Whether you are a returning patron or new to our district, welcome to Mohave Valley! This is my 30th year with the district and ninth as superintendent, and I am still pleased to say that I am proud to call Mohave Valley District my home. Every day we have teachers and staff working extremely hard with students to improve achievement by creating school communities in which all students can learn, no exceptions! Both of my own two children went through our district from preschool through junior high, and both graduated with honors from River Valley High School, with one going on to graduate from Arizona State University and the second from Mohave Community College, transferring to UNLV, respectively. I know this achievement wasn't the result of the schools alone, or us as parents alone, but rather by bringing together as many caring adults as possible to invest into the lives of my students- and our students allowing the team to promote and protect this success.

 

Mohave Valley Schools run things a bit differently at the school level: Besides being grade banded (Fort Mojave is our primary school; Camp Mohave our intermediate school, and Mohave Valley Jr. High serves students in grades 6-8), the district also employs a co-principal structure. In this case, two administrators work together as a team, with the academic principal in charge of teaching and learning, including teacher evaluations, coaching, curriculum, and instruction: At the same time, the administrative principal will deal with student discipline, scheduling, public relations, and the day to day running of the school campus. In our second year of this structure, we are extremely excited about the opportunities we bring your students, as there is no doubt in my mind that educationally we'll be able to offer your students greater opportunities for differentiation in our program than ever before.

 

This year the district (and state) continues to implement Arizona's revised College and Career Readiness Standards, formerly known as Common Core. I caution you not to believe everything you see on Facebook about the Common Core, and in fact, I can tell you in a nutshell the simple difference between our old standards and the new College and Career Readiness standards: Thinking. With society rapidly changing and the world of work keeping pace, simply knowing the answers isn't good enough: When confronted with a problem that has no obvious answers, our students must be able to think and problem-solve to develop their own solution. That's what Common Core is asking us to do. So besides simply knowing the answer, we will be expecting students to explain how they got that answer. To do that, we must teach students multiple approaches to answering the same question, so that they will be able to draw upon those approaches to develop new strategies to solve problems on their own. This is a major shift, but it will better prepare students not only for adult life today, but in the future as well.

 

To assist in preparing students for mastery of our rigerous state standards, Mohave Valley Schools have invested in a new online program called SuccessMaker. This program is highly individualized, focusing instruction at each student's individual level and then moving them forward with engaging, interactive lessons. Whether a student is a bit behind, at grade level, or advanced, the program adapts and moves students forward, filling in gaps for students as needed leading to eventual enrichment activities. Research shows that daily use of the program can increase a student's skill level significantly over the year. While the program will be used daily at school, students and parents can also access the site at home, providing even more time for catch up, maintaining skills, or moving ahead! Watch for more information to come home from your child's school on this exciting program.

 

Beyond the curriculum we teach, as parents, we too must continue to do everything within our power to positively invest in our children, including creating our own standard operating procedures by insuring regular and on-time attendance, completed practice and homework nightly, and open and timely communication between home and school when things aren't working. At the same time, watch for our Academic Parent-Teacher Team nights this fall and winter. These evenings are designed to share reading and math levels for your student, as well as opportunities to learn a variety of activities that you can use at home to build those skills. There's nothing like seeing where your child began, and where s/he ended after working with you on a set of skills. Now that's a parent-teacher team!

 

If you are a parent new to the area and are looking for a school, look no further: As a traditional public school, we provide full-service schools that include busing, (free for all students) breakfast and lunch, a full-service special education department and ancillary services including health clerks and a registered nurse who oversees them, all in beautiful, fully developed campuses. At Mohave Valley School District, your student is much more than just a number on a waiting list: We look to develop and enrich every student from every walk of life. In fact, if you compare test scores, you'll find Mohave Valley district scores are similar and in some cases better than our neighboring districts, including the charter schools.

 

We look forward to an exciting and productive year. Just as with anything else, your child will get out of his/her education no more or no less than what we all put into it. That being said, get involved in your child's parent organization, volunteer, and make your student's school a better place. That's what teamwork is all about!