School briefs: Gilbert, Higley schools on break

Gilbert and Higley unified school districts will be on spring break Monday through Friday .

The Queen Creek Unified School District is on its second and final week of spring break this week.

School will resume for Gilbert, Higley and Queen Creek districts on March 23.

All State Junior High Band Festival

The Higley Center for the Performing Arts will host the All State Junior High Band Festival at 5 p.m. Saturday at the center, 4132 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert. Tickets are $5 and will be sold at the door.

Information: (480) 279-7190 or www.husd.org/programs/arts/hcpa.aspx.

Registration open for Saturday School

Gilbert Unified School District’s Distance Learning Office is registering junior high students that need to make up a class in Saturday School. The third session of Saturday School begins on March 28, and the cost is $160 a class.

To register or for more information, call the Distance Learning Office at (480) 507-1476.

Summer school info available online

Information on Gilbert Unified School District’s 2009 Elementary and Secondary Summer School is available through the community education office. Dates, times, locations, courses and registration information can be found online at www.gilbert.k12.az.us. Click on “For Our Community,” “Community Education” and then “Summer School.”

Schedule set for Distance Learning

Gilbert Unified School District’s Distance Learning Office has set its enrollment, coursework completion and testing schedule for seniors in Distance Learning courses. The last day for seniors to enroll in Distance Learning courses is March 27.

For the schedule or for more information, call the Distance Learning Office at (480) 507-1476.

Registration open for summer camps

Registration is now in progress for Gilbert Unified School District’s 2009 Summer Very Important Kid Club, Kindercamp, and The Zone summer camps.

For more information, visit www.gilbert.k12.az.us, and click on “For Our Community” and “Community Education.”

To reach the Community Education Office, call (480) 892-9089.

Employers invited to school career fair

Employers interested in reaching several hundred graduating seniors are invited to reserve a table at the Gilbert Unified School District’s Senior Class Career Fair. The district’s Youth Employment Service is sponsoring the 11th annual career fair from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. April 23 at Mesquite High School, 500 S. McQueen Road, Gilbert.

Part-time and full-time employment opportunities, apprenticeships or internship programs and educational institutions are welcome. Tables are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

Employers interested in reserving a table can call Gail McLaughlin at (480) 545-3826 ext. 131.

Pre-kindergarten program approved

The Higley Unified School District governing board voted Thursday to approve a kindergarten preparation program, which will start in the fall. The district will offer the tuition-based, three-hour program in the morning and afternoon. It will run five days a week.

A certified, early-childhood education teacher and instructional aid will support each classroom. The cost will be $275 a month. More information will soon be available to parents on the district Web site at www.husd.org.

Nominees sought for crossing guard award

AAA Arizona is accepting nominations for its Crossing Guard of the Year award.

School administrators, faculty, staff, parents, students and community members are invited to describe why they believe their candidate deserves the Crossing Guard of the Year designation.

Self-nominations will also be accepted. Forms are available online at www.aaaaz.com/news/CrossingGuardoftheYear.htm. Completed forms can be mailed to AAA Arizona, Attn: Public Affairs, 3144 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix, AZ, 85013; faxed to (602) 776-0466; or e-mailed to publicrelations@arizona.aaa.com.

Nominations must be submitted by April 15.

Mesa Unified on spring break

The Mesa Unified School District is on spring break Monday through Friday. Classes resume on March 23.

No classes for Apache Junction Unified

There will be no classes held in schools in the Apache Junction Unified School District Monday through Friday.

Office hours change for Apache Junction district

As part of the Apache Junction Unified School District’s efforts to conserve on utility costs, the district office will adopt an adjusted schedule during the week. Hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Classes will resume for all students on March 23.

Registration begins for free full-day kindergarten

The Apache Junction Unified School District will start kindergarten roundup March 23.

The district plans to offer free, full-day kindergarten at all its schools. A half-day program will be available on some campuses for those families who prefer it.

Registration will be conducted at all of the district’s elementary schools during regular school hours. To find out your “home” school, call (480) 982-1110, Ext. 2011.

Boundary variances will be accepted for children living outside the district’s boundaries, however parents will have to provide transportation for those children.

To be eligible, a child must be 5 years of age prior to Sept. 1. Parents should bring the following documents to registration: birth certificate, proof of residency (rent receipt, utility bill, etc.) and immunization record.

Mesa Unified students traveling to Singapore

The Mesa Unified School District governing board approved two out-of-country trips for high school students this summer.

Teams from Westwood and Mountain View high asked permission to travel to Singapore to compete in the World Scholars Cup Finals.

The national competition for the event will be held at Westwood in April. Students must raise their own funds for the June trip. A request from the Dobson High School Jazz Band and Wind Symphony to travel in 2010 to Shanghai, China, to attend the Shanghai World Expo Music Festival was pulled from the agenda.

The staff is still working on details for the trip, said governing board president Michael Hughes.

Highland Elementary student wins essay contest

Zöe Simms, a fourth-grader at Highland Elementary School in Mesa, was selected as the winning author in the Phoenix Coyotes and Mesa Fire Department’s educational contest.

Students in grades four, five and six were asked to write about their “Every day” hero. Zöe’s hero is her great-grandmother, Billie Bogart, who she calls “Grandma Boo Boo.” Zöe is proud of her great-grandmother’s volunteer work within the community at the Phoenix Zoo, United Methodist Outreach Ministries, and Tempe’s Meals on Wheels Program.

Zöe received tickets for her family and entire class to attend the Coyotes vs. the Nashville Predators game.

Eisenhower Elementary program wins award

The Arizona Department of Education selected Character Education Three Minutes a Day at Eisenhower Elementary as one of three statewide winners of the 2009 Promising Practices in Character Education Award.

Each winner received $100. The program, written by Peggy Morris, Eisenhower counselor, starts the school day with a one-minute dialogue script read over the morning announcements by two to four students. Two-minute discussions follow in classrooms.

Dialogue scripts focus on a different character trait each month. These traits include the six pillars of character — respect, responsibility, caring, trustworthiness, fairness, and citizenship — plus attitude, effort, self-control and courtesy.

Education briefs run on Sunday. To submit an item, send the pertinent information to Hayley Ringle at hringle@evtrib.com.Mesa and Chandler school briefs are compiled by education reporter Michelle Reese. Contact her at mreese@evtrib.com or (480) 898-6549.