Carrillo Community Update

Happy Sunday Carrillo Families!

Welcome back to the start of the second quarter! As we begin this quarter, it's a great opportunity to sit with your students and reflect. What did they do well this quarter? Were they on time each day? Did they read for 20 minutes every night? Did they do their homework each night? Did they study their math facts? Things they did well they should continue to do this quarter. For areas they did not do their best, ask them to come up with 1 small, but concrete way they can improve this quarter. Maybe they do their homework and 20-20 reading as soon as they come home? Maybe they create a distraction-free place to do their homework and 20-20 reading. Maybe they dedicate 3 minutes a night to review the facts they haven't mastered yet. Maybe, they log into IXL and work to master 1 new skill each night. Whatever it is, if they do that thing consistently each day this quarter they will see great gains by December!

Sincerely,

Ms. Bittel

THIS WEEK

Monday, October 14

• 2nd Quarter Begins

Wednesday, October 16

• Pueblo's Fall Encuentro (Block Party) for current and future Pueblo students (see below)
• Make-A-Difference Evening

Thursday, October 17

• Fall Picture Day

COMING SOON
Monday, October 21

• ADE Visit to Carrillo

Wednesday, October 23

• No Classes for Teacher Professional Learning Day

Friday, October 25

• Fall Fest (5:00 - 7:00 pm)

Wednesday, November 6

• Magnet Fair (5:00 - 7:00 at the Children's Museum)
• PTO Meeting (on ZOOM)

Thursday, November 7

• Peter Piper Pizza night

I am extremely proud to announce that Carrillo was one of 75 schools in Arizona invited to apply for the National ESEA Distinguished Schools Award. Schools who are invited to apply demonstrate exceptional student performance and academic growth, have closed the achievement gap between student groups, and excel in serving special populations of students.

After submitting our application, we were notified that we are one of 10 semi-finalist schools that will receive a site visit! We will have a group of educators from the Arizona Department of Education on campus visiting classrooms and talking to students and staff on Monday, October 21st. This visit is part of the final selection as Arizona nominates just 2 finalists to the national level.

Whether we make the finals or not, I am proud of the commitment and dedication of the Carrillo staff, students, and community! Working as a team, our students continue to be some of the best-prepared students in the state. Thank you for the part you play on this team!

Many staff will be staying late on Wednesday, October 16th to make sure that student work that was completed before the break is on display. If you have some time to donate, please contact your student's teacher directly or the front office to see how you can help us make sure that we put our best foot forward for this visit.

TUSD is still working on calculating rankings for ELA Benchmarks, but Math rankings are out!

I am pleased to announce that Carrillo students ranked #1 across the district overall in Math for Quarter 1! Below are the individual grade ranks and pass rates. Keep it up Cougars!

Grade 2 - #3 overall with 54% of students passing!

Grade 3 -#1 overall with 83.6% of students passing!

Grade 4 - #2 overall with 71.4% of students passing!

Grade 5 - #1 overall with 78.2% of students passing!

Congratulations to Ms. Peralta's class for winning the clock again this month. They had 95% attendance for September. Right on target. Great job Ms. Peralta's class.

Thank you for helping us reach our goal of 95% attendance by helping your child get to school on time, staying the full day, scheduling appointments after school, scheduling vacations during TUSD breaks, and only missing in the case of an emergency.

Over the break, I challenged students to get on IXL to stay sharp and get ready for a strong second quarter. I am so proud to announce that Carrillo students spent 1, 729 minutes practicing reading and math last week. That's 71 hours worth of practice! The top three grades were...

#3 - Fourth grade with 235 minutes

#2 - Second grade with 655 minutes

#1 - Third grade with 751 minutes

Great job Cougars! This dedication is what makes you A+! Thank you to everyone who took part in the Fall Break Challenge! This week during the morning announcements we will announce the raffle winner as well as the top students who got in over an hour's worth of practice each!

The Book Fair is coming! Mark your calendars for October 28 - Nov 1 to purchase new titles for your home library! Ms. Morales can't do it alone, if you have a day to donate your time, she would love some extra support in the library. Sign up now to help! Thank you for helping students find new books to love!

Understanding how our brains work is crucial to practicing kindness — both toward ourselves and others. The more we understand how our brains function, and what we’re aware of vs. what’s built-in, the more we can address our own behavior and lead others in practicing intentional kindness. The unconscious brain plays a primary role in forming memories and responses to emotional events — particularly to fearful events. It also controls our responses to fear, such as fight, flight, or freeze, and helps us sense and respond to danger. When our unconscious brain is threatened, we’re in reactive mode and it can be hard for us to be kind.

The goal is to shift to our conscious brain, where higher-level thinking occurs, allowing us to respond thoughtfully with kindness, rather than just reacting. Another built-in tool is our negativity bias: it’s hard-wired into the human experience to learn from painful episodes more immediately than we learn from pleasant ones. While the negativity bias can help us build determination and become more resilient, it can also limit our ability to express gratitude and appreciate the positive in our lives. The good news is that researchers have found we can perceive threats while still cultivating our potential to see the good in life. The more we understand how the brain functions, the more we understand how practicing gratitude and kindness can reshape our brains for the better!

The PTO would like to remind and encourage the Carrillo family to attend the Fall Festival on Friday, Oct. 25th. PTO will be there selling tickets for use at all booths for food and games. Tickets will be $0.50 each. PTO will also be doing our very popular Cake Walk. Donations of cake and other store-bought baked goods can be made to the office starting Wednesday, Oct. 23rd for non-refrigerated cakes/baked goods. Refrigerated cakes/baked goods can be donated to the main office on Friday, October 25th.

To sign up to help with these PTO booths please sign up, using this online form.

Remember, Fall Festival is a cash-only event.

Our next PTO Meeting is Wednesday, November 6th. Please use this link to join the meeting.

PTO is still looking for a parent who is a contractor who can help with an estimate so that PTO can work with Ms. Bittel to find grant funding for an improvement project at the school. If you are available, contact Ms. Bittel.

PTO Board

• President - Aaron Valencia
• VP - Roy Massani
• Secretary - Margaret Zuniga
• Treasurer - Angelina Celix

The minutes from our October meeting are attached below. Please email PTO if you have any questions.

Thank you to everyone who supported our "Box Tops for Education" fundraiser this year! As of Sunday, October 13th, Carrillo had already topped last year's earnings with an astounding $145.70! Be sure to keep checking out the Bonus offers and monthly challenges for ways to earn extra box tops.

If you aren't scanning Box Tops yet, use this referral code XTIL1N82 when you sign up and you’ll get 50 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt now through 10/31/2024, while supplies last! Download the Box Tops for Education app and earn cash for Carrillo while you shop!

LEADERBOARD

1st Place - Kindergarten (295 box tops)

2nd Place - 2nd Grade (93 box tops)

3rd Place - 4th Grade (92 box tops)

4th Place - 1st Grade (75 box tops)

5th Place - 5th Grade (32 box tops)

6th Place - 3rd Grade (3 box tops)

Thank you to Adrian at Big Frog! This year, when you purchase Cougar spirit gear, $5 will come back to the school to support students. The store has this year's "Growing Together" shirts for students and parents, as well as our classic shirts and some designs from previous years. Check out the store online.

Carrillo's Kindergarten and First Graders are learning about the importance of community. Teachers are looking for guest speakers to come and talk about their jobs. We are looking for fora large variety of jobs from cashiers to custodians and firefighters to pharmacists. Our students know communities are successful because of the contributions of EVERYONE. Thank you for coming to share your role in the community. To sign up, use this link.

The TUSD Mexican American Student Services Department is holding FREE Saturday academic tutoring by qualified teachers to help students with reading, writing, and math.

Limited space available for students in grades 3rd to 8th

When: September through May

Starts: September 7th.

Register by calling 520.232.8566 or by email.

Tucson Community Tennis is starting their FREE fall tennis clinics for students.

Who – ​Children grades 1st through 12th​

How Much - $5 donation for the semester

What – ​Tennis clinic with certified coaches​

Where -​ Pueblo High School Tennis courts​

When -​ Saturdays​ September 14 to December 14, 2024

Time - 12 and Under - 8 – 9:30 and 18 and Under – 8 - 10

Contact – ​If interested email: ​Stacy Renner or call 520-591-8904​

Hello, Pueblo Feeder Schools! Introducing Pueblo’s Fall Encuentro, WARRIOR BLOCK PARTY! It will take place on Wednesday, October 16, from 3:30-7:30. The Block Party theme will bring together a variety of cultures through a celebration of music, food, and culture. The idea is to truly celebrate the best that culture brings to our community. We would love it if your families, students, and Faculty could join us! There are other ways to be a part of this event:

• Offering attendance or participation as extra credit in your class
• Creating an assignment for students that involves attendance or participation in the event
• Announcing the event in your class, or posting it on Canvas, newsletters, ClassDojo, etc.
• Putting up a poster in your room and school
• Attending yourself and inviting your family, friends, and neighbors
• Considering a booth/table and showcasing student work
• Showcasing talent
• Sharing with us a contact you have for sponsors, booths/tables, food trucks

Both the CR teachers and the students here at Pueblo have been working hard on this event, but it can only be a success if people attend and celebrate with us! Hope to see you there!

Warmly,

Victoria Bodanyi, Audrey Davidson, Gage Stewart, Cristobal Barajas, Angela Gonzalez, Taylor Cleland, and Caroline Fioramanti

Casa de los Ninos is one of our community partnerships. They offer a variety of community education and outreach classes. Please check out the flyer below to see the dates and topics in September. Email Carol Bolger with questions.

Thank you for your patience as we get students dismissed as quickly as possible. We need your help with a few things.

17th STREET PICK UP

1. Please park by Tucson Water, or wait in your car.
2. For those waiting in their cars, a school staff member will come by and radio for your student to come to you.
3. Thank you for keeping your music low and arriving after 2:30 pm. Our neighbors appreciate it.
4. Families with only intermediate students (grades 3-5) your students are generally the last to dismiss, if you can arrive at 2:50 that will allow us to help the kinder and first graders off campus and speed up pickup.

FOR PARENTS WAITING INSIDE

1. If you arrive before 2:30 pm we need you to sign in at the main office and wait in the art gallery on the main floor until 2:45.

Parents volunteers are welcome on campus. Speak with our office manager (Kenia Alvarado-Martinez) or our Magnet Coordinator (Rebecca Stroup) to learn how you can volunteer! We also encourage families to attend PTO meetings to learn about other ways to support our Carrillo Cougars. We encourage all parents to register as volunteers on the TUSD website as the process takes a few weeks. We ask non-parental volunteers to contact the office before registering as a volunteer so we can explain the process and coordinate volunteer opportunities.

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.

Attendance at school is directly correlated to student achievement, so it is extremely important they are in school every single day to be successful. Research shows that missing more than 8 days of school can cause significant gaps in a student’s education. Please try to schedule appointments or family outings around the school schedule and during school holidays. To help track attendance goals, we've created a "Path to Success" attendance tracker you can use at home to help us make our 95% goal. You can download it by opening the attachment on your computer.

A student is considered "chronically absent" if they miss more than 10% of the school year. Students who miss more than 5 days a quarter are considered at risk for chronic absenteeism. If your student reaches this number, we will be reaching out to see how we can support you in getting your students to school on time.

State law requires parents to call in to report student absences. Parents, you can now immediately report an absence from school using ParentVue. This reduces the calls in our attendance office and allows you to directly enter the reason students are absent. To self-report simply follow the steps below.

1. Log into ParentVue from App or Computer
2. 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.
3. On the top right corner of the page it will have a blue link that says "Report Absence" click on this
4. Use the calendar to select dates and the drop-down for the reason for the absence.
5. 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!

**Students who attend Carrillo as Magnet students may be asked to return to their home school if they accumulate excessive absences and/or tardies.**

Did you know that all TUSD elementary magnet students are eligible for transportation if they live more than 1.5 miles from the school?

For more information, visit Transportation's website to see if your student qualifies for FREE transportation and to begin routing. We strongly encourage families to consider this option for this school year. It's a great way to help your student develop independence and responsibility. You can also call them at 520-225-6262.

Due to some budget changes, the earliest students can be dropped off is 7:35 am 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.

Parent Pickup will continue to be at 17th street. Thank you for remaining in your car. We’ll be using radios and a loudspeaker to call for students this year in hopes of speeding up the process. Please note that the city has redefined some fire lanes that must be kept open along Samaniego with bright red paint. Thank you for not parking or stopping in those spaces. Thank you also for keeping the neighborhood driveways and mailboxes open as a courtesy to our neighbors. Thank you for your help!

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 accidents. Our neighbors kindly request that everyone drive like they live in the neighborhood, and many of our cougars do. Thank you for helping us keep our Cougars and our community safe.

If your child is walking/riding home, thank you for ensuring the office has a note giving permission at the beginning of every school year. Thank you for making any pickup arrangements with your student prior to your student coming to school.

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
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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.