Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Sonoran Sky Elem. School in Scottsdale- Any info?

Hi all,

We may need to relocate to Phoenix/Scottsdale area for next school year. I found Sonoran Sky Elementary online which is a public school that offers self contained gifted for K-6th grade.

I haven't toured yet, but the program sounds just perfect for my DD's who will be in K and 2nd next year. Anyone have any info to share good or bad?

Thanks!

Hi Seeker!
I sent you a PM. We live in AZ so I have a little anecdotal information.

Thanks for the scoop. I will be sending a PM as well.

My child has not attended this particular school, however we know several kids in the program. They are highly gifted and it sounds like it was and is a good fit. They have a nice choir there.

I have no idea how people feel if they have a PG kid there.

My kids attend Sonoran Sky self contained program. We LOVE it. If your child has the numbers to get into the self-contained program at Sonoran Sky, do whatever it takes to get in (check with Dina Brulles, head of the PVUSD gifted department, to see). Class size is small, teachers are amazing, and what a luxury to be surrounded by kids who are at the same level intellectually. And if you're a reasonably bright parent, what a luxury to find similar parents!!! It's truly a private school experience. If you can't get into the self-contained program, Sonoran Sky has a pullout program, which is pretty good, too. If there is no room at Sonoran Sky and/or your child's scores don't qualify him/her, find a private school or another state. The schools in Scottsdale and Phoenix are generally terrible. From both personal experience and rumor, the other Paradise Valley schools are worse than you could imagine.

Thanks Scharlach33. Great to hear from someone who is there! We have scores to qualify for Davidson so I'm guessing we're ok.

Sorry to hear about the surrounding schools in Scottsdale/Phoenix. Why do you suppose that they're so terrible? I don't know much about AZ. Low taxes, older population?

I hate that there's a 2-tier educational system here -- good programs for the gifted and lousy ones for the other 97% of the kids. But we're glad there's a great option for us, and so we're taking advantage of it. We started in the AZ regular schools, not knowing of this special program, and my kids wasted 2 years learning very little.

There are many factors that contribute to the lousy schools in Arizona, not the least of which is inadequate funding. I also think the administration thinks the schools are OK, so they don't try and improve. Educational expectations are low, and the kids are happy to oblige.

Paradise Valley Unified School District (www.pvusd.edu, I think) has a page describing the gifted program and the qualifications. Not all gifted kids are eligible for the self-contained class, so be sure to check out the criteria. You'll also see that a new middle school opened this year for gifted kids; initial reviews are VERY positive. Scottsdale Unified School District also has a self-contained gifted program. I don't know much about it, but you should look into that one, too. I'm sure other cities in Arizona also have such programs, but you'll have to poke around to find them all.

Good luck!

Hi Scharlach33,

I just found this message board after "Googling" Sonoran Sky's self-contained gifted program, so just had a quick question or two for you.

We are planning to open-enroll our son at SS next year in the clustered kindergarten program and then the following year in self-contained (next year they will not have self-contained for kinder). I have already sent Dina his test scores and she called to confirm that he will be eligible for the program. I was wondering if your kids started the program as young as 1st grade and what the intensity level is? I know that's a vague question. I am just trying to get an idea of how much homework, for example, kids that age have each night, and if the kids all move at a similar pace or if it's really individualized for each child?

Also, how quickly does the program fill-up? Since it's a mixed age (1st/2nd) grade combination class I assume it will already be half filled or so before we even have the opportunity to register, as you may not register until one year in advance.

Thanks so much!

I know this is a really old post but had a question....we may have the opportunity for a year re-location to the Scottsdale area (Chandler) and I saw this post about Sonoran Sky - was curious about people's opinions about this school and their program??? My son would qualify on the scores they had posted on their website...can someone pass on any information???? We live in Florida so this would be a bit of a change for us and it is for just a temporary period - my husband would be working with Intel onsite through his company...so would love to hear any opinions...I am seeing that maybe the public school system is not exactly the best??? Thanks from a confused mom!

We are in AZ. Chandler has a self contained gifted program, but I don't know too much about it. Kyrene will also be moving to a self contained format next year. Our children have not entered the school system yet, but I know parents who have their children in the Kyrene gifted programs and they are very happy. We have researched all of the options (public & private) in the SE valley and we will be sending our kids to the Kyrene district.

Before we moved here I had also heard terrible things about the schools, but I never seem to meet anyone that is actually unhappy with the education their child is receiving. My co-workers, who are also very educated, do not seem to complain about the schools (they attend primarily SE valley schools). Most of my close friends have kids that are still too young for elementary school, so I don't have their input yet. Although, everyone seems to agree that AZ could spend more on education. Now...complaining about the weather is a whole different issue!