Chris Garvey January 2014 District B

[Pages:7]Chris Garvey

January 2014

District B

IMPORTANT DATES

01/17/14 End of First Semester 01/20/14 Martin Luther King Jr. Day 02/14/14 Professional Development

Day 02/17/14 President's Day 04/14-18/14 Spring Break 05/19/14 Professional Development Day 05/26/14 Memorial Day

For a complete list of calendar dates, access



Greetings,

I hope all of you had a wonderful and peaceful holiday season and my best wishes to you and your family for 2014!

A parent meeting for District B is scheduled for Friday, January 31, 2014, at 9:30a, at Shadow Ridge High School, room 200. I hope you are able to join me. Please watch for more information that will be coming soon!

As we reflect on all the blessings that came to us in 2013, I would like to take this opportunity share with you one last joyous gift brought by some of our students. The pictures below are District B students that performed during the Las Vegas PBS Holiday Music special featured on the program, Inside Education.

I would also like to give a special thanks to Darrel and Sally Davis for providing handmade crocheted hats that I had the opportunity to deliver to the Variety Early Learning Center in time for holidays.

As always, I invite your comments and suggestions. Please feel free me to contact at 279-9831.

REGULAR BOARD MEETINGS

January 9, 2014, 4:00 p.m. January 23, 2014, 4:00 p.m. February 13, 2014, 4:00 p.m. February 27, 2014, 4:00 p.m. March 13, 2014, 4:00 p.m. March 27, 2014, 4:00 p.m.

The Board meetings will be held at: Edward A Greer Education Center, Board Room

2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas

SPECIAL BOARD MEETINGS

January 8, 2014, 8:00 a.m. February 5, 2014, 8:00 a.m.

March 5, 2014, 8:00 a.m. Edward A. Greer Education

Center,Board Room 2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las

Vegas, NV 89121

Access the district's website at trustees/meetingsagendas/ for Board agendas and

reference materials

Sincerely, Chris Garvey, Trustee, District B Clark County School District

Eileen Brookman ES ? Choir

Ralph Cadwallader MS Band Brian and Teri Cram MS ? Guitar Ensemble

Eldorado HS ? Mariachi Group

Legacy HS ? Madrigal Pictured above are Darryl and Sally Davis with some of their handiwork

Board of School Trustees Appoint District D Representative

The Clark County School District (CCSD) Board of School Trustees voted on December 5, 2013, to appoint Stavan Corbett to serve as the trustee for District D. The seat was vacated October 23, 2013, with the resignation of Trustee Lorraine Alderman who served since January 2011. Corbett will complete Lorraine Alderman's term, which will end December 2014. There will be an election for the District D seat in November 2014 with the winner taking the oath of office in January 2015.

High school seniors can apply for National Youth Science Camp Honors program

Applications from high school seniors are being accepted for the 2014 National Youth Science Camp Honors. Two high school seniors will receive a full scholarship to exchange ideas with scientists and other professionals from the academic and corporate worlds. The nearly month-long experience includes lectures and hands-on research projects presented by scientists from across the nation; overnight camping trips into the Monogahela National Forest; and a visit to Washington D.C. The selected delegates must demonstrate academic achievement in science and show potential for thoughtful scientific leadership. Applications are due March 1, 2014. For more information, call (775) 687-9184.

Public Invited to Join Discussion on School Zoning

The CCSD Attendance Zone Advisory Commission (AZAC) will hold a public input meeting on Tuesday, January 14, 2014, 6 p.m., at Arbor View High School Theatre, 7500 Whispering Sands Dr., Las Vegas and Wednesday, January 15, 2014, 6 p.m., at Palo Verde High School Theatre, 333 S. Pavilion Center Dr., Las Vegas. Members of the public are invited to attend to learn about overcrowding and zoning proposals at neighborhood CCSD schools and offer comments. Boundary changes recommended to and approved by the CCSD Board of Trustees during the 2013-2014 zoning season will be effective at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year. The state certified that CCSD's enrollment grew by more than 3,200 students compared to this same time one year ago. This means the nation's fifth largest school district has set an all-time high for enrollment, presenting a number of challenges for everyone ranging from parents who have more congestion around schools to navigate, to packed classrooms for teachers who are working to keep students focused and on track. The school district aims to find workable solutions for these problems, despite the lack of any new funds for construction of additional schools. School Board members are working with staff and AZAC to monitor student populations and explore options that could include expanding the number of yearround schools and/or rezoning. AZAC can only make recommendations to the superintendent for rezoning, who then makes his recommendations to the trustees. This process will be completed by March 2014. The decision on year-round schools is up to the superintendent, who must decide by April 2014 if any schools should change from their current nine-month schedule to year-round.

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2013-2014 Spelling Bee Final

Congratulations to the winners of the 2013-2014 Spelling Bee Final. The CCSD Final Spelling Bee was held Wednesday, December 11 at Vegas PBS. The spellers participated in several levels of competition before reaching this championship. In September they competed at their schools and were named the grade level champion at their middle or junior high school. In early October they squared off against the best from the performance zones within the CCSD where the top student from each grade level moved on to the CCSD Spelling Bee Finals.

Two students per grade level will now represent CCSD at the state level which will be held March 1, 2014. Should one of them win at the state level, he/she will move on to the national spelling bee which is held in Washington, DC.

8th Grade Champion Colby Wilson, Johnston MS Runner-up Andrew Ngo, Schofield MS

7th Grade Champion Tyler Tressler, Hyde Park MS Runner-up Sruthi Srinivas, Miller MS

6th Grade Champion Bella Titus, Becker MS Runner-up Eshaan Vakil, Hyde Park MS

PBS KIDS Writers Contest Starts January 1, 2014

Vegas PBS will launch its PBS KIDS Writers Contest on Jan. 1, 2014. Southern Nevada children in grades K-5 are eligible to enter the annual contest. A panel of judges will select local winners and award prizes in the spring of 2014. Prizes include scholarships to attend the Southern Nevada Writing Project Youth Writing Camp for first place winners, trophies for first through third place winners, certificates for all participants, as well as other prizes. The PBS KIDS Writers Contest helps children build valuable literacy skills for success in school and life. Participants can send their entries to Jessica Carroll, Ready To Learn Coordinator for Vegas PBS at 3050 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89121. Entries must be received by April 11, 2014. For more information, call (702) 799-1010 x5413.

Below is more important news from CCSD

Nevada Association of School Boards (NASB) Recognition At the December 12, 2013, regular board meeting, the Board of Trustees recognized the recent award winners and nominees at the Nevada Association of School Boards Annual Conference. Former Trustee Lorraine Alderman was honored as a new School Board member of the year; Trustee Erin Cranor as Individual School Board member of the year, Maureen Fox as School Board Staff Person of the Year; The Clark County School District (CCSD) teachers Ben Salk owe and Rachel Warbelow as Innovative Educators of the Year and El Tiempo for Media Award for Outstanding Education Reporting. Nominees included Trustee Linda E. Young for Veteran School Board Member of the Year, Trustee Chris Garvey as NASB Director of the Year, Dr. Andre Denson as Administrator of the Year, and the Public Education Foundation for Friend of K-12 Public Education. Click Here to listen to the presentation.

Middle School Electronic Photo Contest Michele Nelson, photographer, and Michael Rodriguez, communications manager of the Communication Office, presented winners of the Middle School Electronic Photo Contest at the December 12, 2013, regular board meeting. Click Here to see the presentation. The winners were as follows:

Best of Show" Samantha Garcia, Gibson MS "Reflect on nature"

"Use your imagination" Dylan Wylie, Burkholder MS "Fire"

"Animals or Pets" Olivia Del Gandio, Martin MS "Hard day at the office"

"Where have you been" Lyla Saab, Becker MS "Paris"

"Humorous" Dylan Wylie, Burkholder MS "Monkey"

"Elementary School Category" Madelyn Hassenzahl, Gray ES "A playing bear"

Station Casinos Lori Nelson, Vice President of Corporate Communication of Station Casinos, spoke about their partnership with Clark County School District and The Public Education Foundation. She also presented a check in the amount of $50,000.00 to the Clark County School District for the Smart Start program at the December 12, 2013, regular board meeting. Click Here to listen to the presentation.

Superintendent shares important information about overcrowding and year-round schedules Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky has important information for families at schools being considered for possible calendar conversions. The information consists of a list of schools remaining on a nine-month calendar and a letter to parents at those schools; a list of schools still under consideration for a year-round calendar and a letter to parents about the potential calendar conversion; and an update for ZOOM School families. Visit to view these items at:

Vegas PBS offers Described and Captioned Media The Vegas PBS Described and Captioned Media Center is a grant funded free-loan library available to all Nevada residents. For details call Sandra Abston at (702) 799-1010, ext. 5419. The library services include the following:

Audio & Braille Books Braille Printing Services Classroom Kit: Understanding Blindness and Visual Impairment Closed captioned DVD and VHS Descriptive DVD and VHS Educational Games Family Literacy Kits for the Blind and Visually Impaired Family Literacy Kits for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Nominations sought for Educator of the Month The Las Vegas Review-Journal is seeking nominations for its "Educator of the Month" program. You can nominate an educator who has gone above and beyond the call of duty. The program is open to all local K-12 teachers, counselors and administrators. Visit for more information.

Students invited to enter "Beautiful Nevada" contest Nevada State Bank is giving away a total of $30,000 to Nevada public schools in the Nevada State Bank Beautiful Nevada essay contest. Six schools across the state will each be awarded $5,000 to help them continue with their work of educating the next generation of Nevadans. Each essay must answer the question: "What makes Nevada beautiful to you?" The deadline for entries is January 31, 2014, and the winners will be announced in February. For more information visit .

Scholarship Information The Public Education Foundation administers a variety of scholarships to help students pursue higher educational goals. They offer more than 140 different scholarship opportunities for Southern Nevada's high school seniors to attend both in-state and out-of-state schools. The Public Education Foundation Scholarship Applications must be completed online and are due by February 14, 2014. Click Here to find out how to apply online. You can contact The Public Education Foundation at or by calling 799-1042.

The scholarship donors are corporations, associations, organizations, foundations and individuals who want to create a brighter future by encouraging education. Each donor has the opportunity to determine the criteria of their scholarship and plays an active role in selecting the scholarship recipients. Click Here to view how many scholarship have been awarded from 1994-2013.

Open Enrollment CCSD is now holding Open Enrollment to provide students and their parents/guardians with additional options regarding school selection. The Open Enrollment interest form and a Frequently Asked Questions document can be found by visiting or . Interest forms will be accepted online until February 3 at 3 p.m. The schools available for selection during the open enrollment process have been chosen because of the number of open seats and additional capacity at that school. For a list of available schools, view the "school selection" portion of the interest form. If you have any questions you can contact you child's school or the Magnet/CTA Department at 799-8492.

Magnet Schools and Career & Technical Academies Applications due Monday, February 3 The CCSD's Magnet Schools and Career & Technical Academies (CTA) Department is now accepting applications for the Magnet/CTA Programs. The application and documents must be returned to the Magnet/CTA office or a Magnet/CTA school campus by Monday, February 3, 2014, at 3:00 p.m. The documents needed are as follows:

CCSD 6th-Grade Applicants: Submit a copy of their 2013-2014 first trimester report card.

All out-of-district 6th - through 12th-grade applicants, including charter, private, etc., must submit a copy of their 2013-2014 first trimester or first semester report card and most recent standardized test scores.

The report card must include: course title and grade, attendance, citizenship/conduct grade.

The Magnet/CTA office is located at 5708 Mountain Vista Street, Las Vegas, NV 89120. NO FAXED APPLICATIONS OR REQUIRED DOCUMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. All applications must be mailed to the Magnet/CTA office. For more information on applying to Magnet Schools and Career & Technical Academies, visit . If you have any questions you can contact you child's school or the Magnet/CTA Department at 799-8492.

Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program The open enrollment period for the Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program began on December 1, 2013, and closes February 28, 2014. Now celebrating its 15th year, the program provides Nevada families with a way to take control of skyrocketing college tuition costs by allowing parents to purchase future college credit costs at today's prices.

Legislative Update The 2013 Nevada Legislature passed SB 500 to create the Task Force on K-12 Public Education Funding. This task force will meet in 2014 to develop a plan for funding public schools based upon a weighted formula that takes into account the individual educational needs and demographic characteristics of students. This plan will be reported to the legislature for consideration in 2015. For a list of members and to sign up to receive information on meetings and agendas, please visit

Budget Update The District is required by the State to file an Amended Final Budget no later than January 1, 2014. The 2013-2014 Final Budget was approved by the Board of School Trustees on May 15, 2013, with several factors being unknown at that time, namely the certified student enrollment and beginning fund balances. The proposed 2013-2014 Amended Final Budget was prepared based upon information presented and discussed during the Board Work Session on November 15, 2013, discussing the results of the annual financial audit. On December 12, 2013, the Board of School Trustees was presented and approved the Amended Final Budget.

Appropriations were modified using an increased weighted enrollment of 303,494.4 pupils. The revised total enrollment (head count) of 314,643 is 1,861 pupils more than projected within the Final Budget and provided a net increase of over $4.8 million under the provisions of the State's Distributive School Account (DSA) formula along with an increase in per pupil funding from the Department of Education of $12 from $5,445 to $5,457.

The District's unassigned ending fund balance was retained at the 1 percent level of total revenues through June 30, 2013. This is less than the 2 percent level requirement of District Regulation 3110 following a Board-approved waiver granted in May 2013. Balances have been restricted to provide inventories and dedicated school donations. Assigned balances were noted from indirect cost reimbursements from categorical grants, purchase order encumbrances at June 30, 2013, the carryover of unexpended. Work will now begin on the 2014-2015 Tentative Budget.

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