Creighton Community

Welcome to the Creighton Community Newsletter. The purpose of this monthly newsletter is to keep our families, partners, and community up-to-date on important education related issues, upcoming events, and topics that impact you and your families.

Kinder registration is open at all Creighton Schools! If you missed our kinder event, it's not too late! Visit any of our neighborhood schools for a tour and enrollment information. You can also register online at www.CreightonSchools.org

Annual Creighton Arts Festival was a success. Families from all of our schools came to view our student's art. We have some very talented artists! A big thank you to our art teachers for organizing such a great event!

After a comprehensive search, Ms. Holena Lebrón was approved by the Creighton Governing Board as the new Principal for Larry C. Kennedy School.

Ms. Holena Lebrón currently serves as the Principal at C.J. Jorgensen School in the Roosevelt School District, overseeing the development of a signature program and successfully elevating the school's academic standing from an "F" school in 2020 to a "B" School in 2024. Prior to working for Roosevelt, Ms. LeBron was a part of the Creighton Family. She began her career in Creighton in 2002 as a middle school teacher at Excelencia, worked as a Student Achievement Teacher at Creighton School, and then as an Assistant Principal at both Creighton and Machan schools. Her experience in the classroom and supporting teachers and campuses has earned her the reputation of being an effective, well-rounded leader. Ms. LeBron holds a Masters in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University (2012) and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Arizona State University (2002).

Following the retirement of current Excelencia Principal, Ms. Bobbi Fisher, Mr. Jeff Geyer has been named the new Principal of Excelencia School for the 2024-2025 school year.

Mr. Geyer is currently the Principal for the Creighton Virtual Academy and was previously the Principal for Papago School and Assistant Principal at Loma Linda School. He has over 20 years of experience in the Creighton School District!

Welcome to Excelencia, Mr. Geyer and congratulation to Ms. Fisher on her retirement!

Monte Vista had a partnership event with AZ Cardinals & Desert Financial where they put on an "Adult Camp" and provided lunch, signed backpacks & gave small appreciation gifts to the staff.

Families that wish to nominate a child for gifted and talented screening can obtain the family nomination form at all the sites front office, the District Office, or families can fill out a parent nomination via a Google form here

See our CGAT website for more information.

To celebrate Read Across America, Gateway School hosted Superintendent, Jay Mann and Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Eric Dueppen to read their favorite books to students.

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go - Dr. Suess

Each of our schools participated in our Stewardship Sustainability experience. With Wade Colwell's guidance, the Advocates pulled students who are Stewards or who would serve as exceptional stewards to participate in a 1.5 hour experience using the Monsoon model (drought & monsoon) to bring forward conversations around stewardship itself, ways of being, understanding, what creative resistance means and looks like, and sharing their own lived experiences if they chose to do so.

The Native American Program hosted the third Family Gathering of the school year.

Families participated in a workshop hosted by NATIVE Health called “Basket of Balance," learned strategies for incorporating traditional Indigenous values and principles into daily life, in order to support academic and personal success! Diné (Navajo) vocabulary words were also taught in this session!

NATIVE Health also shared information about their Indigenous Wellness Garden, indigenous agriculture techniques and mindful eating practices. We all practiced deep breathing and gratitude affirmations. It was a fun, engaging, creative, and educational event!

Our district is currently in the final phase of reviewing new science curriculum resources for our Science Adoption. The science committee has worked diligently over the past six months to narrow down the finalists to two vendors: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Into Science and Savvas Learning Company Elevate Science.

We've arranged physical resources at each school site. Starting February 20th, 2024, and concluding on April 30, 2024, a rotation schedule will allow you to review these materials directly during the 60 day public review. Click here for the rotation schedule. Our Creighton Family Resource Center at Papago West will also feature these resources on school days from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Both resources are also available online beginning February 12th, 2024, to begin exploring. Click here to access the resources digitally. You can leave your feedback using the survey link below. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to providing the best possible education for our students.

Parents/Guardians within the Creighton School District boundaries with a child between the ages of 2 years 10 months to 5 years old with concerns in the following areas:

• Communication Behavior
• Social Skills
• Self Help Skills Intellectual skills

Parents/Guardians are encouraged to bring their child to a developmental preschool screening.

Interested? Contact our special education preschool office to schedule a screening: preschooloffice@creightonschools.org 602-381-4600

With a network of over 350,000 providers and services, Care Solace will help you find the right help, at the right time, 24/7/365, at no cost to you. They will connect you with providers accepting all medical insurances, including Medicaid, Medicare, and sliding scale options for those without insurance.

You can access Care Solace in three ways:

• Call 888-515-0595 at any time. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365. A dedicated care companion will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments, and follow-up to make sure it is a good fit.
• Search anonymously to get matched with an extensive list of care providers at Caresolace.com/Creighton.
• Contact your school health professional, and they will submit a referral on your behalf.

No matter what you are experiencing there is hope and help. We are confident that our new partnership with Care Solace will help us build a healthier, more vibrant school community

A new school year can sometimes mean new information. At Creighton District we communicate with our families through email, text messages, phone calls, and social media updates. Please ensure our front offices have your email and phone number on file so you don't miss any important information.

The Creighton School District is hiring for positions ranging from teacher, custodians, cafeteria staff, paraprofessional, nurse, psychologist, bus driver, etc! If you are looking for a career that makes a difference in the lives of children in a family like atmosphere, Creighton is the place for you. You can see a full list of open positions and apply online by clicking here.