Cholla Pa rent New s

H T T P : / / C H O L L A C H A R G E R S . O R G
Cholla High Magnet School
Fall 2012-13
Cholla Parent News
From the Principal
Hello Parents, Students,
and Chargers,
This first semester has
been very busy with
our attention on academic
excellence. I
want to first congratulate
our students, teachers,
and support staff
for their tireless and
concentrated efforts in
raising the academic
standard here at Cholla
this past school year.
Due to their efforts,
Cholla High Magnet
School has a “C” label
and joins the ranks of
Rincon, Santa Rita, and
Tucson High Schools.
We as a school community
will continue to
push high academic
excellence. This year’s
school foci are the following:
Aligned/
Rigorous Curriculum,
Effective Teaching,
and Student Assessment/Data.
The Math and English
departments will continue
to utilize common
formative assessments,
as well as, the District’s
summative Galileo assessment.
Ninth and
tenth grade students,
and students who still
need to pass AIMS
were involved in taking
the assessments this
past month. Students
and teachers will use
the data to track student
academic progress and
growth. Teachers will
use the student data to
modify and adjust their
teaching, focusing on
the areas students need
assistance with. Our
ultimate goal is to ensure
that students are
mastering the academic
concepts and providing
strong classroom instruction.
This school year we
implemented an Academic
Intervention
Team (AIT). The six
members of this team
have strengths in Math,
English, Literacy, the
use of student assessments,
and professional
development. AIT has
worked with teachers
during the weekly professional
learning communities
(PLC) where
they collaborate with
colleagues to strengthen
their classroom instruction
via Tier I student
intervention. Tier
1 intervention focuses
on ensuring that teachers
are making the appropriate
instructional
decisions for students.
With the implementation
of AIT, teacher
PLCs, and student assessments,
I believe we
are providing students
the assistance they need
to be college and career
ready.
Please review the
Cholla website for
more information regarding
the Cholla Afterschool
Program for
tutoring; Title 1
School-wide programs
and parent involvement;
Parent TEAM
information and meeting
times; and Cholla
students and teachers in
the news. Also, I
would encourage you
to access the parent
TUSD STATS to track
your child’s academic
progress and daily attendance.
If you do not
have an account set up,
please contact Dinora
Conwell or Isabel
Valenzuela. Finally,
please be our partner in
your child’s college
and career readiness.
Every Student, Every
Day, Charging Fearlessly
Toward Academic
and Personal Excellence!
Frank Armenta,
Principal

Getting Acquainted
Mr.Tariq Rasool has been an educator since
1984. During his career Mr. Rasool has been a
teacher, a coach, a cultural awareness specialist,
an assistant principal, and principal designee. Mr.
Rasool has been an inspiration to other educators,
community leaders, staff members, members of
the community, and students past and present. He
has and does work with students and adults of all
ethnicities, without regard for social and financial
status. Mr. Rasool performs with The Songhai
Drummers in different venues in Arizona and also
teaches a Karate class here at Cholla High Magnet
School.
This will be my 6 th year here at Cholla High Magnet School. I graduated from the University of Arizona with an emphasis on
Secondary Education, Political Science and Religious Studies. I practice karate and love spending time with my daughter.
This year I am coordinating the Freshmen Academy and AVID programs, as well as teaching the Cholla AVID classes. After
school I Co-Coordinate the Cholla After-school Program (CAP). Please contact me if you would have questions or would like
to be involved in any of these programs.
*Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a sixth grade through high school program to prepare students in the
academic middle with potential for success in rigorous secondary curriculum for four-year college eligibility. For more information
visit AVID Online at http://www.avidonline.org/
*Freshman Academy is to provide the fundamental steps for successful transition into high school and encourage life-long
learning by maximizing student potential through a variety of educational and social opportunities to meet the needs of all students
presented in a culturally positive, emotionally safe, and physically secure environment.
*Cholla After-school Program provides many opportunities for students to be involved at Cholla such as Karate, Drama Club,
Cholla Blues Standard, Math Tutoring, Chess Club, Reading & Writing tutoring and Homework Help.
I taught English for five years before
coming to Cholla and I am now proud to
be a Charger! As the Title I Specialist it
is my job to make sure that our Title I
Plan is being put into action by providing
additional support for all of our students,
and especially the students who might be
struggling in a particular area. I am also
responsible for helping our teachers get
Page 2
Mr. Rasool Kathryn Jensen
Andrew Walanski
the support they need and for getting
families and the community more involved
at Cholla. Please contact me
anytime if you have any questions or
concerns.
Andrew Walanski
Title I Specialist
(520)225-4041
I am excited to join the Cholla community! As Magnet Coordinator,
it is my job to recruit students and parents to the different programs
offered at Cholla. In addition, it is my goal to continue to
grow and expand the current magnet programs, offering students
more choice in their education.
I moved to Tucson in 1992 from New York to attend the University
of Arizona. I also had to get away from the cold weather! I graduated
with a B.A. in English Literature and a M.Ed. in Teaching and
Teacher Education. Prior to coming to Cholla, I taught English for
ten years at the middle and high school level. My husband, a native
Tucsonan, is a middle school teacher. We have three wonderful
children who keep us busy!
I look forward to a great school year!
Sky Saczko
Andrew.walanski@tusd1.org
CHOLLA PARE NT NE WS

Getting Acquainted
Greetings! I am the Assistant Principal in charge of Instruction, Technology, Security, the International Baccalaureate Program
(IB) and the Magnet Program. I was born and raised in Phoenix and moved to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona,
where I received both of my degrees. Before coming to Cholla last year, I was a teacher at Palo Verde High School and Pueblo
High School. I was also a tennis coach for 6 years and the Coordinator of a Smaller Learning Communities grant for 5 years.
Last year was my first year as an Assistant Principal, my first year at Cholla, and also the year that my first son was born. He is
going to be a year old on November 2 nd and will be walking soon!
In growing our family here at Cholla, we were also able to bring some bright new additions to our staff as well. We have Tasha
Conti as our new IB Coordinator, Kathryn Jensen as our Magnet Coordinator and Viola Watson as our new media specialist.
These three ladies have been working hard to compile and provide information about the programs we offer here at Cholla.
Viola has been able to capture this information on our new website, chollachargers.org. The current website is still in its rough
draft stage as the unveiling for our new website will take place at the end of this semester. Please utilize this website to access
our teacher directory, get the latest on Cholla events and news and keep well informed of the programs that Cholla has to offer.
I am proud to be a part of the Cholla family! I enjoy working with the Cholla administrative team, faculty, staff and students
every day. And finally, I would like to thank my administrative assistant, Marcia Pitman, for all of her hard work and dedication.
I would not be able to do what I do without her hard work and support.
If you need to contact me, please email me at tara.bulleigh@tusd1.org or by phone at 225-4005.
GREETINGS FROM THE CAREER CENTER
Ms. Tara Bulleigh
My name is Ms. Gloria Nelson-Green and I am the new Career and Technical Education (CTE) career advisor here at Cholla High
Magnet School. Don’t you love it when someone asks you “What do you want to do after high school?” Well, I am here to help you
set those goals! In addition to helping the Cholla teachers, counselors, and administrators, I will focus on helping students with Education
Career Action Plans (ECAPs), enrolling in CTE courses, enrolling in JTED (Joint Technological Education District) courses,
planning career fairs, inviting guest speakers, meeting parents, etc. Of course, I plan to visit your classrooms, but any time you want
to discuss your future goals, please feel free to visit me in the career center! Wow - It is great to be a new Cholla Charger family
member! J
Ms. Gloria Nelson-Green
Mr. Francisco Moraga
Gloria Nelson-Green
Hello Cholla Community. I am one of the Assistant Principals here at Cholla. A little personal
background information for you: I am a Nogales native and proud father of twin
girls. I enjoy tennis and golf, especially with my father. I have been married for 30 years
and look forward to many more with my beautiful wife, Joanna.
Here at Cholla, I am in charge of Curriculum, the Counseling Department and Assessments.
I also oversee the Attendance and Registrar’s Office. This is my 6th year here at
Cholla High School and I am excited to see the positive direction our school and community
are taking. Before Cholla, I worked at Tucson High Magnet School, Booth Fickett
Middle School and Sunnyside High School. I have previously been in charge of security,
athletics, activities, facilities/operations, and instruction. This year I am focusing on ensuring
the every student achieves academic success and that all seniors have the opportunity
to complete their graduation requirements and participate in our graduation exercise.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at 225-4214 or by email at Francisco.moraga@tusd1.org.
CHOLLA HI GH MA GNET S CHOOL Page 3

International Baccalaureate Update
IB Update:
Senior IB Diploma Students have finished their Extended Essays, the 4,000 word analytical research paper that is integral to the
Diploma Programme. We will be running the Viva Voices – the exit interview where students talk about their research process
and achievements – in the Little Theater Monday October 15 th – Friday October 19 th , from 12:00-12:45 and 2:30-4:00 each day.
Come celebrate their accomplishments with us!
Current IB Prep and IB student need to have completed an application to the programme in order to continue in IB courses.
Please make sure that your completed application is on file with Ms. Conti ASAP!
Celebrate Schools! Fair.
On October 13 th and Sunday October 14 th from 12-5pm Cholla will be represented at the Tucson Mall by a variety of our programs,
including IB, JROTC, Band, Mariachi, and Dance. Come out and show your Charger spirit!
Natasha Conti
IB Coordinator
520.225.4116
Ms. Tasha Conti
Counseling Department Updates
The Counseling Department wishes you a successful school year. Cholla Counseling Department WELCOMES two new counselors to
our staff: Mr. Ricardo Valdez and Ms. Alexandra Tsosie.
See the new schedule and refer to your counselor for any questions.
Counseling Schedule 2012/2013
Mr. Daniel Barrios-------- A - H
Ms. Rashida Jeffery -------- R – Z
Mr. Ricardo Valdez---------- I – Q
Ms. Alexandra Tsosie-----------All 9 th Grade
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR SENIORS
October 9-19, counselors will be doing CREDIT REVIEWS in one of your class rooms. Students need to be present and
on time or you will miss the review. Seniors are welcome to see their counselor for GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
(To review if you are on TRACK FOR GRADUATION.) Seniors taking Credit Recovery should have finished one
course by now. Seniors may continue to visit Mrs. Lupita Cabral in the College and Career Office for any new College and University
information.
IMPORTANT DATES IN OCTOBER
October 1-5 Fall Break
October 5-8 Counselors IB Training (Houston Texas) No counselors available until October 9 th .
October 9-19 Senior Credit Reviews
October 9 Pima 2 NAU 10:30am-12:00pm in the College and Career Center
October 9 US NAVY 12:00pm
October 10 US MARINES 12:00pm
October 16 Oregon State University 9:00am-10:00am in the College and Career Center
October 16 US Navy 12:00pm
October 16 TUSD College Night 6:30pm-9:00pm at Tucson Convention Center
October 17 School Wide Testing
CHOLLA HI GH MA GNET S CHOOL Page 4

Fall Activities
Congratulations to all of our fall
athletes. We had a great turn out
and participation for our fall sports.
The Athletic Department would like
to welcome
our new Athletic
Director
Peggy Baker.
Mrs. Baker is
bringing with
her years of
experience
and we are
lucky to have
her. If you
would like to contact Mrs. Baker
she can be reached at 225.4113 or
Margaret.Baker@tusd1.org.
We would like to thank our new
coaches: Greg Nussberger – girl’s
Freshmen Academy
The freshmen are off to a great
start this year! Freshmen Academy
kicked off the school
year with an exciting freshman
assembly that included
words from our freshmen
administrator, Mr. Rasool,
skits from our drama club
and student council and of
course a presentation by the
Freshman Academy teachers.
Our freshmen have been heavily
involved in the Cholla Afterschool
Program (CAP). This is
wonderful since research shows
that students who participate in
extracurricular activities generally
benefit from the many opportunities
afforded them. Benefits
of participating in extracurricular
activities
CHOLLA HI GH MA GNET S CHOOL
golf, Mark Bejarano – boy’s golf,
June De Los Santos – spirit line,
and Emily Thompson – girl’s and
boy’s swimming. Thank you also
to our returning coaches;
Larry Ruhf –football, Kellin
Lovegren – girl’s volleyball,
George Parra – boy’s cross
country, and Mike Argraves
– girl’s cross country for
being there, guiding our athletes,
and having a successful
season.
Winter sports are coming up
and we are looking for athletes
for boy’s and girl’s basketball,
boy’s and girl’s soccer, and wrestling.
Sports packets are available
in the Athletic Office. Completed
include having better grades,
higher standardized test scores,
higher
“We would like to recognize our
Freshmen Academy Math
Superstars”
educational
attainment,
attending
school more
regularly, and
gaining more
confidence in themselves. Let’s
continue to GET INVOLVED
Chargers!
We would like to recognize our
Freshmen Academy Math Superstars
for this quarter. These
students have gone above and
beyond in their Math classes so
far this semester:
Brandon Aguilar, Ethan Albertson,
Alan Borbon, Lucero
Cordova, Anthony Dominguez,
sports packets can be brought to the
Activities Office before school, after
school, and during lunch beginning
October 8, 2012. For more
information please call Lily Ann
Krishniah at 225.4012 or Peggy
Baker at 225.4113.
The Cholla After school Program
(CAP) is mandatory for all athletes at
least 3 days a week. CAP gives the
athletes time to work on their assignments
and get tutoring in subjects they
may need help in. In order for the student
to be a successful athlete, they
must be a successful student. For more
information please contact Dr. Cunningham
at
Debra.Cunningham@tusd1.org or
225.4048.
Raquel Frias, Janet Hernandez,
Anthony Holman, Christian
Ortiz, Shaira Perez,
Moises Pompa, Abriana
Romero, Raven Tautimer,
Christopher Tith, Sierra Villa
Congratulations Chargers!
Please feel free to contact me if
you would like more information
on ways to get involved!
Sky Saczko
AVID Teacher
CAP Co-Coordinator
Freshmen Academy/AVID Coordinator
Sky.Saczko@tusd1.org
520.225.4113
Page 5

Yearbook Corner
BUY YOUR YEARBOOK
NOW: The school yearbook is
on sale now for only $50. Books
may be purchased in the business
office and can be paid for
with cash or check. Books can
also be purchased with a credit
card online at www.balfour.com.
Please feel free to contact Mr.
Whitmore (the yearbook advisor)
with any questions at
dale.whitmore@tusd1.org.
We Need Your Shoes
The senior class is collecting used shoes to recycle for children everywhere.
So clean out your closets and bring those unwanted shoes to
the office. This is a yearlong project. All proceeds go toward graduation
activities.
For more information, contact:
Mrs. Lynne Hoover
Senior Advisor
Cholla High Magnet School
Tucson, AZ.
(520) 225-4128
Senior Photos
Isabel Oroz Photography is offering Cholla High School Juniors
and Seniors portraits for only $120.00. Package includes:
one hour on-location photoshoot, 10-15 high resolution images
on a CD, and an online image gallery. Contact Isabel at
520-241-5986 or visit www.isabelorozphotography.com
*Does not include yearbook photo.
Page 6
SENIOR TRIBUTES: Do you $200 and this includes the tribute
want to make this year special and the yearbook. A half page is
for your
$125 and this includes the trib-
senior?
ute and the yearbook. Please
Want Want your Senior to have his or contact Mr. Whitmore
your senior
to
her own page in the Yearbook? (dale.whitmore@tusd1.org)
with any questions or to place
have his
an order for your own page.
or her own page in the year- Don’t miss this opportunity to
book? Buy a senior tribute and make your senior stand out in
let them know you want to recognize
them for their great accomplishments.
A full page is
the crowd.
CHOLLA PARE NT NE WS

Magnet Update
The Cholla Magnet Office has
been gearing up for a Fall
filled with recruitment! Our
recruitment effort will kick off
with the Celebrate Schools!
Fair at the Tucson Mall, October
13th and 14th from noon -
5pm. Cholla will start the festivities
off at noon, both
days, with performances.
Come on out and watch the
Cholla band, cheer squad,
choir, mariachi and gui-
Parents Needed
The Cholla Site Council is
looking for more parent members.
The Cholla Site Council
serves as a decision-making
committee for the school. Meetings
are held once a month. De-
CHOLLA HI GH MA GNET S CHOOL
tar. JROTC cadets will also
demonstrate their skills
through a series of
drills. Cholla will also have
tables with information and
student work displayed. In
addition to the Fair, we will be
visiting middle schools to inform
potential students and
parents of the great programs
offered at Cholla.
This is an exciting
tails regarding Site Council can
be found at http://
chollachargers.org under the Site
Council tab. This is a wonderful
opportunity to be involved in the
decisions made here at Cholla.
time; sharing all of the
great programs at Cholla with
the Tucson community!
If you like to be added to the
newly created confidential
parent listserv, please
email kathryn.jensen@tusd1.
org. Updates about the happenings
in the Cholla community
are sent out every
Wednesday. It is a great way
to stay connected!
Cholla Make a Difference Day
Enjoy a cool crisp Fall morning making Cholla
look beautiful, come out on Saturday, October
27th and let’s make a difference together! Volunteers,
please bring your own gardening tools.
Refreshments will be provided. Hope to see
you there. Please contact Ms. Valenzuela (520-
225-4210) or Mr. Rasool (520-225-4012).
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Cholla High Magnet School
2001 W. Starr Pass Blvd.
Tucson, Arizona 85713
USA
Phone: (520) 225-4000
Fax: (520) 225-4001
http://chollachargers.org
Parent T.E.A.M.
“Together Everyone Achieves More!”
Parents being active at Cholla
Get INVOLVED!
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PAID
Tucson, Arizona
Permit No. 790