Book Fair – March 1-5
Let’s dive into reading! Our annual Book Fair is next week, March 1-5. Be sure to visit us in the library and check out our terrific selection of books for all ages as well as lots of fun items. Times are as follows: 7:20am-noon and 1pm-3pm each day, and 5pm-7pm on Open House night, Thursday March 4. All proceeds go to our wonderful Pima library!!

Spring Carnival – March 27
Our annual Pima Spring Carnival is March 27, 1:00-4:00pm. It’s a terrific afternoon of food, games, and rides with fun for the entire family! Watch for wristband order forms after Spring Break. Our annual soda/water drive for this event will be March 15-19. We are asking that every family bring in a donation of soda (cans only) or water for the Carnival. Thank you for your support.

PTO General Meeting
Our PTO’s next General Meeting will be held Thursday, April 22 in the Library at 6:30pm. We’ll be reviewing the year’s events, challenges, and accomplishments as well as discussing plans for next year! Your input is invaluable and we hope to see you there!

The PTO Board is pleased to welcome Pima parent Charlotte Talson as our PTO’s new Volunteer Coordinator for next year. Charlotte has already created a handy new email for our volunteers, pimaptovolunteers@gmail.com, and we’re sure she’s going to do a terrific job for families that want to be more involved at Pima.

The following Board positions are available for the 2010/2011 school year:

• President
• Secretary
• Two Site Council seats

Please contact Barbara Perleberg at perleberg4@aol.com or 480-941-9236 if you are interested in running for one of these rewarding positions.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (October 23, 2009) The year was 1959 – Walt Disney released Sleeping Beauty, Barbie made her debut, Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state and Pima Elementary School opened its doors to students in the Old Town Scottsdale neighborhood.

Pima has had many accomplishments over the past 50 years, including earning the highest academic label in the State. For seven consecutive years, Pima has earned the highest designation given to schools by the Arizona Department of Education –"Excelling." Pima is one of the very few Title I schools in the State to earn this label.

Pima faculty and staff hold the intrinsic belief that all students can learn and be successful. Close attention to standardized test scores and regular assessment throughout the school year have been credited for Pima’s impressive record, as well as a "best practices" approach to education that has found unique success.

The school Implemented the Reading Renaissance's Accelerated Reader Program nine years ago and saw both an increase in the amount of independent reading done by each student and higher scores on standardized tests. Its Spalding phonics program used in Kindergarten through third grade, has also proven instrumental for Pima's beginning readers.

Pima’s learning environments include skills group instruction in reading and math and a balance of direct instruction and cooperative learning. Fifth- and sixth-graders follow the middle school concept of working with a team of teachers who provide instruction in core subjects. Successmaker Enterprise (SME) software provides reading and math skill programs on a variety of levels from Kindergarten through eighth grades. Teachers can monitor student progress and access individual learning needs that include re-teaching a skill, reinforcement of daily objectives and enrichment opportunities.

Specialists in vocal music, band, orchestra, art and physical education provide a balanced curriculum, and a recently updated and remodeled campus provides a pleasant environment conducive to learning. A comprehensive media center and two computer labs are among the resources available to students. Pima's dedicated families provide a strong sense of community and involvement. Over the past few years, the Pima PTO has been able to provide various campus improvements, including new playground equipment and shade structures.

Preschool children in Pima's neighborhood can now enroll in the school's Title I Community Schools Pre-school program that promotes early childhood education. Additionally, Pima provides academic support by offering free after school tutoring for students who need it.

As Pima looks back with pride at its long history, there is definite excitement about its future.

50th Anniversary Events
As we celebrate our school’s 50th Anniversary, we have several fun events scheduled throughout the year, and we need your help! Please take a look at the committees listed below and let us know what you are interested in. It’s a fun and rewarding way to show your Panther Pride and help make our school the best it can be.

To volunteer, you can contact our volunteer coordinator, Michelle Schulte, at 480-945-4982 or email michelleschulte1@aol.com. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to Pima Elementary.

Keeping informed and involved at the District level is very important. With that in mind, prior to the 2008 election we reached out to the Governing Board candidates and asked them questions we feel are particularly relevant to the Pima community. We have posted the answers from incumbents Eric Meyer and Jennifer Petersen and new Board member Bonnie Sneed for your review:

Links (alphabetical order):
Eric Meyer response
Jennifer Petersen response
Bonnie Sneed response

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