Dear Parents and Guardians,

We would like to start by thanking you for attending our parent-teacher conferences last month. Your involvement plays a crucial role in your child's success, and we are grateful for your continued partnership.

As we approach the end of the first quarter on October 3rd, students will be completing their end-of-quarter assessments in reading, writing, and math. We are excited to celebrate their hard work and achievements at our First Quarter Awards Assembly on October 18th. Parent invitations will be sent home on October 14th. We look forward to seeing you there!

In response to recent media coverage about potential school threats, I want to reassure you that the safety of our students, staff, and community is our highest priority. We have robust safety measures in place every day, and I would like to review these protocols with you to ensure that we are all working together to maintain a secure learning environment.

Key Safety Protocols:

• Controlled Entry Points: During drop-off, the playground gate is the single entry point. Anyone entering through the main entrance must be buzzed in by office staff.
• Secured Exterior Doors: All exterior doors are locked and can only be accessed with a key or access card, ensuring that only authorized individuals can enter the building.
• No Tailgating Policy: Please do not hold doors open for others or allow anyone to enter behind you. Each individual must use the buzz-in system independently to help keep our campus secure.
• Pick-Up Procedures: Parents or guardians must make direct contact with the teacher at pick-up time to ensure students are safely released.
• Volunteer Background Checks: All volunteers must complete an online background check before assisting at the school. This helps ensure that only vetted individuals are interacting with our students.
• Staff Identification: All staff are required to wear ID badges at all times, making it easy to identify staff members and authorized personnel.
• Lockdown Drills: We regularly practice lockdown drills with staff and students to ensure everyone is familiar with the steps needed to stay safe in case of an emergency. These drills are conducted with care and sensitivity to minimize anxiety while reinforcing safety procedures.

Your continued cooperation is essential in helping us maintain a safe environment for everyone. Safety is a collective effort, and together we can ensure that our school remains a secure and nurturing place for our children to learn and grow.

Please note that Fall Break is scheduled from October 4th to 12th, and our school building will be closed during these dates. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to recharge, and we encourage everyone to return refreshed and ready for learning.

We are also excited to announce our annual Storybook Costume Parade on Thursday, October 31st at 9:00 AM! Students are welcome to participate, but please remember that only school-appropriate costumes are permitted. Costumes should not include any weapons, blood, or anything that might be too scary for our younger students. We want to ensure a fun and safe event for all.

Thank you again for your support, and let’s continue working together to ensure a successful year for all students!

In service,

Sandra Calkins,
Principal

Please be sure to fill out the TUSD Volunteer application online form if you would like to join your child on a field trip, volunteer in the classroom, or other school events. A new application must be filled out for each new school year.

Please join us for our PTA meeting on October 22, at 3:00pm. Snacks will be provided and a raffle for attendees. At our next PTA meeting, we will be finalizing plans for our biggest fundraiser, our FALL FIESTA. We are in need of volunteers to help set up, run a booth, or cleanup. Please let us know if you are available to volunteer. PTA will also be selling Boo Grams this month. Boo Grams will be $1.00 and will be delivered on October 31st. Boo Grams will include a personalized note and a Blow Pop. Students may buy them for classmates, friends, or staff members. Parents may buy them to send to their child or staff members. They will be for sale after school from Oct. 14th-25th.

Please join us on Saturday, October 19th, from 9:00-11:00 am for our Garden Work Day. We will be cleaning and preparing our garden for Fall planting. We are also cleaning the route in preparation for Cyclovia on Oct. 27th. Living Streets Alliance will be offering FREE BIKE REPAIRS during the Garden work day, from 9-11am. So bring your bikes in need of repair and help us get our Garden area ready for students to begin planting. Students in Bike Club and Student Council are encouraged to participate. Students must be accompanied by an adult. All students who attend will also receive 20 point Coyote HOWLS.

We are thrilled to invite you to our annual Fall Fiesta on October 25th, from 4:30-6:30 PM. Come enjoy food, games, and fun! Students may wear their Halloween costumes during the event, but not to school on that day. This is a family-friendly event, and we ask that all students be accompanied by an adult.

We will be offering pre-sale tickets from October 14tht-24th at a discounted rate of 5 tickets for $1.00. Tickets will be 4 for $1.00 on the day of the event, October 25th. Tickets can be used to purchase food and participate in games such as the cake walk and Lotería. There will also be arts and craft projects for everyone to enjoy. Don’t miss this fun opportunity to support our PTA and connect with our school community! Fall Fiesta flyer coming soon.

Please join us on Sunday, October 27th for Cyclovia. Our Bike Club members will be riding together, leaving from Mission View at 9:00 am. You are welcome to join us at this time or enjoy the event anytime from 9am-3pm. All family members are invited to join in the fun. What is Cyclovia? Tucson streets are closed to car traffic, allowing for all-ages activities that bring people together to socialize, support local business, explore the city, and move freely!

Cyclovia isn’t a race. There’s no start and no finish. Think of Cyclovia as a really long block party; a miles-long activation of street space to elevate and celebrate community.

While a lot of folks participate in Cyclovia by bike, you can absolutely walk or use people-powered mobility devices such as wheelchairs, scooters, and handcycles to enjoy the route. Skating, blading, scootering, or simply pulling out a lawn chair to take it all in—participate in whatever way feels good for you, car-free and care-free. Check out the route below. At our Mission View hub, there will be free health screenings offered.

KEEP A CLEAR MIND (KACM) is a take-home drug education/prevention program that targets elementary school students in grades 4-6 (aged 9-11).

This program is intended to help children develop specific skills to refuse and avoid using "gateway" drugs. It also includes five parent newsletters and four children’s books on alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and tools to make good decisions.

KACM is a 4-sessions Children evidence-based program (1.5 hr. each session).

MISSION VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

THURSDAYS OCTOBER 24, 31 AND NOV. 7,14, 2024

9:00 – 10:30 AM

To obtain additional information contact: Mrs. Jannette Gastelum at 520-225-2302

I wanted to bring to your attention a recent incident we had where a student shared his energy drink with a classmate, causing them to seek medical attention, due to a negative interaction with medication. Please remind your children not to share any food or drinks with others, as they are not aware of allergies, medications, or other health conditions. Please check with your child's teacher before sending any snacks or drinks to their class.

As we work together to promote the health and well-being of our students, I want to take a moment to address the rising concern over energy drinks and their effects on children. While these beverages may seem like a quick way to boost energy and focus, they pose significant risks, especially for young students.

Why Energy Drinks Are Harmful:

• High Caffeine Content: Energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine, which can lead to anxiety, heart palpitations, and difficulty concentrating in children. Their developing bodies are more sensitive to caffeine than adults.
• Sugar Overload: These drinks are often packed with sugar, leading to potential weight gain, dental issues, and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Behavioral Effects: The combination of caffeine and sugar can cause mood swings, irritability, and even hyperactivity, which can impact a student's ability to focus and learn effectively in the classroom.
• Sleep Disruption: The high caffeine levels in energy drinks can interfere with your child's sleep patterns, leading to tiredness and difficulty staying alert in school.

Let’s work together to ensure our students are set up for success with healthy habits.

The Character Strong trait for October is responsibility. I am sure most of our students have chores they are responsible for at home. You might compare responsibility at home versus at school. How is it the same? How is it different?

In counseling we will do the Character Strong activities on responsibility. We also are reviewing boundaries. We will add the importance of consent in the intermediate grades. The primary grades will be reviewing comfortable touch versus uncomfortable touch. All these lessons will include I-statements. Every grade will learn about good digital citizenship and staying safe on-line at their developmental level. If you have internet access or if your student uses phones, you might reinforce your family rules on social media, games and the internet.

The fifth grades will host a presenter from “Text, Talk, Act.” On September 30th, the speaker will talk about maintaining good mental health. She will review coping skills and self-care. October 14 session will focus on being an upstander to prevent bullying. Both presentations are very engaging. I will carry both lessons over to the lower grades. The program continues with different topics in middle school and high school.

I have started to organize my check-ins. If you feel your child could benefit from a quick weekly encouragement, please let me know.

I enjoyed getting to know many of you during parent-teacher conferences and I hope to meet more of you soon.

Your counselor,

Jan Milligan

520-225-2330

janet.milligan@tusd1.org

• Oct. 2- Custodian Appreciation Day
• Oct. 3- Picture Retake Day
• Oct. 4-11- FALL BREAK, No School
• OCt. 5- World Teachers Day
• Oct. 16- Tiendita 7:45am-8:25 am
• Oct. 18- 1st Quarter Awards Ceremony, parent invitations to be sent out if your child is being recognized; Kinder, 1st, 2nd grades at 9:00am; 3rd, 4th and 5th grades at 9:45am
• Oct. 19- Garden Work Day, 9-11 am
• Oct. 22- PTA Meeting, 3:00pm
• Oct. 23- No School- TUSD Professional Learning Day
• Oct. 25- Fall Fiesta, 4:30-6:30 pm
• Oct. 27- Cyclovia/ Bike Club event- ALL families are invited to attend- 9am-3pm
• Oct. 30- Tiendita 7:45-8:25 am
• Oct 31- Storybook Costume Parade 9am