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During the recent meeting of the governing board, we honored our Bee Recognized Award recipients for the month of November 2023. Join us in extending our congratulations to Dr. Rogelio Longoria, who serves as a School Psychologist, Celina Cortez, a dedicated 2nd Grade Teacher at Amberlea Elementary School, and Angie Martinez, Title I Parent & Family Educator. Their invaluable contributions to our schools, district, and community are truly immeasurable!
We are thrilled to congratulate Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Cruz, who, on Thursday, October 26th, was honored at the K-12 Innovation Alliance Summit 2023. Dr. Cruz was awarded with the Innovation Alliance Education Impact Award by the K-12 Innovation Alliance. This prestigious accolade recognizes her exceptional leadership and relentless dedication to the district. Dr. Cruz, with her passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the Pendergast District, serves as a shining example of such impactful and transformative leadership.
During the recent meeting of the governing board, we honored our Bee Recognized Award recipients for the month of October 2023. Join us in extending our congratulations to Diane Ganser, who serves as a School Bus Driver, Rebecca Murillo, a dedicated 5th Grade Teacher at Sunset Ridge Elementary School, and Marlene Ramirez, a School Bus Attendant. Their invaluable contributions to our schools, district, and community are truly immeasurable!
Villa de Paz Elementary to receive facility upgrades.
Our amazing Pendergast staff and students from our STEAM & Chief Science Officers' Program get highlighted in the Arizona Parenting Back to School Guide.
To read the full story or to learn more about the STEAM & CSO Program at Pendergast District, please click on Keeping Science Fun By Claire LaBeaux (pages 23-26).
Villa de Paz Construction Project Set in Motion, Creating New Opportunities for Pendergast District Students
Pendergast Elementary School District (PESD) honored as District of Distinction for Use of Imagine Learning English Language (EL) Education.
Pendergast District has been recognized as a 2022-2023 District of Distinction for its exceptional use of Imagine Learning EL Education. The prestigious award was presented to only 301 schools or districts across the country out of over 21,000. The selection was based on the review of the program usage for the current school year, and Pendergast was chosen for meeting the rigorous usage standards required for a District of Distinction designation.
ParentSquare, the new communication platform, allows parents and guardians in the Pendergast District to receive all of their communications from the district, schools, classrooms and school activity groups in one unified app and service.
Upcoming Events
Villa de Paz at a Glance
Villa de Paz is a preschool - 8th grade school located in the West Valley of Phoenix, AZ. Villa de Paz is a place where innovation, discovery, teamwork, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, leadership, and excellence happens every day! At Villa de Paz, student achievement is our top priority. Students receive state of the art technology through our partnership with Verizon Innovative Learning Schools and Amazon Future Engineering grants. We are a Computer Science Academy that teaches students to break down complex problems into smaller issues, thereby revealing underlying process patterns. Students also learn how to effectively problem solve, how to communicate effectively, and how to collaborate with others. Additionally, we offer opportunities such as eSports, Athletics, Clubs, Art, Music, and PE. Our school also participates in Project FUSE, where students have access to a project-based STEAM environment to foster innovation and creativity in solving real world problems.
The Pendergast Elementary School District is excited to provide students with the opportunity to participate in our Computer Science Academy at Villa de Paz Elementary School. The primary goal is academic excellence, with a balance of science, technological literacy, and mathematics. Our students experience a program that provides a strong foundation for a child's overall education in a challenging yet supportive environment.
In the Pendergast District, you will find robotics, jewelry design, coding, architecture, and music production at every school throughout the Pendergast District. In FUSE, students choose what to work on and set the pace. This means they emerge engaged, excited, and eager for more. STEAM Challenges are designed to get harder as students progress. FUSE teaches students how to use real world technologies while exploring topics they already love. Since challenges are designed around student interests, there is something for everyone to get excited about.
As students learn, they naturally share their new discoveries. A new culture of learning emerges as students celebrate each other's successes and overcome any setbacks along the way.
Amberlea Elementary, Desert Horizon Elementary, and Villa de Paz Elementary have joined Verizon Innovative Learning, Verizon's award-winning education initiative, which addresses barriers to digital inclusion. In partnership with Digital Promise, the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program provides free devices, internet access and innovative learning programs to help give under-resourced students the technology, education and opportunity they deserve. Being part of the program will keep students connected, helping to facilitate learning from anywhere-in the classroom, at home or in hybrid learning environments. Powered by a next-gen, technology-infused education model, Verizon Innovative Learning also equips each school with a technology coach and provides professional development support for teachers to effectively integrate technology into the classroom.
Through our annual World of Dance Competition, students from across the Pendergast District are introduced to different dance forms found in musical theatre, ballet, hip-hop, creative movement, contemporary, and so much more. Students focus on coordination, listening, and rhythm as they are challenged in conditioning, flexibility, balance, and coordination.
Competitive gaming has set the world ablaze! The Pendergast Elementary School District is excited to announce the Pendergast eSports League, which aims to captivate students' passion for video games through organized competition in a safe and secure environment at every school throughout the Pendergast District.
eSports is a form of competition using video games. In most cases, eSports are organized multiplayer video game competitions between competitors, which can take place individually or as teams. eSports are more than just video games; it is community, engagement, and relationship building.
As the eSports industry continues to grow, we are beginning to see an increase in eSports teams as an extracurricular activity in schools. Because eSports revolves around some of the video games that students play at home, many families struggle to understand how this extracurricular activity is beneficial to a student’s education.
Recent studies show that eSports can help a student’s well being, improve their reading skills, help develop problem solving skills, improve their social connections, and will even enhance their imagination and creativity. Furthermore, eSports promotes teamwork and cooperation with others and shows students the importance of community. Giving students early exposure to all facets of the eSports world can spark interest and help prepare them for future opportunities in graphic design, coding, leadership, video production, and even art direction.
Competitive gaming has set the world ablaze! The Pendergast Elementary School District is excited to announce the Pendergast eSports League, which aims to captivate students' passion for video games through organized competition in a safe and secure environment at every school throughout the Pendergast District.
eSports is a form of competition using video games. In most cases, eSports are organized multiplayer video game competitions between competitors, which can take place individually or as teams. eSports are more than just video games; it is community, engagement, and relationship building.
As the eSports industry continues to grow, we are beginning to see an increase in eSports teams as an extracurricular activity in schools. Because eSports revolves around some of the video games that students play at home, many families struggle to understand how this extracurricular activity is beneficial to a student’s education.
Recent studies show that eSports can help a student’s well being, improve their reading skills, help develop problem solving skills, improve their social connections, and will even enhance their imagination and creativity. Furthermore, eSports promotes teamwork and cooperation with others and shows students the importance of community. Giving students early exposure to all facets of the eSports world can spark interest and help prepare them for future opportunities in graphic design, coding, leadership, video production, and even art direction.
Message from the Principal
Hello Villa de Paz Community,
I am Mr. Abraham Gonzalez, the proud Principal of Villa de Paz Elementary School. As we gear up for the start of the new school year, we wanted to share some exciting news with you.
We are thrilled to announce that we will be embarking on a new construction project that will transform our learning environment into a more flexible and collaborative space. This project will create an open layout that encourages teamwork, creativity, and innovation. We believe that this new learning environment will greatly enhance our students' educational experience and provide them with the tools they need to thrive in the 21st century.
In addition to the construction project, we are also implementing a new Teaming Model that will revolutionize the way our teachers approach instruction. This model will allow our teachers to become experts in the content they teach, enabling them to provide even more personalized and engaging lessons for our students. It will also encourage collaboration among teachers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.
We are incredibly excited about these changes and the positive impact they will have on our students' education. We will be sharing more details about the construction project and the Teaming Model in the coming weeks, so please stay tuned for updates.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we embark on this exciting journey together. We look forward to a fantastic school year filled with growth, learning, and success.
Sincerely,
Mr. Abraham Gonzalez
Principal