Welcome to the Altar Valley Elementary School District website. Located twenty miles west of Tucson, Arizona, we are proud of our educational contribution to our community's students. With our outstanding teaching staff, dedicated support staff, and committed administrators, the Altar Valley School District maintains the highest standards for our students.

We hope you will use our website to learn more about our district and the excellent services we provide. Whether you are looking for student registration information, job openings, or our school calendar and events, you'll find it here. If you have questions and you don't find answers here, please contact us directly by phone or email.

Dear Altar Valley Families,

What a great school year, now bring on 2012-2013.

2011-2012 has been a year of accolades for the Altar Valley School District. In December, our governing board was recognized as the top school board in Arizona, earning the Lou Ella Kleinz Award of Excellence. In all likelihood, this is the most prestigious honor ever bestowed on our district. 

Our 21st Century afterschool program at Robles has received statewide recognition and we have earned three competitive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) grants that are further enhancing an already incredible program.    

In January, Altar Valley was named as one of just 16 school districts in the nation to join a consortium committed to using data in new ways to increase student achievement.
 
Two of our teachers, Alicia Holtzclaw and Stephanie Reynolds, earned National Board Certification, an advanced teaching credential. Three more teachers are currently pursuing this honor. 

For the fourth year in a row, our business office earned the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting. This award is sponsored by the Association of school Business Officials International and includes a rigorous review of the district’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
 
As great as this year has been, the 2012-2013 school year promises to be even better. As we know, the integration of technology into the classroom is critical to meeting the needs of 21st Century learners. Over 100 new netbooks and tablets will be in the hands of our students on a daily basis and computer labs in both schools continue to be upgraded. Internet bandwidth is set to increase five-fold, helping to maximize the quality of every instructional minute. Finally, both cafeterias are being outfitted with projectors and large screens, enhancing the production quality of school assemblies and student performances. 

In March, our governing board approved a series of new elective choices designed to provide our middle school students a more rigorous and relevant educational experience. Some of those choices include art, drama, publications, technology projects, STEM, and a leadership class.

Fifth grade students will return to a self-contained environment that will assist with the transition to middle school. Students in the sixth grade will benefit from a project-based environment where we will encourage them to explore issues through a more interwoven curriculum. At Robles, after earning well in excess of one million positive points, students will be challenged to eclipse that record in 2012-2013. And our district curricular theme, “Math is Everywhere,” will see Bobcats engaged in all sorts of fun in an expanded math contest, culminating in a math Olympiad. Pre-kindergarten services will continue to expand with retrofitted classrooms, field trips, and increased parent-engagement activities. Thanks to an increase in enrollment, students in second grade will be met by an additional teacher, as Debbie Pemberton joins the Bobcat staff.   

Enjoy the rest of the school year, and as always, thank you for your support of the Altar Valley School District.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nathan McCann
Superintendent
(520) 822-1484
E-mail