From the Principal
Don’t miss our upcoming CCS Evening of the Arts, Thursday, May 3rd from 6 – 8 pm. Hope to see you there!
March 2012
RE-ENROLLMENT packets will be due no later than March 30th, 2012!! Please watch for your 2012-2013 packet or pick one up in the office. Make sure your packets are returned by Friday March 30th for all returning students and their siblings! We really appreciate being your school of choice and look forward to another great year!
I want to thank our families for all of your support and participation in all of the school community's activities this year. I have really enjoyed seeing so many of you at the SAC meetings this year and am really excited about the things we have been working on and discussing there. Also, thank you for your overwhelming support of your children's classrooms.
The Ice Cream
Social and Scholastic Book Fair were our best attended yet and
the holiday spirit was abundant: sharing laughs; talking over
ice cream; and witnessing all of the delight our kids get from
books! With your support of the One For Books
program, many of our own families who are struggling this
year, had books to enjoy this Holiday Season! Your
generosity and support of your children and this community is so
inspiring!
I am also very
grateful to our dedicated faculty who makes each learning moment
magical at CCS! Many of those moments are highlighted throughout
this publication. Please don�t miss them...read on and get in
the know about the MANY, MANY events and accomplishments for our
students recently!
I have some
exciting news to share!
Challenge is extremely proud to have been recognized by
ABEC (the Arizona Business and Education Coalition) on the 2011
"Achieving College & Career Readiness-Arizona's Higher
Performing Schools" List! Only 183 AZ schools (approximately 8%)
were included. One of ABEC's key focuses is to increase
relationships between the business and education communities; in
order to "provide a common voice for education in the state".
Previously, college readiness research focused primarily
on secondary schools. ABEC points out that by the time a student
reaches secondary schools, it is too late! Our elementary
schools must be accountable for preparing students for college
and careers. ABEC used student growth measures & student
benchmarks to determine & recognize those AZ schools that are
best meeting the goal of college & career readiness. WAY TO GO
EAGLES! We appreciate ABEC and all of their work on behalf of
Arizona's future!
I am also very
proud to share that on November 21st, the AZ State Board for
Charter Schools voted unanimously to renew Challenge Charter
School's charter contract with the State for the next twenty
years. In order to be considered for renewal, charter schools
are audited annually and in detail on their fiscal,
legal, and academic compliance. Challenge was found to be of the
highest level of compliance in all programs and was renewed
through consent agenda without any needed considerations or
modifications. This means that generations to come will have the
chance to delight in the traditions and first class education at
CCS! Yay! Thank you to the State Board for Charter Schools for
holding Arizona�s charter schools to a higher standard to ensure
academic excellence for our kids, and legal compliance for our
schools.
Speaking of
excellence, I am also proud to share with you that the CCS
cafeteria, Before & After School Care Program, and Special
Education Department have all also recently undergone a full
inspection and audit, and all three received an "A" and were
found to the be in the highest level of compliance! Thank you to
our incredible staff for maintaining such high standards!
Thank you for your support,
Principal Wendy
Miller
December 2011
.JPG)
Challenge Charter School's Celestial Phoenix Team rises to the challenge!
The CCS 6th grade Aerospace Team selected the name Celestial Phoenix which turned out to be a perfect fit as they rose to the challenge during the December 7th, 2011 Honeywell Fiesta Bowl Aerospace Challenge Semi-Finals placing first in that day's competition. http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com/ (scroll down page for story)
Celestial Phoenix includes: Richard (Laurie) Cox, Emmerson Dillard, Patrick Kontz, Cavan Lopez, and Colten Warnock, with Ms. Meghan Sheehan as their Coach. Mr. Miller also provided support during the design of their lunar habitat and the team had tremendous support from their parents whose volunteer time was greatly appreciated!
Celestial Phoenix had big shoes to fill! They are only the second team to ever compete from Challenge Charter School. Challenge's first team, NASA's Newest, won the competition. As the 2009 Champions, they took a VIP trip to NASA in Houston and were featured on the field during the 39th Annual Fiesta Bowl. Two of the previous winning team members: Joleen Shiroma and Jake Garza came to this year's Semi-Finals to cheer on Celestial Phoenix and show their support. Good to see you! http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com/fiesta_bowl_2010.htm (scroll down page for story)
NASA's Newest team slogan: "Last time the Eagle was just a guest, now it's back to build its nest." ...blazed the path for the truly sensational Celestial Phoenix whose slogan says it all: "The Phoenix is rising to the challenge!" They have their own unique and remarkable team spirit and admirable dedication and persistence.
They made us all very proud with their citizenship and how much respect they showed for the competition. The Fiesta Bowl chairperson and the maintenance staff at ASU West (where the competition was held), both complimented them on their behavior and the way they composed themselves during the event.
They were judged for seven hours, being asked very challenging questions by eight different groups of Honeywell engineers. Despite the demanding schedule, the team was tireless in their energy and never allowed their nerves to show. Instead, they glowed with enthusiasm ready to share all their hard work and team collaboration with the judges.
The Honeywell Aerospace mission is to develop and build a physical scale model for an International Lunar Base. Teams must consider all of the details and then defend their choices for their location on the moon, how they will transport the base and get around in space, and how they will sustain life on the moon.
Celestial Phoenix carefully deliberated each detail resulting in a multicultural base with everything needed to keep the astronauts safe and entertained while in space. They put in lots of extra time after school and on the weekends, unwilling to quit until they had considered all options and were confident that they had made the right choices for sustaining life on the moon, such as production of their own food and a complete recycling program.
The competition included approximately 250 teams comprised of
over 900 5th - 8th grade students during the three days of
Semi-Finals. Celestial
Phoenix, was one of only 6 teams statewide that moved on
to compete in the finals December 29th at the Challenger Space
Center. As finalists, they enjoyed an exclusive
opportunity to spend time with NASA astronauts.
To prepare for the finals, Celestial Phoenix worked many hours
during their break preparing a ten minute oral presentation,
which was followed by a tough Q & A by Honeywell Aerospace
Engineers.
"I am so honored to have the opportunity to coach a group of
such motivated individuals who think critically and outside the
box!" - Ms. Megan Sheehan, Aerospace Coach & 6th
grade CCS Teacher
Principal Wendy Miller
For more details on the Celestial Phoenix story click HERE
October 2011
If you have had the chance to spend time volunteering in the classroom recently then you know that we think moving is a really important part of learning! CCS lessons are active! We have provided our faculty with a lot of training to use Kinesthetics in the Classroom. We direct our kids in planned movement while teaching, reviewing, building content knowledge, and taking brain breaks. Physical activity, fitness, and nutrition have all been linked to cognition & concentration.
Some facts
from a recent Community Health position paper on adolescents:
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Prevention of cardiovascular and chronic diseases has been directly linked to 30 minutes of moderate physical activity performed most days of the week.
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In the US, obesity in children has tripled over the past 30 years. Overweight children are more likely to develop Type II diabetes.
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Teaching kids about good food choices can have as much impact on their future health as exercise.
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Studies show that family involvement & socialization are the keys to children's activity patterns!
Challenge Charter School helps empower healthy kids in many, many ways! Some include:
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Kinesthetics in the Classroom
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Daily recess
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Physical Education classes & a nutrition curriculum
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Fitness Gram testing & benchmarking fitness progress for students
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Five-A-Day: serving balanced lunch and breakfast options
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Modeling the importance through discussions, practices, and activities
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Before/After School Extracurricular opportunities: O'Neil Fitness classes, Dizzy Whisk nutrition class, Twinkle Toes Dance Class
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Fuel Up to Play 60 empowers youth to take action to improve nutrition & physical activity.
Please partner
with the school on these key factors for healthy kids!:
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Self-efficacy/self-confidence is the primary motivator or detriment to a child's physical activity. Please encourage your child that they CAN participate & that they shouldn't compare themselves to their peers' abilities. ALL physical activity and participation is GOOD!
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TURN OFF THE TV! Monitor "screen time" - time spent watching television, playing video games, and on the computer.
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Healthy/balanced meals and snacks! Please send balanced lunches that help your child concentrate and succeed in the classroom! A balanced lunch gives your child tons more energy! And don't forget...a healthy BREAKFAST! Don't send your little learner to school on an empty stomach.
In 2010, SB 1286
was signed into law, creating the new A-F Accountability Letter
grade system for schools. A new formula was adopted by the AZ
State Board of Education in which both overall academic outcomes
and the academic growth of each student are used to assign a
"letter grade" as one measure of accountability for AZ schools.
For this year, the State is also still assigning each school an
AZ LEARNS label as in previous years.
All labels were
formally released on October 12th.
We are proud to
announce that Challenge Charter School has received an "A"
Label, and also remains an "Excelling" School! The hard
work of our students, the commitment of our school community
members, parents, & partners are all responsible for this
accomplishment. If you would like more information about how
this label is determined, there is information available in our
office kiosk or at www.azzed.gov.
Thank you for your
support!
Principal Wendy Miller
Fuel Up to Play 60 slogan: "Eat healthy. Get active. Make a difference!"
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