About Basha Elementary School

Basha Elementary Teaching Staff

All Basha Elementary staff are highly qualified, certified teachers and receive additional training in instructional strategies throughout the school year. They are responsible for conducting and attending grade level and school-wide meetings to ensure educational consistency. They follow a curriculum map for their standards to ensure that all are covered over the course of the year.

Curriculum

Basha Elementary School follows the state standards and strives to meet the needs of our diverse learners. All district adopted teaching materials are research based and provide additional resources for teachers to use when planning for whole group, small group, and individualized instruction.

Textbooks and Materials

• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Language Arts Program
• Go Math and ConnectEd Math
• Social Studies and Science (books & kits)

Student Assessments

• AzMerit (Grades 3-6)
• DIBELS (K-3)
• Diagnostic Reading Assessment (K-1)
• Textbook and teacher-created assessments

Learning Environment
It is our goal to provide a positive learning environment which provides differentiated instruction, supports visual/auditory learners, provides constant feedback, student centered instruction with a multi-sensory approach. Our environment fosters independent study skills, provides small group instruction and self-motivation.

Support Services

• Gifted Cluster Model
• ELL for students learning English
• Special Education
• Speech

Special Subjects
Our specials teachers follow the district and state standards that are provided for them. Students are assessed on their progress through district assessments, teacher made assessments, and students' self-reflection. Parents are provided academic and behavior information on their student's progress each semester in Physical Education and Music. Teachers and students follow a six day rotation that includes the following:

• 2 periods of PE
• 2 periods of Music
• 1 period of Library
• 1 technology session (computer class)

Students in grades 5 and 6 may participate in band or orchestra.

Class Placement

We want to meet the social, emotional and academic needs of all students at Basha. The placement of students into a classroom environment where the teaching style meets their learning needs is critical. Classes are created to balance diversity, behavior and academic achievement. The teachers and administrators have worked diligently to make sure classrooms are balanced and learning teams have been created that will bring success to all students. Please help us by encouraging your child as he/she becomes accustomed to a new learning environment, a new teacher and the opportunity to make new friends. Class Placements will be sent out electronically approximately two weeks before the first day of school.

Homework

Homework is a vital part of your child's academic success at Basha. It is used to:

• Reinforce class work
• Serve as a review tool
• Teach responsibility
• Develop good study habits
• Alert you when your child is having difficulty

Homework will be assigned weekly. Expect 20-60 minutes per day depending on grade level and your child's academic level.

Cell Phones
We highly discourage students from having cell phones on campus. If a cell phone is seen or heard before or during school hours on campus; 1st offense- the phone will be taken from the student for the remainder of the day and returned to him/her after school, 2nd offense- the phone will be taken from the student, he or she will lose their privilege to have a phone on campus and a call will be made to the parent to indicate where and when the phone may be retrieved by the parent. After school phone calls to parents must be made in the presence of a staff member.

Basha School News is GOING GREEN…
Part of being responsible citizens is to take advantage of opportunities that will help save our planet while addressing the reality of shrinking school budgets. This year we will provide you with the latest school and class information via the Basha web page. We will also be asking each family for an e-mail address where we can send both the school newsletter and any other school communication. Hard copies will be available in the front office or by request for families that do not currently have email available to them.

Attendance
The school day is from 8:30am-3:00pm. The line up bell rings at 8:25am and students are marked tardy after 8:30. (Students are not to be on campus before 8:05am because there is no one on duty until that time.) If your child is absent or tardy for any reason, please call the attendance line (480-883-4403) to report the absence. If you would like to pick up your child's missed work for that day, please notify the office @ 883-4400 (or email your teacher directly) so that it can be ready by 3:00.

Student Messages & Deliveries
From time to time things are forgotten at home that need to be at school (i.e. homework, lunches, etc.). In an attempt to curtail interrupting the learning environment, we will email the teachers and send your messages (and deliveries) to the classroom twice during the day: once before lunch and once prior to dismissal. Please remember that with 700+ students this becomes quite a challenge.

Personal Items
Please label your child's personal items with his/her name (backpacks, clothing, etc.) Also, it is a good idea to remind your children to check the lost and found if they are missing something. We will have periodic “last calls” on lost and found items and will then be taking the remaining items to a charitable organization.

Classroom Parties / Balloons & Nuts
Birthdays and celebrations in general are a fun and important part of children's lives, however, we would like to ask that the instructional day be honored and that these types of activities be completed the last 15-30 minutes of the day. Please clear all specifics with the teacher before planning. Also, due to distractions and the numerous allergies found in different classrooms, NO BALLOONS and NO NUTS. Remember that snacks being shared with the students MUST BE STORE BOUGHT and brought in the original packaging.

Before & After School Activities
There are a great number of before and after school activities available at school including; Running Club, Student Council, Choir, Media Club, LEGO Robotics Programming, etc. Clubs will vary from year to year and will be established as needed.

Field Trips & Arizona Tax Credit

There will be a number of field trips that the different grade levels will be going on over the course of the next year. In light of state budget cuts, resulting in the districts' inability to adequately support field trips our only source of funding these trips is through Tax Credit Donations. The following guidelines will hopefully align and bring consistency to field trip language and practice within the district.

1) Any donation solicited from parents for field trip/s should be solicited as a tax credit donation.

2) Parents will not be asked to donate any specific dollar amount for a particular field trip, but will be encouraged to make a tax credit donation, no matter the amount, to the class/school.

3) Tax credit donations are encouraged throughout the year, however, early tax credit donations will allow for ample planning time for field trips.

Under State law ARS 43-1089.01, Arizona tax payers can receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit when they contribute up to $200 per year / $400 for married couples filing a joint return to field trips/extracurricular activities in public schools. This cost parents nothing, assuming they are already paying Arizona state taxes. These additional funds mean that children benefit from more field trips, as well as, increased choices in different enrichment programs and activities.

Parent Involvement Opportunities
In a school the size of Basha Elementary volunteers are vital, important and integral parts of our success. Opportunities for helping include; Classroom volunteers, PTO Board and PTO Activities, Site Council, Art Masterpiece, Junior Achievement, etc.

Basha Site-Based Council
The responsibility of the Site Council is to review and monitor the current School Improvement Plan. This plan addresses school and district goals in the areas of academics, safety, parent involvement etc. Specifically, Site Council supports school-wide efforts in promoting an environment in which academic learning can flourish. 

Volunteer / Workroom Safety
We want to encourage and thank you for volunteering your time and expertise at Basha. Please remember that young children/siblings are not allowed in the classroom or in the teacher workroom due to safety and insurance reasons, as well as, cute little brothers and sisters are very distracting to many of our students. We will be offering training on the different machines and computers found in the workroom and labs periodically. Thanks again!

In the unlikely event of a school evacuation or lockdown, we will contact parents via email or phone to give information on the situation. We will report where and when to pick up your student when it is safe to do so. Please do not come to the school as this will add to the confusion that an emergency situation intrinsically causes and may block emergency vehicles from reaching our building.

We would like to make sure that we are providing our students with the safest possible environment. We are asking that all guests sign in at the front desk and put on a name tag before proceeding onto the campus. We want to know who is on campus at all times. Please help us by not joining your student on the playground during school hours. Safety First! Please…NO VISITING STUDENTS “FOR THE DAY” ALLOWED (E.G., COUSINS FROM NEW MEXICO, ETC.) NO ANIMALS ON CAMPUS WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM PRINCIPAL.

Note: Kindergarten parents...we will be providing a one-day adjustment period for you and your child. After the first day we would appreciate your help in not coming into the building in the AM. After the children have gained some independence we would love for you to come in and volunteer as much as possible.

Hot Days
As you are aware, July, August and September can be rather warm. We will encourage the students to drink a lot of liquid and to limit their outside play and running around. PE and lunch recess will be held in the gym or classroom on those days that the heat index is above the recommended health standard. Water bottles are allowed and encouraged during hot weather. Please be sure the bottles are labeled and contain only water. *If a student chooses to use his/her water bottle to squirt water, that student will lose the privilege to have a water bottle. There are also drinking fountains on campus.

Bus Riders
Please help us out by making sure your students know where they are to get on and off of the bus. For the first week we will be putting a colored armband on your children's backpacks to help identify which bus they are to ride at afternoon dismissal. Please make sure that your child has this on their backpack before they leave the house in the morning.

No Smoking
Please remember that Basha Elementary School is a smoke-free facility. This includes the parking lot.

No Threats or Weapons
During the first few weeks of school, the principal will be visiting with each classroom regarding the rules and consequences surrounding specifically threats and weapons such as why they are not acceptable and the range of consequences that will be issued when someone chooses to violate the rule.