Quail Run Community Newsletter

Dear Quail Run Families,

Happy New Year!! I hope you all enjoyed a fun and restful holiday break. We had an amazing first semester at Quail Run. We look forward to a second semester full of fun and engaging experiences as well as seeing our students showing continued success and academic progress. We look forward to sharing with you about your child´s progress at Parent Teacher Conferences this month. The links to sign up for a conference will be sent out on January 15.

Please consider making your tax-credit donation to our school. I provided all the information below. These are funds you can allocate directly to our school community instead of paying them on your federal taxes. It is a great way to ensure our school receives extra needed funding. Please share this information with grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, etc. Every donation counts!

If you know anyone interested in Kindergarten next year, please send them our way. We hope to attract new families who will continue our school´s legacy and honor our focus on student success. They can contact the school and we will get them the information they need to enroll. We also have a link to sign up for school tours on our website.

I hope to see you at Rubios and Donuts with Grownups this month!

Your Partner in Education,

Vicky Raymond

Proud Principal

Our tax credit donations provide countless opportunities to our QR students. We need your help to replenish this fund! Please consider making your tax-credit donation to our school and speaking with family and friends to join you. Our tax credit funds have been used this year to scholarship students for field trips and provide materials for our Quails ROCK! PBIS program.

It is easy to do this online - just visit this website! Make sure to select Quail Run Elementary School.

Making a contribution to receive an Arizona public education tax credit is simple. You can get a tax credit of up to $200 for an individual or $400 per married couple.

Tax credit eligible fees paid and contributions made to a public school from January 1 through April 15 of any calendar year may be used as a tax credit on either the prior or current year's tax return. For additional information, contact the Finance Department at 602-449-2033.

Arizona tax law allows taxpayers a credit for contributions made or fees paid to a public school for support of extracurricular activities or character education (as defined in ARS 15-719). If married, taxpayers file separate returns: Each spouse may claim one-half of the credit that would have been allowed on a joint return. Extracurricular activities such as sports, band, speech and debate, or overnight field trips are generally not fully funded by school districts, so your donation directly supports students.

The second semester of school accounts for the majority of the growth your child will make this school year. I have been sharing attendance information with our families this year to transparently show our high absence rate and the impact it is having on our school. Our new reading curriculum utilizes conversations, partner and group work, and class activities. It is very challenging to make up missed work and other students are at a disadvantage when someone is absent.

Mid-Year Update

Our teachers continue to face challenges with balancing teaching their classes with catching up students who have missed school. Our average attendance rate for the first semester of school was 80%. This means on any given day, we are missing 2 out of every 10 students at Quail. If a teacher has 30 students in their class, that means approximately SIX students are absent each day. All students who are trending chronically absent (missing 10%+ of school) will be receiving attendance letters from the school.

What can our community do to help??

• When your child is absent from school, help them with their make up work at home so the teachers can focus on moving forward. Your child has the number of days they were absent for make up work. They need to be graded on the assignments they missed in school or they are missing grades in the grade book.
• Work to schedule vacations, personal days, appointments, etc. on non-school days!
• Encourage your student to come to school whenever possible. Your child should stay home if they have a fever or have thrown up in the last 24 hours.
• Talk to your child about school every day and create a shared excitement for learning. We LOVE having them here and there are so many fun, engaging experiences and new things learned each day. Ask them which friend they like to sit with at lunch, what they did in special areas, what they talked about during IB time, what books they are reading, etc.
• Utilize the absence line to call us and let us know if they are going to be absent. It helps cut down our time on reaching out to families. Teachers can see the reason the student is absent if you call the absence line.

As we move into the cooler weather and the season of layering, please label your children´s outerwear. Last year, we had over 300 unlabeled jackets in the lost and found. If the clothing item has a name on it, we can return it to the student. We appreciate it!

Please join me in cheering on Grayson Reber, our school Spelling Bee Champion, as he heads to the district spelling bee this month. We all know you are going to ROCK the spelling bee. We know you are going to make us proud!

Please join me in welcoming two new Quail Run staff members this week!

Ms. Barger is our new Kindergarten teacher! She will be taking over the Cardinals class for the second semester. We are so grateful to Mrs. Liang for the experience she provided these students first semester. We look forward to seeing her all over campus again!

Mr. Burns is joining us as our new Band Teacher. We are thrilled to bring this opportunity back to Quail and hope to soon hear those drums and tubas on campus! We will be reaching out soon to our 4th-6th grade students and families with more information.

Spring conferences will take place the week of January 27. Conferences may be scheduled before or after school. Late-night conferences will be Wednesday, January 29. Thursday and Friday, January 30 and 31 will be early release days. Conference sign-up links will be sent out next week on January 15. Please take this opportunity to review your child’s progress with his or her teacher.

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

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

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

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

On behalf of the snowman project recipients, I extend our sincerest gratitude for your incredible generosity during the holiday season. Your overwhelming support of our project made a tremendous impact on our students in need. Thanks to your kindness, we were able to fulfill the wish lists of over 20 children, providing them with gifts that brought smiles, warmth, and joy during a special time of year. Your willingness to open your caring hearts and share with others truly embodies IB action and the spirit of the holidays at our school.

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!

Have you signed up for our PTO website? 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

Please join us for our next PTO meeting on Monday, January 13th at 3:30 pm in the school library! Childcare will be provided.

All Quail families are PTO members, and everyone is invited to attend. We hope to see you there!

Donuts with Grownups

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E44A4A72CA13-54340703-donuts

Carnival: sign up for a volunteer slot and get 1 free wristband!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E44A4A72CA13-54340179-spring

We are having our January Restaurant Night at Rubios on Tatum and Bell on Friday, January 17. Except it is not just at night--it's an all day event, 10:30am-9:00pm. That means you can stop by for lunch or dinner or any time in between from open to close. Make sure to show the flyer (or use code "DONATE" if ordering online) so Quail Run can receive 30% of the proceeds. Such a fun and easy way to help out our school.

• 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.

Something So Worth It charity is hosting its 5th annual All Abilities Marketplace. They invite you to have your child host a free vendor booth where they can sell their items or services to the community, earn their own money, practice entrepreneurship, while learning inclusion among all types of children. All kids ages 3-18 are invited to participate. This family friendly event features musical performers, food trucks, bounce houses and mini horses. Register at www.somethingsoworthit.org/marketplace

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.

Jan. 13: PTO Meeting at 3:30 pm

Jan. 14: Student Council Meeting at 8 am, officers arrive at 7:45 am

Jan. 14: Early Release at 12:30 pm

Jan. 15: QR Spirit Day - Wear your Quail Run or blue shirt!

Jan. 16: PVSchools Governing Board Meeting at 6:30 pm

Jan. 17: Yearbook Meeting at 8:15 am

Jan. 17: District Spelling Bee

Jan. 17: Rubio´s Fundraiser - All Day

Jan. 20: No School, MLK/Civil Rights Day

Jan. 21: 100th Day of School

Jan. 23: Student Council Campus Pride at 7:45 am

Jan. 24: Donuts with Grownups at 8:00 am

Jan. 27 - 31: Spring Parent/Teacher Conference Week

Jan. 30: Early Release at 12:30 pm

Jan. 31: Early Release at 12:30 pm

Feb. 6: 2nd/4th Grade Seussical the Musical Field Trip

Feb. 6: PVSchools Governing Board Meeting at 6:30 pm

Feb. 10: PTO Meeting at 3:30 pm

Feb. 11: Student Council Meeting at 8 am, officers arrive at 7:45 am

Feb. 11: 4th-6th Field Day

Feb. 11: Early Release at 12:30 pm

Feb. 12: 3rd Grade Phoenix Zoo Field Trip

Feb. 13: Picture Day: Class Photos, Club Photos, and optional Spring Personality photos

Feb. 13: School Council Meeting at 3:30 pm

Feb. 17: No School, President´s Day Recess

Feb. 20: PVSchools Governing Board Meeting at 6:30 pm

Feb. 21: Yearbook Meeting at 8:15 am

Feb. 22: Spring Carnival

Feb. 25: Student Council Campus Pride at 7:45 am

Feb. 26: 6th Grade IB Exhibition Kickoff

Feb. 27: School Emergency Response Team Meeting at 9:30 am

Feb. 28: Rally Point Evacuation Drill at 9 am

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