Carrillo Community Update

Happy Sunday Carrillo Families!

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for Fall Fest last Friday. It was great to see so many families enjoy games and food together, both current families and returning families of students who were recently promoted to middle school. It was a wonderful way to start the weekend and celebrate the year so far.

Speaking of celebration, the state of Arizona released letter grades Friday Night and I am very proud to announce that Carrillo was again rated as an "A" School. We received 96.2% of the letter grade points. We are working hard this year to maintain that letter grade. Last week I shared Carrillos's math rankings compared with the other 2-5 classes across the district. This week the ELA rankings are out. Carillo's ranked #1 overall! Great job students. Please keep reading every night for 20 minutes, and please keep working on IXL at home to keep growing your reading skills.

Parents, I will be sharing the letter grade breakdown at our next PTO meeting, so if you are interested in seeing how the letter grades were calculated and how we expect them to be calculated this year, please join us at the next PTO meeting.

Let's make this last week of October a great one!

Sincerely,

Ms. Bittel

THIS WEEK

Monday, October 28

• Cross Country Meet (4:00 pm)

COMING SOON
Wednesday, November 6

• Magnet Fair (5:00 - 7:00 at the Children's Museum)
• PTO Meeting (on ZOOM)

Thursday, November 7

• Peter Piper Pizza Night

Monday, November 11

• Veteran's Day (No Classes)

Tuesday, November 12

• Kindness Week Begins

Thursday, November 14

• Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day

Tuesday, November 19

• Family Game Night

We encourage our students to log on to IXL at home to help them fill in gaps and stay sharp in ELA and Math. Here are the top three classes overall this year. Logging in and mastering 2 skills per subject during the week can make a tremendous impact on student learning! Thank you for encouraging your student to work on their personal growth at home each week!

#3 - Ms. Maldonado's with 11 hours and 12 minutes of at-home practice.

#2 - Ms. Barraza's class with 13 hours and 23 minutes of at-home practice.

#1 - Ms. Peralta's class with 15 hours and 13 minutes of at-home practice.

Great job Cougars! This dedication is what makes you A+!

Our younger students can use iReady at home. For all student at-home applications, please have your students log into their Clever Accounts to access either IXL or iReady. While iReady doesn't report at-home vs at-school usage, I've seen great growth for students working on 1-2 iReady lessons each week!

The Book Fair is here! This week, or October 28 - Nov 1, students may visit the book fair to purchase new titles for their home library! Ms. Morales can't do it alone, if you have a day to donate your time, she would love some extra support in the library. Sign up now to help! Thank you for helping students find new books to love!

Students will be allowed to shop before school, at lunch, and after school but only if they have cash or an eWallet set up. If they do not have funds on hand, they will be able to preview with their class during the week.

The University of Arizona Order of Omega has invited Carrillo students to Greek or Treat! Greek or Treat provides a safe and fun environment for families to celebrate Halloween and the tradition of trick-or-treating.

Details: Thursday, October 31st at the University of Arizona Mall from 5:30-7:30 PM for candy, fun games, and more! If you have any questions, please contact the Order of Omega President, Trinity Cullen, at uaooo.president@gmail.com. (see attached flier)

Mindful listening communicates to the speaker that what they have to say is important and worth expressing. It asks us to be in the present moment and focus on what the other person is saying rather than being quick to offer our own take or letting our minds wander to something else. Dr. Elizabeth Dorrance Hall recommends “showing interest and support through maintaining eye contact, nodding, smiling, and encouraging [the speaker] to express their thoughts” as well as “giving others the space to share without interrupting, advising, or correcting them.” One study found that “high-quality (i.e., empathic, attentive, and nonjudgmental) listening reduces speakers’ social anxiety and leads them to delve deeper into greater self-awareness,” leading to more open-minded conversations. Focusing on how we listen contributes to healthier and more constructive communication and is a valuable part of our kindness practice.

Activity: Allow your student to talk to you for two minutes about their day or an important experience while you listen without interruption or judgment. At the end of the two minutes, describe what you heard. Switch roles and repeat. Ask your student how they felt during this exercise, and whether they faced any challenges. Reflecting on the process of listening respectfully to one’s peers encourages a growth mindset and increases psychological safety.

The PTO would like to thank everyone who volunteered at the ticket counter, volunteered at a booth, or made donations. Thank you also to everyone who attended and helped to raise funds to support the PTO, classroom materials, and student incentives. This was our best-attended Fall Fest in the past four years.

Our next PTO Meeting is Wednesday, November 6th. Please use this link to join the meeting. WE will be talking about the letter grade and discussing Posadas support as well as Santa Comes to Carrillo Night.

PTO Board

• President - Aaron Valencia
• VP - Roy Massani
• Secretary - Margaret Zuniga
• Treasurer - Angelina Celix

The minutes from our October meeting are attached below. Please email PTO if you have any questions.

Thank you to everyone who supported our "Box Tops for Education" fundraiser this year! As of Sunday, October 27th, Carrillo had already topped last year's earnings with an astounding $153.10! Be sure to keep checking out the Bonus offers and monthly challenges for ways to earn extra box tops.

If you aren't scanning Box Tops yet, use this referral code XTIL1N82 when you sign up and you’ll get 50 Bonus Box Tops ($5.00) when you scan your first receipt now through 10/31/2024, when you scan your first receipt! Download the Box Tops for Education app and earn cash for Carrillo while you shop!

LEADERBOARD

1st Place - Kindergarten (298 box tops)

2nd Place - 2nd Grade (98 box tops)

3rd Place - 4th Grade (93 box tops)

4th Place - 1st Grade (75 box tops)

5th Place - 5th Grade (32 box tops)

6th Place - 3rd Grade (3 box tops)

Thank you to Adrian at Big Frog! This year, when you purchase Cougar spirit gear, $5 will come back to the school to support students. The store has this year's "Growing Together" shirts for students and parents, as well as our classic shirts and some designs from previous years. Check out the store online.

The TUSD Mexican American Student Services Department is holding FREE Saturday academic tutoring by qualified teachers to help students with reading, writing, and math.

Limited space available for students in grades 3rd to 8th

When: September through May

Starts: September 7th.

Register by calling 520.232.8566 or by email.

Tucson Community Tennis is starting their FREE fall tennis clinics for students.

Who – ​Children grades 1st through 12th​

How Much - $5 donation for the semester

What – ​Tennis clinic with certified coaches​

Where -​ Pueblo High School Tennis courts​

When -​ Saturdays​ September 14 to December 14, 2024

Time - 12 and Under - 8 – 9:30 and 18 and Under – 8 - 10

Contact – ​If interested email: ​Stacy Renner or call 520-591-8904​

Casa de los Ninos is one of our community partnerships. They offer a variety of community education and outreach classes. Please check out the flyer below to see the dates and topics in September. Email Carol Bolger with questions.

Thank you for your patience as we get students dismissed as quickly as possible. We need your help with a few things.

17th STREET PICK UP

1. Please park by Tucson Water, or wait in your car.
2. For those waiting in their cars, a school staff member will come by and radio for your student to come to you.
3. Thank you for keeping your music low and arriving after 2:30 pm. Our neighbors appreciate it.
4. Families with only intermediate students (grades 3-5) your students are generally the last to dismiss, if you can arrive at 2:50 that will allow us to help the kinder and first graders off campus and speed up pickup.

FOR PARENTS WAITING INSIDE

1. If you arrive before 2:30 pm we need you to sign in at the main office and wait in the art gallery on the main floor until 2:45.

Parents volunteers are welcome on campus. Speak with our office manager (Kenia Alvarado-Martinez) or our Magnet Coordinator (Rebecca Stroup) to learn how you can volunteer! We also encourage families to attend PTO meetings to learn about other ways to support our Carrillo Cougars. We encourage all parents to register as volunteers on the TUSD website as the process takes a few weeks. We ask non-parental volunteers to contact the office before registering as a volunteer so we can explain the process and coordinate volunteer opportunities.

Parents, we are asking for your help with social media. As a reminder, most social media user agreements state that users must be 13 or older to have an account. Please take a moment to discuss the reasons for the age limits with your students.

Most social media sites do not allow attacks or abuse based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability or disease. Please encourage students to be socially conscious and report any accounts that violate those policies directly to the social media platform before blocking the account.

Attendance at school is directly correlated to student achievement, so it is extremely important they are in school every single day to be successful. Research shows that missing more than 8 days of school can cause significant gaps in a student’s education. Please try to schedule appointments or family outings around the school schedule and during school holidays. To help track attendance goals, we've created a "Path to Success" attendance tracker you can use at home to help us make our 95% goal. You can download it by opening the attachment on your computer.

A student is considered "chronically absent" if they miss more than 10% of the school year. Students who miss more than 5 days a quarter are considered at risk for chronic absenteeism. If your student reaches this number, we will be reaching out to see how we can support you in getting your students to school on time.

State law requires parents to call in to report student absences. Parents, you can now immediately report an absence from school using ParentVue. This reduces the calls in our attendance office and allows you to directly enter the reason students are absent. To self-report simply follow the steps below.

1. Log into ParentVue from App or Computer
2. Click the "Attendance" tab on the left column on the computer or on the App as soon as you log in the blue "report absence" with a small bell icon is there.
3. On the top right corner of the page it will have a blue link that says "Report Absence" click on this
4. Use the calendar to select dates and the drop-down for the reason for the absence.
5. You may also add notes or upload a doctor's note and hit "save".

Of course, you may still give Ms. Diane Quiroz a ring at (520) 225-1200 if you prefer. Thank you for reporting all absences!

**Students who attend Carrillo as Magnet students may be asked to return to their home school if they accumulate excessive absences and/or tardies.**

Did you know that all TUSD elementary magnet students are eligible for transportation if they live more than 1.5 miles from the school?

For more information, visit Transportation's website to see if your student qualifies for FREE transportation and to begin routing. We strongly encourage families to consider this option for this school year. It's a great way to help your student develop independence and responsibility. You can also call them at 520-225-6262.

Due to some budget changes, the earliest students can be dropped off is 7:35 am at 17th Street. The office does not open until 8:00 and while Ms. Bittel is usually on campus well before 8:00, she is often in meetings or other parts of the building and unable to hear the doorbell. From 7:35 - 8:00 the only safe drop off is 17th Street. Thank you for helping us to keep all our cougars safe in the morning.

Parent Pickup will continue to be at 17th street. Thank you for remaining in your car. We’ll be using radios and a loudspeaker to call for students this year in hopes of speeding up the process. Please note that the city has redefined some fire lanes that must be kept open along Samaniego with bright red paint. Thank you for not parking or stopping in those spaces. Thank you also for keeping the neighborhood driveways and mailboxes open as a courtesy to our neighbors. Thank you for your help!

We know that the 17th Street area can get a bit congested at pickup. To help alleviate the situation, the City of Tucson has installed new signs to direct traffic and changed the direction of Samaniego Street. The City of Tucson is requesting that families picking up on 17th Street exit the neighborhood using the following route.

• Travel west on 17th Street
• Turn south on 11th Avenue
• Turn west to access the frontage road or turn east to return to Main Avenue and 22nd Street.

Our neighbors kindly ask that you leave the driveways and corners open when you park so they can enter and exit their homes safely. If you do wait in your car along Samaniego, thank you for waiting at the bottom of the hill on the east side of the street so the roadway is clear for all vehicles and families crossing the street.

We are also asking families to arrive no earlier than 2:35 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and no earlier than 1:35 on Wednesdays. Parents of intermediate students, if you plan to arrive at 2:50 or 1:50, that will give the primary students time to load up and reduce your wait time.

Thank you also for being patient, driving slowly, and watching the road carefully. The streets behind Carrillo are narrow and we want to avoid any accidents. Our neighbors kindly request that everyone drive like they live in the neighborhood, and many of our cougars do. Thank you for helping us keep our Cougars and our community safe.

If your child is walking/riding home, thank you for ensuring the office has a note giving permission at the beginning of every school year. Thank you for making any pickup arrangements with your student prior to your student coming to school.

Stay current on our events by visiting our Facebook Page as well as the school website. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns please reach out. It is our mission to provide all students with a first-rate education in a kind and respectful environment.

Email the Principal:
Visit Our Website:
Location: 440 South Main Avenue, Tucson, AZ, USA
Phone: (520) 225-1200
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Mission Statement

Carrillo K-5 Communication and Creative Arts Magnet School engages children's minds, bodies, and senses using multiple modes of learning, thought, and self-expression.

Vision Statement

At Carrillo K-5 Communication and Creative Arts Magnet School, students become 21st Century leaders in a diverse world, through the development of a strong academic core, communication skills and creative arts abilities.