Carrillo Community Update
November 12 - 18
Message from Ms. Bittel
I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. We've had a very busy past two weeks, so hopefully the extra day off gave you all time to rest, recharge, and reflect on how to wrap up the quarter. At Carrillo, we are focusing on gratitude this month. I am grateful every morning for just how kind, responsible, and respectful our students are. They have worked hard this year, taking the time to grow and improve themselves each and every day. They have worked hard to master their math facts and to become more fluent and more efficient readers, making connections to self and other texts as they read. I am grateful to our community for your ongoing support. When we come together to put our students and their futures first, we can and do great things.
This week we celebrate Ruby Bridges' historic walk to integrate the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans Louisiana in 1960. We are asking all students to wear purple on Tuesday the 14th. The Carrillo Student Council will address the students and we will process around the campus to enter Carrillo's front doors to commemorate Ms. Bridges' heroic action in 1960. As a magnet school, this event is especially important to us. We know that students who attend integrated schools, like Carrillo, have higher test scores, are more likely to enroll in college, and help students to become better and more creative problem solvers and critical thinkers.
Thank you all! Let's make it a wonderful week!
-Ms. Bittel
Save the Date
Upcoming Events
- Tuesday, November 14 - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day (Wear purple)
- Wednesday, November 15 - PTO Meeting (6:00 pm on ZOOM)
- Thursday, November 23-24 - Thanksgiving Break - NO CLASSES
- Wednesday, December 6 - TUSD STEP UP Event
- Saturday, December 9 - Las Posadas REherasal at El Presidio
- Friday, December 15 - 87th Annual Las Posadas
Kind Campus Weekly Activity
Kindness Question of the Month
Why does the practice of kindness take commitment?
How can we practice kindness skills in small ways each day?
Kindness in Action: Awareness of Complaining and Blaming
Kindness Themed Art Wanted
This fun project helps us create beautiful visual reminders of kindness and raise funds to support free educational programming. Selected designs will be translated into mosaic stepping stones or used in Shop Kind merchandise design.
We will feature the design along with the completed stepping stone, your school’s name, and the student designer’s first name when featuring the design. All proceeds go towards furthering our education programming and spreading kindness in our communities.
*Teachers will be contacted if a design is selected.
What to do….
1. Ask your students if they’d like to create a kindness-themed design for Ben’s Bells!
2. Students can draw their design on the template provided. Please make sure that all information is filled out.
3. Return forms to Ben’s Bells by:
- Dropping them off at a nearby Ben’s Bells studio
- Mailing to Ben’s Bells at 40 W. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85701
- Scanning and emailing to Ben's Bells
- Submitting through form below
4. Have fun! Remind your students that expressing kindness and gratitude is a great way to be kind to yourself and help make our community more kind.
Visit their website for the template and submission form.
School News and Updates
Middle School Night Merged with TUSD's STEP UP Event - Dec 6
We had planned a Middle School Night for this week. We know it is a popular event with families looking for the right fit for their 5th graders going into middle school.
This year, TUSD has moved its STEP UP event to Wednesday, December 6th. Because that date is so close to the date we had planned back in July, most middle schools are unable to make both events. As a result, we are canceling our event to support TUSD's STEP UP night at the TCC. Please save that date (December 6th) and plan to visit all the TUSD middle schools in one easy location, the TCC Exhibition Hall.
We will be at the same event, helping to enroll kindergarteners for next year. Just a reminder, siblings of magnet students still have to complete an application and enter the lottery for a seat at Carrillo. Siblings are not automatically enrolled.
Whether you are enrolling for a magnet middle school or a sibling kindergarten seat, please be sure to get your application in early. We recommend completing it before the winter holiday so that you make the first lottery draw in January.
Carrillo Dia De Los Muertos Ofrenda
The 4th Grade, as part of its Cultures Unit, has e its Dia De Los Muertos ofrenda set up in the Carrillo Gallery. While Dia de los Muertos has passed, the entire Carrillo community is still invited to add pictures and write a message/memory about someone dear to you. If you bring a picture, please write your name on the back of the photo so we can return it.
If you want to read the history of how La Catrina became the symbol for Dia De Los Muertos, check out this article from "The Conversation." Thank you Mr. Brandt for sharing it!
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. Please contact your student's teacher if they have any trouble.
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.
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.
Thank you for all your help at the Fall Fest! It was a great success. Your support at the ticket booth, the cake walk, and donating items to the PTO and classrooms makes the event a success! Thank you to everyone!
Our next meeting is November 15th on Zoom at 6 pm. See you there!
Please email PTO if you have any questions.
Art Volunteers
Ms. Dal Pra is seeking First Grade art volunteers on Thursdays from 12:35-2:35. You can help students build a mini-town. The art classroom needs two or three volunteers to help students during the “construction” process. Students will be house painters and landscapers as they create their own parcel of land within “Cougar Town.” Contact the art room via email or just stop by after signing in at the front office.
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.
Box Tops for Education
Even if you don't buy anything on the "Box Tops" list you can enter the school in a sweepstakes for scanning. On October 26th, Carrillo won $10 for the school in a sweepstakes! Thank you all!
The Top Classes are...
- #1 - Grade 4 with 54 box tops
- #2 - Kindergarten with 21 box tops
- #3 - Grade 1 with 20 box tops
- #4 - Grade 5 with 10 box tops
- #5 - Grade 3 with 2 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.