WELCOME BACK TO 24/25 SCHOOL YEAR!

Sundance is a student-centered education that fosters personal growth and academic success.

Hey there, Mustang Families & Community!

I'm Robiah Nelson, the proud principal at Sundance Elementary. I've been a part of the BESD for about 18 years and have been working in education for the past 22 years, with seven of those years spent right here at Sundance. Thank you for choosing Sundance as your child's school!

We have high expectations for our staff, students, and families, but we also have a fun, loving, and fair team that works hard to ensure our students succeed both academically and socially.

I can't wait for the upcoming school year at Sundance and am excited to work together with our families and community to make a great team!chool year here at Sundance and working with the families and community as we make a great team!

I look forward to meeting everyone on Monday, August 5th, for Meet the Teacher Night from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm! Please check your emails to fill out the ParentVue information.

Administration: Mrs. Nelson and Ms. Bleau

Front Office: Mrs. Arias, Ms. Cervantes, and Miss Santana

Maintenance Manager: Mr. Olson

Cafe Manager: Ms. Cortez

Kindergarten: Mrs. Cruz , Mrs. Montejo, and Ms. Gollihare

1st Grade: Ms. Hall and Mrs. Wesnitzer

2nd Grade: Ms. Daly and Mr. Sulit

3rd Grade: Miss Goddard, Ms. Robson, and Mrs. Ocampo

4th Grade: Ms. Hernandez, Mr. Downey, and Ms. Arsenault

5th Grade: Mrs. Schuett, Mr. Bitterolf, and Miss Armas

6th Grade: Ms. Willis, Mr. Owusu, and Mrs. Lorenzen

7th Grade: Mrs. Callaghan, Mrs. Ingiosi, and Ms. Davis

8th Grade: Mr. Holliday, Mrs. Glenn, and Ms. Murray

Special Area: Ms. Bhullar, Mrs. Ibo, Ms. Onofre, Mr. Urquijo, and Mrs. J.Hernandez

Special Services: Ms. Cortez, Mrs. Mundo, Mrs. Rivas, Ms. Maxwell, Ms. Carugda, Mrs. Barnett, Ms. Almaraz, and Mrs. Becker

Paraprofessionals: Mrs. Jarzabek, Mrs. Truijillo, Mrs. Maciel, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Peralta, Mrs. Tinoco, Ms. Almenta, Ms. Diaz, Ms. Kaur, and Ms. Jones

Playground Aides: Mrs. Rodriguez, Mrs. C. Hernandez, and Mrs. Gomez

Your child is responsible for gathering work missed during their absence. Please call (623) 866-6003 to report an absence on the attendance line. Call in and report the absence each day the student is absent. This will ensure your child's absence will be excused. Any absence not verified within 24 hours will be classified as unexcused.

Classes will have incentives to celebrate the least amount of tardies and absences for each quarter.

Breakfast and lunch will be available to all students on campus as meals, but isn't free for all students. Once students arrive, they may eat breakfast in the cafeteria or report to their designated play area on the playground. Families are highly encouraged to complete the lunch application regardless of whether they think their child isn't eligible for free or reduced lunch. This process helps identify the number of students that qualify and provides additional funds for summer meal programs for our district. We aim for 100% of application returns as this helps our school.

The warning bell will ring at 7:45 am for students to line up. The teachers will pick students up from the playground.

Students should be dropped off no earlier than 7:30 a.m. If you are interested in accessing before and after-school care through the B.A.S.E. program provided by the City of Buckeye, please contact 623-349-6350 or email recreation@buckeyeaz.gov.

All students will use the side entrance of the cafeteria between 7:30 a.m. and 7:59 a.m. They can have breakfast or go to the playground, where teachers will supervise from 7:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. Students must enter through the front office if arriving after 8:00 a.m.

Starting this school year, 2nd-8th grade students will have morning recess on the back playground with designated play areas based on their grade levels. Only 6th-8th graders will be allowed on the field for soccer and football activities in the mornings. Kinder and 1st grade students will wait inside the gym until they are escorted to their play area.

During pick-up, please stay in your vehicle if you are picking up your child by car. Kindly cooperate and be patient, especially during the first week of school. The pick-up process will become more efficient after the initial adjustment period. The principal will call out your child's name as you approach. Follow the instructions given by staff to ensure a smooth process. For 6th-8th grade students, please do not arrive before the 2:45 p.m. dismissal time.

When dropping off and picking up, please pull all the way forward to help maintain an organized and efficient flow of traffic and prevent any disruptions to Yuma Rd.

Kinder - 2nd Graders 2:35 pm

3rd - 5th Grade 2:40 pm

6th-8th Grade 2:45 pm

Busses leave the school at 2:50 pm

Parents or legal guardians are required to present identification when retrieving a student early from school at the front office. Students may be released early before 2:15 pm, although it is recommended that they remain in school unless there is a genuine emergency. It is important to coordinate with your child's teacher, as students are required to complete district and state assessments once testing has begun and cannot resume testing after leaving for the day. After 2:15 pm, parents will not be granted access to the building for student pick-up unless there is a medical emergency.

The safety of students and drivers on the school bus is a top priority for the district. Riding the bus is a privilege that we take seriously. In cases where safety is compromised by students, there may be consequences that could result in the loss of bus privileges.

Bus drivers are dedicated to ensuring that students are aware of and follow bus rules. In case of an emergency on the bus, the bus driver will provide instructions on the appropriate actions to take.

All students receive bus evacuation practice drills each year, even if they do not ride the bus regularly. These drills are important for teaching bus safety and evacuation procedures.

Please remind your child about the importance of following safety requirements on the bus, such as remaining seated while the bus is in motion, keeping voice levels down, facing forward, and showing respect to others, especially the bus driver. Your support in reinforcing these safety measures is greatly appreciated.

Open and effective communication is essential to the success of our students and staff members each day. We understand that parents may have questions, concerns, or suggestions from time to time, and we value your input.

• If you have a question or concern, we kindly ask that you first reach out to your child's teacher via phone or email, even if the issue pertains to the teacher themselves.
• If you feel that your inquiry was not fully addressed, please contact the school front office (Administrative Assistant) for further assistance. Our front office staff is committed to maintaining your privacy, so please feel free to share the details of your situation with them.
• If necessary, the administrative assistant may provide a resolution or direct you to the assistant principal for additional support.
• Should you still require assistance, you are welcome to schedule an appointment by phone or in-person with either Principal Mrs. Nelson or Assistant Principal Ms. Bleau through Ms. Cervantes, the administrative assistant.

By following this chain of command, we are confident that any concerns you may have will be addressed promptly and effectively. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us create a supportive and collaborative school environment.

We genuinely encourage fingerprint-cleared volunteers on campus. Volunteers are there to help all children with the teacher's direction. Volunteers may be prompted to volunteer in classrooms outside and inside their child's classroom. If volunteering disrupts the students learning, services may be stopped for that volunteer. Visitors/Volunteers, please contact the teacher or front office to schedule an appointment with a teacher or administrator. All visitors must check in with the office first. BESD Volunteer Process

Our PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) is amazing and could definitely use an hour of your services at least once or twice during the school year. Please email and visit our PTA table at Meet the Teacher Night. If you would have questions sooner, you may email the PTA president Chris Friedl at PTA.Sundance.Mustangs@gmail.com

We kindly ask for your help in reminding your child to keep track of their belongings such as jackets, water bottles, and lunch boxes. In the event that they misplace any items, they can check the lost and found located outside the gym door.

As the end of the quarter approaches, we have limited storage space and unfortunately, we are unable to keep all lost items. Any unclaimed items will be donated at the end of each quarter.

Students will have the opportunity to use one-to-one devices provided by the school. These devices will be kept on campus and charged in the classrooms. Please note that personal devices are not permitted on school grounds as they will not be able to connect to our district WiFi. The teacher will ensure that the devices are kept charged and will distribute them to students as needed during class.

Start early in making sure your child can receive their Chromebook/Laptop. Please fill out the agreement. Students cannot receive a Chromebook/Laptop until the agreement is filled out by the parent/guardian.

Chromebook Agreement

We kindly invite you to join us on Monday, August 5th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm to meet your child's teacher and tour the classroom. Class lists will be posted in front of the school at 23800 West Hadley Street Buckeye, AZ.

We are also excited to offer Street Tacos for purchase onsite, providing a convenient dinner option after your classroom visits. If you would like to enjoy some tacos and more, please remember to bring money. Unfortunately, on this night sandwiches and burgers will not be for sale.

At the end of the last school year, the teachers and staff dedicated significant effort to ensure that student placement was based on learning styles and social considerations. We take pride in striving for balanced classrooms and appropriate class sizes at each grade level. Once the administration has finalized the class lists, it becomes difficult to move students without causing imbalances and inequities.

During WIN (What I Need) time, students will have the opportunity to attend other grade-level teachers' classrooms to receive targeted instruction in specific skills. This means that students will have the chance to learn from each of the grade-level teachers throughout the school year during the 30 to 45 minutes of WIN time.

Personal Supply List Link

Community Supply List Link