Dear Chaparral Families,

March is here and the 3rd quarter is nearly done. The school year is seemingly flying by. In a week, our students and families will be enjoying Spring Break. The break is a "spring board" to CHAPTS' two biggest events in the school year: the annual fundraiser, the Golf Tournament and Dinner Auction and Project Graduation.

Please plan to be a part of our fundraiser event, The donations of items for auction, sponsorships, participation, and volunteer hours add up to helping CHAPTS raise money to support Project Grad and other key programs and needs on campus. With ever tightening budgets, the need becomes even greater. The Golf Tournament and Dinner Auction are scheduled Saturday, March 27 at Camelback Golf Club. Registration begins at 11:30 with shot gun start at 1PM. The reception and silent auction begins at 5:30 with dinner and live auction at 6:30PM. Ways that you can help include Hole Sponorships and Tee Signs, donation of items for the auction, attend this event and purchase auction items. Invitations were mailed; it is also available on the CHAPTS website (www.CHAPTS.org). Return your registration now; a fun afternoon and evening awaits you!

Project Grad is "gearing up" and preparation is well under way! Information has been shared with the senior students and packets provided. The necessary forms are also available on the CHAPTS website. Project Grad provides an all-night celebration of graduation and the friendships. Once again, Project Grad will be held at F1 Race Factory immediately following graduation, on May 25. Volunteers are needed for preparation and the night itself. Project Grad includes many "giveaways"; donations are being sought. Additional information is included within Fireworks.

CHAPTS is also looking to 2010-2011. There are countless volunteer opportunities. You may be interested in serving on the Board of Directors and/or the CHAPTS Executive Board. We will be seeking nominations for open positions to ensure that an officer slate can be announced in April. If you are interested, please contact any of the current executive Board members. Parents are an invaluable resource for Chaparral. Volunteers make a difference in countless ways and brighten the lives of our students, teachers and staff every day.

A busy spring is on the horizon. Please check the CHAPTS and CHS websites often for updates.

Kathy, thank you for all that you do. We are thinking of you and wishing you a speedy and full recovery after your knee surgery.

Enjoy the rejuvenation that comes with Spring...
Mary Kim Brown

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Athletics:
Congratulations to all our winter athletes and sports programs. On Saturday night, Boy’s Basketball beat Tucson Ironwood Ridge 62-58 to advance to the Semi-Finals in 5AII Basketball. They will play on Tuesday, March 2nd at 2:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena. Wrestling had nine boys participate in the State Tournament this year. This is the most we have had in many years. Both Boys and Girls Soccer made it to the quarter finals of the State Tournament. I am truly proud of all our coaches for their hard work and dedication to the students at Chaparral High School.

Dress Code
As the warm weather returns, I ask you to discuss Dress Code with your child as it is covered in the Uniform Code of Conduct. Last week on Firebird Word, I spoke to the students about wearing appropriate clothing as the weather gets hot. As a reminder to the girls, no backless, strapless, or halter top shirts are allowed. Additionally, I reminded them if I could see the pockets of their shorts – they are too short. We do have shirts for violators, however if short shorts are an issue, we will call parents to bring their child change of clothing.

Teacher Requests
Please remember that Chaparral's policy does not allow for specific teacher requests. If there is an issue you would like addressed, contact your son/daughter’s counselor.
AIMS/Stanford 10 Testing—April 7 and April 8. Late Start for all students NOT testing.
On Tuesday, April 7, 2010 all freshmen will take the Stanford 10 Exam. The Stanford10 is a norm referenced test covering Reading, Language, and Math. All sophomores as well as those juniors and seniors who have not passed the math portion of the AIMS exam will take the AIMS Math test on the morning of April 7, 2010. AIMS Science will be administered on April 8th to all freshman and sophomores currently enrolled in Biology. Additionally, all sophomores who did not take this test last year will be tested on April 8th. The late start schedule will be posted on the CHS website the week we return from Spring Break.

Junior/Senior Prom:
Chaparral’s prom will be held on April 24th at the Paradise Valley Doubletree Resort. Prom begins at 8:00 p.m. Remind your children that all school rules apply while at prom and that if any Uniform Code of Conduct violations occur, graduation activities will be forfeited. Students MUST BE checked in at the Prom by 9:00 p.m.

Graduation Information:
Attention Senior Parents: Chaparral's graduation ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday evening, May 25, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. at ASU’s Wells Fargo Arena. Please note this is ONE day BEFORE school is officially out in order to hold the graduation at the arena. Two years ago, it became evident with the larger class sizes and limited seating and parking at Chaparral we would need to look for another venue. Last year was our first at Wells Fargo and it was an overwhelming success. ASU provides us with ample parking, lots of seating and best of all air conditioning to accommodate you and your family and friends. Admission to graduation will be by ticket ONLY. Each graduate is provided two complimentary tickets. Each additional ticket costs $5.00. A letter will be mailed home to each Senior Parent the week of April 1st with dates for parent information meetings about graduation. Mrs. Holland and I will be visiting Government/Economics classrooms in May to discuss the graduation process and ceremony. The Senior Honors Assembly is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19th at 4:00 p.m. in the auditorium. Senior Breakfast is scheduled for Thursday, May 20th at the Scottsdale Hilton at Lincoln and Scottsdale Road from 8:00-9:30 a.m.

Focus Group Information Early in February, seventy three community members took part in the Chaparral Focus Groups. The Focus Group was made up of parents, teachers, alumni, empty nesters, church members, and members of the business community. Here is synopsis of the feedback they provided that evening and what I passed on to the district.

I have analyzed the data collected during the Focus Group Meeting of February 2nd held at Chaparral High School. Below are the results:

The top three things SUSD should not be willing to compromise.

• Quality teachers and staff
• Class size
• Student safety

The top three things that would make SUSD the best in the world

• Rigorous academic standards
• Extended school day
• Competitive salaries for teachers and staff

The top three things SUSD is going to help us get there

• Focus groups for community input
• Updating and improving technology
• Retaining quality teachers and staff

The top three things SUSD is currently in the way of our getting there

• Money or lack of it
• Increasing class size
• Too much emphasis on AIMS
• Lack of parental involvement

The top three things SUSD should be doing that we may not be doing that will help us get there

• Lower class size
• Pursue business partnerships and internships for students
• Improve communication between SUSD and the community

Sincerely,

Mary Lou Muccino, Principal

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