. The WESD offers student loan forgiveness, teacher support coaches, professional development, school-age child care discounts, medical, dental and vision benefits, employer-matched contributions to Arizona State Retirement, and more.

If you know someone who is looking for a rewarding career as a teacher with an award-winning district, please share this opportunity with them. Those interested can preschedule an interview at Teach@wesdschools.org. To search our job openings and apply online, please click here.

Review Results from the Parent Satisfaction Survey

Thank you to all of the parents who completed the Parent Satisfaction Survey last year. We are proud to share some standout highlights from the results below.

• The majority of parents expressed high satisfaction with their child's school, as evidenced by 90% giving it an A or B letter grade.
• 85% of parents graded the school district with an A or B.
• Parents overwhelmingly believed their children were receiving effective instruction and being prepared for the next grade level, with 88% expressing this sentiment.
• A significant proportion of parents, 67%, felt their child was not subjected to insults, teasing, or harassment at school.
• 80% of parents believed their child had an adult to turn to for academic and personal issues.
• 80% of parents felt their child was excited to attend school.
• Most parents, 88%, reported that school staff were available for them to speak to when needed.
• 76% of parents believed that school leaders were courteous, listened to concerns and remained professional even when opinions differed.
• 88% of parents felt that their child's school provided a clean and safe environment.

We are glad to have received such positive feedback from our families. To review a summary of the results from the Parent Satisfaction Survey, please click here.

Last Call to Take the Website Redesign Survey

As a reminder, please take our website redesign survey if you have not done so already. We are still seeking feedback on our district and school web pages. Your feedback is critical in helping us refresh our websites and improve the user experience. Please click here to take the brief survey and answer a few short questions. The survey is now available in Spanish as well. We are thankful for your input and support.