Legacy Traditional School Opens New School in Tucson
Legacy Traditional School will open its doors for its inaugural year on Monday, August, 8 with nearly 600 new students and 45 new faculty and staff. The K-8 tuition free, public charter school, located near Thornydale Road and Cortaro Farms Road, is one of three new schools constructed by the Legacy Traditional School District for the 2011-12 school year. Paula Jensen, a highly qualified principal, has been selected to lead the school in its first year.
The district has a strong track record. In only three years of being open, its Maricopa campus earned the Arizona Department of Education honor of being titled “Highly Performing” in 2010 as their test scores soared. AIMS scores on average were 25 points higher at all three campuses in comparison with all Arizona schools.
It was just announced that all of Legacy Traditional School’s existing campuses, located in Maricopa, Casa Grande, and Queen Creek, surpassed the federal requirements for Adequate Yearly Progress, AYP, in 2011. With many schools in Arizona struggling to measure up to the AYP standards, it will be beneficial for area parents to have a quality choice in education.
“The strengths our students demonstrate, both academically and socially, are a direct result of our high expectations and consistency across the boards,” Bill Gregory, Legacy Traditional Schools co-founder said. “We are very proud of all the students. We can’t wait to offer those same opportunities to more families at our new locations.”
Administrators said they are anticipating the school will be filled to capacity within its first year. The multi-million dollar campus will be completed with the majority of the construction done just in time for students to arrive. Several finishing touches will be made during the summer including the completion of the gym and landscaping.
Jensen, the new school’s principal, is a native to the Tucson area and has been in education for the past twenty years. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Arizona in Elementary Education and her Master’s from Northern Arizona University in Educational Leadership. She is very familiar with the opening and operations of a school. The new principal was the cofounder and principal of a small charter school in Arizona for the past ten years.
Having the opportunity to experience all of the challenges and rewards that go with creating and developing a school has prepared her for the task of opening the first Legacy Traditional School in the Tucson area.
As principal, Jensen said she aspires to build an environment that is welcoming and upholds high academic standards.
“I want all of our families to feel that their school truly cares about children and believes that education is an honor and a privilege for all,” Jensen said. “It is my vision that teachers, students and parents work together this first year to establish Legacy Traditional School – NW Tucson as a place for children to grow with pride for themselves, their school, their community and their country. I believe that looking at the world through the eyes of a child and watching as they take joy in learning something new is a great inspiration for us all.”
Legacy Traditional School will be offering a proven, well rounded model that parents can trust because of its effectiveness:
- A Proven Academic Model – Legacy students score 25 points higher on average than their peers across the state on AIMS scores
- Accelerated Pace of Study – Students are Performing a Year Ahead
- Back-to-Basics Curriculum – Focusing on Mastery in Reading, Writing, and Math
- Complete Curriculum including Social Studies, Science, P.E., Music, Computers and Art for all grade levels
- Highly Trained Teachers Who Care About Each Child
- High Expectations for Both Academic Achievement and Behavior
- A Focus on Patriotism and Character Building
- State-of-the-Art Facilities
- After School Athletic Programs and Clubs
- A Safe, Structured, and Enjoyable Environment for Exceptional Learning
- Well Rounded Educational Opportunity
Legacy Traditional Schools were founded in 2007, with the first campus in Maricopa, and then additional campuses were added in Casa Grande and Queen Creek. Now over $27,000,000 has been invested to expand to three new state-of-the-art campuses in Chandler, Avondale, and Northwest Tucson. Legacy Traditional Schools currently has nearly 4,500 students enrolled at six campuses and is one of the largest charter school districts in Arizona.
Open enrollment is currently taking place but space is limited. There are a select number of openings available for the 2011-2012 school year. To find more information call 1-888-LTS-1776, find us on Facebook or visit www.LegacyTraditional.org.