RSD June 09
Posted by South Mountain Villager on June 10, 2009
Health Fair Just One of Many Successful Programs Offered by Roosevelt Schools
On May 9th the Ignacio Conchos School hosted its First Annual Community Health Fair. Free health and nutrition information was distributed by 31 different health provider agencies who attended the fair. For example, children and adults got information and services for their teeth in the dental bus. At the blood drive van adults were able to donate blood and get a mini physical. Hearing and health screenings were also available for families in the “Safari bus.” Fresh and Easy donated lunches to both vendors and volunteers. To keep things fun, students and their parents enjoyed a kids maze, the Suns gorilla, and a DJ playing music, too.
The community health fair is just one example of the events happening in the Roosevelt Schools. Many schools host Fall and Spring festivals or carnivals associated with seasonal holidays such as Halloween and Cinco De Mayo. Children parade in costumes, play games, step dance, do crafts, and get their faces painted. Students and their families can participate in the Red Ribbon week drug prevention program or weekend “Serve-A-Thons” and service learning projects where they give back to the community by volunteering their time or helping with food drives. Various classes also present plays, shows, demonstrations, concerts, and sporting events for the community to observe, while teaching the students to express themselves through poetry, art, science, music, or athletics.
The Roosevelt District also hosts business luncheons and legislative dinners to build support for our public schools. Roosevelt partners with several different organizations in the process of educating our children: The South Mountain and Laveen Chamber of Commerce, Roosevelt Education Association, Be A Leader Foundation, Arizona State 
University, Teach For America, Campfire USA, City of Phoenix, Pearson’s Publishing, John’s Hopkins Center for Data Driven Education Reform, and Ear Candy are just a few. These partners ensure that Roosevelt students have the best programs, resources, and technology available. Every classroom will eventually have an interactive white board thanks to their help and the donations of many other businesses and individuals (not to mention generous development grants). These partners also offered community leadership with a $60 million bond. That money is now funding a new west side campus, in addition to Bernard Black, as well as a full remodel/renovation of the Julian, Barr, and Amy Houston facilities.
All of these efforts are aimed at improving the quality of education for our students to ensure academic excellence. Some children participate in the Success for All Reading program. Teachers use innovative and flexible grouping strategies to instruct children beyond the basic classroom. Others get involved with the Superintendent’s Math Club. These kinds of programs offer fun ways for students to practice critical academic skills. Workbooks with local references allow the whole family to help out at home and reinforce what is being taught at school. At the end of the school year some kids even earn prizes such as a new bike based on their participation. Other programs such as Teen Court and the PR Restaurant Business Club allow students to apply what they have learned in real world settings. Maybe that is why Roosevelt students’ reading and math AIMS scores have significantly improved over the last 5 years, increasing more than 6 times the state’s average gains in each of these subjects.
According to the Arizona Department of Education, over 90% of Roosevelt’s 21 Schools are ranked as performing or performing plus. The Roosevelt School District was also recently recognized for “outstanding leadership and support of school based research with children,” earning an award from the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center at ASU. As the school year comes to a close, we thank the community for standing behind the public schools and pushing Roosevelt to achieve academic greatness!
