ALA Principal Update (1)

ALA Principal Notices
Posted on 06/21/2023
This is the image for the news article titled ALA Principal NoticesClick here for information about the COVID-19 and other health and wellness procedures observed by Salt River Schools.


UPDATED June 21, 2023
The ABE/GED program is making the official move to the ALA campus at 4827 N. Country Club Drive. We are excited to introduce everyone to the “GED Corridor,” which will provide classroom, testing, and administrative services to GED students. The ABE/GED program is “under construction” while it makes the move to the ALA campus in July.

In the meantime, we are offering remote services for GED students, and full/normal services for DOC students. We are excited for our program to grow.

The best way to reach the ABE/GED program is via email: [email protected] or [email protected]. As of June 21, 2023, we are offering remote registration and testing services. We will continue with in-person options once our move to the Accelerated Learning Academy campus is complete.

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Updated May 2, 2023 

@2:30PM
This is our final update regarding the smell of gas on the ALA campus. SRPMIC safety officials and school leaders have given the all-clear for staff and students to return to school tomorrow, Wednesday, May 3. Please ensure your student arrives to school on time.

Here’s what happened:

  • Public Works was on-site working on the building foundation near the ALA gymnasium when workers smelled gas. The Salt River Fire Department was called and sometime around 10 a.m. the decision was made to close off that part of the campus while continuing the normal school schedule.
  • Gas lines were shut off while safety officials worked to determine the source of the smell. The ALA sent a broadcast message (phone/email) to families notifying them about the issue.
  • Shortly thereafter, around 11 a.m., our Safe Schools and Security team, under the advisement of SRFD officials, issued an evacuation of the entire ALA campus out of an abundance of caution. ALA leaders were unsure how long the evacuation would last, and the decision was made to dismiss students. Another broadcast was made to ALA parents and guardians to notify them about the evacuation and request student pick up. The campus was clear and closed by 11:50 a.m.
  • Safety officials determined the source of the smell was small a pocket of gas—NOT a gas leak—trapped in the foundation of the building and released while the area was being worked on. We’re told this can happen for any number of reasons and the cause is not related to pipes.
  • Safety officials have assured us there is no longer any need for concern, nor is there any danger associated with this issue.
  • At around noon today, Salt River Schools Superintendent Dr. Melody Herne was escorted by safety and Public Works officials throughout the entire ALA campus and gave the all-clear for the building to reopen to staff and students.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while we worked to figure out this issue. I look forward to seeing staff and students tomorrow. Please call or email me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Barbara Wilkinson, ALA Principal
[email protected]
480-362-2130

...

@11:30AM
This is an update regarding the smell of gas on campus. Out of an abundance of caution, officials with the Salt River Fire Department have evacuated the Accelerated Learning Academy campus.

We are unsure how long this will last and ask that parents/guardians come to campus to sign their student(s) out of school. Please come to the west parking lot along Country Club Drive to pick up your student. Students who are 18 years or older may sign themselves out and leave campus.

SRFD and Public Works continue to work on this issue. We will update you as more information becomes available. Due to the nature of this issue, please call the Salt River Schools Administration building at 480-362-2500 with any questions. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

...

@11:00AM
This notice is to let you know that due to an issue involving the smell of gas, the Accelerated Learning Academy has closed off access to some parts of our campus. Students, staff, and guests will not be allowed in these areas until we receive the all-clear.

The gas lines have been shut off. Officials from the Salt River Fire Department and SRPMIC Public Works are on-site working on this issue and have assured us that there is no immediate danger. Other than closing off access to the affected area, we foresee no impact to our normal school schedule.

We will let you know when the issue has been resolved. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the ALA at 480-362-2130.


Updated May 1, 2023
The safety and welfare of students and staff are the highest priority at Salt River Schools. At the Accelerated Learning Academy, we practice safety drills throughout the year to help us prepare for real emergency situations.

This afternoon (5/1), the ALA practiced a lockdown drill led by our Safe Schools & Security Team, in partnership with the Salt River Police Department. The school conducts four lockdown drills every school year, or as needed. Our drills are not pre-announced. This type of drill secures the school building and safely shelters all students, staff and visitors inside the building.

The purpose of this drill is to ensure that during a real emergency, students, staff and visitors are kept safe from any danger that may occur outside or inside the building. During a lockdown drill all perimeter doors to the school building are locked and remain locked until the danger or issue outside or inside the building is removed. To ensure everyone remains safe, no one will be allowed to enter the building or leave the building until school and law enforcement officials authorize such a release.

Our school has worked closely with local authorities and representatives from U.S. Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to correctly develop and implement safety procedures. The goal of practicing emergency drills throughout the school year is to improve our ability to protect students, save lives and reduce injuries. These practice drills allow us to evaluate our emergency operation plans and improve our response skills. Click here to learn more about the safety drills and procedures at Salt River Schools.

We are pleased with the outcome of today’s drills and feel reassured that our safety plans can be implemented effectively by our staff.

Please note: During a real emergency, parents and emergency contacts of students will be notified during and after the event by Salt River Schools administrators through our notification system, which includes phone calls, texts and email, among other platforms. As such, it is important your contact information on file be current. If you need to update your contact information, please contact the ALA’s front office. It is important that parents and emergency contacts do not attempt to contact the school, teachers or students during an emergency as that could impact everyone’s safety.


Your student may tell you about today’s drill and we encourage you to talk with them about why it’s important and ask what they learned. Our goal, while practicing important safety procedures, is to be sure all students feel safe.

If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to call the ALA at 480-362-2130.



Updated December 21, 2022
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law on Dec. 10, 2015. ESSA replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and is the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

ESSA requires each state, school district, and charter school to develop plans for all children to be taught by highly effective, certified teachers; this means the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade level(s) and subject area(s) in which the teacher provides instruction. If at any time your child has been taught for four (4) consecutive weeks by a teacher(s) who is not certified, you will be notified.

The Accelerated Learning Academy is fortunate that Elizabeth Stanislav and Kiran Patel have agreed to substitute teach until we are able to hire a permanent science teacher at the ALA. These educators each have several years of teaching experience within Salt River Schools and possess a bachelor’s and/or master's degree. Ms. Stanislav and Mr. Patel currently teach earth science and biology. This plan continues to be in place until the position is filled. Kelly Ellegard, a substitute teacher who has a background in English language arts, has agreed to teach two sections of ELA during the third quarter while the vacant ELA position is filled. John Jones, a current certified social studies teacher, will continue to cover physical education classes. Lastly, site administration is working on a long-term substitute placement following the resignation of our algebra and geometry teacher until a new math teacher is hired.

My staff and I will closely monitor the classes to ensure student progress. I am confident that quality instruction will continue for students taking science classes. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s educational progress or teacher, you may contact me at 480-362-2132 or email me at [email protected].

Sincerely,
Barb Wilkinson, ALA Interim Principal
480-362-2130

Click here to read a PDF version of this letter. It was mailed out to families on Tuesday, Dec. 20.



Updated October 17, 2022
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law on Dec. 10, 2015. ESSA replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and is the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

ESSA requires each state, school district, and charter school to develop plans for all children to be taught by highly effective, certified teachers; this means the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade level(s) and subject area(s) in which the teacher provides instruction. If at any time your child has been taught for four (4) consecutive weeks by a teacher(s) who is not certified, you will be notified.

The Accelerated Learning Academy is fortunate that Elizabeth Stanislav and Kiran Patel have agreed to substitute until we are able to hire a permanent science teacher at the ALA. These educators each have several years of teaching experience within Salt River Schools and possess a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree. Ms. Stanislav and Mr. Patel currently teach earth science and biology. This plan continues to be in place during 2nd quarter, which ends Friday, Dec. 16. Likewise, John Paul Jones, a current certified social studies teacher at the ALA, is covering physical education classes in the absence of a highly certified PE teacher.

My staff and I will closely monitor the classes to ensure student progress. I am confident that quality instruction will continue for students taking science classes. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s educational progress or teacher, you may contact me at 480-362-2132 or email me at [email protected].

Sincerely,
Barb Wilkinson, ALA Interim Principal
480-362-2130

Click here to read a PDF version of this letter. It was mailed out to families on Monday, Oct. 17.


Updated September 8, 2022
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law on Dec. 10, 2015. ESSA replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and is the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

ESSA requires each state, school district, and charter school to develop plans for all children to be taught by highly effective, certified teachers; this means the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade level(s) and subject area(s) in which the teacher provides instruction. If at any time your child has been taught for four (4) consecutive weeks by a teacher(s) who is not certified, you will be notified.

The Accelerated Learning Academy is fortunate that Elizabeth Stanislav and Kiran Patel have agreed to substitute until we are able to hire a permanent science teacher at the ALA. These educators have several years of teaching experience within Salt River Schools and possess a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree. Ms. Stanislav and Mr. Patel currently teach earth science and biology. This plan is in place for the entire first quarter of school, which ends on Thursday, Sept. 29.

My staff and I will closely monitor the classes to ensure student progress. I am confident that quality instruction will continue for students taking science classes. If you have additional questions or concerns about your child’s educational progress or teacher, you may contact me at 480-362-2132 or email me at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Barb Wilkinson, Interim Principal
Click here to read a PDF version of this letter
, which was mailed to families the week of August 28.



Updated August 16, 2022
We recently became aware of an individual from the Accelerated Learning Academy with a test-confirmed case of COVID-19. They were last at the ALA on Monday, Aug. 15. Due to federal privacy laws, we are unable to share any personal identifying information about who has tested positive. Click here to read the full message, which was also sent as a broadcast to ALA families via SchoolMessenger. 



Updated Aug. 5, 2022
The safety of our students and staff is very important to us. In order to maintain a safe environment for students to grow and learn, it is necessary that we practice our emergency response plans from time to time.

The ALA practices four primary emergency drills each year: Fire, Lockdown, Shelter-in-Place, and Evacuation drills. Learn more about these drills here..

Today, August 5, the ALA participated in its first lockdown drill. When the lockdown drill was announced, students were moved to a safe place in the classroom. Staff locked all doors and closed the blinds and ensured students were quiet during the drill. During drills and real emergencies, it is important families do not try to contact or retrieve students, as they will not be released during this time and should not be on their mobile devices. Additionally, it is important our phone lines remain clear so that we can stay in contact with emergency authorities. 

The Safe Schools & Security team and our School Resource Officer checked all doors and verified that all classrooms were in lockdown. Once cleared, classrooms were released from the drill. Everyone did a great job, and we encourage families to talk with students about the drill and why it is important to practice.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call 480-362-2130.


Updated July 5, 2022
Enroll today for the 2022-2023 school year, which begins Monday, August 1! Click here to find enrollment forms, handbooks, and course guide.
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