News

It’s Save Our Saguaros Month!  Our ecosystem needs your help!
Every year, in the month of February, we call on our community to help us save saguaros and the animals that call them home. From what? Buffelgrass and fountaingrass! These invasive grasses smother young saguaros and fuel fires that can kill both young and old saguaros alike.

Why is buffelgrass a threat?
In southern Arizona, the rapid spread of buffelgrass is transforming fire-resistant desert into flammable grassland. Buffelgrass outcompetes native plants for space, water and nutrients. As buffelgrass increases in abundance, native species decrease in abundance. Buffelgrass, and fountaingrass, can cause the loss of the entire Sonoran ecosystem, turning it into a barren grassland. The increased fire threat and loss of habitat is also a severe detriment to the economic health of Pima Country and all of Southern Arizona.

Learn more about the threat posed by buffelgrass here.

What can you do to help?
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum organizes buffelgrass mapping and pull events to help identify and eradicate this harmful invasive plant species. Come help remove buffelgrass from Tucson Mountain Park. Camp Cooper has made parking available to volunteers and organizers to assist with this event. Sign-up at the link below and ensure the well-being of our Sonoran paradise and the mighty saguaros!

Sign-Up To Help Here!

Tucson Mountain Park – Trails End (with parking at Camp Cooper)

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Time: 8 am to about noon

Organization: Pima County Natural Resources Parks & Recreation – Sonoran Desert Weedwackers
Description: Volunteers will remove weeds from Tucson Mountain Park, working off-trail, often on rough terrain. Usually, the weeds are piled on-site and secured with rocks to prevent seed dispersal.
Meeting Location: Camp Cooper parking area off of Trails End Road. Signs will be present to direct you to the meeting location.
Buffelgrass pull location: 5601 W Trails End Rd., Tucson, Arizona 85745
Volunteers: 12 registered out of a total capacity of 30
Tools Provided: Gloves, rock hammers, and digging bars. Some volunteers bring their favorite tools.
Bring: Sunscreen, lots of water, and energy snacks.
Wear: Sturdy pants and shoes, a hat and a long-sleeve shirt. If the weather warrants, bring a windbreaker or light raingear.
Additional Information: A map will be sent to your email after registering for the site. Please feel free to contact me by phone or email if you have any question. Co-coordinator for this event is Barbara Jones and can also be contacted at bwjones123@hotmail.com

Greetings, teachers!     Check out these PD opportunities from ASU and NAU that were posted on the AZSELA page.

The GeoCivics Project is now accepting applications from active K-12 teachers for our Summer Academy! If selected, you will earn a $2,500 stipend and professional development hours. You will travel to historic locations to explore and meet area experts, attend conferences, deepen your content knowledge of geography and social studies, as well as strengthen your pedagogical knowledge and skills. All expenses are paid by the grant 🙂 We encourage teams from the same school/district to apply. The GeoCivics project is funded by the US Department of Education and is operating through the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University.

We look forward to hearing from you! For information and to apply, please visit www.teachgeocivics.com/

Dianne McKee, M.Ed.
Director, GeoCivics 
Faculty, Division of Teacher Preparation

Barrett Honors Faculty
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College 

Arizona State University
7231 E. Sonoran Arroyo Mall
Santan Hall, Suite 330B, Mesa, AZ 85212
(Cell) 480-326-1948

Every moment of our life can be the beginning of great things.
–Joseph Pilates

From: azsela-request@list.arizona.edu <azsela-request@list.arizona.edu> on behalf of Ron Gray <ron.gray@nau.edu>
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2022 10:08 AM
To: azsela@list.arizona.edu <azsela@list.arizona.edu>
Subject: [azsela] Earn a graduate degree online in science education from NAU (free tuition available)

 Free Tuition Available to Arizona Public School Educators!

*Apply by June 1st to be eligible*

Interested in pursuing a master’s degree in science education? Join us in the Department of STEM Education! We offer fully online, part-time programs designed to be completed in two years. The programs are unique in that they focus solely on science education allowing students to be part of a supportive cohort of high-achieving science educators taught by faculty who specialize and conduct research in science education. 

The MAST program is for veteran teachers interested in enhancing their classroom knowledge and practice. The MAT-S program provides an AZ Standard Professional Secondary Certificate for our newly hired colleagues. Applications are available now to begin in fall. 

Current Arizona teachers are eligible for free tuition in our master’s programs through the Arizona Teacher’s Academy. Full details on financial assistance for all programs are available here. Apply by June 1st to be eligible!

Already have a master’s and looking to earn a Ph.D.? Check out our program in Curriculum & Instruction!

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like to set up an advising appointment to learn more about which program is right for you.

Just interested in summer professional development?

Check out our Core Ideas Series of online summer courses.

Ron Gray, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Science Education  |  Graduate Programs Coordinator

President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow

Northern Arizona University  |  Department of STEM Education

(928) 523-3618  |  ron.gray@nau.edu  |  @grayron

http://www.rongray.net  |  http://modelbasedinquiry.com  |  http://booksforscienceteachers.com

ASTA is now accepting team applications for A Deeper Dive: Constructing Grades K-5  3-Dimensional Science Units Program. This program is a partnership with Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and financially supported by APS Foundation and the Burton Family Foundation.

Through a professional learning opportunity, 54  K-5 elementary level teachers working in teams will learn how to utilize tools and processes  to create 3-dimensional lessons that will form a unit aligned to the Arizona Science Standards. Participants will be grouped in collaborative teams facilitated by a teacher leader, who will work with them virtually and face-to-face throughout the program between face-to-face meetings. Participants will create a 3D unit blueprint and develop multiple instructional sequences that will form a 3D science instructional unit which will be implemented, revised, and then submitted to ASTA and ADE to be published as models. 

Team applications are currently open and must be submitted to ASTA by 10 pm on March 4, 2022.   To learn more about this opportunity and the application, click here.

Teams can be from the same school/district and can be multi-district.  ASTA will assist educators in rural or small schools who would like to be on a team but who do not have colleagues who can join them to create a multi-district team.  In addition, multiple teams from a district can apply.  

A Deeper Dive’s main goal is to build capacity among 72 elementary teachers and coaches in AZ in developing and implementing 3-dimensional instructional units aligned to the AzSS. 

Through this program participants will:

·   Build capacity through collaboration with science leaders statewide;

·   Learn to use tools that translate science core ideas, practices, and crosscutting concepts into instructional sequences that form a 3-dimensional science instructional unit;

·   Think deeply about learning and teaching to develop a clear vision of science education that is coherent, focused, and rigorous and based on 3-dimensional best practices; and

·   Collaboratively align instructional units to the AzSS and share throughout the state.

Please contact deeper_dive@azsta.org for assistance if needed.