Joseph City School District

Word Work: First grade students are showing off their understanding of a new vocabulary word of the day.

11 days ago, Ericka Hunt

A young boy holding a word card that reads balanced above a tower of stacked blocks supporting a stick with small toy bears balanced on it.

A few of you have told me that my recent comments about education options came across as a shot at school choice or local tutors. I want to clear that up myself, plainly, because you deserve that and because everything we do here is built on trust.

I am not against choice. In fact in Joseph City, we have 9% of our eligible students taking part in the ESA program, and we respect that choice. A family knows its child better than any of us, and Arizona gives families real options now, including an ESA that lets them direct their own child's education dollars. That is their right, and I will defend it. I also respect anyone who steps up to guide kids and build a business in a small town. That takes guts, and competition is not our enemy. It makes all of us sharper, and that is good for kids.

So here is what I actually meant, and why I will keep saying it.

When a family is deciding how to spend those dollars, they deserve a clear-eyed comparison, not a sales pitch from anyone, including me. My job is to tell you the truth about what a full public school gives your child, and then let you choose. A teacher certified in the subject. A real science lab, an ag program with animals and land, a music program with a stage, a team to belong to, a counselor who knows your child's name, and special education delivered by professionals and actually followed. Credit that lands on an accredited transcript a college or an employer will recognize. Those are not small things, and I would be failing you if I let anyone talk you out of them without knowing what they are.

None of that is a knock on anyone providing alternative educational approaches to kids. It is a plain statement of what a full school can offer that a smaller option, tutoring, or a solely online program, by its nature, cannot. And if a single class or a single service from us fits your family better than a full schedule, take exactly that. Our doors are open either way, full time or for one course, and we will walk you through it in one phone call. 928-288-3307. Regardless of where you live in our region, you can enroll in courses with ESA funds at Joseph City.

One more thing, because it is true and it matters to every taxpayer in this town. When a family chooses Joseph City, their student's education dollars come home and go to work right here, paying teachers , maintaining facilities the community hold dear, and running programs for every kid, not just their own. When those dollars leave, they leave with them. That is not a guilt trip, It is just how a small district stays strong, and it is why I will always make our case out loud.

We have been an A school. We have been the best high school in this county. That is the standard, and holding it is the whole reason I speak up. If that ever sounds like more than a sales pitch, it is because I mean every word.

Shannon Harvilla
Superintendent
Joseph City Unified School District

11 days ago, Shannon Harvilla

This year at the JH/HS we will be rocking Way Back Wednesdays. Wednesdays will be technology free days. Students should not bring a computer to school on Wednesdays (except for students who are taking online courses). Some of our goals for these days are to foster creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and team work and also to reduce screen time and digital fatigue. 1900's here we come! We may even have to dust off an old encyclopedia book or two!

11 days ago, Eric Miller

Today in Kindergarten, we began to learn our letters, starting with the letter m. With the help from mirrors, we were able to practice mouth formation when we make an m. Did you know m is a nasal sound? We figured out we have to use our nose to help make the sound!

11 days ago, Elementary School

Our 7th grade, Algebra 2 students and Geometry students have been brushing up on their data literacy in learning how to build change over time graphs. Our students would analyze a simple phenomena such as a small parachute man falling, a slinky moving back and forth or a balloon being blown up and they would try to chart one characteristics change over time as a line graph. They did this on their own then joined together in groups to draw out what they felt like was the best representation of the phenomena. They then presented for the class these graphs and explained why their graph matched the observation that they were charting. I am always so impressed at students observations and articulation! Thanks for your wildcats!!
If you want to give this activity a go, a simulation to try it can be found here: https://sites.google.com/jcusd.org/math-simulations/data-literacy-and-dear-data

12 days ago, Mrs. Larsen

Some of the students graphs for describing the density over time of rings for a slinky that was released to the ground at one end and then after it was held stretched out for a moment and then released completely to the floor.

Some of the students graphs for describing the density over time of rings for a slinky that was being shifted back and forth.

To kick off the school year, our Spanish 2 students jumped right into reviewing numbers 1–1,000! They put their skills to the test with a dice game, calling out their scores in Spanish after every round. We are excited for a great year!

12 days ago, Aaron Johnstun

Here's a great opportunity to learn the game, have fun, and show off the future of Joseph City Athletics! Students have a chance to play in front of the Varsity crowd on August 28th. Come to the high school front office to fill out the form and secure your spot.

13 days ago, Tyler Murphy

The first bell of the year rang Monday morning and I spent it walking classrooms. What I saw was simple and it was everywhere: teachers greeting students by name, positive interactions in every room I walked into, and a renewed energy across both campuses that you can feel in the hallways. Then midweek a teacher wrote me, unprompted, to share how she rebuilt the way her class reviews material so students retrieve what they know instead of just re-reading it, and her students are already talking about their own learning differently. That is not an accident. That is a professional who studies her craft, and this district is full of them.

Look at what those professionals run. Three full preschool classes. Elementary classrooms where reading support is built in, not bolted on. A junior high and high school with agriscience and FFA, career and technical education, business, Spanish, band, choir, drama with a licensed musical on the way, yearbook, a library, online electives that let a student reach past our zip code, and NAVIT career programs beyond that. A school counselor who knows every student's name. And real special education support, not a promise on a website: a director of special education services on campus, a licensed speech-language pathologist, dedicated aides working one on one, a resource room, and IEPs that are written carefully and then actually followed, right down to transportation when a student's plan calls for it. Families drive past bigger districts for that, and they should.

And there is one thing a school gives that nothing else can: other kids. Lab partners. Teammates. A choir that only sounds right when everyone carries their part. A seat at the lunch table. Class and student council elections are Tuesday afternoon, and that is the point of all of it. Kids here learn to work with people they did not choose, to speak up in a group, to carry their share, to belong to something bigger than themselves. That is not extra. That is the education, and it only happens together.

It is also why discipline looks different this year. Our whole staff is trained on a restorative approach. When something goes wrong in a classroom, the first move is not the principal's office. It is a calm conversation where the student names what happened, who it affected, and how to make it right, and the plan gets built with the family, not just reported to it. You will hear about a classroom problem from the teacher first. That is the promise. It asks more of a student than a detention ever did, and it keeps kids where the learning and the belonging happen: in class.

The belonging spills into the stands, too. Thursday night's Blue and Gold scrimmage was well attended despite the rain. Now mark your calendar: football hosts a home scrimmage Friday, August 14 at 5:00. Volleyball has been grinding in the gym all week and hosts its home scrimmage Friday, August 21 at 1:00. Junior high softball opens at home against Mogollon on Thursday, August 20 at 2:00, and varsity football opens at Desert Heights on Friday, August 21 at 7:00. Come out. These kids play better when the town shows up, and this town shows up.

We also welcomed new and returning families this week, and I am proud of how we did it. The Governing Board opened our classes, programs, and athletics to ESA families across the region. Some enrolled full time. Some are taking exactly what they need: a science lab, an ag class, a sport, a music program, with their ESA paying for that single class directly through ClassWallet.

Everything on this page is what those families get, trained teachers and real support and teammates, things no living room or corporate tutor can offer. And here is what the whole community gets: every time a family chooses this school, their student's taxpayer-funded state education dollars come home to Joseph City and go to work right here, paying teachers, maintaining our impressive facilities, and running programs for every kid in town. Enrollment is not just a number. It is how a small district stays strong. Questions about joining us, full time or for a single class? Call the district office at 928.288.3307 and we will walk you through it in one conversation.

One last thing. Our teachers have started telling their own stories, posting straight from their classrooms, the small wins you never used to see. Follow this page and the app, because there is more coming every week, and you should see your kids' school the way we see it.

We have been an A school. We have been the best high school in this county. That is not nostalgia, it is the standard, and this week met it.

14 days ago, Shannon Harvilla

Wednesday Middle School Science and JCJH hit the ground running as they completed the first LAB of the school year, by learning to use LAB tools.

16 days ago, Kay Rush

Everyone worked hard and did great work.

Junior high photography students were excited to have class outside today as they begin working with cameras, and getting comfortable handling the equipment. Students worked in teams to complete a 'photo scavenger hunt'.
Keep an eye out for some exciting projects this year!!

16 days ago, Amy Peterson

This week, students tackled a full-year pre-test to give us a roadmap of everything we'll be learning this school year! I was so impressed by how much background knowledge they already have tucked away. Pre-tests show us where we start so we can celebrate how far we grow—and this group is set up for an incredible year ahead!

16 days ago, Michael Gayer

Yearbook Class is ready to get the year started! PAWSITIVE VIBES!

16 days ago, Julie Randall

1st TextBook Tuesday of the year!
2nd day of school and we are into curriculum. I have found that most Freshmen and Sophomores do not like TextBook Tuesdays, but upper classmen appreciate the relaxed assignment.
When talking with former students, that are adults, in the real world, they would love to come back to High School and do a TextBook Tuesday instead of "adulting".
TextBook Tuesdays are where test questions come from, so the information is available even if a student is not in class, this helps with those that play sports.
Here's to a great 26/27 school year!

16 days ago, Jess Bushman

Blue & Gold Scrimmage!

17 days ago, Tyler Murphy

If you are able to help out Mrs. Smith, she is inviting parents to send any of the following:
Golf pencils.
Glue sticks
Large crayons (not the jumbo and not the regular size)
1.5 inch binder (for homework)
Band-aids
Clorox wipes
Tissues