Page 20 March 2012 Program’s goal: parents active in kids’ education By Heather Gross Expect More Arizona recently launched a new campaign to involve parents in their children’s education, in hopes that Arizona students will take more away from their education. The public-private partnership strives to set high expectations and improve the quality of the educational experience for all students, in turn creating more opportunities for everyone. The new campaign is aimed at getting parents aware of and involved with the education system. “Research shows us that parents who are actively engaged in their child’s education at every step have children who are more likely to do well in school,” said Pearl Chang Esau, the president and CEO of Expect More Arizona. Students whose parents are involved in their education also are more likely to graduate high school, go on to post- secondary education and make more money in their jobs, Esau said. “High school is no longer the fi nish line,” Esau said. “In today’s economy, if you want to get a good job and have the best opportunities you have to go on to college or community college or some other technical institute for that certi fi cate.” The fi rst step to getting students out of high school and into college is educating their families. Expect More Arizona is trying to achieve this by using a “multi-media and grassroots outreach campaign,” Esau said. Their campaign consists of three core pieces in linking parents to their children’s continuing education: awareness of the challenges and resources in education; understanding and advocacy for the students; and empowerment of everyone involved. There are a number of programs that Expect More Arizona uses to accomplish these goals. Distribution of pamphlets and videos is a large part of the movement. The group also works with individual schools and districts, getting students informed and excited about education. One of the biggest movements Expect More Arizona has done was Vote for Education in 2010, a voter mobilization program aimed at registering people to vote and make education the top issue for candidates. Chad Gestson, principal of Camelback High School in Phoenix, is working on similar goals at his school. He said he believes in the same core values that Continued on page 30 WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE? SUMMER PROGRAMS PHOENIX COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL Phoenix Country Day School www.pcds.org/summer Art, Academics, Technology, Theatre, Sports 2-WEEK SESSIONS: JUNE 4-JULY 13, 2012 Thank a Teacher Know a teacher who really makes a difference? Nominate him or her for the new monthly column TEACHER WE LOVE TEACHER WE LOVE It’s easy & fun to recognize your favorite teacher! Just ĺ ll out this form and mail, fax or drop it by our of ĺ ce. OR, you can nominate a teacher online at www.arcadiadaily.com/teachers.pdf Be sure to include details about why your teacher is great (more details = better chance of winning!) Send Entries to: 3850 E. Indian School Rd., Phx, AZ 85018 or ŷ ll out a nomination form online at: arcadiadaily.com/teachers.pdf Teacher/Administrator Name: __________________________ School Name: _____________________________________ Your Name: _______________________________________ Your Email Address: ________________________________ Your Phone Number: ________________________________ How does this person make a difference? ______________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Winning teachers will receive special gift certificates to Salon Sandoval for some much-deserved pampering! ELIZABETH MISSAL 5th and 6th Grade ANLC Nominations for April’s Teacher We Love are due 3/15/12. hurry! hurry! Elizabeth wins a a gift certificate to Salon Sandoval for some well-deserved pampering. teacher we love! Mrs. Missal is a fantastic 5th and 6th grade teacher at ANLC. She really gets to know her students and then Ű nds a way to reach and motivate each one. No one-size- Ű ts-all approach with her. And she is just right the blend of serious and silly, caring and tough, with loads of hands-on, interactive learning. One of the best things about Mrs. Missal is that she consistently models what she teaches. She is a warm, kind, genuine person and a beloved teacher. She made a huge difference in our daughter’s achievement and love of learning and made us wish we could go back to 6th grade. E Nominated by Diane Sanders.

our focus is on you. WINNER! GRAND PRIZE SCENIC SHOTS MOM & ME PHOTOG’S CHOICE! PRICELESS FACES STAYING COOL VACATIONS & TRAVEL BLACK & WHITE SCARED OF SANTA ACTION SHOTS BROTHERS & SISTERS ARCADIA NEWS PHOTO CONTEST Congratulations to Melissa Faulkner, our annual Grand Prize Winner and the lucky new owner of a Flip video camera! Thank you to all of this year’s photo contest entrants--keep ‘em coming! Our Monthly Winning Pho- tographers’ submissions, from top left : Melissa Faulkner, Janey Ledyard, Ella Rewinkle, Katie Bell, Max Hall, Pete Schroeder, Suzanne Cassano, Julie Massey, Denise Har- man, Karley McCauley, and Adrienne Hogates. Congrats, Melissa Faulkner! SHARE YOUR PHOTOS WITH US PETS & ANIMALS Send your pix to photos@arcadianews.com along with a brief description of each photo--the who, what where, when & why--and you just might be our next monthly winner! Due 4/15 Due 3/15 PHOTOG’S CHOICE! Due 5/15 Due 6/15 Due 7/15 Due 8/15 Due 9/15 Due 10/15 Due 11/15 Due 12/15 Due 1/15 Due 2/15 There’s no limit to how many entries you can submit in each monthly category and it’s never too early to start submitting pix for future themes. So start snapping!