Our school year has kicked off to a fantastic start! Students have quickly adapted to our classroom and school-wide expectations, diving headfirst into learning. We’re thrilled to have already recognized multiple Ben's Bells Kindness Ambassadors in every class. As we gear up to celebrate our August Students of the Month at the September 6th assembly, we’ll honor those who exemplified the character trait of Safety. Our 5th grade students will also shine a spotlight on the character trait of Respect with a special presentation at that assembly.

Important Upcoming Dates:

• 8/30- 1st Girl Scout Meeting 2:00-3:15 (still spaces available)
• 9/2 - No school Labor Day

• 9/3 & 9/4 - 5th Grade GATE Testing

• 9/5-Picture Day (see flyer below)

• 9/6-August Student of the Month Assembly 8:00am - 5th graders present
  

• 9/18-9/20-Parent Teacher Conferences- half days 11am release
  

• 10/3- September Student of the Month Assembly 8:00am- 6th grade presents
  

• 10/4- Grading Day-No School
  

• 10/7-10/11 Fall Break-No School

• 10/25 Fall Festival
  

• 11/5- Arizona Opera at Steele: Rusalka: The Littlest Mermaid 9:30-10:10am
  

We wanted to take a moment to share some positive vibes we have going on at Steele. Every Spring there is the School Quality Survey that is given to staff, students and parents/guardians. First we want to thank everyone who participated! We had record participation in this survey by families this past Spring with 477 completed surveys! Here are some highlights:

Parents/Guardians responses:

100% of are satisfied with the school's effort to teach their child writing & math.

98% re satisfied with the school's effort to teach their child reading.

98% are overall satisfied with our school.

Staff Responses:

100% staff believe we use academic data to improve instruction.

100% staff believe that teachers collaborate to help improve instruction at this school.

100% staff believe that student level interventions help to improve student achievement at this school.

100% staff are overall satisfied with our school.

Student Responses K-5:

93% of student like their school.

95% of student feel like their teachers encourages and help them to do their best

96% of students feel like teachers treat them with respect

Our annual Open House and Parent Meeting was on August 20th. We appreciate everyone who attended. Ms. Harris' presentation is available for review, please find it attached. For your convenience, we've also included an attachment of TUSD’s Student Code of Conduct.

• Drop off window is 7:15-7:40am
• Do not drop students off prior to 7:15am.
• If your child will be eating breakfast, please ensure they are dropped off no later than 7:30 so they have time to eat. The bell rings at 7:40am and students need to be lined up and ready to start class at 7:45am otherwise they will be considered tardy.

Pick Up: 1:55pm M, T, Th, F and 12:55 every Wednesday.

• During the first week your student should have received a colored card with their first name/teacher to put into your vehicle window. Having these name cards in vehicle significantly speeds up the release process for everyone.
• When you pull up, we will call your child via radio and load your child in a quick and safe manner.
• If you would like to walk and pick up children, you are welcome to park in the Kenyon lot and line up down by the Sarnoff entrance doors so the staff member at the door can call your child out of the cafeteria. Please make sure to get in line so that our staff can call your student out as quickly and orderly as possible.

• Students load and unload on the passenger side of the car, if necessary to load on the driver’s side only do so with staff assistance.
• Adults stay in your vehicle, staff will assist student in exiting and entering vehicles. Only load and unload in the zone where adults are present.
• Do not unload down the line and pull out.
• Follow traffic laws with regards to making U-turns in and out of the pick-up/drop-off line.
• DO NOT drop students off in the Kenyon parking lot, unless you park and walk them to the door. Follow staff directions during drop-off and pick-up. This is a parking lot with cars moving in and out and is UNSAFE to drop children off here.
• Always use the crosswalks if parking across Sarnoff on Kenyon to pick up students.
• Always model patience and kindness for our students.

We are excited to welcome visitors and volunteers back on campus, all guest on campus during school hours must sign-in through the front office. Families are welcome to come onto campus and join their child for breakfast in the cafeteria or before school recess and line up with their child without signing in. If a parent is staying past the school bell to volunteer, they must sign in through the front office.

Volunteering around the school and attending field trips: To ensure the safety of our students, all parent and non-parent volunteers must complete or update their application each school year.

Link to volunteer application below. Please contact our office staff if you need assistance. Plan ahead and fill out applications 2-3 weeks in advance to ensure you will be able to volunteer.

TUSD & Steele have partnered with the City of Tucson to provide low cost, on campus child care for grades K-6. Applications are online on the link below, registration opens July 18, 2024 8:00am. Don't delay, spots fill up fast. KIDCO will be offered every school day from dismissal to 6pm for children who have registered through the City of Tucson program (including half days and early dismissal Wednesdays).

If you are in need of financial assistance for the afterschool program, discount applications are available for City of Tucson residents only and must be submitted prior to registering your child online. Go to any City of Tucson Recreation center in person to apply.

Eastside centers are: Clements Center 520-791-4355 or Udall 520-791-4931

Steele will provide all the school supplies your children need while they are at school. Throughout the year, teachers may have donation requests for special projects and events. They will communicate through their Class Dojo page.

If you need assistance with getting your child a backpack or academic supplies for home, please contact our front office staff, and they will assist you.

Additionally, if you're interested in donating to your child's classroom, feel free to reach out to their teacher to discuss donation opportunities. Your support is always welcome and appreciated.

Hello, Steele Stallion families! My name is Kathy Conley. I am the new RTI (Response to Intervention) teacher. I will be working with the intermediate grades this year. My goal is to not only educate but to inspire our students to be curious, independent thinkers. I graduated from the University of Arizona. Go cats! I have been a teacher with Tucson Unified School District for 26 years. In my spare time I enjoy traveling, bird photography and arts and crafts. I am super excited to be part of the Steele community and look forward to getting to know the students and families!

Hi! My name is Ms. Zittlosen and I am a 5th grade teacher at Steele Elementary. I graduated with my Bachelor's in Education from the University of Arizona and Master's in Instructional Technology. I have spent six of my nine years teaching at Steele Elementary! Teaching has brought me a lot of joy as I work with students to be the best learners they can be. Math is my favorite subject to teach!

In my free time, I like to spend time with family (especially my niece who is almost 1), friends, and my dog, Tucker. I enjoy spending time reading, writing, and dancing.

I’m Kristin Kamell, fifth-grade teacher. This is my second-year teaching at Steele, and I'm excited to be teaching alongside Brianna Zittlosen. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona, where I earned a BA in Literature with a minor in Humanities. I’m currently part of the Tucson Unified Teacher Development Academy pilot program.

Teaching has always been my passion, and I’m thrilled to start my career at Steele. As a proud mom of two adult daughters and a recent grandma, I bring a wealth of life experience to the classroom. I’m looking forward to a fantastic school year!

Hello! It's great to be with you on campus at Steele. This will be my 18th year teaching and I'm excited to be teaching 6th grade this year. I graduated from the University of Arizona... Go Wildcats!! I have an awesome husband and 5 amazing children that love to play sports. I am their biggest fan and truly enjoy supporting them on their EPIC journey in life. We always take time to get away from our everyday life to celebrate each other at the most Happiest Place on Earth. Disneyland is where we go to make memories! We also enjoy just hanging out together at home together. I truly appreciate the warm welcome from the faculty and staff. I look forward to a wonderful year in my classroom supporting my students to continue their journey as life-long learners!!

Our Super Stallion Staff!

Tom Beech – Band (itinerant)

Robin Bizub- TA & Monitor

Courtney Braren- Teacher- 3rd grade

Julie Christy- Speech Language Pathologist

Kathy Conley- RTI Teacher

Kim Ducsay- Cafeteria Manager

Lee Ezrre- Preschool Teacher

Jennifer Ferrell- Office Manager

Emily Freed- Curriculum Support Provider/Testing Coordinator

Julie Friberg Teacher ELD (itinerant)

Camella Gabato- 3rd grade teacher

Patrice Gant- Health Assistant

Ava Han -TA Preschool (Ms. Lee’s classroom)

Sarah Howard- OMA- Art grades K-3/CCP/CCI

Kristin Kamell- 5th grade teacher

Shayla Knight – Ex. Ed-Gen Ed. TA

Eusebia Limones- Day Custodian

Samantha Munsey -Attendance & Registration Tech

Kim Lonsway – Occupational Therapist (itinerant)

Jolene Luquin (Gen. Ed. TA/small group interventions-part time)

Vanessa Matthews- TA- CCP Program

Meghan McClafferty- Gen. Ed. TA

Emily McDuffie- Counselor (part time)

Melody Morehouse – School Nurse (Itinerant)

GATE- itinerant- Judith Moritz

Susan Montgomery- Lunchtime Monitor (2hrs)

Hannah Norville 4th grade

Christina Payette Library Asst. & Monitor

Jessica Paz- TA- CCI Program

Robin Reddix- Teacher Kindergarten

Victoria Reyes- TA CCP Program

Estella Robertson Preschool Teacher Ex. Ed. Inclusion

Amy Rocha- Teacher-6th grade

Karen Seabolt- School Counselor

Cynthia “Cindy” Serafini – Teacher Ex. Ed. Resource

Peter Shibuya-School Psychologist- (itinerant)

Kimber Silva-Munsey- MTSS Facilitator

Ira Stenlund - CCI Teacher

Marie Taylor- Teacher 2nd grade

Raiden Thaler -Violin & Orchestra grades 4-6th

Victor Weerasuriya-TA Preschool (Robertson- Ex. Ed. Inclusion Pre-School Program)

Katherine “Kate” Woll- Teacher – CCP Program

Brianna Zittlosen- Teacher 5th grade/Site Council Facilitator

Celeste Zylks – Teacher 1st grade

TBD-PM Custodian

TBD- TA Preschool (Robertson- Ex. Ed. Inclusion Pre-School Program