Cragin Community Update

Dear Cragin Families,

As we prepare to welcome the New Year, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support throughout the first semester. It has been a joyful and fulfilling time, made even more special by the contributions of our wonderful students, families, and staff. Your dedication and involvement in our school community have truly made a difference.

This holiday season may your homes be filled with love, warmth, and joy. I hope you find time to recharge and enjoy precious moments with your loved ones. We are incredibly grateful for everything you do to support our students and make Cragin a place of growth and community.

I would also like to take a moment to recognize the Cragin Choir, who participated in the Pima County Board of Supervisors Meeting. What started as a community-inspired project has now broadened its potential horizons, showcasing the talent and spirit of our students to a wider audience. We are so proud of their hard work and dedication.

Additionally, I want to recognize Ismail Cisse, our Student Council Treasurer, who led the Pledge of Allegiance at the meeting. Ismail, we are so proud of you and the leadership you have shown. You truly exemplify the spirit of Cragin!

As we look ahead to the second semester, I am filled with excitement and hope. Together, we will continue to build on the success of the first half of the year, creating more memories and opportunities for our students to thrive.

Wishing you all a peaceful and joyful holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

With gratitude,

Principal Rodriguez

alexander.rodriguez@tusd1.org

• Tuesday, December 2nd
• Cafecito/ Coffee Talk with the Principal @8:45am Room 5
• Family Engagement Meeting @9:45am Room 5
• Friday, December 6th
• PTO Movie Night - Abominable @5:30pm Cafeteria
• Tuesday, December 10th
• PTO Meeting @5:15pm Library
• Monday, December 16th
• Cragin Community Morning Gathering 8:30am Courtyard
• Monday, December 16th - Thursday, December 19th
• Spirit Week - Stay Tuned for Spirit Week themes chosen by Student Council
• Tuesday, December 17th
• Cragin Choir Performing at the Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting @9am
• Wednesday, December 18th
• OMA Winter Dance Performance @9:30am Cafeteria
• Thursday, December 19th
• Recess Piñata Party @11-12:45pm
• Friday, December 20th
• Grading Day - No school
• Monday, December 23rd- Friday, January 3rd
• Winer Break - No School

• Monday, January 6th
• First Day of Third Quarter (RETURN FROM WINTER BREAK)
• Wednesday, January 8th
• Site Council Meeting @3:30pm ZOOM
• Friday, January 10th
• 2nd Quarter K-2nd grade Awards Assembly 9:30am Cafeteria
• 2nd Quarter 3-5th grade Awards Assembly 1:30pm Cafeteria
• Monday, January 13th
• Cafecito @8:45am Room 5 Tentative
• Tuesday, January 14th
• PTO Meeting @5:15pm Library
• MORE DATES to come

We had our first official Cragin Community Gathering on Monday, December 16th. This will be a weekly occurrence, so from that Monday forward, we will have a Great Gathering in the courtyard (unless it is too cold, or it is raining). Families were welcome to be a part of this community event.

Since this was our first Great Gathering, it was likely longer than our future gatherings. We had a performance by our Cragin Choir, which added to the excitement of the occasion. We hoped to build excitement and pride as we united our school community through this new Cragin tradition.

We are bursting with pride to share that our Cragin Choir had the incredible opportunity to participate in the Pima County Board of Supervisors Meeting! From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by Supervisor Adelita Grijalva and her amazing staff. Supervisor Grijalva dedicated heartfelt words to our choir, and we were even featured on her social media!

We were also honored to celebrate Supervisor Lee, who oversees the region where our school is located. To make it even more special, Supervisor Lee is a former Cragin student, and it was truly amazing to honor her in this way!

What began as a community-inspired project has now expanded its reach, showcasing the incredible talent and spirit of our students to a broader audience. The hard work and dedication of our Cragin Choir have truly paid off, and we couldn’t be more proud of them!

A special thank you to Ismail Cisse, our Student Council Treasurer, who led the Pledge of Allegiance at the meeting. Ismail, you represented our school with such poise and pride!

We are so excited about what’s to come, and we can’t wait to see what other amazing opportunities our students will take on next!

Hello Cragin Families!

We are thrilled to share some exciting news with you! Our newly created Student Council board has voted on this Winter's Spirit Week December 16-19th, and it's going to be a fun and festive one! We can't wait to celebrate together!

Here’s the lineup for Spirit Week:

12/16 - Monday - Pajama Day - Wear your favorite cozy pajamas!

12/ 17 - Tuesday - Crazy Day - Mix and match socks and clothing, crazy hair, crazy hats!

12/ 18 - Wednesday - Disney / Marvel Day - Wear your favorite Disney or Marvel outfit!

12/19 - Thursday - Rainbow Day - Each grade will wear a color previously randomly chosen by one of our council members

Pre-K - Purple

Kinder - Red

1st - Orange

2nd - Blue

3rd - Yellow

4th - Green

5th - Pink

Let’s make the last week of school full of joy and school spirit! We can’t wait to see everyone’s creative outfits!

-Student Council

Hello Cragin Families!

You’re cordially invited to join us for our 3rd-5th Grade OMA Winter Performance next Wednesday, December 18th at 9:30 AM in the cafeteria! 🎶🎉

Come celebrate the season with our talented students as they share their amazing performances! We can’t wait to see you there and spread some holiday cheer together!

We’re thrilled to announce that Family Engagement is hosting a Piñata Party on December 19th during each grade’s recess! After lunch, each grade will head to the courtyard for some fun and excitement, where they’ll get to take turns hitting a piñata (one piñata per grade, handmade by our Family Engagement team)!

Join us during the week of December 9 – 13 mornings to lend a hand in making these piñatas. We’d also appreciate any donations of newspaper or other materials!

After the fun, students will snap a group picture and each will receive a goody bag filled with popcorn to enjoy in class or take home.

Let’s kick off winter break with a bang! We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone! 🎉

Join us once a month for a cup of coffee with Mr. Rodriguez to share ideas and have meaningful discussions! We are thrilled to have you be a part of this. This month, we came up with the fun idea of making piñatas. Even though the parents had never made piñatas before, they eagerly took on the challenge and created them for the kids, ensuring we end the semester with a big bang! Thank you!

Parent volunteers are welcome on Campus! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact our office manager (Ms. Lupita Rivera-Madrid) or our Community Liaison (Ms. Karina Acuña) to learn how you can volunteer throughout the year. We also highly encourage families to attend PTO Meetings and Cafecitos / Coffee Talks to learn ways how you can support our school. Please register as volunteers on the TUSD website (https://jobs.tusd1.org/volunteer) as the process takes a few weeks. For all non-parental volunteers, please contact the front office before registering as a volunteer so we can explain the process and coordinate.

Reminders

Please sign-in at the front office anytime you are on campus.

• President - Liz Niemeyer
• VP - Pat Schwichtenberg
• Secretary - Liz Niemeyer (Interim)
• Treasurer - Jonathan Niemeyer

A big thank you to all the parents who attended our Movie Night! We look forward to seeing you at our next event!

All students are eligible!

Please come between 7:30am - 8:15am, Monday - Friday starting on September 9th -December 13th!

Students need to come through the front door from 7:30am-8:00am.

Please use Parent Drop-Off after 8:00am

If your child has allergies, needs to take medication at school, or has any other health concerns, please contact our Health Assistant as soon as possible. This will help us ensure your child's health and safety while at school.

Thank you for keeping us informed!

Riley Volpe BSN, RN

riley.volpe@tusd1.org

Jackie Freed Health Assistant

jacqueline.freed@tusd1.org

Health Office

520-232-6717

The regular school attendance of a child of school age is required by state law. Regular school attendance is essential for success in school; therefore, absences shall be excused only for necessary and important reasons. Such reasons include illness, bereavement, other family emergencies, and observance of major religious holidays of the family's faith.

In the event of a necessary absence known in advance, the parent is expected to inform the school; if the absence is caused by emergency, such as illness, the parent is expected to telephone the school office. When a student returns to school following any absence, a note of explanation from the parent is required.

When Absent from School

State law mandates that the school record reasons for all student absences. Therefore, when a student is absent, it will be necessary for the parent to call the school on or before the day of the absence in order to advise the school as to the reason for the absence. When it is impossible to call on the day of the absence, the school should be notified on the morning the student returns, in time for the student to obtain an admission slip prior to the student's first class. All absences not verified by parental or administrative authorization will remain unexcused.

If a parent does not have access to a phone, either at home or at work, a note will be accepted for verification purposes.

Regular participation in classroom activities fosters critical thinking, communication skills, and responsibility, all of which are essential skills for future employment. Good attendance in school is also part of the self-discipline that we try to instill in our students to enable them to act as responsible members of the community.

Definitions:

• Attendance: The presence of each student in scheduled instruction.
• Excessive Absence: 10% or more of the required attendance days (180 days).
• Tardy: Not in the classroom by the time the bell rings.
• Register of Attendance: Any written or electronic record maintained for the purpose of recording the attendance, absence, tardiness, or early departure of a student.
• Scheduled Instruction: Every period that a student is scheduled to attend actual instruction or their designated learning environment of study.
• Truancy: An unexcused absence of a child who is between six and sixteen years of age for at least one class period during the day from compulsory school.
• Truant Child: A child who is between six and sixteen years of age and who is not in attendance at a public or private school during the hours that school is in session, unless excused.
• Habitually Truant: Is a child who is truant for at least five school days within a school year.
• Excused Absence: Absences that the parents/guardians have documented/authorized with time and reason.
• Unexcused Absence: Absence without approval of parents/guardians is considered truancy and unexcused.

For guidance on setting up and using the ParentVUE app, please check the link below.

Parents, you can now easily report your child’s absence using ParentVue. This streamlines communication with our attendance office and allows you to directly input the reason for the absence. To self-report, just follow these steps:

1. Log into ParentVue on the app or your computer.
2. Click on the "Attendance" tab in the left column (or tap the blue "Report Absence" button with the bell icon in the app).
3. In the top right corner of the page, click the blue link labeled "Report Absence."
4. Select the dates using the calendar and choose the reason for the absence from the drop-down menu.
5. You can also add notes or upload a doctor's note, then click "Save."

If you prefer, you can still call Ms. Lori Munday at (520) 232-6702. Thank you for keeping us informed about all absences!

If you use the parent drop-off bay before school, please remember that the gate opens at 8:00am and learning time begins at 8:30a.m. The gate will close promptly at 8:35 a.m. If you arrive after 8:35 a.m., please walk your student to the front office for a late slip. In case you find yourself inside the building after 8:35 a.m., please use the front office exit to leave the campus. Breakfast is served from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m., so be sure to bring your students on time to ensure they don’t miss their morning meal and are ready for a successful day ahead!

Pick up time is at 2:45pm. If you use are parent pick-up bay after school, please remember to stay in your vehicle and we will bring your student to you. If you would like to get out and greet your child, please park in the parking lot, we have plenty of parking. Also, a good tip to avoid long waits in the pick-up bay is to arrive a few minutes after the rush. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we get our cougars connected with you.

School Hours

8:00am - 2:45pm

Main Office Hours

8:00am - 4:00pm

Cafeteria Hours

(Breakfast)

8:00am - 8:30am

(Lunch)

11:00am - 12:50pm

Warning Bell

8:30am

Late Bell

8:35am

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday

2:45pm

Wednesday

1:45pm

Kindergarden 11:00am - 11:35am

1st Grade 11:15am - 11:50am

2nd Grade 11:30 - 12:05am

3rd Grade 11:45am - 12:20pm

4th Grade 12:00pm - 12:35pm

5th Grade 12:15pm - 12:50pm

Parent - Teacher Conference

11:45am

September 18th-20th, 2024

February 13th-14th, 2025

Kindergarden 10:00am - 10:10am

1st Grade 10:10am - 10:20am

2nd Grade 10:20am - 10:30am

3rd Grade 10:30am - 10:40am

4th Grade 10:40am - 10:50am

5th Grade 10:50am - 11:00am

2945 N. Tucson Blvd.

Tucson, AZ 85716

Office Hours: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday

520-232-6700 – Attendance

520-232-6700 – Office

520-232-6701 – Fax

The mission of Cragin Elementary School, in partnership with parents and the Cragin community, is to assure each student receives an engaging, rigorous and comprehensive education.