A+
Vicki Hester
Principal
Salk Elementary
7029 E. Brown Road
Mesa, AZ 85207
Phone: 480.472.8400
Fax: 480.472.8484
Website www2.mpsaz.org/salk/
School Hours: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Early Release Wednesday: 7:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.
The Scorpion Scoop
Building a Smarter World, One Student at a Time
AzMERIT, High Expectations, and You
Week of Nov. 2-6
Monday, Nov. 2
Music Festival Rehearsal
2:20 p.m. Rm G8
AzMERIT is the assessment given to third- through 11th-graders in
Arizona that determines how students are learning based on Arizona's
College and Career Ready Standards. In November 2014, the Arizona
State Board of Education voted to replace AIMS with AzMERIT. In
Spring 2015, approximately 45,000 Mesa students took AzMERIT
Wednesday, Nov. 4
Extra Early Release
11:45 a.m. School Dismissal
Professional Development for Teachers
College T-shirt/color day
Thursday, Nov. 5
Walking Club
2:15-3:15
Friday, Nov. 6
Student Council Meeting
11:30-12:00
School Spirit Day
Wear School T-shirts or colors
assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) and math on computer
or on paper. Parents are expected to receive their child's AzMERIT
score report by November 2015.
Performance labels for AzMERIT are Highly Proficient, Proficient,
Partially Proficient and Minimally Proficient. Cut-off scores for each
performance label were determined based on what students at each
grade level should know, not by the percentage of questions students
answered correctly. Please see the attached explanation for the
AzMERIT Family Report Guide.
Students who took AzMERIT may be less proficient than they were on
AIMS. Remember: AzMERIT is not at all comparable to AIMS. This
decrease is not a reflection of students' learning or the quality of their
education. With new standards and a new assessment, we need to
redefine our expectations. AzMERIT scores are expected to increase
over time, and more rigorous standards mean our students will be
*Saturday, Nov. 7
Music Festival
9:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
better prepared than ever to enter into an increasingly competitive
world upon graduation. For more information - www.mpsaz.org/azmerit
and azmeritportal.org/students-and-families/
Healthy Scorpion Square
Making
food
choices
for
a
healthy
lifestyle
can be as video
simple as using
You
may
view
a
Mesa
Public
Schools
Character Pillar for November –
the 10 tips to a great plate.
www.chooseMyPlate.gov
Citizenship
explaining AzMERIT at:
2. Enjoy your food, but eat less. Take the time to fully enjoy
“There is no better exercise for
http://www.mpsaz.org/azmerit.
Parent
Resources
on
your food as you eat it. Pay attention to hunger
and fullness
cues
strengthening the heart than reaching down
before,
during,
and
after
meals.
Use
them
to
recognize
when
to
eat
and
the Arizona Department of Education website can be
and lifting up another.”
Anonymous
when you’ve had enough.
found at: http://azmeritportal.org/students-andfamilies/
SOAR – Be Safe
Take Ownership
Be Accepting
Be Ready!