THE COYOTE DEN

Hassayampa staff are excited to get the year started and look forward to seeing everyone once again!

At Hassayampa Elementary, our commitment remains strong to provide a nurturing and enriching environment where every student can thrive. Please join me in extending a warm welcome to our new staff members who are joining the Hassayampa family and becoming part of the Wickenburg community:

• Patricia Wiercinski - 5th grade;
• Candy Shaft - 4th grade;
  
• Dobie Biggs - 1st grade;
  
• Lowanna Perry - Physical Education teacher;
  
• Gayle Peffers - ESS Resource Teacher;
  
• Marie Snodgrass - ESS Preschool Teacher (shared with VPMS);
  
• Amanda Pedrosa - Behavior Coach;
  
• Savanna Rubash - ESS Paraprofessional;
  
• Michelle Newton - ESS Paraprofessional;
  
• April Truett - ESS Paraprofessional.

It was wonderful to see many of you at our Open House event on July 29th! It was unfortunate that we had to cut things short when the storm came through and took out our power setting off our fire alarms and knocking out phones and internet. Not a fun way to end the event! For those who made it prior, teachers enjoyed meeting you and sharing their beginning of year excitement.

For those of you who have completed your enrollment verification through ParentVUE, thank you! If you missed coming by, there are a few documents that will be sent home on Monday that require your signatures. Please help us by getting these signed and returned quickly. Free & Reduced food services require an application each school year. Families are encouraged to complete the application as soon as possible. Additional information can be found on the district website.

The staff at Hassayampa work very hard, every day, to create a rigorous and challenging curriculum as well as a positive and welcoming school climate for students. We want to make strong connections with students, offer them an engaging curriculum, and help them develop and grow into responsible and respectful citizens. Not a day goes by when we are not reflecting on how we can improve as a school. With that said, please also know the great importance that you play in your role as the parent. You have the greatest impact on your child’s school performance. As partners in your child’s education, you will be doing your part to keep in-tune with everything going on at school and to get to know your child’s teacher well.

Best wishes for an incredible school year,

Mrs. Hershkowitz

JULY/AUGUST

29 - First Day of School

31 - Benchmark Testing Begins

SEPTEMBER

2 - No School – Labor Day

4 - Principal’s Coffee @ 8:15 a.m.

4 - Site Council @ 3:30 p.m.

17 - WUSD Board Governing Board Meeting

OCTOBER

2 - Picture Day

2 - Principal’s Coffee @ 8:15 1.m.

2 - Site Council @ 3:30 p.m.

3 - End of Quarter

7–10 - FALL BREAK

14–24 - P/T Conferences

14–17 - Character Counts Week

15 - WUSD Governing Board Meeting

21–24 - Red Ribbon Week

31 - Costume Walk

Communication between the home and school is essential for student success! We encourage all parents to reach out to their child’s teacher with questions and concerns as we strive for academic excellence.

Being in school every day means your child won’t miss out on learning. Try to schedule appointments and family trips outside of school hours. If your child asks to stay home “just because” simply remind them of what they will miss, such as reading, specials classes, recess and friends. Help your child understand that being sick is the only reason to stay home. Of course, it is still important for students to stay home when they are truly sick. Please call the front office if your child will be absent.

Do you want to be more involved with the school? Do you want to have input, monitor and help to review the school's ongoing improvement plan? Then Site Council is where you want to be.

We are currently seeking new members for the 2024-25 school year. We ask that you be able to make a two-year commitment to the Council.

The positions we are filling:

One Hassayampa parent/guardian

One community member

Please complete the Site Council application and email it to Mrs. Hershkowitz at cahershkowitz@wusd9.org if you are interested in joining our team!

If you aren't ready to commit, but would like to attend a meeting to see what it is all about, you are welcome to join us! Our first meeting is Wednesday, September 4.

We would LOVE to have you as a volunteer this year! The services of volunteers are utilized in school to accomplish the following objectives:

• Assist teachers and support personnel with non-instructional tasks

• Provide teachers with more time to work with students

• Enrich the curriculum and students’ learning opportunities

• Promote a school-home community partnership for quality education

At Hassayampa, there are many ways volunteers can help. Volunteers can be:

• Library assistants (shelve books) This is a high need item.

• Classroom helpers

• Clerical aides

• Field trip chaperones

• Event coordinators

• Campus supervision (cafeteria or playground)
  

Who can volunteer: Anyone who cares about children and education is a potential volunteer. Prior teaching experience is not necessary. Anyone who has satisfactorily completed the necessary application, screening, and training can volunteer.

How do I volunteer?

• Complete the volunteer packet - copies are available if you are not able to print the application.

• Submit the application to the school office for principal’s approval

• Once approved, the school's volunteer coordinator will contact you for an appointment to complete the volunteer process.

Every year, Hassayampa students do a lot of reading. Our top readers are recognized at the end of the year and will have their names added on the Million Word wall above the library doors.

Last year, the following students entered the Million Word Club:

Knowing basic math facts is a skill that supports students for a lifetime! In class, students will practice these skills daily. Practicing at home is considered part of your child's daily homework assignment!

The Hassayampa Bike Giveaway!

Students will be assessed on their grade levels math facts throughout the year - October, December, March, and May. Each of these fluency benchmarks will be an opportunity for students to earn an entry ticket for the bike giveaway at the end of the school year in May.

For the 2024 Math Fluency drawing, we had four winners last spring who won new bikes: Joshuan Perez (1st grade), Viviana Limon (2nd grade), Alexa Mora (3rd grade), and Bryce Allison (4th grade)! Congratulations! This year it could be YOU!

Education is full of acronyms. So, what is PBIS? PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Two years ago, our data showed that we were losing instructional time due to disruptive behaviors. Hassayampa teachers came together to create a plan with the vision of increasing instructional time. We will achieve this goal by providing clear expectations for all students to use in all areas of their school environment. The expectations will be taught, practiced, enforced, retaught, and celebrated. The Coyote Way includes the acronym HOWL which stands for Honor, Ownership, Work, and Leadership. Under each of these headings are specific behavior expectations. All Hassayampa staff will be teaching these expectations the first day of school and throughout the school year. Students who are caught meeting expectations will earn tickets which can be redeemed for special rewards. We will have a special shout out to students during morning announcements and during our quarterly assemblies. During the year, we will continue to review our discipline data to determine our progress.

Once again, Hassayampa will be offering Skylark, an after-school enrichment class. Skylark is a block coding program, somewhat like putting puzzle pieces together, to form lines of code to bring engaging animations to life. This entry program allows students to be exposed to coding language and processes through unique lessons, while building the foundation for future, more challenging line-based coding.

This opportunity will be given by invitation to our 4th & 5th graders. Once those grade levels have been given invitations, we will ensure a full program and send invites to our 3rd graders .

All after school programs are by invitation only and will begin August 26 and run for 6-weeks.

Email: cahershkowitz@wusd9.org
Website: wickenburgschools.org/Domain/9
Location: 195 East Coconino Street, Wickenburg, AZ, USA
Phone: 928-684-6750
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HassayampaElementary