WFES Newsletter
October 26th, 2018
Wildfire Elementary School Continues "A" Rating Streak!
In 2010, then Governor Jan Brewer signed into law SB 1286, a bill passed by the State Legislature to create an A-F grading system for all public district and charter schools. Arizona’s A-F Letter Grade System was adopted by the State Board of Education in June 2011. Since the release of the first report cards for schools in 2012, Wildfire Elementary School has received an "A" rating every year!
WFES Letter Grade History
2012: A
2013: A
2014: A
2015: No grade given to schools due to switching from AIMS to AZMERIT*
2016: No grade given to schools due to switching from AIMS to AZMERIT*
2017: A
2018: A
*For the years 2015 & 2016, schools kept letter grades from 2014 while new baseline scores were developed using the AZMERIT test.
While a school's letter grade is just a small piece of the overall picture and quality of a school, Wildfire students and staff are extremely proud of this accomplishment and continue to work hard at improving and excelling in and out of the classroom.
To learn more about Wildfire's "A" and school report cards, please check out the following links:
Arizona State Board of Education
Student School Spirit Days
Monday, October 29th: Candy Corn Day - wear white, orange, and yellow
Tuesday, October 30th: Pumpkin Day - wear orange and look forward to a grade level pumpkin hunt at lunch
Wednesday, October 31st: Happy Halloween! - wear costumes (school rules still apply, no blood, masks, weapons)
Thursday, November 1st: Fall leaf activity - each class will compete in a grade level decorating competition
Friday, November 2nd: Trick or Treat for the Troops - bring in your extra candy to donate to our troops
Harvest Parade Information
The parade will begin promptly at 2:45 PM. This year, all students and staff in every grade level will be able to dress up in their costumes, however, only our students and staff in Pre-K through 3rd Grade will march in the parade, students in the other grades levels will be able to watch. Please remember that only school appropriate costumes may be worn. No masks, weapons, fake blood, or other inappropriate for school items will be allowed.
If you would like to sign your child out following the parade, please see your child's classroom teacher as they will have a sign-out sheet available for you sign-out your student(s). We will automatically sign-out parents from our system.
New Sign-In Kiosks

A look into the school day!
Kid in the Corner
To learn more about "Kid in the Corner" and their mission, please visit: https://www.kidinthecorner.org/
Breakout Lesson!4th-grade students in Ms. Skinner's class practice their problem solving and teamwork skills while attempting to "breakout" of their lesson. | Donut Digestive TrackMrs. Yancy shows off the digestive track 1st-grade students created during their Core Knowledge Human Body celebration. | Solar System Presentations3rd-graders share and ask questions about our solar system with their classmates. |
Breakout Lesson!
4th-grade students in Ms. Skinner's class practice their problem solving and teamwork skills while attempting to "breakout" of their lesson.
Donut Digestive Track
Mrs. Yancy shows off the digestive track 1st-grade students created during their Core Knowledge Human Body celebration.
Noddle Skeltons 1st-grade students use a variety of pasta to recreate the skeletal system during their Core Knowledge Human Body celebration. | Deep Breath! Students created a working model of the respiratory system during their Core Knowledge Human Body celebration. | What's in the Box? Students had to use all their senses to determine what objects were in each box during their Core Knowledge Human Body Celebration. |
Noddle Skeltons
Deep Breath!
5th Graders Celebrate their love of reading
Arizona State Representative Heather Carter reads to WFES students
Other School Information
News from the Nurse
Flu Season
Flu season is upon us. You can visit the CDC website for more information about the flu and about the flu vaccine. The best way to prevent the flu is to get the vaccine. The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu, but it takes two weeks to build immunity/protection from the flu virus.
Vaccines Update
Effective August 31st, 2018, Arizona signed a new law that requires all students who are 11 years old, regardless of grade level, to have the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) and the Meningococcal vaccines. Previously, these two vaccines were due at 11 years of age but only in 6th grade. Notices of Vaccine Noncompliance will be sent home throughout the school year as students turn 11. Please keep this new law in mind as you schedule your child's annual well visit and be sure to turn updated vaccine records into the health office.
Wildfire Staff Recognition!
If you would like to recognize a staff member at WFES, give them a shoutout by completing this short form: http://bit.ly/2LEa7Xb
All shout outs will be shared and celebrated with the staff!
Goodwill Drive
Please start saving your unwanted items for our 1st Goodwill Drive of the year at the beginning of November! Wildfire earns money for every pound donated! More info here:
http://www.wildfirepto.org/fundraisers/goodwill-drive/
Upcoming Events

Wildfire Elementary School Harvest Carnival
Friday, Nov. 16th, 5-8:30pm
3997 East Lockwood Drive
Phoenix, AZ
Come one, come all to the greatest carnival around! Our fall festival has it all, from rides and games to food and prizes! See you there!
Preordered Wristbands $20
Wristbands At The Door $25
Adults and kids under 2 are free!!
Preorder your carnival wristbands here
United Parent Council
United Parent Council-Who We Are and What We Do: We are parents working together to enhance the PVSchools experience for our children. We support you, we give you access to your Superintendent, and we provide relevant programs of interest to you. Ultimately we ADVOCATE for Students, EDUCATE Parents and Community, COLLABORATE with PVUSD and other Educational Organizations, and WORK with the Superintendent to increase the presence of the UPC.
School Resource Officers: Keeping Our Children Safe Each Day
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 10:15 AM
Join us for a discussion on the role of School Resource Officers (SRO). SROs are sworn law enforcement officers responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools. Hear from SROs assigned in the Paradise Valley School District. They will address a variety of issues including: the role of SROs, reporting lines of SROs, SRO school placement, funding of SROs, and changes that may be on the horizon.
*ALL UPC Monthly meeting and educational programs - open to public
On the Calendar
Important Upcoming Dates
- Harvest Parade - Wednesday, October 31st at 2:45 PM
- WFES School Tour - Thursday, November 1st at 1:45 PM
- Governing Board Meeting - November 1st at 7:00 at the PV District Office
- Picture Re-Takes - Friday, November 2nd
- Goodwill Drive - November 1st - 8th
- Tomachoff Farms Kindergarten Field Trip - November 8th
- Veterans Day - No School - November 12th
- Frank Lloyd Wright Museum 4th Grade Field Trip - November 15 & 16th
- Fall Festival - November 16th from 5:00 - 8:30 PM
- Thanksgiving Break - No School - November 21st - 23rd
- PTO Meeting - November 27th at 6:30 PM
- Box Top Collection - November 30th
- Chorus Performance at Paradise Valley Mall - November 30th at 5:00 PM
Future Firebirds!
Kiss-and-Go Volunteer Opportunities
Our PTO program, Kiss-and-Go, runs on parent volunteers and happens every school day from 8:15-8:45 AM. Parent volunteers assist our younger students in the drop off line by opening car doors and helping them find their way to the playground. This is an easy way to help our youngest and newest students get comfortable with Wildfire Elementary School while making sure they get to where they need to be each morning.