Imagine Desert West
December Newsletter
December Character Trait
A message from our principals
Mrs. Hernandez Imagine Desert West Middle School Principal
The end of the year is a time to reflect on where we have been and where we are headed as a school community. This past year we laid the groundwork for our new middle school, we won National School of Character from Character.org, we saw an amazing group of 8th graders graduate and start into high school. We have welcomed many new babies and said goodbye to friends and family members. Through all of this, we have continued to grow learn and reach for the stars.
The new year will ring in with a continued commitment to excellence along with exciting changes. The addition of our new middle school campus will open new doors of opportunities for students and families with new spaces to learn, create, and grow. This new building will pave the way for Imagine Desert West schools to be premiere charter schools of West Phoenix.
We already score higher than state averages in our 7th and 8th Math scores and are higher than local schools in both reading and math in our state testing scores. We are proud of these accomplishments but are most proud that we continue to have significantly lower rates of behavior problems than schools in the area. This is due to the caring, supportive and family community that we have strived to create with you. We really see ourselves as extensions of your family and want to be there to help nurture your children's lives academically and emotionally.
I hope you are able to find peace and comfort in this holiday season. Our students are our greatest gift and I thank you for the opportunity to work with all of you as we help them become the people they are meant to be. This is my greatest joy!Mr. Heintz Imagine Desert West Elementary Principal
As the 2017 school year is ending, I have started to reflect with wonder and admiration on the work that has been done to make the first half of this school year such a success. Of course, none of our achievements would have been possible without the teamwork and contributions of the students, staff, teachers, and the leadership team and of course the support of you, the parents.
This time of year is also a perfect time to reflect on all of our achievements as a community and most importantly on the individual growth of our students. The improvements in our students’ learning and their ability to work towards goals and fulfill them, is a highlight of the year for us. For some the growth was academic, for others it may have been physical, social or emotional; it remains important to us to support our students in all domains, and we strive hard each day to meet their needs in these areas.
I wish all, students, parents and staff, a happy and blessed Christmas and a prosperous and happy New Year in 2018.
December Events
Breakfast Menu December
Luch Menu December
Who is who ?
Please welcome our new K-5 Academic Director ! Michael Halpert
C.U.T.S. Program at Imagine Desert West
It is for this reason that Imagine Desert West implements the C.U.T.S. Program
According to Arizona State Law (15-802.E, 15-803), every parent/legal guardian must ensure that children between the ages of six and sixteen years of age attend school during school hours unless a child is unable to attend due to illness or another legitimate reason.
To encourage and improve school attendance, Imagine Desert West, in partnership with Maricopa County Juvenile Court, has implemented a truancy program. This truancy program is called C.U.T.S. (Court Unified Truancy Suppression). C.U.T.S. requires the school to track student attendance closely.
An absence is defined as a minimum of one missed class period per day.
An unexcused absence will count as a truant day as defined by law.
A student is “habitually truant” if s/he has five or more unexcused absences from school.
A student that is absent more than ten percent (19 days) of the required number of school days per year is considered to have “excessive absences” whether the absence is excused or unexcused.
If a student has five or more unexcused absences or over 19 excessive absences (excused and unexcused), the student can be cited to the C.U.T.S. Program through the Juvenile Court.
If a student is cited under this law, a hearing would be held at the Juvenile Court Center. A parent or legal guardian must be present with the student at the time of the hearing. Consequences at the hearing may include the following:
required attendance of the parent and the child at an education class (to be held on Saturdays)
work hours assigned to the child
mandatory counseling
a $50 Diversion fee assessed to the parent/guardian
Planning for your student success!
AzMerit Testing Resources
Winter break resources
Give them a try!
Make a donation to our school and save on taxes!
Take advantage of the Arizona School Tax Credit
School Tax Credits for Individuals
There are three school tax credits available for individual taxpayers: one for contributions to public schools and two for contributions to Private School Tuition Organizations. For general information about school tax credits Private and Public School Tax Credit Information Publication.
Credit for Contributions Made or Fees Paid to a Public School
To obtain a Department of Education sponsored listing of the public and charter schools within Arizona click HERE. (NOTE - This link is being provided as a public service. The Department of Revenue does not maintain a list of public schools.)
Credit for Contributions to School Tuition Organizations
An individual may claim a credit for making a donation to a School Tuition Organization for scholarships to private schools. The maximum credit amount that may be taken for the tax year 2016 is $545 for single, unmarried head of household and married filing separate filers and $1,090 for married filing joint filers. The maximum credit amount that may be taken for the tax year 2017 is $546 for single, unmarried head of household and married filing separate filers and $1,092 for married filing joint filers.
Extracurricular activities are school-sponsored activities that require enrolled students to pay a fee in order to participate. To determine if an extracurricular activity is tax credit eligible and other guidelines click here.
Reminders
Parking Lot
Thank you for your support
Imagine Desert West
DW Parents have the right to know.
Title I School-wide and Title I Targeted Assistance Programs Parents, you may ask Mrs. Hernandez at the front office the following information:
- If the teacher meets State Qualifications/licensure requirements
- If the teacher is teaching under an Emergency Teaching Certificate
- If the teacher has a bachelor’s degree.
- If the child receives services from a paraprofessional and the qualifications of the paraprofessional.
Facebook: facebook.com/Imagine-Desert-West
Twitter: @IDWDRAGONSAZ