Summer School … these two words can sound like a one- to two-month jail sentence for students in school.

The Arizona Educational Foundation (AEF) announced that 28 Arizona public schools earned the A+ School of Excellence award for the 2012-2013 academic year including one in Ahwatukee Foothills, Kyrene de los Cerritos Elementary School in the Kyrene Elementary District. Darcy DiCosmo is principal.

Joss Bates was dropped off at his Ahwatukee home last weekend to find 114 notes hanging around his front yard, displaying quotes, words of comfort, love and encouragement written on them from friends and family.

Seattle Pacific University 2013 winter quarter dean’s list has been announced.

More than 300 Kyrene School District teachers were surveyed this year on their opinions of the newly-adopted teacher evaluation system, most agreeing the system’s feedback helped refine their practice.

Kyrene School District is hosting its second Parent Summit this week with educational classes for parents that includes dinner and childcare.

The Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe football teams will be starting spring football for three weeks beginning on Monday, April 29.

For high school seniors this is the time of year when emotions run high. The month of April brings its own set of challenges as seniors approach May 1, National Decision Day. This is the day when seniors who have been offered admission to a college or university must accept or decline all offers. How will you make this very important, perhaps even life-changing decision? Here are a few tips to guide you:

Loyola Marymount University has announced the students named to the dean’s list for the fall 2012 semester. Among them are two students from Ahwatukee Foothills: Ramona Ekpe and Nickolas Smith.

Benjamin E. McKinnon of Ahwatukee has earned the dean’s list for the 2012 fall semester at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. To be eligible for the dean’s list, students must be enrolled full time and maintain a 3.25 or better GPA on a 4.0 scale.

Sara Elizabeth Matsumoto of Ahwatukee Foothills was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2012 semester at Washington University in St. Louis. Matsumoto is enrolled in the university’s college of arts and sciences. To qualify for the dean’s list in the college of arts and sciences, students must earn a semester GPA of 3.6 or above and be enrolled in at least 14 graded units.

Bethany Christian School, 6304 S. Price Road in Tempe, is enrolling new students for the 2013-14 school year.

State lawmakers voted Tuesday to give more money to at least some schools willing to stay in session longer.

Erin Andrews-Sharer, a graduate of Desert Vista High School, has been named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at the College of Wooster. Andrews-Sharer, a sophomore from Wheaton, achieved a GAP of 3.65 or above.

Kyrene School District staff and employees could once again see a salary freeze for the 2013-14 school year as district officials plan for the possibility of bond legislation failure that would give recovery in bond capacity.

A House panel voted Monday to dangle more money in front of Arizona schools to convince them to add an extra 20 days of instruction.

Allysa Singh, a resident of Ahwatukee, was named to Siena College’s dean’s list for the fall 2012 semester. Singh is a sophomore computer science major.

After a recent Court of Appeals ruling turned out in favor of school districts and charter schools, Kyrene and Tempe Union will likely see inflation increases from the Arizona Legislature starting next year.

It’s not so easy being a college kid these days. The job market for recent graduates has been shaky while, at the same time, students are leaving school with more debt than ever before. If you have children who will someday be attending college, should you be worried?

Fearing new federal laws and regulations, a state legislator wants to provide legal cover for Arizonans who do not want to obey them -- and penalties for federal officials who try to enforce them.

On a chilly Thursday afternoon, Desert Vista High School junior Ava Posta worked contentedly at Pomegranate Cafe in Ahwatukee Foothills, stamping pastry bags and coffee sleeves with the local cafe’s signature pink logo.

Kyrene del Milenio and the Kyrene School District Governing Board approved Carrie Furedy as the school’s principal this week.

Cardiovascular fitness is generally considered to be the most important component of health-related physical fitness. Other commonly used terms for cardiovascular fitness include cardiorespiratory endurance, aerobic fitness, and aerobic capacity. The national youth physical fitness test (FITNESSGRAM), developed at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, is now offered as a cooperative program with the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN) and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD). The recommended test for youth in the FITNESSGRAM battery is called the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER).

Nearing the halfway point of adopting the final upcoming school year budget, the Kyrene School District approved revisions reflecting a move in funds to pay for capital needs.

A recent Arizona law requires all school districts and charter schools to implement a new teacher evaluation system by the 2013-14 school year. For the first time, teachers in the Kyrene School District will be evaluated, in part, based on how well their students score on tests.