Notes From Nigel
Welcome to the first edition of The Tesseract Independent! This is our new monthly e-newsletter, designed to keep you informed and up to date on Tesseract events, happenings and news—inside and out of the classroom.
With the holidays upon us, I can’t help but think of how quickly the year goes by; I hope your family is enjoying a rich and productive school year at Tesseract. As I walk around both campuses and watch the students in their classrooms, outside in the playground areas, on the sports field or in the Sports Pavilion, I am thrilled to see them learning together, closely supported by their educators in cooperation with their parents. The extraordinary commitment of Tesseract educators to their students, coupled with their passion for the age group and subject matters they teach, is a significant strength of this school. In my conversations with parents—both returning and first year—they share their admiration for this special group of educators. Many of you have heard me say this many times, but for a school to thrive, it must have two fundamental elements: high quality
and caring faculty and small classes. We have both.
The Valley continues to take an increased notice in Tesseract—as evidenced by our enrollment growth—recognizing the school offers an innovative program that focuses on connecting with every child within a relevant and meaningful curriculum. To continue to attract and retain academically talented students who seek opportunities for leadership, intellectual stimulation and personal development in upper school, we are awarding four-year merit scholarships that provide up to 50 percent of tuition for students who have maintained excellent grades throughout middle school. Tesseract eighth-graders are encouraged to apply; if you know any students who do not currently attend Tesseract, but you feel are excellent merit scholarship candidates, please contact Scott Salk.
It has been almost seven years since we joined the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). We have been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) for more than 14 years, and in March 2008, our ninth-grade curriculum was accredited by the North Central Association (NCA)—before we had even held our first ninth-grade class. With the start of this school year, we were ready to apply for accreditation and membership with the
Independent Schools Association of the Southwest
(ISAS), an organization with a membership of 84 independent schools located in Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Mexico, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. I am delighted to inform you that our application was enthusiastically accepted last week.
The application process for ISAS required us to submit detailed information on every aspect of the Tesseract community, including governance (trustees), program, development, finance, admissions/marketing, facilities, human resources, staff, faculty, parents and alumni. ISAS had enough information about us to deeply and meaningfully evaluate whether we are in a position to go through an exhaustive accreditation process. The acceptance of our application indicates they have determined that we are; we will begin the intensive year-long work to prepare the Self Study in August 2010 for the accrediting team’s visit in the fall of 2011.
You may be wondering why we are pursuing additional accreditation by ISAS when we are already accredited by NCA, an organization that accredits more than 8,500 public and private schools in 19 states. We are doing so because we feel it is important for our regional independent school association to evaluate the effectiveness of the school’ s programs, measure the concurrence of the school's programs with its stated mission and values, and make recommendations to assist the school in continued improvement.
Our winter break is right around the corner, so I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families happy holidays.
Best,
Nigel Taplin
Head of School
Tesseract High School Merit Scholarship
The Tesseract School High School Merit Scholarship Program is designed to acknowledge, attract and retain academically talented students who seek opportunities for leadership, intellectual stimulation and personal development in high school.
Through this scholarship program, Tesseract School is able to provide four-year scholarship awards that provide up to 50 percent of tuition for students who have retained excellent grades throughout middle school, demonstrate character, strength and leadership potential, and have the desire to excel in college and beyond.
Successful merit scholarship candidates must
• Retain excellent grades throughout middle school
• Have high standardized test scores
• Provide two teacher recommendations.
• Demonstrate character, leadership potential, and a desire to be an active member of the Tesseract School student body
Tesseract eighth-graders are encouraged to apply; if you know any students who do not currently attend Tesseract, but you feel are excellent candidates for the Tesseract High School Merit Scholarship please contact the admissions office. For more information and to learn how to apply, please contact Scott Salk, director of admissions, at 480.991.1770 or via e-mail.
A Message from the Director of the Lower School
Walk into the auditorium at Tesseract’s lower school most mornings and you will witness an impressive process. Students present to the community something they have learned or created. It can be as simple as a classroom activity or as complex as the annual music performance but whatever the content, the process is empowering. Students as young as age five practice the skills of public speaking. They introduce themselves, use a microphone, engage the audience during the presentation and follow up with questions. As members of the audience, our students respectfully listen and make connections with the presenters. This development of confidence in a public speaking venue is one of many gifts of a Tesseract education.
Kathleen Dunne Millar
Director of Lower School
Save the Date - Sixth Annual Hearts For The Arts, "Songs from the Heart"
Save the Date!
"Sounds from the Heart," a musical review for the whole family.
Saturday, January 23, 6:30 p.m.
ASU Kerr Cultural Center
Save the Date - Paintball
2010 The Year We Make Contact
Paintball Event
February 20, 2010
Splatter Ranch
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Dinner and Cocktails Following the Event
Save the Date - Casino Night
2010 Green Tie Event - Putting on the Ritz
A 1920's Themed Evening To Benefit Tesseract School
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Ritz Carlton
To reserve your table, call 480.991.1770 extension 202.
The 2010 Green Tie Event - Putting on the Ritz – Casino Night Auction
The 2010 Green Tie Event - Putting on the Ritz – Casino Night Auction needs your donation items. Many parents have expressed interest in supporting the school by donating items to our 2010 Green Tie Auction. We have had amazing success with the items donated in previous years. Our procurement team would love to speak with any family interested in donating to this year's event. No item is too small or too large – we are looking for all different types of auction items and unique experiences to round out both an amazing live and silent auction. Items might include travel mileage, vacation homes, entertainment, rounds of golf, spa packages, wine or services.
Please click here to check out our auction “wish list” to help you with ideas. Click here for a procurement form if you wish to make a donation. Please contact Denise Voss at 480.219.8362 or Jennie Artzt at 602.828.7301 for any help or questions. We appreciate your help in making this evening a huge success.
Procurement Team: Denise Voss, Heide McDermott, Leslie Folz and Jennie Artzt
Tiger Annual Fund
Join us in supporting the 2009-2010 Tiger Annual Fund.
Please click here to watch our students share the ABC's of the Tiger Annual Fund.
Please click here to make your online donation to the Tiger Annual Fund. If you have already made your gift, thank you. Your support and generosity are appreciated.
2009-2010 Tiger Annual Fund Donors (as of November 30, 2009)
Anonymous (3)
The Ballard Family
The Beairsto Family
Mr. and Mrs. Darren Bertram
Mr. and Mrs. James Buizer
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Casale
Mrs. Carolyn Cook -- In Honor of Victoria Leon
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cordier
Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Day
Mr. Mario E. Diaz and Mrs. Veronica De La O – In Honor of Diego E. Diaz
Mr. Paul Domingue
Mr. and Mrs. Mark J. Dougherty
The Drumm Family
Dr. Danton Dungy and Mrs. Adrienne McLendon
Ms. Ero Ehizogie
Ms. Lynn Elberson
Mr. Bob Engelman and Ms. Lynn Van Buren
Mr. and Mrs. A. Shawn Estes
Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Franzetti
Ms. Silvia Garcia-Gans
The Garz Family
Ms. Krista Gavlinski
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Giancana
Mr. and Mrs. William Goethe
The Goldberg Family
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Grady
The Greer Family
Mr. Michael Grossman and Ms. Michele Sharar
Mrs. Marge Haakstad
The Hammerle Family
Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Hawkins
Mr. Jim Hawxhurst, Ms. Tracie Glover Hawxhurst and Ian Hawxhurst
Ms. Natalie Hirst
Dr. and Mrs. Stephen H. Hochschuler
Mr. and Mrs. R. Michael Horne
Mr. Peter Hunger and Mrs. Sharon Buell-Hunger
Mr. and Mrs. Steven Ivester
Mr. Craig H. Jackson
Mr. and Mrs. Randy Johnson
Ms. Tina Kanelos
The Kathuria Family
Dr. and Mrs. Dennis Kilpatrick
Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Kim
Mr. Dan Klein and Ms. Karen Lugosi
Mr. and Mrs. David Kolbe
Dr. Ted Kreitzman and Mrs. Lisa D'Onofrio
Mr. Stephen Kunkle and Ms. Laurie Merrill
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas LaBelle
Mr. Chris LaBonte and Ms. Heather Noone
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Lange
Ms. Michelle Lappin
The Learner Family
Dr. and Mrs. Henry Lee
Ms. Kathryn Lincoln
Dr. Patrick Liu and Dr. Peggy Stemmler
The John F. Long Foundation
Ms. Rebecca Lynn
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Maxwell
Mr. and Mrs. George McBride
Mr. and Mrs. Robert McCune
The McDaniel Family
Mr. and Mrs. Tyson McKee
Ms. Kathleen Dunne Millar
Mr. Jason Morris and Mrs. Paulina Vazquez-Morris
Ms. Stacey Napp
Mr. and Mrs. R. Stephen Oberfield
Mr. Jack Padovano and Mr. Phillip Baker
Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Passell
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pastori
Mrs. Carlette Patterson
The Pellillo Family
The Priniski/Tromp Family
Ms. Zorra Ram Kaur
Dr. Ramesh Ramanathan and Dr. Jothi Nadarajh
Mr. Erick Ramirez and Ms. Evelyn Montanez-Ramirez
Mr. and Mrs. Cable Rosenberg
Mr. and Mrs. Evan Ross
The Rouhani Family
Drs. Todd and Thelma Rowe
Mr. and Mrs. Scott Salk
Sav-on Plating, Inc. -- The Trimino Family
Ms. Terri Scullin
Mr. and Mrs. Adam Singer
The Springfield Family
Mr. and Mrs. Todd Stottlemyre
Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Suchala
Mr. and Mrs. Nigel Taplin
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Thomas
Mr. and Mrs. Armando Viteri
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Weissmueller
Drs. Mark and Barbara Wix
Drs. Farley and Luci Yang
Mr. and Mrs. Richard York
Ms. Angela Young
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Zuieback
Arizona Tax Credit
NVEP Reminder
As you may know, Arizona’s tuition tax credit law gives us a choice about what to do with our first $500 of state income tax. We can send it to the government, or we can redirect it to a scholarship fund to assist families. This program allows you to donate $500 if you file your taxes individually, or $1,000 if you file jointly, to New Valley Education Partners – Tesseract School and receive the tax credit. You don’t have to itemize your tax return, and there aren’t any complicated forms to fill out. When you give to the New Valley Education Partnership - Tesseract School, you will get a dollar for dollar reduction in your Arizona state tax liability. There is absolutely NO COST to you, and you may also be able to take a federal charitable deduction for the same contribution.
Approximately 20% of Tesseract’s student body is currently receiving financial aid, in large measure thanks to your support of the Arizona Tax Credit program. Your contribution allows many deserving children the opportunity to experience an education that is unparalleled in the Valley. Please consider making your donation today.
Click here to make an online donation by credit card. If you would prefer a contribution form and to mail a check, please click here.
Fall BBQ
This year’s Fall BBQ was a huge success—we had our largest turnout ever! The Fall BBQ Committee did an outstanding job planning and organizing all aspects of the day including the entertainment—enjoyed by kids from a wide range of ages—, delicious food from Dickey’s BBQ, decorations and, of course, the set-up and cleanup.
A special thank you to our co-chairs, Marie Learner and Elyse Bertram, and committee members Kerry and Chris Bowley, Richard Christina, Veronica De La O, Cathy Garz, Mary Hammerle, Stacey Napp and Tasha Vatistas. A special thank you also goes out to our Room Representatives for organizing and putting together the fabulous Fall Baskets. They were a hit—we sold more than 3,000 raffle tickets!
“Knock, Knock … Where Am I?”
Did you know that one of our ninth-grade students is an author? Sam Ettenson—along with his brother Brady—wrote and published, “Knock, Knock … Where Am I?” a geography brain teaser book. The culmination of several years of work, the book is composed of puzzles that help children and adults of all ages learn about the world, its countries and its cities. The 69 puzzles in the book were created by Sam and Brady after living abroad and traveling around the world with their parents. In total, Sam and Brady have created more than 300 puzzles and plan to continue releasing them in upcoming editions. For more information and to purchase the book, go to www.knockknockwhereami.com.
Book Drive
The Library Committee is holding an “Out with the Old and In with the New Book Drive” November 30 through December 31.
In the spirit of the upcoming holiday season, there will be bins at each campus for you to donate your “gently used” books of all genres for all age groups. These books will be exchanged for new books needed by our libraries.
In addition to this drive, Amazon.com links have been set up for our Tesseract shoppers. There are three links--one main link , as well as a Shea wish list and a Doubletree wish list which were created for our libraries and educators. Through these links you can purchase books and earn book credits--from 4 to 15 percent, depending on volume and specific purchases--for Tesseract.
This is a great way to begin your holiday shopping and fulfill our library and classroom book needs all from the comfort of your own home! If you have any questions, please contact Teresa Copeland.
TPA Volunteers Needed
Sports Boosters are actively seeking volunteers for the snack bar. It is fun and easy—everything costs $1—and Booster Club members will set up and dismantle the Snack Bar at all the games. Our goal is for every parent with a child playing a sport to volunteer for one shift per season. Please e-mail Laurie Merrill. Thank you!
The Performing Arts Booster Club has scheduled its annual fund-raiser, Hearts for the Arts, for January 23, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. Anyone interested in helping with this event should contact Suzanne Viteri. Full event details are coming soon!
We are still looking for volunteers at the Shea library for Friday afternoons after school and mornings between 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. If you are interested, please contact Stacey Parker.
TPA Meetings
The TPA held its first open meeting on October 22, 2009 in conjunction with a presentation by Not My Kid on preventing substance abuse in our families. The TPA would like to thank Todd & Erica Stottlemyre for donating not only this presentation but a series of workshops by Not My Kid to Tesseract. The students at the Shea campus attended a discussion regarding eating disorders earlier in October. Future presentations are slated for faculty, students and parents with details to be announced shortly.
Tesseract Tigers Sports News
The 2009/2010 Tiger sports teams got off to a roaring start this year. Our middle school football and volleyball seasons just ended with great success for all teams.
Both 5/6 and 7/8 football teams made it to the championships held at PCDS. Although neither team brought home the trophy, Coach Partridge, Coach Dougherty and the boys coached and played their hearts out.
Our middle school volleyball teams steamed through the playoffs and the championship games. All four of our volleyball teams—both 5/6 and 7/8 teams — brought home the gold. Lead by Coach Anderson and Coach Patterson, our girls rocked the Mountain Valley Athletic League (MVAL) world.
Our upper school girls volleyball team, coached by Coach Norm Anderson and Coach Sarah Patterson, finished the regular Charter Athletic Association (CAA) season with a record of 16-2, ranking sixth in the state. They were amazing as they raced to the semi-finals where they lost 3-2 in games. With this being only our second year, this was a phenomenal accomplishment.
Stay tuned for more Tesseract Tigers sports news.
Go Tigers!
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