Carrillo Community Update

Happy Sunday Carrillo Families!

I hope everyone enjoyed a beautiful weekend. If the weather channel is to be believed, we are expecting much colder weather this week. We have many lost jackets in our lost and found if you are searching for one Monday morning and can't find it, please come check the lost and found in the gallery to see if your cougar's missing items are there.

This week Carrillo celebrates its 88th annual Las Posadas! I hope that many of you will make time to attend this year. Tickets for food and drinks go on sale at 5:00 with food being served and live entertainment starting at 5:30. The Posadas procession will begin at 6:45 in the courtyard. If you have not attended before, this is a beautiful tradition, and we encourage you to join us!

Sincerely,

Ms. Bittel

THIS WEEK

Thursday, December 12

• Math Benchmark - Grades 4 and 5

Friday, December 13

• Math Benchmark - Grades 4 and 5
• 🪅 88th Annual Las Posadas (5:00 - 7:45 pm)

NEXT WEEK - SPIRIT WEEK! (All Week)

Wednesday, December 18

• 🎅 Santa Comes to Carrillo

Friday, December 20

• Grading Day - No classes for students

THIRD QUARTER BEGINS

• 🎍 Monday, January 6th

The 88th Annual Las Posadas is just 2 weeks away! Please mark your calendars and join us for the 88th annual Las Posadas here at Carrillo.

Dining and entertainment will begin at 5:00 pm in the Cafeteria and MPR.

In order for the event to be a success, the students performing the Posadas are asking for your help. Funds generated at the Posadas are needed to pay for the barricades and permits required to host this annual event. If you can donate any of the supplies from the linked list, the students would greatly appreciate it. Every little bit helps to support his long-standing tradition. Right now our greatest need is Carnation evaporated milk.

Donate here!

We are collecting new toys, clothes, shoes and gift cards for families in our community in need. We have TUSD students from ages 3-18, so please think of donating gifts that different ages could enjoy.

Donations will be collected until Monday, December 16, 2024.

Thank you & Best Wishes this Holiday Season!

PTO has contacted Santa and he will be stopping by Carrillo on December 18th for a fun family event!

PTO is looking for parent volunteers to help make the evening fun for families. As an added bonus, families that donate time will receive a Santa "Fast Pass" to thank them for giving their time to this event.

WHEN: Wednesday, December 18th

TIME: 5:00 - 7:30* (Last entry is at 6:45 to ensure that everyone has time to visit Santa.)

Sign up here.

Student Council is planning a fun Spirit Week next week (December 16 - 19)

Monday - Decades Day (dress like your favorite decade)

Tuesday - Sports Day

Wednesday - Holiday Clothing

Thursday - Dress Up or Dress Down (dress fancy or wear your PJs)

Attendance is a major factor in a student's success. Absences can add up quickly and have a longer impact than you may realize. Aside from schools losing funding, your students miss important learning opportunities.

Attendance HEROS are Here Every day and Ready On-time! Here are the classes with the most students with perfect attendance in December. There are 190 students (62%) at Carrillo with perfect attendance this month! Great job let's see if we can maintain that for the rest of the month!

#3 - Ms. Torres with 70% of her class with perfect attendance

#2 - Ms. Maldonado with 71% of her class with perfect attendance

#1 - Ms. Mills with 74% of her class with perfect attendance

Absences can add up quickly.

• Missing a day a month means over 12 years a student will miss 3/4 of a school year.
• Missing a day a month means over 12 years a student will miss 2.5 years of school.
• Missing 2 days a week over 12 years a student will miss 5 years of schooling.

Tardies (and early withdrawals) add up as well.

Arriving 10 minutes late each day is equal to missing a full week of school each year.

• Arriving 30 minutes late each day is equal to missing 3 full weeks of school.
• Arriving an hour late each day is equal to missing almost 2 months of school.

Thank you for helping us meet our school goal of 95% and helping your students learn all they can by being present and engaged.

We encourage our students to log on to IXL at home to help them fill in gaps and stay sharp in ELA and Math. Here are the top three classes overall this year. Logging in and mastering 2 skills per subject during the week can make a tremendous impact on student learning! Thank you for encouraging your student to work on their personal growth at home each week! So far our students have spent 78 hours at home strengthening their skills on IXL alone!

IXL Leaderboards

#3 - Ms. Maldonado's with 14 hours and 01 minutes of at-home practice.

#2 - Ms. Peralta's class with 17 hours and 55 minutes of at-home practice.

#1 - Ms. Barraza's class with 18 hours and 43 minutes of at-home practice.

iReady Leaderboards

#3 - Ms. Matsushino class with 73% of students above 30 minutes of practice.

#2 - Ms. Leyva with 93% of students above 30 minutes of practice.

#1 - Ms. Lujan with 100% of students above 30 minutes of practice.

Great job Cougars! This dedication is what makes you A+!

Our younger students can use iReady at home. For all student at-home applications, please have your students log into their Clever Accounts to access either IXL or iReady. While iReady doesn't report at-home vs at-school usage, I've seen great growth for students working on 1-2 iReady lessons each week!

Registration for the 2025-26 school year is now open. The competition is on and the the first class to be completely registered for next year will win a pizza party!

Here are the current top 5.

• #3 - (3-way tie) - Morales, Mills, Barraza - 20% registered
• #2 - Peralta 30% registered
• #1 - Ma. Maldonado 40% registered

For returning students...

• Please go to your ParentVUE account, confirm or update your student’s information.
• Add a current proof of residency
• Please NOTE: Online registration is required for all students every school year.

**The first class with 100% registered will win a pizza party!

For incoming kindergarteners...

• Visit the Carrillo Registration Page.
• Verify your address to see if you are within the Carrillo boundary.
• If you are in the boundary, submit your registrations and be sure to upload the following documents with your registration.
• Student birth certificate
• Proof of Address
• Student Vaccination Record
• Parent Identification
• If you live outside the neighborhood boundary, please submit a magnet application
• Please NOTE: Siblings of current students are required to submit a magnet application they are not automatically enrolled at Carrillo.

*Please call the front office at 520-225-1200 if you need assistance.

Encourage students to wear a bracelet or rubber band around their wrist and participate in an experiment that strengthens their emotional awareness. Talk about the idea of building awareness around their thoughts and emotions by pausing to notice, rather than reacting without thinking. When we feel challenged or frustrated, we’re in reactive mode and it can be hard for us to be kind.

Challenge students to notice when their brain reacts impulsively; when it does, have them move their bracelet to the other wrist. For instance, students might want to focus on reactions to frustration during class, self-critical thoughts, or reactions to negative social media posts. The goal of this exercise is to empower students to become more mindful and to build self-awareness. As students notice their reactions, they learn to pause and consider before potentially choosing to respond with kindness. The bracelet exercise is also a great tool for bringing focus to the good by moving the bracelet when we notice kind acts or positive experiences.

Last week students learned about decision-making and consequences.

To support this at home, consider watching the story students listened to in class and having your own discussion around the story, "What Should Danny Do?"

Thank you to everyone who attended the last PTO meeting. Please save the date. Our next PTO meeting is Wednesday, January 8th. It will again be online and we will be debriefing our winter events and planning spring fundraisers and events. Please use this link to join the meeting.

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 Saturday, December 8th Carrillo has raised $168.80 with 1 earning moment this month! Be sure to keep checking out the Bonus offers and monthly challenges for ways to earn extra box tops.

This month there are 2 big opportunities for bonus box tops. You can earn 50 bonus tops ($5.00) if f you connect your Walmart account and your Box Tops account. Second, the December Challenge awards 20 bonus box tops ($2.00) if you purchase and scan 10 products this month. See the app for other bonus offers. And remember, scan even if you don't have a participating item. Last year, we won $20 through the Box Tops Sweepstakes.

LEADERBOARD

1st Place - Kindergarten (299 box tops)

2nd Place - 2nd Grade (102 box tops)

3rd Place - 4th Grade (98 box tops)

4th Place - 1st Grade (84 box tops)

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

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

The TUSD Family Engagement resource centers are supporting TUSD students this year with our Winter Holiday Fest:

WHEN: Saturday, December 14th

TIME: 9am to 12pm

WHERE: Palo Verde High Magnet School - Main Parking Lot—1302 S. Avenida Vega

Two free toys per child per family will be distributed while supplies last.

WHEN: December 14, 10 am-2 pm

WHERE: Presidio Museum, 196 N. Court Ave.

WHAT: Included in admission.

Click here for more information - Celebrate Christmas frontier style at the Presidio Museum! Enjoy some of Tucson’s Christmas traditions that span from the 18th-century Spanish fort to the 19th-century American Territorial period. Santa Claus will be available for visitors to take their own photos from 11 am - 1 pm.

We're excited to invite your students to experience the Lil'Kickers Soccer Program!

WHAT: 🎉 FREE SOCCER CLASS

WHEN: Weed Date: between December 2nd - 15th, 2024 (see the attached flier)

TIME: Duration: 50-minute complimentary class

WHO: Ages: 18 months - 12 years

🤝 BRING A FRIEND BONUS! Students are welcome to invite a friend to join them for their FREE class!

• Friends welcome at no cost
• Great opportunity for social interaction
• More fun together! 🤩

🏃‍♂️ WHY LIL'KICKERS?

• Age-specific soccer instruction
• Develop motor skills
• Build confidence
• Fun, supportive environment
• No experience necessary!

📅 HOW TO SCHEDULE: Schedule Free Class Link

📝 MORE PROGRAM DETAILS: Lil’Kickers Classes + Skills Institute Classes

🤔 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:

• Child-focused coaches
• Small class sizes
• Curriculum designed by child development experts
• Year-round program options
• Indoor facility with professional coaching

❓ QUESTIONS?

Contact: Tanna Sanders, Lil’Kickers + Skills Coordinator

Phone: 520-839-6414 or by Email

We look forward to introducing your students to the joy of soccer!

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.

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​

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
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.