Quail Run Community Newsletter

Dear Quail Run families,

This month is filled with fall festivities, academic milestones, community involvement, international-mindedness and exploring Hispanic Heritage Month and Indigenous Peoples Day, and a focus on bullying prevention.

Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place at the end of October. I encourage every family to take advantage of this dedicated time to discuss your child's academic progress. You will receive a message after Fall Break with links to sign up for conferences with our teachers.

Please read through this monthly newsletter to see what is new this year and check out the video below to see what our students have been up to this last month. There is so much happening at Quail Run this month.

Your Partner in Education,

Vicky Raymond

Proud Principal

Our school is committed to promoting a safe and inclusive learning environment through the implementation of our PBIS behavior framework. We are currently launching a new, school-wide initiative for Bullying Prevention Month to address unkind behavior and resolve conflicts called Enough, Walk, Talk. This research-based strategy is being explicitly taught by Ms. Cordello, our counselor, in all of our classrooms.

PVSchools recognizes bullying as “repeated acts, over time, that involves a real or perceived imbalance of power. Bullying may be:

• Physical bullying: Pushing, hitting, kicking, spitting, stealing

• Verbal bullying: Making threats, taunting, teasing, name-calling

• Psychological bullying: Social exclusion, spreading rumors, manipulating social relationships”

It's important to distinguish between unkind moments and ongoing bullying behavior. If a situation involves repeated patterns of the above behaviors, it may be considered bullying.

Everyone in school should know what it looks like and how it feels to be respectful and caring - it is the R in ROCK! On the other side, they also can be able to identify if, when, and how someone else’s behavior is inappropriate or unkind. School-wide expectations help everyone stay consistent.

The Enough, Walk, Talk strategy that empowers students with a clear approach to addressing bullying situations.

1. Enough: When students witness or experience bullying, they can raise a hand, palm facing out, and say "Enough." This signals that the behavior is unacceptable and needs to stop immediately. It is short and easy to remember. Having this clear signal of unwanted behavior can also bring awareness from others, adults or peers, that support may be needed.

2. Walk Away: If the bullying continues, the student can remove themselves from the situation to demonstrate that the behavior will not be tolerated.

3. Tell an Adult: Students should report the incident to a trusted adult, explaining what happened and that they used the Enough, Walk, Talk strategy.

How can our community help?

• Open Communication: Encourage your child to talk to you about their experiences at school. Let them know that you are there to listen and support them.
• Model Respect: Show your child how to treat others with kindness and respect. We encourage students at school to be "caring and principled."
• Monitor Online Activity: Be aware of your child's online behavior and help them understand the consequences of cyberbullying.
• Report Bullying: If you suspect your child is being bullied or is bullying others, please don't hesitate to report it to your child's teacher.

By working together, we can create a school culture where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued.

The Annual Update process is completed by parents or guardians online within Infinite Campus. This allows you to update information that may have changed in your household. This replaces the earlier versions of paper forms we called Emergency Cards. We request that this information is verified/updated yearly.

Please do this as soon as possible as the front office staff will begin making phone calls to those who have not completed shortly after the school year begins.

For additional information please click the Annual Update Smart Card or view this presentation for step-by-step instructions. There is also a short video on the process to assist you. If you need help, please reach out to PV Assist at (602) 449-2375.

Attention all Quail Run 5th and 6th Grade students! We want to invite you to take action and join our Quail Run Safeties team.

For the month of October, our student leaders can help make our campus safer from 8:15 am - 8:40 am by signing up to volunteer in three designated areas. They can help Mr. Roy and Ms. Nina by opening car doors and greeting/assisting students out of their cars at car drop off or with our baby quails on the kindergarten playground.

Please sign up here if your 5th or 6th grade student is interested. They can help as many days as you choose. Students will check in at the front office at 8:15 am to pick up a safety vest on the days they sign up.

Questions? Email Mrs. Sanborn at jsanborn@pvschools.net

All students will be allowed to wear costumes to school on 10/31. Please carefully review the following costume guidelines and school expectations for this day.

When selecting a costume with your child, be mindful of costumes that are respectful and inclusive. By choosing costumes that are respectful of others, we can create a positive and inclusive learning environment for all students. Please encourage your child to choose costumes that:

• Avoid stereotypes: Steer clear of oversimplified or stereotypical representations of different cultures.
• Respect sacred symbols: Treat cultural or spiritual symbols with respect and avoid using them for comedic or trivial purposes.
• Consider alternatives: Explore characters, historical figures, or fantasy creatures that don't involve cultural references.

Because we believe toy guns, weapons, and other paraphernalia that encourage violence are inappropriate for children in school, children may not bring these items with them.

Be sure that your child’s costume allows him/her to have clear vision (no masks may be worn), and is safe to be worn at school.

Fake blood may not be worn to school.

For safety reasons, costumes that need to be blown up with an air pump may NOT be worn at school.

Also, costumes that reflect any political themes/ideas may NOT be worn at school.

Our K-3 Halloween Parade will begin at 9:00 am. Parents are welcome to join us in the front of the school to watch the parade and do not need to enter the school or sign in to watch the parade. Teachers and room parents will be planning their classroom activities after the parade and will reach out for volunteers as needed.

Does your student share with you what is happening in Art, P.E. Spanish, and STEAM?

Check out our October Special Area Update for all the information you need to see what will be happening this month in these special areas classes!

As an International Baccalaureate school, we are given the opportunity every five years to showcase our program to outside evaluators. We will have two evaluators from the IB Organization coming to Quail Run November 21st and 22nd.

We are very excited to reflect on our Program Development Plan and receive feedback. These two days will consist of classroom visits, meetings with teachers, staff, administration, and parents, as well as a school tour and a meeting with a handful of students (if your student is going to participate in this, you will receive communication from us beforehand).

This is a wonderful time to highlight all of the amazing things we are doing here at Quail Run and also receive input on how to continually improve. Please look for highlights from our visit in newsletters to follow!

Questions? Reach out to Ms. Hubbs, our IB Coordinator, at jhubbs@pvschools.net.

We value our parents and community members and love when you become involved on our campus. We have many opportunities for you to get involved beyond their child's classroom with academics, IB units, school-day events, and more! We are creating a Parent Involvement Directory of parents we can reach out to for different opportunities. This can be as small as connecting us with someone in your field of expertise or providing us with a resource. There is no obligation on how much or little you can give - we just want to be able to network and create opportunities for families and students, no pressure involved. Please complete this quick survey to let us know about your industry, passions, culture, etc. and if you want to be involved!

The PVSchools Fall 2024 Library Title List will be available for review for 60 days starting September 25 - November 30, 2024. Please see the following website to see titles that are being considered by Paradise Valley school libraries and provide feedback.

Website: https://www.pvschools.net/community/committees/school-library-book-review-committee

We are looking forward to hosting our first-ever Battle of the Books this Spring! America's Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program for students in 3rd-12th grades. Students are presented a reading list and work in teams to demonstrate their abilities and to test their knowledge of the books they have read. Teams get to compete in a family-feud style battle after school! Stay tuned for more information later this year.

We have created an Amazon Wishlist to help us prepare for the competition. We will need many copies of the battle books on-hand for our students. Thanks for supporting our reading goals!

The QRES School Council is composed of staff, parents, and community members. The purpose of the School Council is to assist in planning, coordinating, and facilitating safety and instructional ideas that will promote and enhance the safety and learning of the students at Quail Run Elementary School.

School Council meetings are open to the public and generally meets monthly. Meeting dates can be found on our website.

If you have an item of interest you would like for the School Council to review, please complete this form. Complete the form once for every issue or interest you would like discussed.

All parents at Quail Run are valued members of our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). We do not collect membership dues. Our goal is to provide support to our QR staff and enrich our students’ learning environment and experience. The PTO organizes many fun family activities and student programs as well as fundraising events to support these programs. All are welcome!

Our Fall Family Movie Night is just around the corner on 10/18! The students voted on the movie and it will be IF! We will be preselling popcorn and family pizza packs - stay tuned for more info after the break!

Our Step It Up! fundraiser is coming to an end and we are so grateful to our students and parents for supporting our school! Congrats to all of our class winners so far. We collected reading logs today and will be excited to announce some big winners after Fall Break!

Our Sonic fundraiser is coming up - check out the flyer below. We will send out details closer to the event but get ready for Year 3 of our Slushie Throwdown and Tater Tot Eating Contest!

Have you signed up for our PTO website yet? It will help keep you up to date with all things PTO- check it out here, create an account and join our school directory!

https://quailrunpto.membershiptoolkit.com/

To keep up to date and get involved, please follow Quail Run PTO on Facebook and Instagram!

Amanda Bunney

Quail Run PTO President

ptoquailrun@gmail.com

• If you need to relay a message to your student during school hours, you can call the office or leave a message directly on our Voicelink account at (602) 449-5465. The office staff will NOT transfer calls to classrooms, as this will interrupt important instructional time.

• If your child forgets their lunch, you may bring it to the front office before 10:30 am.

• Be sure to communicate end-of-day arrangements with your student in the morning, prior to coming to school. We want to ensure all students get home safely. If there are any changes in how students get home, please notify the office and the teacher.
  

• School hours are from 8:45 am - 3:15 pm. If you are picking up a student early, please be aware that every minute counts and minutes missed accumulate throughout the school year. Also, be aware that students cannot be called to the office early for an appointment. Students will be called from class at the time you arrive to check them out.

• If your child is late to school, arriving after 8:45 am, a parent is required to walk them into the front office to sign them in tardy.

• No early pick-ups are allowed after 3:00 pm. You cannot sign out your student from 3:00 - 3:15. This is a change from previous years.

• School breakfast is available beginning at 8:30 am. Please drop off at 8:30 am if your child is eating breakfast. It is the same purchasing system as our school lunches. Students are not allowed to bring Starbucks drinks, smoothies, etc. on campus in the morning.

• Birthday treats must be store-bought and easy to pass out for the teacher. No cakes that need cutting, please. Cupcakes are allowed. Balloons are not allowed on campus.

• You will need your ID every time you pick up students prior to dismissal.

• Your student will not be released if the person picking her/him up is not on the contact list. If you need to add a friend or family member to the contact list you will need to go to Infinite Campus to update Emergency Contact information through your annual update.

• You can check your child's grades by downloading the Infinite Campus app or logging on online. Click here for directions.

If your child is ill or unable to attend school for any part of the day, please notify the office at (602) 449-4401. Please give your student’s name, teacher's name, and reason for absence.

**For your child’s safety, please make sure to notify the school office before 9:10 a.m.

**Fever or vomiting requires a 24-hour period in the absence of those symptoms without the use of medication before they may return to school.

Lunch Reminders:

• If your child forgets their lunch, you may bring it to the front office before 10:30 am. Any student that does not bring a lunch will choose a hot lunch and their meal account will be charged.

• There is no hot fast food allowed for lunch if you are dropping off a lunch. Visitors may bring in hot lunches (see visitor section below). Subway, Jimmy Johns, and Jersey Mikes are all good options for a special drop-off lunch.

• Students are not allowed to share food.

• We will have a special table for students with food allergies. Your student may be invited to join a friend at this table. If your child is invited to sit at this table, peanut butter is not allowed.

• When packing your student´s lunch, please be mindful that they are able to open the food or containers themselves. No glass containers.

• Based on the recommended State Nutritional Recommendations, sodas/carbonated beverages are not to be brought to school.

Lunch Visitors:

• You must sign into the front office and get a visitor sticker.
  

• You may bring lunch for your child. If you are coming to visit and stay with your child during lunch, the lunch may be a hot lunch. Sodas/carbonated beverages are not to be brought to school.

• You may not bring lunch for any student other than your own.

• You may not pass out treats to any students due to allergies.

Purchasing a School Lunch:

The Nutrition & Wellness Department will charge students for their meals based on their free, reduced, and paid meal application status during the 2024-2025 SY.

PVSchools provides meals at no cost to students qualifying for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Click on the link below to see if your child is eligible.

National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program

Visit the Lunch Menu section of our website for more information about menus, meal prices, and to load money into your student´s lunch account.

Do you shop at Fry's Food? You can link your Fry's VIP card to Quail Run PTA and effortlessly earn money for our school simply by doing your normal shopping. Signup once and the school will reap the benefits all year!

Looking to get more involved in your child’s education? Want to be among the first to know what is happening in the district? If so, I encourage you to attend United Parent Council meetings. Paradise Valley United Parent Council is a district-wide parent group that has been active in Paradise Valley Unified School District for more than 30 years and is a 501(c)(3) organization. Looking out for the interest of students is their primary goal. They do this by offering parents support, information, and opportunities to be influential voices in the decisions that affect their children's education. UPC meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month in the District Administration Center East/West Conference Rooms on the grounds of the PVUSD complex at 15002 North 32nd Street. Visitors are always welcome. Click here to visit their website for information on this month’s meeting.

We welcome site volunteers on our campus as well as chaperones for field trips.

Site volunteers must be parents, guardians, or grandparents of a current student.

School chaperones perform an invaluable service, helping to ensure the safety of students attending events and field trips. Parents, guardians, grandparents, or relatives are eligible to be a school chaperone after completing a background screening. Chaperones are fingerprinted and must agree to a background check.

Apply to be a Site Volunteer or Chaperone

1. Visit the PVSchools job search page.
2. Search for "Volunteer" or "Chaperone."
3. Select the opportunity that best fits your interest.
4. Click on the "Apply Online" button.
5. Create a login and password.
6. Complete the application process.

Please be aware that this application can take up to 12 weeks to clear, so be sure to get it in early. Please contact our front office if you have any questions.

If you or anyone you know needs to enroll a student for the 2024-2025 school year, please know we are still accepting applications for students both inside and outside of our school enrollment boundaries. Open enrollment enables Arizona students to attend public schools outside their district attendance areas or outside their district of residence. It is open to all Arizona-based students.

Click here to enroll for the 2024-2025 school year.

Required Documents for Enrollment

• A certified copy of your child's birth certificate

• Your child's immunization records

• Proof of Arizona residency (e.g., utility bill, house payment, lease/purchase agreement)

• IEP/504 forms (if applicable)

Please note, to register for kindergarten, your student must be 5 years old PRIOR to September 1st, 2024.

You will also be required to complete an Annual Update on Infinite Campus. Please visit the PV Assist website for links and more information.

Sept. 30 - Oct. 4: K-12 Recess, No School

Oct. 8: QR Spirit Day- wear a QR shirt or blue for school spirit

Oct. 10: PVSchools Governing Board Meeting at 6:30 pm

Oct. 11: 6th Grade BizTown Field Trip

Oct. 15: Student Council Meeting at 8:00 am (officers arrive at 7:45)

Oct. 15: Early Release at 12:30 pm

Oct. 15: Lookalike Day - match with your friends!

Oct. 18: 4th Grade MIM Field Trip

Oct. 18: PTO Family Movie Night

Oct. 21: PTO Meeting at 3:30 pm

Oct. 22: Student Council Campus Pride Morning at 7:45 am

Oct. 23: PTO Restaurant Night at Sonic from 5 - 8 pm

Oct. 25: "Anything but a Backpack" Spirit Day- students may bring their stuff to school in anything but a backpack!

Oct. 28 - Nov. 1: Parent Teacher Conference Week

Oct. 29: Late Conference Night

Oct. 30: Early Release at 12:30 pm

Oct. 31: K-3 Halloween Parade at 9:00 am

Oct. 31: Early Release at 12:30 pm

Nov. 1: No School, K-8 Recess

Nov. 4 - 8: Scholastic Book Fair Week

Nov. 4: Book Character Day

Nov. 7: Student Council Campus Pride at 7:45 am

Nov. 7: School Emergency Response Team Meeting at 9:30 am

Nov. 7: PVSchools Governing Board Meeting at 6:30 pm

Nov. 8: Spirit Day: Students dress like the teachers and teachers dress like the students!

Nov. 11: No School, Veteran's Day Recess

Nov. 13: 1st Grade Field Trip to Tolmachoff Farm

Nov. 14: School Picture Retake Day

Nov. 15: Diabetes Awareness Day - Wear Blue!

Nov. 18: PTO Meeting at 3:30 pm

Nov. 19: Early Release at 12:30 pm

Nov. 19: Spirit Day - Wear QR or blue shirts!

Nov. 19: Student Council Meeting at 8:00 am (officers arrive at 7:45)

Nov. 21 - 22: IB School Evaluation Visit

Nov. 21: PVSchools Governing Board Meeting at 6:30 pm

Nov. 21: School Council Meeting at 3:30 pm

Nov. 26: International Mindedness Day

Nov. 27 - 29: No School, Thanksgiving Recess

Attendance Line: 602-449-4401

Nurse Kate: 602-449-4403

School Cafeteria: 602-449-4407

Principal, Quail Run Elementary School

Email: vraymond@pvschools.net
Quail Run Website
Location: 3303 E. Utopia Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85050
Phone: 602-449-4400

Assistant Principal, Quail Run Elementary School

Email: jsanborn@pvschools.net

Quail Run Website

Location: 3303 E. Utopia Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85050
Phone: 602-449-4400