Believe You Can !
OUR MISSION
"Work together to promote academic excellence. Honor the teachings of our elders,
culture and environment Promote safe and healthy learning environment."
OUR MISSION
"Work together to promote academic excellence. Honor the teachings of our elders,
culture and environment Promote safe and healthy learning environment."
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Gila Crossing Community School is a Preschool through eighth grade and located on the northwest corner of the Gila River Indian Reservation about four miles from the town of Laveen , Arizona in the United States of America . The current enrollment expected in these grades is about 500 students comparing with just 53 students in 1993-94 school year. Historically this school has been present on this site and serving the Pima and Maricopa children since around 1900. Formerly a Bureau of Indian Affairs School, it became a grant school in 1995 chartered under the Gila River Indian Community. Currently our school is the largest Bureau funded school within this community.
In January of 2002 this school assumed another neighborhood school formerly known as Estrella Mountain Accommodation School. That new location is called Gila Crossing Community School North Campus or now it is called Middle School. The five member Board of Trustees is the governing body of both these campuses. Our school got fully accredited by North Central Accreditation Agency in April of 1999. The School staff through its' continued commitment to the highest quality education for all students , has accepted a plan for vigorous staff development , as well as extending and enriching the curriculum through greater use of creative and effective teaching practices with the highest expectations for all students. The staff , parents, and the Gila River Indian Community willingly and enthusiastically embrace school reform for the benefit and success of all the children.
Our school has made tremendous changes ranging from Facilities to the curriculum. The school administration and the School Board of Trustees are working diligently with the Tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to provide us bigger facilities to accommodate the growing student population in each grade. At this point we do need a brand new campus that can accommodate all the students from Pre Kinder through 8th grade. The Gila River Indian Community has been very helpful in terms of providing us financial help for our academic and extra-curricular activities. We highly appreciate their generous help .
Gila Crossing Community School has become the model school throughout this community in terms of providing the rich curriculum aligned with the Arizona State Academic Standards, providing extra curricular activities, sports program, technology program, heavy emphasis on the Reading, math and Science areas, onsite professional development, safe and excellent facilities to name just a few. Our school was awarded 'Reading First' grant (now called BIE Reads) since 2005-06 school year. This grant has helped our schools' Reading scores well above the expectations and asa result majority of the K-3 grades made AYP in theis area. Bureau of Indian Education awarded another grant to our school called 'Math Now' mirroring teh BIE Reads grant with almost same methodology but in Math. This new math grant allowed us to hire two full time Math Coaches one at each campus and also additional math interventionists were hired during 2008-09 school year to ensure that school makes the AYP in both areas of the curriculum. The school has implemented new programs this year with emphasis on Pima/Maricopa culture. There has been a major change as far as the school administration is concerned. This year the School Board of Trustees hired two principals one for each campus. Our both campuses are entirely networked and connected with the centrally located Server with a T-One line . Each classroom has the access to the "Information Superhighway" with E-mail send & receive capabilities from each classroom. We highly appreciate and thank Bureau of Indian Affairs.
"It is our belief that All Children can learn. There is a need to create opportunities for all students to excel, increase student achievement, and expand and improve our curriculum. Efforts will be made to overcome prejudice and recognize the diversity of Pima/Maricopa cultural traditions and as well as other Native American traditions. These traditions will be integrated into our curriculum whenever and wherever possible. We will instill a desire in students to want to attend school daily, increase parental involvement and create the best environment in which this can happen."
The entire staff of Gila Crossing Community School firmly believes in the missions statement of the school and works diligently to meet all the chellenges to ensure "success for all". Each staff member is a part of one of the ten "correlates of success" committees and is fully responsible to ensure the proper coordination and full transparency of each correlate's related activities and its impact on the bottom line. Our school staff, administration, and the Board of Trustees take the 'academic success' for all students very seriously. We appreciate the encouragement and moral and financial support of all our major stakeholders.
We are very grateful to Gila River Telco Inc. for providing us the bandwidth for the internet. You may contact us by phone (520) 550-4834 or by Fax (520) 550-4252. (new fax#: 1-866-722-5211) Our new address is: 4665 W. Pecos Rd, Laveen, AZ 85339.