Superintendent's work is published
Flowing Wells School District Superintendent Nicholas Clement wrote a guest column published in the October issue of "The School Administrator."
Clement's column explains how he created his own public service announcement to launch a "brain-fit" initiative in Flowing Wells schools.
Clement modeled his public service announcement after the "This is your Brain on Drugs" anti-drug campaign.
His initiative is titled "This is Your Brain: This is Your Brain on Flowing Wells Schools."
Here's an excerpt from his column: "Exercise also has proven to increase focus and help students do better on cognitive tasks. Our bodies were built to move and run, not sit in chairs all day, and our brains agree. In fact, brain science recommends we engage in moderate to high-intensity exercise at least six hours per week to develop and maintain optimal brain fitness. This means we need to ensure we are providing opportunities for our students to raise their heart rate through physical exercise and activity at school."
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"The School Administrator" is a publication of the American Association of School Administrators.
Go to www.aasa.org to find Clement's column.
Mountain View HS to host hay maze, fest
The Mountain View High School Parent Resource Organization is organizing a hay maze that will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 23 at the school, 3901 W. Linda Vista Blvd.
The maze will be part of the school's fall festival, which is a fundraiser for several school clubs and district schools.
Admission is free, and event tickets are $5 per person and are good for entry into any five events, including the hay maze, dunk tank, karaoke and inflatables.
Other activities include live music, pumpkin decorating, carnival games, face painting and a coloring contest.
Middle school collects winter goods
The builders club at Marana Middle School, 11279 W. Grier Road, is collecting hygiene products and gently used backpacks, duffel bags, zippered bags, blankets and jackets for its "Frost on the Santa Cruz" project.
The club will deliver the items to homeless shelters in November.
Register now for family workshop
Parents interested in building a better relationship with their children can sign up for a free seven-week workshop hosted by Arizona Youth Partnership at Marana Middle School, 11279 W. Grier Road.
The "Strengthening Families" workshop starts Nov. 1 and runs from 6 to 8 p.m. every Monday through Dec. 13.
Parents with children ages 11 to 14 can take part in the workshop. Registration is required.
Topics of discussion will include helping your teen handle frustration, resist peer pressure and communicate well.
To register for the workshop, e-mail Heather Bruning at heather@azyp.org or call 744-9595.
Elementary schools holding food drives
Beginning Monday, five Marana district schools - Butterfield, Estes, Quail Run and Desert Winds elementary schools and Picture Rocks Intermediate School - are competing for a $1,000 grant from Walmart by collecting food for the Marana Community Food Bank.
The food drive runs through Oct. 29, and the school that collects the highest number of pounds of food will receive the grant.
The two-week contest has a donation theme each day the first week, but the schools will accept all food donations during that time.
The first week's themes are:
• Macaroni Monday: Any pasta item
• Tuna Tuesday: Tuna or other protein such as peanut butter, canned meats or beans
• Wacky Wednesday: Desserts, including cake mix, brownie mix, cookie mix and pie filling.
• Thankful Thursday: Vegetables
• Fruity Friday: Applesauce, pineapple, peaches, raisins
Three NW teachers get surprise awards
Three teachers from northwest-side school districts were among nine teachers in the Tucson area who received surprise visits last week as part of the "A Day Made Better" campaign.
Each was awarded $1,000 worth of school supplies from OfficeMax.
Those honored in the northwest were: Amphitheater Public Schools' Marty Schickling of Prince Elementary School (see photo, next page), Flowing Wells Unified School District's Debbie Featherstone of Centennial Elementary School and Marana Unified School District's Jennifer Miller of Thornydale Elementary School.
"A Day Made Better" is a national cause that celebrates teachers for their work in the classroom.
The goal is to keep teachers from having to pay for classroom supplies.
Go to adaymadebetter.com for more information.
Registration ends soon for spelling bee
Registration for the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee is coming to a close.
Arizona schools that serve grades K-8 are encouraged to register for the competition by Friday.
After enrolling in the national spelling bee, a series of school bees, district bees, county and regional bees will begin in 2011.
Arizona's top 27 spellers compete in the state bee to determine who will compete in the national competition.
There is a registration fee of $99 per school. Go to www.spellingbee.com for more information.
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