Quail Run News
February 1, 2023
From the Desk of Mrs. Raymond:
February 1, 2023
Dear Quail Run Families,
2023 is off to a great start here at Quail Run! There were so many great activities to start off the new year! We had our Donuts with Grownups event, a slushie throwdown at Sonic, our 100th day of school celebration, and so much great learning taking place in all classrooms!
Please read through this monthly newsletter to review school information and check out the video below to see what our students were up to last month. There is so much happening at Quail Run!!
I hope to see you at the school carnival on Feb. 25 this month!
Your Partner in Education,
Vicky Raymond
I will be hosting a parent Coffee Chat along with our School Resource Officer, Officer Ojeda, to discuss school safety, including some changes to our active shooter response protocols, on Friday, February 3 from 8:15 - 8:45 am in the library. Mark your calendars and join me for a cup of coffee and a chance to chat about what we are doing to be prepared for emergencies and to keep your students safe at school. This will be an informal, open forum.
So, drop off your kids at the playground and come join us for a cup of coffee! It is a great opportunity to share ideas and insight about how to make our school a safer, happier place for all our students. I hope to see you there!
See what is happening at QRES!
Tax Credit Donations
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.
Pre-K is Coming!!!
Stay tuned this month for more information. Registration will be opening at the end of February. We will send a dedicated email later this month with information, including pricing and registration links.
We are hopeful we can expand our IB learning to younger children and grow our school community!
Unplug & Play Weekend
Junior Hero is Back!
Junior Hero is back at Quail Run! Junior Hero is a program that makes it fun for students, parents, and teachers to serve their community and those around them. All heroes receive a t-shirt!
Steps to become a Junior Hero:
1) Take the Junior Hero Pledge.
2) Help your community through service and log your required hours (see below) on this sheet.
3) Get a signature from an adult upon completion.
4) Turn this completed sheet into your teacher before the end of the school year.
5) You will be recognized by Mrs. Raymond and receive a Junior Hero t-shirt.
Required Service Hours
Kindergarten: 3 Hours
1st Grade: 4 Hours
2nd Grade: 5 Hours
3rd Grade: 6 Hours
4th Grade: 7 Hours
5th Grade: 8 Hours
6th Grade: 9 Hours
Adults: 7 Hours
Junior Hero is a non-profit 501(c)3 that makes it fun for students, parents, and teachers to serve their community and those around them. The program is 100% volunteer-run and no volunteers receive pay at any level.
Field Day: Grades 4-6
Students should come dressed in comfortable, athletic clothing and sneakers. Send your students with water bottles and anything else they need to be outside all day such as a hat and wearing sunscreen.
Parents are welcome to attend and watch. We need a lot of volunteers! Please sign up to volunteer here.
Field Day for K-3 will take place on March 31.
Upcoming State Testing Information
AASA and AzSci
This Spring, PVUSD students in grades 3rd-8th will complete a REQUIRED state test titled, Arizona Academic Standards Assessment, AASA. Students in 5th, 8th, and 11th will also take a state science test titled, AZSci. Statewide testing is very important because it is intended to objectively evaluate whether your child has mastered grade-level standards for their specific grade level.
The AASA and AzSci will provide information that will improve how students are taught, how teachers are coached, and how we can better support students. The state test is intended to give teachers an objective measure of how your child is progressing and measure how they are academically growing compared to other students in the state.
Additionally, the AASA can provide benchmarks for parents and teachers, students, and schools. All public schools are required to administer state-standardized assessments to fulfill the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The scores/information from these required tests is also used as a part of the formula to determine a school and district letter grade from the state.
If you would like to read more information about Arizona state testing, please visit the following website: https://www.azed.gov/assessment
Quail Run Testing Schedule
Our AASA/AzSci testing dates will be as follows:
March 27-29: 5th grade AzSci
April 6: 5th & 6th grades AASA Writing
April 10: 3rd & 4th grades AASA Writing
April 12 & 13: 3rd grade AASA Reading and Math tests
April 17 & 20: 4th grade AASA Reading and Math tests
April 18 & 19: 5th & 6th grade AASA Reading and Math tests
How to help your child prepare for state testing:
- Talk about the test with your child. Wish them luck and send them off with a smile each morning. When they take the test, ask them about it and show interest.
- It is extremely important that students are well-rested and arrive at school on time. Students at this age need nine to ten hours of sleep nightly.
- Students need to eat breakfast in order to have the energy to take the test. Research shows students who have eaten breakfast will have more endurance to complete academic activities in a successful manner.
- Please do not schedule any appointments on testing days. Please be on time for school and stay the entirety of the day. Any absences on a scheduled test day will result in makeup testing and affect classroom learning time.
Sixth Grade Speaker
Robin Heard, the Senior Director of Target Programs at Northrop Grumman, came to present to our sixth-grade students as a part of our 6th-grade How the World Works IB unit and learning about space. She spoke about her experience in engineering and her past work on several Antares rocket projects that Northrop Grumman did with NASA.
District Spelling Bee
And the winner is...Ms. B!
Helpful Links
School Council meetings are open to the public and generally meets once 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.
QUAIL RUN PTA
Come join us for our first General PTA Meeting of 2023 on Feb. 15 at 3:30 pm. Mark your calendars!
Make sure you save the date for our Spring Carnival on Feb. 25 from 10 am - 1:00 pm. Be on the lookout for more information coming home about volunteering and donations for raffle baskets from your teacher.
We have a lot of events popping up before the end of the school year. There is no better time to get involved and volunteer!
Amanda Bunney
Quail Run PTA President
Helpful School Reminders
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.
Students are also not allowed to bring Starbucks drinks, smoothies, etc. on campus in the morning.
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.
School breakfast is available beginning at 8:15 am. Please drop off by 8:30 am at the latest if your child is eating breakfast. It is the same purchasing system as our school lunches.
Birthday treats must be store-bought and easy to pass out for the teacher. No cakes that need cutting, please. Cupcakes are allowed this year. 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.
School Lunch
Lunch Reminders:
If your child forgets their lunch, you may bring it to the front office before 10:30 am.
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). Please refrain from bringing soda. 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.
Lunch Visitors:
We will go back to allowing lunch visitors this year. 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.
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 return to charging students for their meals based on their free, reduced, and paid meal application status during the 2022-2023 SY.The 2022-2023 Free & Reduced Meal Application is now available for parents to complete at EZMealApp.com. This paperless option is encouraged because online applications can be processed within 24 hours of their submission. Paper meal applications are available in our front office or can be printed from the Nutrition & Wellness website to be submitted to the department. All families are encouraged to apply.
It is extremely important for families to complete and submit the 22-23 SY meal application in order to avoid potential negative account balance charges.
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.
Site Volunteers/Chaperones
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
- Visit the PVSchools job search page.
- Search for "Volunteer" or "Chaperone."
- Select the opportunity that best fits your interest.
- Click on the "Apply Online" button.
- Create a login and password.
- 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.
Fry´s Food Community Rewards
Smile.Amazon.com
AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Quail Run Elementary every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones.
On your first visit to smile.amazon.com, you will be prompted to select a charitable organization. Select Quail Run PTA (make sure it is the one that says Phoenix, AZ. There is also a QR in CA! Every time you shop on Amazon simply start at smile.amazon.com and the school earns 0.5% of every purchase. It's that easy to make a difference! Ask your friends, family, and co-workers to participate too! As always, Thank you for your support!
United Parent Council
Enroll at Quail Run
If you or anyone you know needs to enroll a student for the 2022-2023 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. All open enrollment questions may be directed to tsorenson@pvschools.net.
Click here to enroll for the 2022-2023 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, 2022.
You will also be required to complete an Annual Update on Infinite Campus. Please visit the PV Assist website for links and more information.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
Feb. 2: PVSchools Governing Board Meeting at 7:00 pm
Feb. 3: Parent Coffee Chat (School Safety) with Mrs. Raymond at 8:15 am
Feb. 3: PTA Spirit Day: Wear your QR or Jr. Hero T-shirts
Feb. 9: School Emergency Response Team (SERT) Meeting at 9:30 am
Feb. 9: Sixth-Grade Virtual Field Trip Meeting at 5:00 pm
Feb. 10-12: Unplug and Play Weekend
Feb. 15: 6th Grade Exhibition Kickoff at Shiloh
Feb. 15: 3rd Grade Field Trip to Phoenix Zoo
Feb. 15: PTA Meeting at 3:30 pm
Feb. 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day
Feb. 20: Presidents´ Day, No School
Feb. 22: School Council Meeting at 3:30 pm
Feb. 23: PVSchools Governing Board Meeting at 7:00 pm
Feb. 25: Spring Carnival
Feb. 27: Spring Picture Day: Group Class Photos and Group 6th Grade Photo
Feb. 28: 4th-6th Grade Field Day
Feb. 28: Early Release at 12:30 pm
Feb. 28: PTA SkyZone Fundraiser, 1:00 - 7:00 pm
Mar. 3: Kindergarten Hotel Saguaro Puppet Show at 9:00 am
Mar. 3: PTA Spirit Day: Wear your QR or Jr. Hero T-shirts
Mar. 4: Sights & Sounds of PV
Mar. 7: District Field Day at North Canyon High School
Mar. 9: PTA Meeting at 3:30 pm
Mar. 9: PVSchools Governing Board Meeting at 7:00 pm
Mar. 13 - 17: Spring Break, No School
Mar. 22: School Council at 3:30 pm
Mar. 23-24: Fourth-Grade Grand Canyon Field Trip
Mar. 30: PVSchools Governing Board Meeting at 7:00 pm
Mar. 31: K-3 Field Day
Mar. 31: PTA Bingo Night
Important Phone Numbers
Front Office: 602-449-4400
- Front Office Hours (8:00 am - 4:00 pm)
Attendance Line: 602-449-4401
- Open 24/7 for attendance messages
School Nurse: 602-449-4403
- Nursing Office Hours (8:45 am - 3:15 pm)
School Cafeteria: 602-449-4407
Connect with Mrs. Raymond
Email: vraymond@pvschools.net
Website: https://www.pvschools.net/schools/quail-run-elementary/home
Location: Quail Run Elementary School, East Utopia Road, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone: 602-449-4400