Washington Elementary School District

We conclude our new 2024-2025 administrator introductions this week with a feature of Shannon Sixel, new principal at Palo Verde Middle School. Shannon received her Master’s Degree in Education from Northern Arizona University and a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University. Shannon has been in education for 20 years having served as an ESL and AVID teacher, ESL coordinator, and basketball and cheer coach within the Paradise Valley Unified School District, Phoenix Union High School District and Peoria Unified School District. Most recently, Shannon was the assistant principal at Palo Verde. Welcome, Shannon! #WESDFamily

Day one of New Teacher Orientation at Mountain Sky Junior High School was a success! Coordinated by the Human Resources and Curriculum and Instruction Departments, all new teachers with various years of experience attended the orientation to gain information about the WESD, meet District department staff who they may need to contact within the first couple months of employment and receive training on tools they will use to complete their job responsibilities. New teachers were also welcomed by Elizabeth Vasey, coordinator of Teacher Support, and Dr. Steve Murosky, director of Human Resources. Superintendent Dr. Paul Stanton provided welcoming remarks too and engaged the teachers in an activity to follow the WESD on Facebook and Instagram. Governing Board President Jenni Abbott-Bayardi attended the orientation as well and thanked teachers for choosing education and the WESD. The final day of the orientation will take place tomorrow at Royal Palm Middle School. A special thank you to the Washington District Education Association (WDEA) and Washington Professional Educators (WPE) who are providing lunch during the two-day orientation! #WESDFamily

Christina Lee, new principal at Mountain Sky Junior High School, is our next feature as part of our new 2024-2025 administrator introductions. Christina has extensive middle school experience. She previously was an assistant principal at a middle school in the Paradise Valley Unified School District where she also served as a PBIS administrative representative and a supervisor of tier 2/3 behavior interventions. Prior to Paradise Valley, Christina worked in the WESD at Cholla Middle School as an instructional coach. Additionally, she served as a site gifted coordinator, ELL/AZELLA coordinator and even provided several District and site trainings for teachers. Welcome back, Christina! #WESDFamily

The WESD hosted another successful job fair this morning! We had over 60 attendees and filled many certified and classified positions! A big thank you to all of our department leaders and school administrators who participated to help recruit and hire new employees to the #WESDFamily! If you missed the job fair, don't worry! The WESD is always hiring for exciting certified, substitute and support staff positions! To view our available positions and apply today, please visit https://lnkd.in/gbxSkMD.

We continue our new 2024-2025 administrator introductions with a feature of Kamren Bowker, new assistant principal at Lookout Mountain Elementary School. Kamren earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Arizona. Before joining the WESD, Kamren was a teacher in the Marana Unified School District. He worked as an instructional coach at Washington Elementary School where he most recently served as the assistant principal. Welcome, Kamren! #WESDFamily

The WESD Summit is off to an excellent start! Today, approximately 150 teachers attended day one of the two-day educational conference to connect, collaborate, learn and grow! Sam Chariker, coordinator of special areas, kicked off the event with an inspirational keynote about the important roles teachers play in children’s lives. Participating teachers then spent the day in engaging professional development sessions regarding effective discourse strategies, elevating engagement in the classroom, supporting small groups and diverse learners, and much more! They were also entered into a raffle with winners being selected tomorrow for prizes donated by several generous vendors and sponsors! A special thank you to the WESD Curriculum and Instruction Team for organizing this opportunity for our teachers within the #WESDFamily!

Don't forget - our District-Wide Job Fair is right around the corner! Please join us tomorrow, July 24, from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the WESD Administrative Center, located at 4650 W. Sweetwater Ave. Interviews will be held for a variety of certified, substitute and support staff positions! The WESD offers employees extensive benefits including paid holidays and personal leave, employer-matched contributions to Arizona State Retirement, insurance benefits for individuals working 30 hours or more a week, discounts on WESD-sponsored childcare, extensive training, opportunities for advancement and much more! For those seeking a teaching position, the WESD offers competitive salaries of $53,000 to $89,950 including performance pay, student loan forgiveness, multi-layer teacher support and professional development. No appointments are required and walk-ins are welcome. We hope to see you there! #WESDFamily

Our next feature part of our new 2024-2025 administrator introductions is Dr. Michael Stewart, new assistant superintendent of Human Resources. Dr. Stewart obtained a Doctoral Degree in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University, a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Notre Dame. Throughout his career, Dr. Stewart has held multiple positions in human resources including assistant superintendent of human resources and operations at the Maricopa County Regional School District and director of human resources at the Tolleson Union High School District. Additionally, Dr. Stewart has also served as a high school social studies and American history teacher in Indiana, classroom and computer teacher at the Dysart Unified School District and director of educator workforce initiatives at Arizona State University. Welcome, Dr. Stewart! #WESDFamily

Today was the first day of a week-long orientation for over 70 teachers who are taking part in BEGIN I - WESD's award winning-teacher induction program that has been around for more than 35 years! Facilitated by Elizabeth Vasey, coordinator of Teacher Support, and BEGIN I facilitators Jessica Burillo and Amylee Lopez, today's meeting focused on program information and supports that are provided. Throughout this week, participating teachers will receive additional information in their grade level and/or special area cadres, attend the WESD Summit and join new teachers at new teacher orientation later this week. BEGIN is a three-year program that focuses on the successful assimilation of new teachers into the teaching culture through peer support and training opportunities, and prepares them for the beginning of the school year and a path to a successful career! We warmly welcome all of our new teachers and wish them all the best this school year! #WESDFamily

Happy Monday, #WESDFamily! We are proud to begin introductions of our new District and school administrators for the 2024-2025 school year! Today’s spotlight goes to Rosa Berrelleza, new director of Academic Support Programs. With over 20 years of experience in education, Rosa has held many roles throughout her career. She started off in the Creighton Elementary School District before transitioning to the Alhambra Elementary School District where she served as an outreach coordinator, director of curriculum and instruction, assistant principal and principal. Most recently, she worked at the Tempe Elementary School District as the director of academic and instructional programs. Welcome, Rosa!