Robles Junction Newsletter

Robles Junction/Three Points Transit Service

Being Discussed

A transportation challenge that the Robles Junction community has identified is the availability of

transit services. The Food Bank reports that residents who are eligible for government supported sup-

plies are not able to get to the food bank to pick up their allotment. Residents without a car or with-

out funds to repair a car are stranded. Kids are isolated from afterschool activities. The unemployed can get

to the Kino One Stop Employment Center for job assistance, but cannot regularly get to the jobs available in

Tucson.

To address this situation, community members have contacted two resources - the Regional Transportation

Authority of Pima County (RTA), operating other rural Pima County transit services, and the Arizona Depart-

ment of Transportation – Multimodal Division managing the Federal Transit Administration grant program

that funds rural general public transit services. Amy Ostrander, a transit consultant working primarily with

development of rural transit systems, is assisting.

The first meeting was held in February and the second will be Thursday, April 8, at Robles Ranch Community

Center at 10:30 a.m. In addition to improved connections to Tucson, options for local service will be re-

viewed. Until additional service is available, a bus runs from Ajo to Tucson six days a week. The bus leaves

for Tucson from the store at Robles Junction at 8:35 a.m. returning from the Laos Transit Center in Tucson at

3:20 p.m. Cost is $2 one-way. For more schedule information, contact Ajo Transportation in Ajo at 1-800-

242-9483.

Talent Show in April

D o you have a talent you would like to share?

Singing, dancing, playing an instrument? Some-

thing else? Dust off those instruments and share

them with us. Come to Serenity Baptist Church on

Wednesday, April 7, at 5 p.m. to audition for our annual

talent show Saturday, April 10 at 6 p.m. Snacks will be

available. All proceeds will

go toward the youth group

for Zona Yuth Kamp! Want

to just watch? That’s ok,

too!! All are welcome to

come and enjoy a night of

fun and friendship.

Food Bank

O nce more this Food Bank has been

blessed. The A&W Fast Food Restaurant

on Ajo Way went out of business and we

got all their food. Thanks, Lea Jay. We are sorry

that they went out of business but appreciate them

thinking of us. For two weeks people in the area

got chicken patties, hamburgers, French fries, hot

dogs, corn dogs and condiments. The United

Community Health Center at Three Points Clinic

supports this food bank also and Holy Way Pres-

byterian Church. Each time we open a can we will

thank the Lord for putting this small food bank in

the mind’s of people. God Bless Everyone!

Page 2 Robles Junction Newsletter

AIMS stands for

Arizona’s Instrument to

Measure Standards.

The Arizona Academic Standards are established aca-

demic expectations for teaching and learning. Every

child is expected to learn theses Standards.

AIMS for grades 3-8 currently assess students in the

areas of reading, writing, math and science.

April 12 thru April 16 is AIMS testing week.

What do the test results mean?

The results of the AIMS test are used by class-

room teachers to guide and improve student learn-

ing.

The AIMS test compares a child’s performance on

certain tests items to the performance of stu-

dents nationwide by way of a percentile ranking.

The AIMS test assesses a child’s knowledge of

the Arizona Academic Standards.

Each child will receive one of the following scores

for each of the four tested areas, reading, writ-

ing, math and science.

“Exceeds the Standard” denotes superior academic

performance on challenging subject matter reflected

by the content

standards.

“Meets the Standard” denotes solid academic per-

formance and understanding of the content standards.

“Approaches the Standard” denotes partial under-

standing of the skills and knowledge necessary for

proficient work at

grade level.

“Falls Far Below the Standard” denotes insufficient

understanding of the prerequisite skills; students who

achieve at this level have serious gaps in knowledge

and skills and may require remediation.

TIPS

What can you do to help your child?

• Participate in your child’s learning activities

• Read aloud to your child, beginning at an early age

• Encourage good study habits

• Set aside a specific time for homework

• Provide a quiet, well-lighted place for your child to

study

• Communicate often with your child’s teachers

• Talk to your child often about school

• Require regular school attendance

• Emphasize the importance of academic achievement

• Provide activities at home that relate to school

learning

• Provide your child with a balanced, nutritional diet

• Support and encourage your child

• Listen to your child

• Visit the ADE website and access the AIMS 3-8

sample tests

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Do I, as a parent, have a right to see my

child’s test scores?

Answer: Yes. A.R.S.15-743(E) requires that each school

district provide a parent or guardian of each pupil a copy of

the pupil’s test scores.

Question: Can my child “opt out” of the AIMS 3-8 or

can I request that my child not take the test?

Answer: No. A.R.S.15-741 and federal law mandate that

every child in a public/charter school in Grades 3-8 partici-

pate in the AIMS 3-8.

Question: Will my child be retained if he does

not “meet the standards” in all 4 areas of the AIMS 3-

8?

Answer: No. The state has no guidelines in place for Grades

3-8. Altar Valley School District has developed it’s own

guidelines for retention.

Page 3 Robles Junction Newsletter CHURCHES St. Mary of the Desert Catholic

Information: 822-9338

CCD: 822-2859 Baptisms: 822-2859

Youth Group: 822-1112

Confession: Saturday 5:00 pm

Mass: Saturday 5:30 pm at Altar Valley

Elementary School Gym.

Faith Baptist Church

11080 S. Brandywine Lane (between

Guy & Viking). Phone: 822-1057.

Pastor: Stan Stringer

Worship: Sunday, 11:00 am

Prayer: Thursday, 6:30 pm

Serenity Baptist Church

5501 W. Ajo Way Phone: 822-2026

Pastor: Dane Miller

Worship: Sunday, 10:30 am

Bible Study: Sunday, 9:30 am

Wednesday, Youth Group 5:00-7:15 pm.

Adult Bible Study: 7:00-8:00 pm

Thursday: 12:30-2:00 pm Caring

Ministries Free Food

Holy Way Presbyterian Church

4221 W. Ajo Way Phone: 888-9417

Pastor: Raymond S. Thomas

Worship: Sunday 9:30 am

Sunday School: Sunday 9:30 am

Tuesday Bible Study: 9:00 am

Tucson Mountain Baptist Church

5757 W. Ajo Way Phone: 883-1234

Pastor: Dr. Jay George

Sunday School: Sunday, 9:30 am

Worship: Traditional: Sunday 8:00 am

Contemporary: Sunday 10:45 am

Children’s Church: 10:45 am

Evening Service: 6:00 pm

Youth Live: Wednesday, 7:00 pm

Mount Zion Lutheran Church

4520 W. Ajo Way Phone: 883-0627

Pastors: Dan Valasakos & Craig Larson

Worship: Sunday 8:00 & 10:45 am

Saturday, 5:00 pm

Sunday School: 9:45 am — all ages

Mission Park Baptist Church

2101 W. Ajo Way Phone: 883-386

Pastor: Tim George

Worship: Sunday, 9:30 am

Sunday School: Sunday 11:00 am

Spanish Worship: Sunday 2:00 pm

Kids Club: Wednesday 6:45 pm

Spanish: Thursday, 7:00 pm

C ongratulations to Altar Valley Elementary School District No. 51. They have won the Association of School Business Officials International's (ASBO) Certificate of Excellence in Financial Re-

porting Program (COE) for excellence in the preparation and issuance of the fiscal year end 2009 school system. This district has provided a high ­quality Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year end 2009. The Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting Program was de-signed by ASBO International to enable school business officials to achieve a high standard of financial reporting. The award, the highest recognition for school district financial operations offered by ASBO, is only conferred to school systems that have met or exceeded the stand-ards of the program. By preparing and presenting a CAFR, Altar Valley Elementary School District No. 51 validated the credibility of their school sys-tem's operations, measured the integrity and technical competence of the business staff, assisted in strengthening their presentations for bond issuance statements, and provided professional recognition. "Participation in the Certificate of Excellence Program is such a rewarding experience. Attaining this award brings a feeling of confidence and has remarkably increased our financial reporting credibility not only to the District but to the Community as a whole." Douglas Roe, Superintendent, Altar Valley School District

CAFR Award Won

T hank you, Jack & Jill, for the bingo gifts and the 1100+ bottle.

These were greatly appreciated by everyone at JOY. In October

KGUN9 and PCOA put together a nice home package that ben-

efited 10 seniors in the program. All seniors who attend on a regular ba-

sis get a meal voucher that will allow them to dine (breakfast/lunch/

dinner) out in one of the many restaurants in Tucson, Ajo, Green Valley

twice per month. This is a very special treat for seniors who don’t usual-

ly have the opportunity or income to dine

out very often.

For the third time, JOY celebrated St Pat-

rick’s Day with a nice corn beef and cab-

bage meal. Hooray to Pat, Charlotte, and

Charlie M., the cake was delicious! Thanks

Charlie and Benny’s granddaughter! The

Easter Hunt was a lot of fun. You know ….

Us…. Kids at heart! Two nice prizes and

one booby prize. Love everyone.

Community Senior Program

Page 4 Robles Junction Newsletter

Robles Elementary School Celebrated

Read Across America

"You're never too old, too wacky, too

wild, to pick up a book and read to a

child."

In honor of Dr. Seuss’s Birthday the National Education Associa-

tion encouraged all schools to participate in Read Across Ameri-

ca.

Robles Elementary School had a great time that week. During the

week many of the schools support staff took time out of their

busy schedules to come into the classrooms and read.

Friday morning the students were treated to some guest readers.

Local community professionals generously gave of their time to

come into the classrooms and read. Those participating were The

Three Points Fire Department, Sheriffs De-

partment, Three Points Clinic, Robles Ranch

Community Center, Serenity Baptist Church

and many local residents.

One of the hits of the morning for the students

was a visit from ―MR BOOKMAN‖. The Ro-

bles Elementary school and Bookman’s Book

Store were partners in a year long effort to en-

courage our students to read. Every student

who read 10 books and wrote 10 book reports

was eligible to go on a field trip to Bookman's.

Anthony, manager of the Speedway branch,

guided students on a tour of the store and

awarded each student with 10 Bookman's dol-

lars to spend on books of their choice. Our ―Fill the Bus‖ campaign has been a huge success.

Our 10th bus is scheduled to go to Bookman's in mid May. At that point

students of Robles Elementary will have read in excess of 3500 books.

Ltg. Raul Rodriquez from Santa Cruz County will be at Family Night, April 13,

to present Sexting Conference. Contact Patricia Bruce at p.bruce@cox.net for

more information.

Page 5 Robles Junction Newsletter

A Graceful Touch of Beauty Hair Salon & Spa

520-908-9084

Monday—Saturday 9:0o - 5:00

(Early & late hours by apt.) 15390 W. Ajo Hwy

Formerly at 2727 S. Kinney Rd

Look for the RED DOUBLE DECKER BUS

April Special

Free

Haircut

With

Any

Perm or

Color Service

PPEP TEC High School would like to give our deepest thanks to

Grace Salon for their participation and help with getting our young

ladies to the 2nd annual Prom.

On March 11th PPEP TEC High School brought five of its loca-

tions together at the Viscount Suites in Tucson. It was the 2nd

Prom that PPEP has done. PPEP TEC High School is celebrating

the end of the 14th year of helping students across the southern

part of Arizona.

The four locations in Tucson, the John David Arnold Learning

Center, Jan Olsen Learning Center, Celestino Fernadez Learning

Center, Robles Junction Learning Center and the Alice S. Paul

Learning Center in Casa Grande, Arizona. Over 100 students from

all five locations had fun eating and dancing to this years theme

of: Old School Glamour!

The ladies at the salon graciously gave the young

ladies at our school FREE hair styles. The young

ladies looked beautiful! We had many comple-

ments at the Prom.

Page 6 Robles Junction Newsletter

Page 7 Robles Junction Newsletter

You need to ask your local school if they are a part of this program – PPEP TEC is.

Mike & Dave’s

Moving

Truck for Hire

Mike Dave

275-2683 275-6338

Local Information and

Referral Services Find help with: *home repair *health care and WIC *job training * assistance with forms and applications Call 954-9454 for assistance

Page 9 Robles Junction Newsletter

PPEP TEC HIGH SCHOOL

Pick up Enrollment Information

at:

10451 S. Sasabe Rd.

Tucson, AZ. 85736

520-822-3064

Ages 15-21 2 sessions

Transportation provided School Lunch program

Standards based curriculum

High School Diploma

Page 10 Robles Junction Newsletter

1 2

10:30-2:30 PM

Community

Food Bank

3

9am-1pm

My Friends Closet

4 5 6

3-6 PM

Community

Food Bank

7

10:30-2:30 PM

Community

Food Bank

8 9

10:30-2:30 PM

Community

Food Bank

10

9am-1pm

My Friends Closet

11

12 13

3-6 PM

Community

Food Bank

14

10:30-2:30 PM

Community

Food Bank

15 16

10:30-2:30 PM

Community

Food Bank

6:00 PM

PPEP TEC

Movie Night

17

9am-1pm

My Friends Closet

18 19 20

3-6 PM

Community

Food Bank

21

10:30-2:30 PM

Community

Food Bank

22 23

10:30-2:30 PM

Community

Food Bank

24

9am-1pm

My Friends Closet

25

26 27

3-6 PM

Community

Food Bank

28

10:30-2:30 PM

Community

Food Bank

29 30

10:30-2:30 PM

Community

Food Bank

APRIL

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Aims Testing—High School

AVSD—Aims Testing