AmeriSchools Academy - Phoenix Charter School (K-8)
OFFICE & SCHOOL HOURS
- OFFICE: 7:45 AM - 3:45 PM
- READINESS-ESSENTIALS 5: 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
- ESSENTIALS 6-MS: 8:00 AM - 2:45 PM
- EARLY BIRD CLUB: 6:30 AM - 7:45 AM (Club fees are $1 per day/per child)
- AFTER SCHOOL OPTIONS:
- Boys and Girls Club Rosenzweig Branch at
- PAC (Phoenix After School Center) is our on-site after school program and available every day of the school year except March 31, 2011. PAC is open from dismissal until 6PM! There are 4 sessions of approximately 10 weeks each. The cost for each session is $40 per child. The following link will take you to the official PAC website for more information about registration. PAC PROGRAM
- Boys and Girls Club Rosenzweig Branch at
LUNCH INFORMATION
Below is a link to our monthly Lunch Form and Menu.
AmeriSchools Academy-Camelback is Proud to Offer Free, Full-Day Kindergarten
Kindergarten is an important milestone for students. Our strong academic program builds the foundation for life-long learning. Parents of children who turn 5 years old before October 1 may register their child at the school.
Early Entrance
Parents of children reaching the age of 5 after September 30 may request that their child be assessed for early admission if they believe it is in the best interest of their child. Children who are not age 5 by October 1 will be assessed for kindergarten readiness. To learn more about the assessment, contact the school at (602) 532-0100.
Registration Forms
As a convenience to parents, the enrollment forms are available to download and complete prior to registering your child at the school. Forms are also available at the school.
Please Bring
- Your child’s birth certificate
- Your child’s immunization records
We treasure the opportunity to get your child on the path to life-long learning by offering a great beginning.
A Great Beginning Leads to Success
AmeriSchools’ early grades focus on success in learning.SUPERKIDS introduces decoding skills to our beginning readers. The staff introduces clues to model good reading strategies and build reading comprehension skills. Children are asked to wonder, picture, guess and make connections as they read. Once students internalize these strategies, they own them!
SUPERKIDS help students build vocabulary as well as writing skills. Five- and six-year-olds using this program are writing full sentences. By December the students were reading consonant-vowel-consonant sentences and by March they were reading stories. The program offers a great language arts foundation for continued success.
We love technology! You will see our kindergarten students using the SmartBoard and classroom computers. Technology is a wonderful tool that allows teachers to design and personalize instruction while giving students access to the tools of the 21 st century.
Choose Your School and Choose Your Attitude!
- Play
- Make Their Day
- Choose Your Attitude
- Come In and Catch The Spirit!
Bulldog Sports
During the 2009-2010 school year, AmeriSchools Academy—Camelback student athletes had the opportunity to participate in recreational and competitive girls’ volleyball, flag football and boys’ and girls’ basketball.
AmeriSchools Academy girls’ basketball team won the Eastern Conference Championship and played an excellent league championship playoff game, winning second place. It was a nail biter—they lost by just one point in the final seconds of the game. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments!
The boys’ basketball team was undefeated during season play, and lost a heartbreaker in the Eastern Conference Finals. 
AmeriSchools students will participate in co-ed track and field this spring. Root for the AmeriSchools Bulldogs in the IYAC Track Meet to be held at Phoenix College on April 30!
We believe that participation in team sports is a meaningful vehicle to teach valuable lessons about commitment, time management, personal accountability, sportsmanship and working together as a team. There is no “I” in team. Of course, we also know that active bodies and minds support healthy lifestyles for a lifetime.
Thank you for all your support during the year and we look forward to coming back next year with even more skill and experience! A special thank you to our assistant coaches: Mr. Scott Motley, Mr. Andrew Cronin and Mrs. Kristin Cronin. Your support throughout the year has been great for our student athletes. Your dedication of time and commitment to our after school sports program is appreciated!
Thank you—Coach Booth and Coach Powell
Go Bulldogs!!
AmeriSchools Students Earn Catalina Island Trip
A Community Exploration
A Curricular Connection
Good character and academic achievement earned 15 AmeriSchools Academy students a trip to the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI) March 29-April 2, where they joined students from around the nation in five-days of science activities.
Accompanied by teachers Amy Gurtler and Kurt Powell , the students had an awesome experience. In the words of Aaron “HoneyBear” Honig who worked with the students during their time at CIMI, “It had been a long day, and indeed a long week, our long struggles and patience were well rewarded with rare treasures and beautiful experiences shared together with friends both new and old, here on this magical island.
But the most important discoveries during the course of our week here on Santa Catalina Island took place inside ourselves; how brave and strong we really are: conquering our fears while snorkeling in deep water, battling strong winds over tall waves, having the guts to stand atop a 30-ft tall telephone pole and then being brave enough to jump off.
During the week, we snorkeled with golden garibaldi, yellow señoritas, blue blacksmith, red sheephead, a sea lion swimming around our wetsuit-clad bodies. We learned about the deep sea, the ecology of animals thousands of feet below the surface; we dissected squid and learned how squid change color so quickly; we learned how to find the North Star and how stars are born; we learned how sharks are different from other kinds of fish; we learned how sea cucumbers defend themselves and how sea stars eat dinner. We discovered the tiny world of ocean plankton through the lens of our microscopes, and learned how ocean currents carry oxygen and nutrients to the far reaches of our wide planet.
It was an amazing week, and I will always remember my week here at Fox Landing, with these students and the amazing luck they brought with them; cherishing the memories of all of the hidden treasures they worked so hard to discover together here at CIMI, the Catalina Island Marine Institute.”
Phoenix Charter Schools Spotlight on Leadership
DeeAnn Chan is an AmeriSchools success story. DeeAnn started with AmeriSchools as a novice teacher in 1998. Her knowledge of curriculum and classroom skills made her a logical choice for leadership. Over the past years, DeeAnn was selected as Principal, earned her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from NAU, became a mother to Alex (4 years old) and led AmeriSchools to reach improved academic goals each year. DeeAnn has introduced the World Famous FISH! Philosophy, expanded implementation of Spalding Language Arts, supported school-wide music and physical education programs and created a family friendly learning community. DeeAnn leads by example and demonstrates daily how we each make a difference in the lives of children.
Now Enrolling Video
Meet Our Staff!
It is people who make up a school that make it a special place for children. We would like to introduce you to our instructional team and share something about each of them, as well as tell you a little about why they chose to be part of the AmeriSchools Academy-Camelback family.
Alejandra Abrams
Mrs. Abrams teaches Language Arts and 7th & 8th grade Social Studies. She enjoys getting to know her students and individualizing her teaching to meet the students' needs. While many schools have much larger class sizes, Mrs. Abrams appreciates AmeriSchools Academy's ability to keep class sizes small so that she has the ability to individualize learning...more
Blayne Booth
Mr. Booth teaches middle school Physical Education and serves as the Dean of Students. He also coaches flag football and boys basketball. He believes it is vital that school teaches the whole child and feels that AmeriSchools skill-based philosophy enables teachers to address students' individual needs. Teaching children respect is the number one rule in his book...more
Brian Conway
Mr. Conway was drawn to the family atmosphere and educational philosophy at AmeriSchools and says he has never felt such camaraderie among the staff at any other school. He feels that together, the AmeriSchools staff is a highly functioning team that encourages student success. Mr. Conway teaches middle school Math & Science and is pleased to have the freedom to apply the curriculum in his own way for the benefit of his students and to have the flexibility to use the community as a learning laboratory. Gaining the trust of his students is highly critical to Mr. Conway because together they can achieve any goal they set. When he is able to build a relationship of trust with the students he feels better able to guide them to a successful future...more
Nadine Dalphonse
Mrs. Dalphonse, who teaches Essentials 5, thinks it is very important for kids to receive a well-rounded education and to learn decision making & problem solving skills. One way to accomplish that well-rounded education is through teaching art and music. She was discouraged with the environment in other schools and when she learned that AmeriSchools Academy uses the FISH! philosophy and that they focus on teaching the whole child, she knew that this was a place where she could discover what students like and work with it to inspire learning...more
Alex Garmise
Mr. Garmise, Essential 6 teacher, has been tutoring since 1994 and teaching since 1997 in both public and private schools. He possesses a Masters in Education from Arizona State University and is the former director of Mathnasium in Chandler. He considers himself to be very child-centered, focused on teaching the standards while integrating interesting information to keep the subject area fun for students...more
Denise Hernandez
Mrs. Hernandez serves as the elementary lead teacher and teaches Foundations 2, as well as music. She acquired a Bachelor of Science in Education and has endorsements in early childhood, reading and structural English immersion. Having taught in 2nd and 3rd grade for 11 years in public schools and 1st and 5th grade for 13 years in private schools, she notes that AmeriSchools takes the best of both worlds. She chose to teach at AmeriSchools for the last 10 years because she believes in Dr. Barr's vision for education which supports teaching to the individual child and enables students to learn in many different ways. This philosophy allows the staff to teach to the state standards in more creative ways. She also notes, "For its size, AmeriSchools-Camelback has an incredible amount of technology...more
Rachel Miller
Miss Miller's family owned a dance studio and growing up in that environment inspired her to teach. She obtained her elementary education degree at Northern Arizona University and was a teacher's aide in Flagstaff and an English teacher in Mexico before joining the AmeriSchools staff teaching Foundations 3...more
Kayrn Peoples
Mrs. Peoples came to AmeriSchools after having been a teacher's aide for three years. She holds a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education and taught Foundations 1 for one year before switching to Readiness, which is her passion. She feels supported on all levels: teacher to teacher, teacher to administrator, both at the school and system level. Mrs. Peoples feels that being in a small school community allows for so many more hands-on learning activities for students...more
Matt Pieroni
Mr. Pieroni was a long-term middle school substitute at AmeriSchools Academy-Camelback during the 2009-2010 school year and is now teaching Foundations 4. He has come full circle, having started out as an education major at Ball State University and changing to construction. He is now enrolled in the Transition to Teaching Masters Program at Arizona State University. He was drawn to AmeriSchools because of the family and team-like atmosphere between the teachers and students, as well as the technology available to enhance his teaching. Mr. Pieroni is very excited about starting his teaching career at AmeriSchools where he says, "It's fun to go to work every day!...more
Tammy Stokes
Mrs. Stokes researched the school before applying to teach Foundations 1 and likes the fact that teachers teach to the students' skill level, a method that ensures that students are not left behind as can sometimes be the case in overcrowded classrooms. The positive environment afforded AmeriSchools students supported by the FISH! philosophy also attracted her to the School...more
To read full biographies on all teachers, please click here!
Third Annual AmeriSchools Luau a Great Success!
A good time was had by all at the 3 rd annual AmeriSchools Luau on Friday. More than 200 people attended the event to share in a delicious meal and some great family fun. The youth were able to partake in a variety of fun activities such as the dunk tank, coconut bowling, chuck chuck golf, hula bowl and the bouncy house while Mom & Dad got a night off from kitchen duty.
The luau is one of the fundraising efforts that the school undertakes each year to enable students to participate in Community as Laboratory activities throughout the school year.
AmeriSchools Bicycle Club
Every kid loves having a bicycle to ride, but until recently, nine AmeriSchools students didn’t have one. Getting a bicycle was the beginning of an educational experience for AmeriSchools Bike Club members. Superintendent Gary LeBlanc has been working for several months to prepare the students to appreciate the importance of leading an active lifestyle through bicycling and to understand important safety regulations.
AmeriSchools, through a tax donation, and with the help of the Arizona Bicycle Club provided participating youth, mostly middle school students, with jerseys, ABC Family Membership, helmets, socks, water bottles and bikes at no charge to the families. After months of planning, waiting, and being a bit frustrated by weather cancellations the AmeriSchools Bike Club had its first major event on April 25. Four of the nine club members attended the Great Bike Chase sponsored by Valley Metro. Superintendent LeBlanc said, “After a very busy week, we were able to obtain the bikes, get them refurbished, take a couple of training rides and participate at the Great Bike Chase. The kids rode 4.5 miles one way to the event, engaged in the Bike Rodeo, danced with Radio Disney, ate some bagels, had face paintings, received lots of free stuff and rode the 4.5 miles back. Oh yeah, we stopped at McDonald's for an ice cream as well and had one slow leak which folks at the bike rodeo fixed. Awesome!!!!”
Thank you, thank you to everyone who helped get this off the ground successfully.
Former AmeriSchools Academy Student to Perform
Piano Concert, Inform Students About High School
Former AmeriSchools Academy student, Jamil Johnson, returned to the school on April 30 to share his wisdom with the graduating eighth graders about what to expect when they reach high school, but that’s not all he shared. Following his visit with the outgoing middle school students Jamil, who graduated from AmeriSchools Academy in 2008, shared his talent as he performed a classical piano concert for the entire student body.
Jamil recently competed with applicants from 50 countries and was selected to receive the highly competitive scholarship of merit to attend the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in northern Michigan. Faculty at the camp includes Grammy-winners and leading performers from around the world.
DIG IT! A Musical Tale of Ancient Civilizations
Upper elementary students from the AmeriSchools Academy—Camelback educated their audience as they explored the wonders of ancient civilization with the assistance of archeologists Taki and Tut and their friend Lucy, the 3 million year old skeleton discovered in November of 1974 in Hadar, Ethiopia. The audience was musically entertained as they learned the history of ancient civilizations through, for example, Egyptian mummies doing a “rap” to a chorus of ancient Greeks, learned about the dynasties of India and China and heard the wise words of Confucius and they experienced a toga party at the coliseum in ancient Rome.
As the history lesson turned to ancient Greece, Sophocles was portrayed as a frustrated writer/director trying to come up with just the right combination for the upcoming drama festival. Sophocles, Herodotus and the Greek chorus performed a circle dance called what else but Greece is the Word?
The education and entertainment took place in the school’s multipurpose room on Thursday, May 6 at 6:30 p.m.
National Junior Honor Society
AmeriSchools Academy has held a chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) for three years. Requirements of NJHS include, but are not limited to a GPA of 3.0 or higher, good character and being an active participant within the community. There are 62 students in the middle school program and out of these students, 27 were inducted into NJHS this past January. Honesty, leadership, courage, teamwork, respectfulness, responsibility and great academics are just a few of the characteristics they show on a daily basis. Students in NJHS have given back to the community by adopting two families at Christmas time and volunteering at St. Mary’s Food Bank. Members have assisted with school wide events such as the Fall Festival, the Luau and fundraisers for other clubs in our school. The students in NJHS are motivated to make a difference for their school and community throughout the school year.
President, Ashley Ortiz, a 7th grader, believes NJHS can influence other students to strive for good grades, great character and leadership. “NJHS has affected my life in a positive way. I am proud I have had the opportunity to be inducted into NJHS and the chance to help my community and school.”
Historian, Dominic Queen, an 8th grader, is finishing his third year of being a member of NJHS. “NJHS has helped not only the community and my school; but me as an individual student. It helps me keep my grades up, demonstrate good character and it has given me a chance to help others. Students in NJHS represent its members, their families and the school. NJHS shows the kind of students the school has and the environment they learn and play in. It is a great experience and privilege for middle school students, and I am honored to be a part of NJHS for three years and I look forward to NHS in high school.”
