Carrillo Community Update
February 11-17
Message from Ms. Bittel
I hope you all had a great weekend. Saturday brought us much-needed rain and a good excuse to stay indoors and read while Sunday brought much better weather and the Super Bowl! No matter who your team is, I hope you enjoyed the day!
February is a short month with a lot going on. This week, we are back to a relatively normal week. We are looking forward to the SWAT/Student Council annual Walk-A-Thon on Wednesday the 14th. This annual fundraiser supports field trips, sports equipment, student incentive programs, and much more. Thank you for supporting this fundraiser in any way that you can. Our cougars appreciate it!
-Ms. Bittel
Save the Date
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, February 14 - SWAT and Student Council Walk-A-Thon
- Saturday, February 17 - TUSD Job Fair
- Thursday, February 22 - Rodeo Break
- Friday, February 23 - Rodeo Break
- Monday, February 26 - Q3 Benchmark Exams Begin
Kind Campus Weekly Activity
Kindness Question of the Month
What does it mean to live in a kind community?
In what ways can you contribute to your kind community?
Benefits of Spending Time Outdoors
- What does being outside have to do with kindness?
- How does being outside affect your mood?
- What does being outside have to do with learning?
- How does it help you feel more ready to practice kindness with yourself and others?
This Week's Highlights
All Meals FREE!
In case you missed the news, Carrillo has been approved as a "Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) School." That means every student may receive breakfast and lunch at Carrillo at no charge! This eliminates meal debt moving forward and allows us to provide free meals as part of the school day to all students. CEP allows Tucson Unified to provide nutritious meals to all students at no charge to support optimal learning across all of our schools.
Because of this exciting update, on benchmark and AASA testing days, the classes testing will have class breakfast together in the cafeteria. We know that by eating together, our students will be able to perform their best and show off all they have learned this year. Please stay tuned for the testing schedule in next week's update.
Walk -A-Thon This Wednesday!
Just a reminder that THIS week, on February 14th, SWAT and Student Council will hold their annual WAlk-A-Thon. SWAT and Student Council support the school in a variety of ways from purchasing sports equipment, to hosting smoothie days, funding the Cougar Store, supporting Kinder Star Party, and supporting Field Day. Every dollar raised comes straight back to the school.
Pledge sheets went home last week, and we are asking every student to try to shoot for at least $5 in pledges. There are prizes for the top fundraisers. Please reach out to Ms. Peralta if you have any questions.
Track and Field Update Frm Ms. Freeman
Track and Field Families,
I am looking forward to an amazing track and field season! This is a quick season and there are only two scheduled meets so please encourage your athlete to wear comfortable running shoes, bring a snack and a water bottle.
Practice is on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm.
Completed track and field packets (with a physical) are due by Wednesday, February 14. I am also asking that all parents download the Remind App (Class Code: 3gb4fk) for daily/weekly updates, and it is an easy way to message me. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at torsha.freeman@tusd1.org.
2024 Yearbook Cover Design Contest
Ms. John is again asking students to participate in the Carrillo Yearbook Cover Design contest. To enter, submit your cover design no later than March 7th. Cover art should incorporate this year's theme "Sucess Across the Eduverse" and our school magnet theme, Communication, and Creative Arts. For full rules, please open the attachment below from your computer after opening this newsletter online.
Perfect Attendance Rankings 2/1 - 2/11
Thank you to everyone for helping to improve our daily attendance. Attendance is the #1 predictor of student success in school. Students who are absent miss important concepts and have a harder time making up learning from when they are out. That is why it is so important for students to be in school on time, every day. In January we had 133 cougars with perfect attendance! So far, we are on track to beat that number for February!
Here are this month's top 5 classes for perfect attendance as well as the percentage of students in each class who have not missed a single day in February so far. Keep it up!
- Ms. Morales (Kindergarten) 81%
- Ms. Peralta (4th Grade) 64%
- Ms. Leyva (1st Grade) 64%
- Ma. Maldonado (3rd Grade) 61%
- Ms. Matsushino (2nd Grade) 61%
As of today, we have 174 cougars with perfect attendance. That's 58% of the school. Let's see if we can hold that number for the rest of the month. As a reminder, leaving after a field trip generally results in students being considered a 1/2 day absent. Thank you for keeping your cougar in school after field trips. They have important learning to do in the classrooms the rest of the day.
Love of Reading Volunteers
Love of Reading Month is just a few days away. We invite all Carrillo Community members to come to share their love of reading with the students here at Carrillo. To sign up, just select a day and time that works for you and Ms. Stroup will coordinate with classrooms that are looking for readers. Don't know what to read? MS. Brandy has a selection of books ready for you to borrow! Thank you for taking time to share your love of reading and be a positive role model for our young cougars!
Books and Bundts!
Thank you to Carrillo parent Holly Graff for sending this announcement over. Nothing Bundt Cakes has a special way to make reading even sweeter! Elementary students who read for 400 or more minutes a month and complete the reading tracker can turn in their reading tracker for a free bundtlet every month between February 1, 2024 and May 1, 2024 . That's 3 months of free bundt cakes for doing their reading homework every night! To participate, simply open the attachment below on your computer, print them out, and take them to Nothing Bundt Cakes when complete.
Tax Credit Contributions
Spread the Word
If you have donated to the fund or have paid for Extended Day, thank you for your support.
If you have not yet donated and you are able to contribute, every dollar helps us to fund programs that open doors for all students. To contribute, visit TUSD's Tax Credit page. From the drop-down, select Carrillo K-5 Magnet. Selecting the "undesignated Tax Credit" option allows the Carrillo Site Council to place the funds in the area of greatest need,
Thank you for your help and for spreading the word! Please feel free to print out the attached flier and share with neighbors or anyone who might be interested in supporting public education.
Lost and Found
Is This Your Jacket?
We have about 50 unclaimed jackets on your lost and found rack. Please stop by the school to see if one of these belongs to your cougar. We also have several water bottles and other items in the cabinet in the Art Gallery. Thank you for helping us reunite cougars with their missing items.
General Information
Improving Reading and Math at Home
All students at Carrillo have access to a wonderful resource to support their continued growth in Reading and Math. That resource is IXL. Research shows that doing just 1 extra session a day can have a tremendous impact on student learning. Our younger students also have access to RAZ-Plus to support literacy.
To access IXL or RAZ Plus students just log into their Clever accounts and select the icons. Clever can be accessed from the Carrillo Webpage by selecting the "Applications" tab in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Please contact your student's teacher if they have any trouble.
Carrillo students have spent over 61 total hours improving their skills at home. This has helped our students make tremendous gains. Here are the top 5 classes dedicated to individual mastery.
1. Ms. Matsushino's class with 46 hours and 7 minutes
2. Ms. Barraza's class with 12 hours and 27 minutes
3. Ms. Vasquez's class with 10 hours and 45 minutes
4. Ms. Peralta's class with 7 hours and 29 minutes
5. Ms. John's class with 5 hours and 34 minutes
If your student isn't using IXL at home, consider having them complete 30 ELA and 30 math questions a week. It will have a measurable impact on their learning!
Information form TUSD's Family Resource Center
Family Resource Center services are available to TUSD students and their families, free of charge. Please call the center to register for classes. Childcare is available to TUSD students and siblings for most classes. Please inform staff of the need for childcare when you register. Include the number of children, ages, and any special needs. Interpreter services are available. Please inform staff of the need for an interpreter when you register. Please register at least two weeks in advance if interpreter services are needed.
Other services include:
- Clothing bank
- Food pantry
- Help with TUSD forms
- Information and referrals
We hope to see you soon!
Visit the Family Resource Center's Webpage.
Important Links to Register for Classes and More:
- Student Enrichment Classes Catalog Link: https://www.smore.com/au5yr
- January Schedule of Classes, Workshops, and Events for all FRCs: https://www.smore.com/m0c27
- January Family Resource Center Newsletter: https://www.smore.com/dtew4
Middle School Transition Support
If you are the parent/guardian of a 5th grader and you want someone to talk through school tours with, please reach out to Ms. Freeman. She is available on Wednesdays to meet you as you tour middle schools to help your cougar with the transition from elementary to middle school. To set up a time, just send her an email.
Grief Support
The holidays can be tough for families experiencing grief. If your family is in need of support, Tu Nidito can help. Visit their website to begin a self-referral to help your family and your cope with grief.
Familia Adelante Support for Families with Students Ages 10-14
The Familia Adelante Program targets at-risk Latino youth, 10-14 years old and their parents Familia Adelante is a dynamic, culturally responsive education-community prevention program to address the rising rates of substance abuse, acculturation trauma, and behavioral health problems.
Program activities focus on improving communication, stress management, substance abuse education, HIV/AIDS education, bullying education, and improved study skills for youth.
Please register using their online registration form.
Social Media
Parents, we are asking for your help with social media. As a reminder, most social media user agreements state that users must be 13 or older to have an account. Please take a moment to discuss the reasons for the age limits with your students.
Most social media sites do not allow attacks or abuse based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability or disease. Please encourage students to be socially conscious and report any accounts that violate those policies directly to the social media platform before blocking the account.
Parent-Teacher Meetings
The teaching staff is quite busy preparing for daily instruction in the morning. Thank you for emailing to schedule a meeting time with them rather than just dropping in. Teacher email addresses can be found on our staff webpage. Thank you for your help!
Cafeteria Offerings
We are encouraging every family to apply for Free/Reduced Lunch. The number of accepted applications directly impacts our Title I funding, so thank you for taking a moment to complete it, even if your student doesn't plan to eat school lunch. The application is located on the TUSD Meals website.
The Food Services website also has a page dedicated to this month's breakfast and lunch offerings. You can even even get a mobile app for your phone online.
Carrillo Online Spirit Store
Looking for Carrillo spirit gear? Adrian from Big Frog has set up this year's online store. You can purchase this year's "Success Across the Eduverse" shirt as well as classic Carrillo spirit gear.
Transportation and Parent Pick Up and Drop Off Reminders
TUSD Buses
For more information, visit Transportation's website to see if your student qualifies for FREE transportation and to begin routing.
Morning Drop Off Reminders
Just a friendly reminder that the earliest students can be dropped off is 7:35 a.m. at 17th Street. The office does not open until 8:00 and while Ms. Bittel is usually on campus well before 8:00, she is often in meetings or other parts of the building and unable to hear the doorbell. From 7:35 - 8:00 the only safe drop off is 17th Street. Thank you for helping us to keep all our cougars safe in the morning.
After School Reminders
The primary pick-up is 17th Street. Due to the size of our office, students will be unable to wait in the office. Parents, if you are parking up front, we invite you to wait in the Carrillo Art Gallery to meet your students.
Affter school Pick-Up Updates and Request
We know that the 17th Street area can get a bit congested at pickup. To help alleviate the situation, the City of Tucson has installed new signs to direct traffic and changed the direction of Samaniego Street.
The City of Tucson is requesting that families picking up on 17th Street exit the neighborhood using the following route.
- Travel west on 17th Street
- Turn south on 11th Avenue
- Turn west to access the frontage road or turn east to return to Main Avenue and 22nd Street.
Our neighbors kindly ask that you leave the driveways and corners open when you park so they can enter and exit their homes safely. If you do wait in your car along Samaniego, thank you for waiting at the bottom of the hill on the east side of the street so the roadway is clear for all vehicles and families crossing the street.
We are also asking families to arrive no earlier than 2:35 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and no earlier than 1:35 on Wednesdays. Parents of intermediate students, if you plan to arrive at 2:50 or 1:50, that will give the primary students time to load up and reduce your wait time.
Thank you also for being patient, driving slowly, and watching the road carefully. The streets behind Carrillo are narrow and we want to avoid any further accidents. Thank you for helping us keep our Cougars and our community safe.
Follow these signs.
Thank you for exiting via S. 11th Ave.
Attendance and Absence Reporting
Attendance Reporting Made Easy
- Log into ParentVue from App or Computer
- Click the "Attendance" tab on the left column on the computer or on the App as soon as you log in the blue "report absence" with a small bell icon is there.
- On the top right corner of the page it will have a blue link that says "Report Absence" click on this
- Use the calendar to select dates and the drop-down for the reason for the absence.
- You may also add notes or upload a doctor's note and hit "save".
Of course, you may still give Ms. Diane Quiroz a ring at (520) 225-1200 if you prefer. Thank you for reporting all absences!
Attendance Matters
Missing a day of school here and there may not seem like much, but it adds up.
When a student misses 2 days a month they will miss...
- 20 days a year (the equivalent of a month of instruction)
- 30 hours of math instruction
- 60 hours of reading and writing instruction
- Over a 1 year of instruction by graduation
When a student misses 4 days a month they will miss...
- 40 days a year (the equivalent of two months of instruction)
- 60 hours of math instruction
- 120 hours of reading and writing instruction
- Over a 2 year of instruction by graduation
PTO News and Volunteering Opportunities
PTO Meeting This Month
Our next PTO Meeting will be this week, on Wednesday, February 28th. It's a bit later due to Valentine's Day and Rodeo Break. We hope to see many of you there. Remember, Ms. Bittel awards students a Cougar Paw if their parents attend and this is a great way to be involved with supporting the school's mission and vision. (The mission and vision are at the bottom of the update.)
-Carrillo PTO
Please email PTO if you have any questions.
Volunteers / Visitors
We encourage all parents to register as volunteers on the TUSD website as the process takes a few weeks to complete. Parents cannot volunteer on field trips without completing this in advance.
We ask non-parental volunteers (grandparents, aunts, uncles, community members, etc.) to contact the office before registering as a volunteer so we can explain the process and help identify volunteer opportunities.
Art Volunteers Needed
Box Tops for Education
As of January 14th, the Carrillo community has raised $44.70 for the school while grocery shopping. Even if you don't buy anything on the "Box Tops" list you can enter the school in a sweepstakes for scanning. Back on October 26th, Carrillo won $10 for the school in a sweepstakes! Thank you all!
The Top Classes are...
- #1 - Grade 1 with 131 box tops
- #2 - Grade 4 with 60 box tops
- #3 - Kindergarten with 49 box tops
- #4 - Grade 3 with 31 box tops
- #5 - Grade 5 with 10 box tops
- #6 - Grade 2 with 2 box tops
*Italics indicate an increase this week.
Community Events
Please check back here to learn about upcoming community events of interest to Carrillo families.
Maracan Soccer Camps
Maracana Indoor Sports Arena will be holding youth soccer camps over Rodeo and Spring Breaks.
Rodeo Break: Feb 23 - 24th $120
Spring Break: March 8, 11-15 $60/day or $300 /week
For more information, open the attached fliers on your computer or call Maracana at 520-235-7094
Tucson Community Tennis Program
When: Saturday mornings
Where: Pueblo High School
Time: 8:00 - 9:30 am
Don't have a racquet? No worries, TCTP has loaner racquets students can use at the clinic.
For more information about TCTP, please visit their website.
Discovery Nights at the Children's Museum
Join us for Free Discovery Nights
from 5-7 pm every Thursday
at Children’s Museum Tucson!
Enjoy free admission, bilingual programming, and extended hours every Thursday! Reserve your tickets on the Discovery Nights webpage.
Art After Dark
Every Second Saturday, come learn about Tucson's vibrant arts community!
- Guest artists each month
- Hands-on activities
- Free museum admission 5:30 - 7:30 pm
- First 400 people receive a free return-visit pass.
Stay in Touch!
Stay current on our events by visiting our Facebook Page as well as the school website. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns please reach out. It is our mission to provide all students with a first-rate education in a kind and respectful environment.
Email the Principal:
Visit Our Website:
Location: 440 South Main Avenue, Tucson, AZ, USA
Phone: (520) 225-1200
Like Us On Facebook:
Mission Statement
Carrillo K-5 Communication and Creative Arts Magnet School engages children's minds, bodies, and senses using multiple modes of learning, thought, and self-expression.
Vision Statement
At Carrillo K-5 Communication and Creative Arts Magnet School, students become 21st Century leaders in a diverse world, through the development of a strong academic core, communication skills and creative arts abilities.