A+ School of Excellence Archive

Unanimously, the judges for the Verrado Heritage Elementary School Site Visit recommend Verrado Heritage School receive the Arizona Education Foundation, A+ School of Excellence in Education Award for the 2023-2024 School Year.

Principal Meredith Noche has earned the respect of all of her stakeholders and her transparent leadership instills confidence in her teachers, staff and the Verrado community. The Heroland Family atmosphere is authentic and reaches each and every member of this A+ School. Highlights from our visit include the overwhelming show of collegiality which was evidenced at every level of the certified and classified staff members. The Customer Service starts in the front office and is observable in every room on campus. The staff at Verrado Heritage are true champions for each and every child as well as for each other. The Leader in Me tenants are genuine and implemented school wide.

Principal Noche walks her talk and honors everyone for their skills and allows each member of the Heritage Family to contribute and students to lead. She values opinions and listens in order to communicate the best outcomes for the school community. Consistent expectations for academic and behavioral goals are evident across this school.

The entire school (classrooms, playground, hallways, etc) demonstrates highly effective classroom management strategies, routines, and procedures. Staff value the importance of genuine and authentic relationships with ALL students.

Verrado Middle School is an outstanding school in academics, clubs and sports. Their school truly exemplifies FAMILY. Students and staff believe they have outstanding leadership in administration and full support at all times. Families and the community are very pleased with their local school and are eager to serve and partner with Verrado. The judges that visited Verrado Middle School were impressed from the minute they walked in the doors. Mustangs are awesome leaders. Congratulations, Verrado Middle School. You are an outstanding 3rd time recipient of the A+ School of Excellence designation! Congratulations!!

"To quote a Western Sky Middle student, ""I have had the best experience in learning here."" Staff, students, and parents all had similar remarks and feedback.
Consistency and continuity were vivid throughout the visit. The classrooms within virutal learning, were using Nearpod and other forms of student interaction with the teacher. Their school-wide strategies of Gradual Release and Vocabulary integration were evident. Western Sky takes pride in molding the whole student with Advisee/Advisor time which utilizes Conscious Discipline strategies. Students echoed that this time is so important to them as it helps them gear up for the day and allows them a safe place to ask questions or get help.
The school leaders at Western Sky have created an inclusion environment. Staff and school leaders work in partnership to design strategies that align with their data. Their content Collaborative Teams meet before school to create common formative assessments. These checks for understanding are used to within their reteach/enrich portion of their day. Additionally, ZAP (zeros aren't permitted) was created by teams to ensure that students had every opportunity to complete work or recieve additional assistance. A teacher exclaimed, ""We are always in a state of growth and asking ourselves what else can be done?""
You will find an abundance of clubs and community partnerships within Western Sky. Administrators encourage staff to be involved with the clubs. Staff members are so vested in the school, they are eager to do so and sustain this throughout each year.
Evan though Western Sky's visit took place virtually, we could feel the warmth, cohesiveness, and community climate. References to this was continually heard throughout conversations with all stakeholders. The student-teacher connection was rich and vibrant and showcased a recipricol nature as both equally depended on each other. The true sense of bonding and commitement was evident everywhere."

From the moment you step on the campus there is an instant feeling of being a part of the Bronco Community. They have been intentional about establishing a positive culture of inclusiveness. This can be seen through student greeters, staff greetings throughout the hallways, as well as possible phone calls from the administrative team. All stakeholders (Staff, parents, students, community members) feel valued, appreciated, and welcomed. The open door policy that was created by the principal has allowed her to be present, visible, and emotionally vested. She has been described as approachable and also goes above and beyond to get to know her staff, students, and parents. For example, she sends daily motivation emails that can promote a positive mindset and sends remind messages often to keep parents and community updated. The Spirit Assemblies have been described as "something special that are student/leader led."

Quentin Stem Academy deserves to be recognized as an A+ School of Excellence. Kids at Hope, Make Your Day, and the true caring spirit of collaboration that was eloquently described in the application was brought to life during our virtual visit. The school staff shared how they support each other and how the school's leaders provide high expectations and the support they need to be successful. The teachers have a strong voice in the school's decision making processes which was evident in their collective responsibility mindset. It's evident that parents and community members partner with the school to provide the resources, recognition, and tools that children need to succeed. The students are proud of their school and understand and shared how their teachers care about them and how they they feel like they belong, can achieve anything if they work hard and do their best. They feel like the school is a place where they can reach their goals. We are thrilled to recommend Quentin Stem Academy for this honor.