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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
Rio Vista at a Glance
Rio Vista is a kindergarten - 8th grade school located in Avondale, AZ. At Rio Vista, students have the opportunity to learn and grow in ways they never have before. Our Leadership Academy equips students with the proper tools to thrive and reach success in all of their future endeavors. We focus on problem solving, organization, goal setting, and collaboration. We help all students, kindergarten - 8th grade to become independent learners and thinkers as well as interdependent. We also offer a variety of extracurricular activities, clubs, and sports. Join the Rio Vista family, enroll today!
Participating in sports at an early age offers several benefits that extend well beyond the physical aspects of regular exercise. Specifically, the social benefit of sports participation provides an unparalleled environment for hands-on learning and behavioral growth.
Here are the sports we currently offer throughout the Pendergast Elementary School District:
- Volleyball
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Cheer
- Track & Field
- Flag Football
The Leadership Academy at Rio Vista Elementary School combines academic excellence and character development to create an exceptional educational experience. The Leader in Me program teaches the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People” to all of our students. Learning and living the 7 Habits empowers children to accept responsibility for their decisions, enables them to set and achieve goals, and brings them to the realization that they are truly in charge of their own lives – that they alone determine their own futures. The expectations of high school and college completion become a natural part of their development as they set their life courses for success.
Music classes are available at every school site throughout the Pendergast District. The focus is to provide students with many enjoyable experiences in music and the opportunity to learn and develop a variety of music-related skills. Through singing, playing, listening and reading, students experience the various elements of music. In class, students are introduced to various styles and kinds of music. They will have many opportunities to excel in musical performance, reading music and musical literature, and evaluating musical form with varying structures.
Found on every campus throughout the Pendergast District, art classes are designed to build mastery in technique, composition/design, research, experimentation, and creative problem solving. Critical thinking, objective analysis of artwork, and the ability to communicate in the language of art will be developed. Students will be introduced to basic art techniques, which are the building blocks that will provide a solid foundation for future art lovers and artists.
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 Rio Vista Families and Community,
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! It is a privilege to continue to serve our students and families with quality and excellence. This year, classes will begin on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.
The Rio Vista team and I are excited about our upcoming school year, which will be full of fun, learning, and excitement! We will continue to provide our students with a quality education, incorporating the Arizona Common Core standards, while building upon our student’s leadership skills. We are proud of our Leadership Academy and the social emotional skills students gain through the implementation of the Leader in Me Curriculum.
We can’t wait to see all that we will accomplish together!
Your Partner in Education,
Siobhan McCarthy, Principal