The Solar Eclipse
On August 21st there will be a total solar eclipse - the first time since 1979! Although we will only be able to view a partial eclipse in Arizona, it is still an exciting occurrence to share with students. Teachers have been provided a PowerPoint and helpful educational links to share with their students.

Viewing Times in Arizona on Monday, August 21st, 2017:
• Begins: 9:15 am
• Maximum: 10:33 am
• Ends: 12:00 pm, noon

To ensure the safety of our students and staff, elementary schools will not be hosting outdoor activities such as PE, recess and outside lunch between 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Any transitions between buildings to the cafeteria and/or specials will be closely monitored and students will be reminded of the importance of not looking at the sun.

In preparation for the rare solar eclipse that will occur on Monday, some teachers have planned activities that will include viewing the eclipse with special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or box pinhole projectors. Students without written permission to view the eclipse will be kept indoors to participate in an alternate activity.

Below you will find some resources available online for live streaming and safety from NASA:
• NASA Total Eclipse 2017 Information 
• NASA Eclipse 2017 Live - Streaming Video of August 21 Total Solar Eclipse

“Talk Saves Lives” suicide prevention presentation coming to Higley Center Aug. 29

The Arizona Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will present “Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention” at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts, 4132 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29. This will be a community-based presentation that covers the general scope of suicide, the research on prevention, and what people can do to fight suicide. This event is free and open to all members of the community in and around Higley.
The content of the presentation has been deemed appropriate by the AFSP for students in fifth grade and older. Childcare will not be provided.
Registration for the event is recommended.

Learn more about the presentation on the AFSP website.
Register for the event online.

District calendar survey

Higley Unified School District strives to make decisions that are in the best interest of all stakeholders. In our efforts to do this, we have assembled a calendar committee to create three different options for a district-wide calendar.

Each of the options have different start dates and different Fall, Winter and Spring breaks. As a district, we are bound with the AzMERIT testing window and all National holidays; however, we have done our best to create three options.

Please take your time and look at all three options. Option 1 has the 2/2/2 option (two-week breaks) for all three breaks, Option 3 is a more traditional calendar with a 1/2/1 format for breaks. Option 2 is a hybrid of Options 1 and 3.

We respect the opinion of all members of our Higley Community. Please take a few minutes to click on the attached link and complete the calendar survey.

The survey will close at 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18.

Calendar Survey

Join the Higley Unified School District Orchestra Program

Elementary school orchestra will be offered to all 4th-6th graders who are interested in playing the violin, viola, cello, or string bass during the 2017-2018 school year. Classes will meet two to three times a week from 6:45 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. at San Tan Elementary. Transportation from orchestra to the student’s elementary schools will be provided by HUSD

Students will need to have an instrument to participate. Some instruments will be available to rent from the district for a small fee. Other instruments will need to be rented from local music stores or purchased

If you are interested in having your child join orchestra either as a beginning or returning student, please complete the registration form and return to the front office of your elementary school.

Classes will begin in August and more information will be available at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year.