Meeting Challenges to Attain Student Achievement

As the new 2011-12 school year opens on August 8th, FHUSD again seeks to strengthen system capacity to meet our student mission. This year will see a number of changes as the district seeks to consolidate buildings in order to protect instructional programs, low elementary class sizes and staff salaries. This district capacity building will specifically be seen in several key areas:

• New mathematics curriculum aligning the district to the National Common Core Standards will be in place for 2011-12. Textbooks will be in hardback and digital versions to offer students and families flexibility in accessing this curriculum. The 7th grade will see new health textbooks and curriculum.


• McDowell Mountain Elementary School will implement Waterford software enrichment program in grades pre-school-grade 2 to partner with SuccessMaker software implemented last year in grades 3-8. This digital platform will strengthen student learning engagement opportunities as well as regularly assessing their core reading and mathematics knowledge and skills.


• FHUSD faculty members will access PD360 online support to strengthen their content knowledge, instructional strategies and classroom tools. This system will be available 24/7 to provide support for district-wide, building-wide, small group and individual improvement initiatives. This program will also offer building administrators and teacher leaders enhanced academic walkthrough support for classroom data gathering and support for classroom instructional improvement.


• Additional programs will be seen in the Fountain Hills HS Career Technical Education for Nursing and Computer Aided Drawing (CAD), 5th grade band, 4th-5th grade Spanish, additional middle school electives and additional technology (iTouches, iPads, building computer labs and SMARTBoards).


• All campuses will be wireless for the new school year as we move toward a more supportive and flexible digital platform with an emphasis on mobile technology. High school students will be allowed during the school year to bring their personal technology devices to school for flexibility and use, when appropriate, within the classroom.


• With the closure of Four Peaks Elementary School, building consolidation on the FH Middle School campus will strengthen programs by creating grades 4-8 for a Four Peaks ES (grades 4-5) and Fountain Hills Middle School (grades 6-8). Grade 3 will stay on the McDowell Mountain ES campus strengthening the upcoming need for all 3rd graders to meet high stakes state reading assessment. This will enhance our vertical and horizontal curriculum and instructional articulation for the new Common Core Standards and current State of Arizona Standards.

We continue to ask for your support in creating a successful learning environment plagued by hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding cuts the past four years. Through the partnerships developed with our parents, Fountain Hills service clubs, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, the Golden Eagle Education Foundation, the Fountain Hills Parent-Teacher Organization, booster clubs and Town of Fountain Hills; our students our positioned to meet their future educational needs. Follow our accomplishments on Facebook "Fountain Hills Unified School District", Twitter @bfmyhr5454, and our school district website www.fhusd.org. Let us all aspire to enhance our students' future lives.