Carrillo Community Update
January 14 - 20, 2024
Message from Ms. Bittel
I hope you all are enjoying the long weekend in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Our students spent time this past week learning about Dr. King and his contributions to the Civil Rights movement. As a magnet school that believes strongly in the importance of students attending an integrated school where students can learn about, from, and with students who are different from them, this holiday is a significant day for us. Please encourage your Cougar to use their 20 minutes of reading tomorrow to learn more about Dr. King and other Civil Rights leaders, past and present.
I am proud to announce that the second quarter benchmark results are in. Carrillo students ranked #3 in ELA and #2 in math across all elementary and K-8 schools. Every grade level and every subject showed an increase in mastery levels. This is a testament to how hard both students and teachers are working here in school as well as testament to the strong partnership between the school and the home. Thank you for all you do making sure that students get to school on time each day, read nightly and complete their homework each day. At the hybrid PTO meeting this week, I will be sharing information about our letter grade, as well as strategies for helping to ensure we maintain our "A." I hope to see you there.
Enjoy the day off tomorrow, see you all at 17th street on Tuesday!
-Ms. Bittel
Save the Date
Upcoming Events
- Monday, January 15 - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - NO CLASSES
- Wednesday, January 17 - PTO Meeting (Hybrid)
- Wednesday, January 24 - Professional Learning Day - NO CLASSES
- Monday, February 5 - Counselor Appreciateion Week
- Thursday, February 8 - 1/2 Day for Conferences
- Friday, February 9 - 1/2 Day for Conferences
Kind Campus Weekly Activity
Kindness Question of the Month
Why does it take courage to be kind?
How can we be kind in tough situations?
Kindness in Action: Benefits of Laughter
Laughter can be fun, silly, and create connection. It also carries many cognitive and health benefits, making it a great tool in our self-kindness practice. The Mayo Clinic confirms benefits including decreased blood pressure, reduced stress hormone levels, soothed tension, toned abdominal muscles, improved cardiac health and immune system, increased endorphins, and improved sense of general well-being. Additionally, laughter can help lessen stress, depression, and anxiety and may make you feel happier. It can also improve your self-esteem. While it is not healthy to ignore negative emotions, finding the right place for humor and laughter in our lives can help people remain resilient in the face of adverse circumstances. Professor George Bonanno notes, “Humor keeps negative emotions in check and gives us a different perspective, allowing us to see some of the bad things that happen to us as a challenge rather than a threat.” Giving yourself the time to let loose and laugh is great self-care!
Weekly Updates
PTO
Just a reminder that the PTO meeting this week will be HYBRID. Those who want to meet in person can join us at 5:20 in the Multi-Purpose Room Downstairs. If you prefer to join online please use the regular link. More details are in the PTO section of the update below. (Use the Table of Contents to navigate there quickly.)
One-Word Resolutions
Last week I challenged students to set a "one-word resolution." As of January 14th, we only have 3 submissions, so we'll give students another week to think about their words. Remember, rather than focusing on quitting something, one-word resolutions give students a focus on who they want to become. To help your student, have them consider the following questions.
- What kind of person do they want to be?
- What are the characteristics of that kind of person?
- How will those characteristics impact their year?
- Pick one word that will have the most impact and set that as their focus for the year.
- Consider sharing that word on the Carrillo One-Word Resolution Form. We will share the community results at the end of the month.
Information form TUSD's Family Resource Center
Family Resource Center services are available to TUSD students and their families, free of charge. Please call the center to register for classes. Childcare is available to TUSD students and siblings for most classes. Please inform staff of the need for childcare when you register. Include the number of children, ages, and any special needs. Interpreter services are available. Please inform staff of the need for an interpreter when you register. Please register at least two weeks in advance if interpreter services are needed.
Other services include:
- Clothing bank
- Food pantry
- Help with TUSD forms
- Information and referrals
We hope to see you soon!
Visit the Family Resource Center's Webpage.
Important Links to Register for Classes and More:
- Student Enrichment Classes Catalog Link: https://www.smore.com/au5yr
- January Schedule of Classes, Workshops, and Events for all FRCs: https://www.smore.com/m0c27
- January Family Resource Center Newsletter: https://www.smore.com/dtew4
General Information
Improving Reading and Math at Home
All students at Carrillo have access to a wonderful resource to support their continued growth in Reading and Math. That resource is IXL. Research shows that doing just 1 extra session a day can have a tremendous impact on student learning. Our younger students also have access to RAZ-Plus to support literacy.
To access IXL or RAZ Plus students just log into their Clever accounts and select the icons. Clever can be accessed from the Carrillo Webpage by selecting the "Applications" tab in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Please contact your student's teacher if they have any trouble.
Grief Support
The holidays can be tough for families experiencing grief. If your family is in need of support, Tu Nidito can help. Visit their website to begin a self-referral to help your family and your cope with grief.
Familia Adelante Support for Families with Students Ages 10-14
The Familia Adelante Program targets at-risk Latino youth, 10-14 years old and their parents Familia Adelante is a dynamic, culturally responsive education-community prevention program to address the rising rates of substance abuse, acculturation trauma, and behavioral health problems.
Program activities focus on improving communication, stress management, substance abuse education, HIV/AIDS education, bullying education, and improved study skills for youth.
Please register using their online registration form.
Social Media
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.
Parent-Teacher Meetings
The teaching staff is quite busy preparing for daily instruction in the morning. Thank you for emailing to schedule a meeting time with them rather than just dropping in. Teacher email addresses can be found on our staff webpage. Thank you for your help!
Cafeteria Offerings
We are encouraging every family to apply for Free/Reduced Lunch. The number of accepted applications directly impacts our Title I funding, so thank you for taking a moment to complete it, even if your student doesn't plan to eat school lunch. The application is located on the TUSD Meals website.
The Food Services website also has a page dedicated to this month's breakfast and lunch offerings. You can even even get a mobile app for your phone online.
Carrillo Online Spirit Store
Looking for Carrillo spirit gear? Adrian from Big Frog has set up this year's online store. You can purchase this year's "Success Across the Eduverse" shirt as well as classic Carrillo spirit gear.
Transportation and Parent Pick Up and Drop Off Reminders
TUSD Buses
For more information, visit Transportation's website to see if your student qualifies for FREE transportation and to begin routing.
Morning Drop Off Reminders
Just a friendly reminder that the earliest students can be dropped off is 7:35 a.m. 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.
After School Reminders
The primary pick-up is 17th Street. Due to the size of our office, students will be unable to wait in the office. Parents, if you are parking up front, we invite you to wait in the Carrillo Art Gallery to meet your students.
Affter school Pick-Up Updates and Request
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 further accidents. Thank you for helping us keep our Cougars and our community safe.
Follow these signs.
Thank you for exiting via S. 11th Ave.
Attendance and Absence Reporting
Attendance Reporting Made Easy
- Log into ParentVue from App or Computer
- 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.
- On the top right corner of the page it will have a blue link that says "Report Absence" click on this
- Use the calendar to select dates and the drop-down for the reason for the absence.
- 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!
Attendance Matters
Missing a day of school here and there may not seem like much, but it adds up.
When a student misses 2 days a month they will miss...
- 20 days a year (the equivalent of a month of instruction)
- 30 hours of math instruction
- 60 hours of reading and writing instruction
- Over a 1 year of instruction by graduation
When a student misses 4 days a month they will miss...
- 40 days a year (the equivalent of two months of instruction)
- 60 hours of math instruction
- 120 hours of reading and writing instruction
- Over a 2 year of instruction by graduation
PTO News and Volunteering Opportunities
PTO Meeting this week.
Volunteers / Visitors
We encourage all parents to register as volunteers on the TUSD website as the process takes a few weeks to complete. Parents cannot volunteer on field trips without completing this in advance.
We ask non-parental volunteers (grandparents, aunts, uncles, community members, etc.) to contact the office before registering as a volunteer so we can explain the process and help identify volunteer opportunities.
Art Volunteers Needed
Box Tops for Education
As of January 14th, the Carrillo community has raised $41.60 for the school while grocery shopping.
Even if you don't buy anything on the "Box Tops" list you can enter the school in a sweepstakes for scanning. Back on October 26th, Carrillo won $10 for the school in a sweepstakes! Thank you all!
The Top Classes are...
- #1 - Grade 1 with 129 box tops
- #2 - Grade 4 with 60 box tops
- #3 - Kindergarten with 49 box tops
- #4 - Grade 3 with 27 box tops
- #5 - Grade 5 with 10 box tops
Community Events
Please check back here to learn about upcoming community events of interest to Carrillo families.
Tucson Community Tennis Program
When: Saturday mornings
Where: Pueblo High School
Time: 8:00 - 9:30 am
Don't have a racquet? No worries, TCTP has loaner racquets students can use at the clinic.
For more information about TCTP, please visit their website.
Discovery Nights at the Children's Museum
Join us for Free Discovery Nights
from 5-7 pm every Thursday
at Children’s Museum Tucson!
Enjoy free admission, bilingual programming, and extended hours every Thursday! Reserve your tickets on the Discovery Nights webpage.
Art After Dark
Every Second Saturday, come learn about Tucson's vibrant arts community!
- Guest artists each month
- Hands-on activities
- Free museum admission 5:30 - 7:30 pm
- First 400 people receive a free return-visit pass.
Stay in Touch!
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
Like Us On Facebook:
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.