Bobcat Bulletin

Wow, just wow! We raised over 3,000 in donations for a sister school in DVUSD. THANK YOU families and to the entire Sonoran Foothills Community for giving back and putting kindness and generosity at the forefront of what we do here at SF. Donations have been delivered to the school and they can't thank us enough. Due to the high amount of donations the sister school shared with another school in need in DVUSD.

YOU are making an impact on kids and families in our DVUSD community.

Thank you!

Early Release Fridays in September

Dimissal is at 2:00pm. Kindergarteners dismiss at 1:45

September 13th

September 20th

September 27th

What is a PLC?

A Professional Learning Community (PLC) is a collaborative approach to professional development where educators work together to improve their teaching skills and the academic performance of their students. Within a PLC, teachers regularly meet to discuss and analyze student performance data, share teaching strategies, and develop interventions to address any learning gaps. The core idea is to foster a culture of continuous improvement and collective responsibility for student success.

Why Do We Have Early Release for PLC Time?

Early release days are scheduled to provide our teachers with dedicated time to engage in PLC activities without the distraction of other school responsibilities. This uninterrupted time is essential for effective collaboration and planning. Here are some key reasons for this:

1. Focused Collaboration: Teachers can work together to analyze student data, identify learning trends, and develop targeted strategies to support each student's academic growth.

2. Professional Development: PLC time allows teachers to share best practices, attend training sessions, and stay current with educational research and methodologies.

3. Consistency and Continuity: Regularly scheduled PLC time ensures that collaborative efforts are ongoing and consistent, which is crucial for long-term improvement in teaching and learning.

4. Improved Student Outcomes: Research shows that schools with strong PLCs tend to see higher student achievement. By investing time in professional collaboration, we are directly investing in our students' success.

Important Dates for September:

Monday, September 2nd: No school, Labor Day

Wednesday, September 4th: Picture Day

Friday, September 6th: Last day to donate to our Step It Up Fundraiser

Friday, September 13th: Quarter 1 TRACKS Assembly. Meet us at the flagpole from 8:45-9:00am.

September 23-27th: Book Fair

September 26th: PIE Night (Parents In Education Night) 5:00-6:00pm

We are SO excited to watch our baseball and softball athletes take the field starting September 3rd!

2024-2025 Schedules

Sonoran Foothills Baseball Game Schedule

Sonoran Foothills Softball Game Schedule

Our softball team is being coached by Cami Jones, first grade Sonoran Foothills Teacher. She shared, "I am thrilled to be a Bobcat and to be coaching the 2024 softball season! Growing up I played softball and a few other club sports. I am very excitd to grow and learn with this group of student athletes. The team kicked off the season with a team bonding celebration, along many days of practice in the AZ heat. Go girls!

My name is Coach Sanchez, this is my second year as head baseball coach at Sonoran Foothills. Born and raised in Texas, baseball has been my first love ever since I can remember. I was very fortunate to play baseball for 4 years at Central Christian College of Kansas in McPherson, Kansas. Along the way I learned more and more about the game and was able to pick the brains of so many great players and coaches. After graduating and receiving my degree, I returned home and was offered the opportunity to coach at the middle school level. Throughout my college and post college career I was able to work with many athletes ranging from youth ages all the way to the college level. I would come to find that coaching at the middle school level was one of the most rewarding in relation to the impact a coach can have on an athletes life. After moving to Arizona in July of 2023 and marrying my college sweetheart, I come to find myself with another opportunity to impact the lives of young athletes through the game I love here at Sonoran Foothills.

Nurse Christine could use some help with clothing items below. If you are able to help it would be greatly appreciated!

Clothing donations :

Boys and Girls shorts size 6 to size 10/12

Women's shorts size small

New Underwear:

Girls size 10

Women's size small

SF staff wants to thank you for your support and cooperation with our dress code and technology expectations. Please refer to this letter that outlines our expectations. Students will be dress coded and asked to change if not adhering to the dress code. We ask that all electronic devices are out of sign and silenced/on vibrate. These procedural changes are aimed at enhancing student safety and minimizing classroom disruprtions to enhance student learning.

We have done it, our first month has come and gone. We have loved getting to know our students. Thank you for trusting us with your children. We have changed a couple things with our routine from last year. The kids have adapted well and are up for the new challenges. For student and campus safety, the front gate will close at 8:00am effective immediately. Bobcat Burrow is still open and available to you until 8:30am, please come through the office and they will have you walk in with your child to us.

If you are needing childcare during fall break (October 7th-11th) Sonoran Foothills is one of 2 schools holding camp that week for DVUSD kids. To register go to https://deervalley.ce.eleyo.com Registration closes September 22nd.

If you or someone you know is looking for work, we are hiring, here at Bobcat Burrow. Open to High School students as well. They can reach out to Dina Sands Dina.Sands@dvusd.org and/or to me.

If your kids will be absent after school, and not attending our program, please send me a text, email or call. To contact, email eva.bray-pollastrini@dvusd.org and/or call/text us at 623-692-7507.

When reporting an absence for your child please use our 24-hour attendance line at 623-445-8490.

Our much anticipated fall book fair arrives this month! Dinosaurs didn’t read… and they went extinct! Dig into a great read! The fair will kick off with classroom previews 9/19-20 during school hours and everyone is invited to stop in Monday, 9/23 through Friday, 9/27. We even have a special family PIE NIGHT on Thurday, 9/26 and the fair will be open until 6:30!

To make the fair a HUGE success takes volunteers. Mrs. Crabbs welcomes you to sign up for slot or two if you are volunteer trained. Check availability at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F054CA5AC29A6FC1-50565358-scholastic#/

Additionally, eWallets are available to make shopping the fair easy and safe! Parents may sign up/reactivate eWallets for their child. If your child had a balance after the spring fair, you should receive an email from Scholastic Books one week prior to our fair on how to apply the balance to a new ewallet. This is a secure, cash-free way for your child to shop at the fair! There is no charge to set up an eWallet. Plus, this is a great way for friends and family to help share the love of reading, so be sure to share the link! Visit https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/sfbobcats924.

Finally, remember that we now charge tax, 8.6%. For every dollar, bring a dime and you’ll have enough every time. To make sales transactions easier and benefit our PTSA, we are asking parents to consider ROUNDING UP at our fall fair. At our last fair there was nothing less than 75 cents (bookmark). Mrs. Crabbs will work with students to use as much of their money as possible. The difference rounded up to the nearest whole dollar will go to Share the Fair (formerly All for Books) to benefit our new book vending machine provided by our wonderful PTSA! Over the course of the school year, students have the opportunity to earn a book as a reward! PTSA will need books to replenish the machine. Students rounding up will receive a ticket to enter to win one of two special prizes at the book fair! It's a real win-win and we hope you and your child will say YES to rounding up!

Happy reading and see you at the fair!

24-25 Cross Country

Students who are interested in having FUN while getting physically and mentally stronger, JOIN Cross Country to work with some AMAZING COACHES! All 5th - 8th graders are invited and welcomed to join! We want you to be part of our growing program! Practice will be Monday - Thursday 7:30am-8:30am beginning September 23rd and running until December 14th.

Mandatory Parent Meeting on Wednesday, September 18th at 5pm in The Lab. Athletes are welcome to attend too.

Athletic paperwork (including a sports physical dated May 2024 to current) MUST be completed through www.registermyathlete.com PRIOR to Monday, September 23rd. Once an account is created, all forms can be accessed through the website. Completed forms should be uploaded on the RMA website. Email the athletic coordinator sarah.gummow@dvusd.org if you have questions regarding athletic paperwork.

The safety of all our children is our foremost concern and we ask that your patience and cooperation before and after school to keep everyone safe during pick up and drop off. Below is a list of critical information to ensure safe arrival and dismissal procedures so we kindly ask that you read this informatoin entirely:

• Please follow the designated traffic flow patterns as you enter and exit our campus.

• Please observe speed limits when driving on or near our campus! 15 mph on the street, and 5 mph on school grounds.

• Young children may not run and play in the front of the school, or outside the administration building.

• Do not block walkways if waiting for students.

• Please do not text on your phone while picking up or dropping off students.

• There is absolutely no standing on the sidewalk by our bus bay. Parents please pick up your student and move away from this area so that we can unload and load our students from the bus safely.

Do not park in student drop-off and pick up areas, bus areas, and other no parking areas. If you park and pick up your child, please get out of your car and meet them in the parent pick-up area and walk them back to the car using designated crosswalks. Having your child cross alone and get into your car while you are in the parking lot is not safe and will not be allowed.

Cars parked in fire lanes and other no parking zones may be reported to the authorities. This is for the safety of our students.

Students may not arrive earlier than 8:30 AM unless they are attending a scheduled activity. Students are not permitted to wait in the office. Breakfast starts at 8:30 AM in the MPR. Staff supervision on campus begins at 8:30 AM. Do not drop your children off before 8:30, as there will be no supervision.

All students are required to leave the school campus immediately after dismissal, unless they are involved in after-school campus activities.

Crosswalks

School crosswalks and crossing guards are provided by the City of Phoenix and the Deer Valley Unified School District, respectively, for your child's protection. Please encourage your child to use these crosswalks and not to cross school driveways or busy streets at any other points. We care about the safety of our children and know you will expect them to take advantage of the precautions established for their protection. Parents, please model safe and cooperative behavior for your child and all of our students.

Bronco Butte & N. North Foothills DR is not a parent drop off and pick up area provided by Sonoran Foothills School. Please use the designated areas to drop off and pick up your student. Having students cross this street is extremely dangerous as this is not an area that the City of Phoenix has identified as a school crosswalk thus, there is not a crossing guard in this area.

• Last date to register to vote - October 7, 2024

• First date to vote by early ballot - October 9, 2024

• Last date to request early ballot - October 25, 2024

• Deadline to Vote Early In-Person - November 1, 2024

• Election day - November 5, 2024

• 8:45 is the start of our academic day, kids who are not in class at 8:45 will need to report to the office to obtain a late pass.
• After 3:15, no changes to a child's dismissal can be made.
• Please do not text or call your students cell phone during the school day. School phones are available for use with staff permission.
• We do not collect or deliver items forgotten at home such as: PE clothes, a school project, or other miscellaneous items. We do this to maximize instruction and not interrupt our classroom learning environments.
• Examples of items we will take are: glasses, water bottles, Chromebooks, and medicine.
• Attendance is monitored frequently and consistently. Attendance warnings will be sent home for students who are absent more than 10% of days in session or who have accumulated 5+ tardies in relation to the state statue (A.R.S. 15-802 or A.R.S. 15-803).
• If you have a concern or question regarding progress, grades, or behavior, please first go to the child's teacher per our DVUSD Problem Solving Guidance.
• If you are volunteering on campus or attending a classroom event please sign-in and out at the front office.

We encourage and invite you to follow along by following our social media accounts below:

Facebook: Sonoran Foothills School

Instagram: SonoranFoothills_Bobcats

Twitter (X): BobcatsSF