Overview
Our School
Welcome to San Simon School, where we strive to provide our students with the world-class education they deserve! San Simon School, located in the Sonoran Desert of south-central Arizona, is a Tohono O’odham Bureau of Indian Education school serving students in kindergarten through the eighth grade. We serve the three western districts of Pisinemo, Gu-Vo District, and Hickiwan District of the great Tohono O’odham Nation.
At San Simon School, we make every effort to tailor instruction to each student's needs so they will experience success and achieve their personal goals.
We recognize that education begins in the home and look to our elders and families to support us in educating the rising generation. Under the direction of the Bureau of Indian Education and the Tohono O’odham Nation, we seek to provide a quality education while transmitting, respecting, and celebrating our cultural identity.
Mascama: Mo ‘ab’e-namks g si O’odham himdag g Milga:n himdag we:m
Education: A bridge between tradition and the modern world
Our Mission
We understand that all students come to San Simon School with different skills. We use information about each student to guide decisions on a program of instruction to assist students in improving academic achievement.
Accreditation
Tohono O’odham BIE schools are accredited by the North Central Association, a member of Cognia.
“In the same way that learning is central to childhood, education is key to our Nation’s success. At this time when our economy is in the beginning stages of diversifying and maturing, our commitment to education is paramount.”
- Taken from the Tohono O’odham Nation website
Strategic Transformation of Education Plan (STEP)
During the 2023-2024 school year, Wingate Elementary School implemented the Strategic Transformation of Education Plan (STEP) initiative – a digital learning portal with a blended learning approach. Our students can maximize this opportunity by accessing the digital learning portal with a 1:1 student-laptop usage ratio. This approach gives our students the advantage of integrated applications, and a robust learning strategy.
Wingate Elementary School’s team of dedicated educators are committed to the growth and development of your children - tomorrow’s leaders.
Bureau of Indian Education
The Bureau of Indian Education works with tribal leaders to provide educational opportunities suited for each tribe’s needs for cultural and economic well-being. The BIE considers the “whole person by considering the spiritual, mental, physical, and cultural aspects of the individual within his or her family and tribal or village context.”
Child Find
Tohono O’odham BIE Schools seek to identify every child from 0 to age 21 living within the boundaries of the school who have developmental delays or may need special education.
If you have a child or know of a child who you think may have special needs, contact the special education coordinator at (520) 361-3511.
A Message from Our Principal
With pride, I welcome you all to come and visit San Simon School. Here, our staff is dedicated and committed to providing the best educational experience possible for our students. Aside from our normal reading and math programs that we follow daily, we also make available to our students a wide array of supplementary programs that are electronic in nature and fit the educational needs of each of our unique and different students. San Simon School has a strong cultural program, gifted and talented program, as well as P.E. and library classes. We look forward to starting our heritage garden again, and we are grateful for our strong student council and royalty programs. We have wonderful, supportive parents at San Simon School, and with your help and participation, we are confident we will all be able to assist our children to achieve success both at school and all other areas of life.
I wish the best to all of us!
Frank Rogers
Principal
