The Apache Junction Unified School District serves over 4,500 students in a 217-square mile area that includes the City of Apache Junction, Gold Canyon, Peralta Trail, Queen Valley and the unincorporated areas of the Superstition Mountain foothills.
Greetings from the Apache Junction Unified School District (AJUSD) at the gateway to the Superstition Mountains! Entering our 60th year, AJUSD has a proud tradition of excellence in education and continues to provide an outstanding educational experience. The District’s vision statement – Arizona’s First Choice in Education . . . Every Student, Diploma in Hand, Prepared to Contribute to Our World – provides a foundation for the community’s belief in its children.
The goals of AJUSD center on a dedication to providing our children with the best education possible– one that leaves them ready for college and a career. AJUSD’s College Readiness For All expectation means that whether a child is a senior in high school, or just entering kindergarten, our teachers, administrators, staff and programs will prepare that student for post-secondary education. Through Individualized Instruction, Project-Based Learning, and commitment to 21st Century Classrooms with ready access to technology, we believe this College Readiness curriculum, combined with a variety of athletic and extracurricular opportunities, places our students in the best possible position to succeed in college, in the workplace, or whatever direction life may steer them. Please feel free to visit our schools, or visit our website at www.ajusd.org for more information.
At the core of College Readiness is that all students can learn at the highest level, while allowing the flexibility to meet students’ individual needs. College Readiness offers an Individualized Instruction component that uses flexible groupings that bundle students ready for enrichment in their instruction, as well as those requiring a little more remedial attention. Within these grouping, teachers can tailor their instruction to meet the needs of every student through Project-Based Learning (PBL). PBL is a century-old concept that stripped down simply means good teaching. Students are given projects requiring investigation and research. By giving them a role in solving problems and answering questions, the student becomes interested in the problem and ultimately, feels motivated to complete the assignment.
AJUSD also believes that technology must be part of the learning process. Students today are more than familiar with many forms of technology and expect to use it on a daily basis. A ‘21st Century Classroom’ approach, with access to portable laptops and other equipment, gives students ‘1-to-1 opportunities’ to use relevant technology as a learning tool. We are proud to offer that opportunity to 7th and 8th-graders at Cactus Canyon Junior High School where each student is issued a Netbook for use in the classroom and at home. Beginning in 2012-13, freshmen at Apache Junction High School will have a similar program in place with plans to expand one grade each successive school year.
The goal of AJUSD’s College Readiness program is to provide three R’s for our students – Rigor, Relevance and Relationships. Class work must be Rigorous enough to challenge students academically so they then can compete at college and on the job. The instruction must be Relevant to a level where students know the work they are doing today will help them in the future. Finally, success is not possible without a solid Relationship between student and teacher, where the child trusts the instructor and the vested interest they have in his or her success. We believe this College Readiness curriculum, combined with a variety of athletic and extracurricular opportunities, places our students in the best possible position to succeed in college, in the workplace, or whatever direction life may steer them.
Arizona’s First Choice in Education . . . Every Student, Diploma in Hand, Prepared to Contribute to Our World
