GLENDALE UNION

TTER SUPPORTING THE CREATION OF A CULTURE.

A proud member of the Glendale Union High School District

Moon Valley High School | 3625 West Cactus Road, Phoenix, AZ 85029 | moonvalley.guhsdaz.org | Winter 2014

Preparing each student for higher education by ensuring

all students reach their full potential in every class.

Rocket News is published for the

parents and members of the Moon Valley High School

community and is also available online at :

moonvalley.guhsdaz.org.

Editor: Kara Martin

kara.martin@guhsdaz.org

The Glendale Union High School District does not discriminate on the

basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

El Glendale Union High School District no discrimina a raza, color,

nacionalidad, género, edad, o habilidad diferenciada.

January

15-Future

Freshmen Night

February

16-Presidents’ Day

No School

March

11-School Council

Meeting

13-End Third Quar-

ter

16-20 Spring Break

No School

April

3-College Fair

29-School Council

Meeting

From the Desk of Principal Mr. Nathan Kleve………

College & Career Readiness

A comprehensive high school experience helps prepare our students for life after Moon Valley. Our goal is to have each student

college and career ready (CCR) by graduation. American College Testing (commonly referred to as the ACT) defines college and

career ready as the “acquisition of the knowledge and skills a student needs to enroll and succeed in credit-bearing first-year

courses at a postsecondary institution (such as a two or four year college, trade school, or technical school) without the need for

remediation.” At Moon Valley, students have extensive opportunities to engage in rigorous curriculum and explore potential

career fields.

Dual Enrollment and AP classes allow our students to earn college credits while they are completing high school requirements.

Students can begin earning college credits their sophomore year. College credits are available in math, science, English, social

studies, foreign language, and several Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.

Moon Valley has a variety of CTE programs available that incorporate academic and technical skills in the classroom. Additionally,

they promote communication, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. Some of the programs available on our campus include:

Moon Valley also partners with West-MEC to offer students access to off campus programs such as:

This semester, our counselors have been meeting with your student to review their four-year plan and discuss the college and

career readiness opportunities available to them. A four-year plan is an academic road map for your child, based on their specific

interests and career aspirations. All sophomores, juniors, and seniors review their plans with their counselor during the school day.

Freshman and their parents are invited to join the counselor at school to create their four-year plan. Our counselors are focused

on creating an education tailored to your child’s strengths and interests and helping them prepare for higher education. I

encourage you to sit down and discuss the opportunities available to your student. If you have any questions, please do not

hesitate to contact your child’s counselor.

May

6-No More Late Start Wednesdays

22-Senior Finals

25-Memorial Day

No School

26-Class of 2015

Graduation

27-Final Exams

28-Final Exams &

Last Day of School

Child Care (COOP) Architecture Business and Marketing Nursing Law Enforcement Journalism Engineering Fire Science Stagecraft Drafting Mechanical Engineering NJROTC Culinary Arts

Diesel Mechanics Dentistry Aviation Technology Welding Auto Technology Cosmetology Emergency Medical Technicians Veterinary Sciences Auto Collision

The Moon Valley Dance program proudly presents its first performance of the school year. In fact, this is the first time that our dancers will put on a show in the first semester. Instructor Shauntel Sussex, who just joined us this year, wanted to intensify her student’s enthusiasm and advance their skills. Ms. Sussex chasse’d onto the dance floor at the age of 5 and fell in love. She began studio dance when she was seven where she trained and developed her technique. At the age of fifteen an instructor asked her to teach a class for her, which set her in motion towards her dream career of being a dance teacher. The theme for this season’s dance show is Footloose. This opened a diverse range of dance types and music with over twenty routines making the final cut. Each level of dance will be a part of the performance with the grand finale showcasing each of our dancers. Please join us on Thursday, December 11th or Friday December 12th. Tickets are $6.00 at the door and the show begins at 7:00 PM in the Moon Valley Auditorium.

“Let’s Dance!”

MV BLAST CENTER

Need Help?

Not sure how to work a math problem? Want to get your homework finished?

Need to finish reading a book? Visit the Moon Valley

BLAST Center

The BLAST Center is located in Building 5 in the center of campus.

Hours of Operation

Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. Monday - Thursday 2:40 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. We stay open until 8:55 a.m. on EOP days.

Study for 15 minutes in the morning you receive breakfast

and in the afternoon and get a delicious snack!

Arizona Announces New Test to Replace AIMS The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) recently announced a new statewide achievement test to replace AIMS, AzMERIT (Arizona’s Measurement of Educational Readiness to Inform Teaching). The assessment will reflect what students are learning and teachers are teaching in our classrooms today – no changes are needed to our standards or curricula. The test will be unique to Arizona and Arizona educators, education experts will be involved in developing questions. Assessments can be effective tools to support your child’s learning. They can tell you and your child’s teacher if your child is on track to succeed or if he/she needs to spend additional time learning a topic. ADE is still determining how the test will be administered and how the test scores will be used for students, teachers, and schools. For additional information and resources visit http://www.azed.gov/assessment/azmerit/

2014-2015 Yearbook — $65.00

Pre-Order in Bookstore by December 17th or order online at Jostens.com

Extras will not be ordered so make sure to reserve your copy with your pre-order.

Moon Valley Career Center

http://moonvalley.guhsdaz.org/academics/career_center

Got College? Visit the Career Center and navigate your future.

Located in the Media Center and open daily before and after

school and during both lunches.

Thank You for Supporting the District’s Maintenance & Operation Override

The Glendale Union High School District (GUHSD) has a legacy of high student achievement. The district and its nine member schools are among the top in the state and nation. The district was recognized as the 2013 National Advanced Placement district of the year by the College Board. This year all nine of the high schools have been rated “A” schools by the Arizona Department of Education, and the district has been an “A” District for the past two years. US News and World Report ranks GUHSD schools in their Top High Schools in America. Through staff development, teamwork and local assessment, Glendale Union offers a learning system that is Student Centered and Data Driven with a rigorous curriculum aligned to the Common Core or Arizona College and Career Ready Standards.

We are fortunate to work in a community that supports our education system and the higher standards we endorse. Thanks to the support of our community, we will continue to work to improve the lives of the students who enter our schools by providing them the best high school education.

Dreams Delivered

This past October, the state of Arizona hosted its annual Fair coined Dreams Delivered. Since before gaining statehood and all the way back to 1884, Arizonans have enjoyed the yearly festivities. In the beginning, fairgoers were entertained and thrilled with horse and mule races. The primary attractions, however, were agricultural and culinary exhibits. Over time, exhibits remain an integral component and have expanded in many areas. The Moon Valley Fine Arts Department proudly contributed in the area of artwork.

Instructor Shanalee Dorsey assisted 11 of her students in the process of entering a total of 14 pieces of art work into the competition. This proved to be an inspiring experience for these teens. “I never thought I would be able to see my art in a place where everyone else can see it,” Junior Lisa Ceballos said. This satisfies one goal for Ms. Dorsey which is to instill confidence that will encourage them to show their work to others.

Ms. Dorsey’s encouragement of the entries

proved to be insightful as four of the students

placed in the top 3 in their respective

categories. Senior Kayla Bates received third

place for her pencil drawing. Sophomore Alex

Coulter won second place for her acrylic

painting. Senior John Anderson secured

second place for his water color, and Senior

Shirley Grimes won first place for her marker

drawing. Our art students brought home ribbons in four of the five categories. We are so proud of

all of our students who entered and put their pieces out there, and we congratulate our artists who

placed in this statewide competition.