text: Educational Leaders Meet two educators who make students and learning a North Valley priority. Compiled by Sondra Barr Dr. Debbi Burdick Cave Creek Unified School District superintendent Number of years in position: I am starting the eighth year. What is your educational experience? I have been an educator 40 years, teaching every grade K–8 as well as university undergrad, masters, and doctoral clas ...
  Supersized! The 2015 Ford Expedition is a colossus in more ways than one, according to auto writer Greg Rubenstein When a gallon of gasoline topped $4, the end of thirsty, oversized sport utility vehicles seemed to be in sight. After all, a 28-gallon fill-up costing at least $100 isn’t the most economical way to travel 300 miles, and there really aren’t many people who actually need seating for eight plus t ...
  Dream Dinners Not knowing what to expect, writer (and self-proclaimed bad cook) Anissa Stringer tries out a fresh spin on meal preparation. By Anissa Stringer I’m a bad cook. I really am. I tend to throw things together, often with very mixed results. I also work full time, do all the usual “mom” jobs, and write on the side. Cooking just isn’t a high priority for me. Plus, there’s the fact that I pretty muc ...
  Fresh Reads By Julie Carlson Luckiest Girl Alive By Jessica Knoll Jessica Knoll’s debut novel, Luckiest Girl Alive, is making waves in Hollywood. Reese Witherspoon and the Lionsgate producers behind the Gone Girl movie have already optioned film rights to this best-selling novel. Novels like Luckiest Girl Alive are difficult to review because you don’t want to spoil things and give too much away. After a sh ...
  Jim + Sam's Yoga Jam Who: North Scottsdale residents, Health Advocates of all ages/experience and anyone looking to enjoy some evening yoga set to live music. What: Grab your yoga mat and water bottle because on Sunday, September 6 anyone can join in on Jim + Sam's Yoga Jam. Samantha Lang will lead the event along with musician Jim Gregory. From 6 - 7:15 pm participants will enjoy a rockin' yoga flow set to ...
  It’s time for bingo players and comic book fans to summon their superpowers and embark on a journey to Casino Arizona! Sept. 12 marks the casino’s inaugural Comic Bingo event, which will take place from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. This special night will be full of fun, games and prizes––including a free trip to New York City that includes two four-day passes to New York Comic Con. Casino guests can present their P ...
  Children will continue to build on their phonic knowledge using a range of activities. They will be learning to spell frequently used words, so they can read them and use them in their writing.
  Throughout the day, children will be given many opportunities to communicate with a partner, a group or the whole class. They will be encouraged to ask and answer relevant questions, read aloud, re-tell stories and describe events, observations and experiences.
  A range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry will be shared with the class. We will use big books for whole class teaching and children will use guided reading books, at an appropriate level, in small groups. Please make time to read with and to your child every day, in any language.
  Children will be learning how to structure sentences and include appropriate punctuation, so that they can develop their story, poetry and factual writing. They will be learning strategies to help them become independent writers; including planning their writing, using their phonic knowledge to spell words and re-reading their work to check it makes sense.
  Children will be developing their ability to correctly form both upper and lower case letters to develop neatness in their writing. Children will be encouraged to sit correctly at the table and hold pencils comfortably and correctly.
  The children will continue to develop skills in counting, to and across 100, addition and subtraction, place value, money, measuring and shape, learning number bonds to 10, then 20.They will learn and develop arithmetic skills every day, using a range of activities, and will begin to explore how to solve problems in familiar practical contexts and describe verbally how they solved them. They will begin to explore the idea of one half of a whole. The children will count in multiples of twos, fives, tens from 0.
  Our topics this term are Seasonal Changes and Plants. Children will take part in experiments, developing their ability to ask simple questions, observe closely and gather information to answer questions about the world around them.
  Our topic is ‘How are our toys different from those in the past?’ The children will compare toys from different periods, looking at similarities and differences and to begin to develop an understanding of the past and how change happens with time. Children will be encouraged to learn about the toys their parents and grandparents may have played with.
  After half term our topic is ‘Around our school – the local area’. The children will be introduced to aspects of their local environment such as transport and environment, as well as local features and facilities.
  Through stories, we will explore the concept of ‘Light’ and its importance in different forms of worship and celebration.
  The children will be learning how to use the web safely to find ideas for an illustration. They will learn how to save, retrieve and change their work and log on independently.
  Portraits - after looking at and talking about other artist’s self-portraits, the children will produce their own self-portrait. They will also investigate a range of art materials and techniques and learn how to mix and use colour in a painting.
  After half term the children will begin to develop an understanding of simple mechanisms through designing and making moving pictures, with simple levers and sliders. They will examine and investigate how these are used in some everyday products to produce movement.
  The children will need their PE kit on Thursdays and Fridays and will explore basic body actions and use different parts of their bodies to make movements. They will create and repeat short dances inspired by themes. Please make sure children wear the school P.E kit of shorts, t-shirt and suitable shoes to change into, and are not wearing ear-rings or any other jewellery.
  Children will follow the “Music’s Cool” programme led by Brent music staff. They will take part in class singing using a wide repertoire of songs, rhymes, chants and musical activities. They will use body percussion to mark a steady beat.
  The children will receive homework in Literacy, Maths and spellings on Friday, to be returned on Monday. The spelling test will take place every Tuesday. Supporting your child with homework will help you find out what they have been learning about during the week, and sometimes, it will help them to prepare for the week ahead.
  Please read with your child on daily basis for 10-20 minutes. Your child is given a reading record where you can add a short comment every time he/she has read to you. Your child’s class teacher checks the reading record on daily basis and will give your child a stamp every time they’ve read at home. When 20 stamps are collected, your child will get a certificate/ reward for being a proactive reader. We are looking forward to your support and co-operation
  The Identification Unit handles the fingerprinting of civilians for record checks and various permits, including weapon permits.
  Fingerprinting is conducted on Tuesdays between 1:30pm to 3:30pm and Wednesdays between 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and again from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. No appointment is necessary.
  The cost for fingerprinting only often requested by an employer is $10.00 cash for two cards and then $5 cash for each card above 2 cards, ie. $15 cash for 3 cards.
  This service is available for Norwalk residents only or for an employment with a Norwalk company. Visit the FAQ area for complete details.