WFES Newsletter
August 7th, 2020
Curriculum Night is on August 10th
Please be sure to join us on Monday, August 10th for our virtual curriculum night. Enjoy learning about the upcoming school year from the safety and comfort of your own home! Parents will have the opportunity to hear from their child's classroom teacher and to learn about the curriculum students will be learning this year as well as general information about the class and grade level.
Curriculum Night Schedule
Kindergarten & 1st Grade: 5:00 - 5:25 PM
2nd & 3rd Grade: 5:30 - 5:55 PM
4th & 5th Grade: 6:00 - 6:25 PM
6th Grade: 6:30 - 6:55 PM
4th - 6th Grade Honors: 5:30 - 5:55 PM
Online Classroom Safety
PV Schools and the IT department take online security very seriously. The district is constantly monitoring and updating safety features and practices. One important practice we are asking is all students use their district-issued PV Learners accounts to access their online classes and materials. This will eliminate the need for classroom teachers to decipher and determine who is "knocking" to join their classes.
- Do not post private Google Meets, WebX, or other classroom meeting links and codes on social media or other public forums
- Do not share classroom codes with others outside of the class
- Do not share usernames/passwords
- Please make sure you know what your computer's camera and microphone are broadcasting, especially what is in the background - the camera and microphone pick up much more than you think!
Still Need A Chromebook or Other Supplies?
If you were unable to pick-up a Chromebook or other supplies during our scheduled dates on August 3rd and 4th, you are welcome to pick-up supplies from the front office during the hours of 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM any day that the school is open. We do ask if you need a Chromebook to request one prior to arriving.
PV Assist: Digital Tech Support for Parents & Students
PV Assist is an Information Technoloy support site that is designed to help students and their families navigate logins/passwords, issues with Chromebooks, Google Classroom, and much more.
PTO Information
Donate to LIGHT OUR FIRE Back to School PTO Fundraiser
PTO is raising funds this year for supplemental PPE needed for teachers, students and the school site. This includes hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, and any additional supplies needed. With your generous donation the PTO can continue to provide: Teacher Classroom Supplies for your child, Technology & Classroom Improvements, Enrichment & Assemblies, Teacher & Staff Appreciation, Online Classroom Software and App Subscriptions, Professional Development & Teacher Continuing Education, Principal Fund, Kindness Program, Nurse Supplies, Accelerated Reader Program, Art Masterpiece, Library Supplies, Community Development, School Events, and more.
Online Enrichment Courses
As your child begins PVConnect or PVOnline, the Community Education Department would like to let you know they are also offering virtual enrichment classes as well. They hope that you will find a course that will allow your child to pursue their interests and expand their abilities and talents even in an online setting. Please visit the registration site to view all classes that are available and/or view the flyer attached below.
PVSchools offers a variety of Enrichment programs to complement the academic school day.
Enrichment programs are tuition-based and offer affordable classes throughout the year. Classes provide opportunities for students in grades K-12 to pursue their interests, expand their abilities and talents, and improve their social skills in an informal, fun, and safe environment. Enrichment programs are offered after school, on evenings and weekends, and during the day throughout the summer.
Enrichment offerings include, but are not limited to:
Arts and Crafts
Acting/Singing
Martial Arts
Sports, Science
Technology
SAT/ACT Test Prep
Driver's Education
Foreign Language
Drawing
Ballet
Cheer
Hands-on Learning
News From Nurse Royce
ADHS Releases School Benchmarks: Will Serve as a Guide for Schools as They Determine Plans for Reopening
With the health of students, teachers, and staff as their top priority, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) have partnered in the development of guidance to support the safe reopening of in-person learning in Arizona schools.
Per Governor Ducey’s June 23 Executive Order, Arizona: Open for Learning, ADHS has established benchmarks in collaboration with local public health officials and education partners to guide decisions by public school districts and charter schools on when to offer virtual, hybrid, or in-person instruction amid the current COVID-19 pandemic. Benchmarks are classified into minimal, moderate, and substantial transmission categories as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and align with the Arizona Department of Education's Roadmap for Reopening Schools.
In the newly released Benchmarks for Safely Returning to In-Person Instruction, ADHS recommends schools consider county-specific public health benchmarks that provide recent information about community transmission. This document is designed to be used in conjunction with ADE’s Roadmap. These include benchmarks around new cases, diagnostic test percent positivity, and COVID-19 related hospitalizations measured through syndromic surveillance. For initial reopening of a hybrid based model that offers both virtual and in-person learning, ADHS recommends the following county-level benchmarks:
- Cases: a two-week decline in weekly average cases OR two weeks below 100 cases per 100,000 population
- Diagnostic test percent positivity: two weeks with positivity below 7%
- COVID-19-Like-Illness Syndromic Surveillance: two weeks with less than 10% of hospital visits due to COVID-like illness
“Our focus is ensuring that Arizona students and teachers have a safe and successful academic year, even though it may look different because of the ongoing pandemic,” Governor Doug Ducey said. “We know the critical services that in-person instruction provides for our children. These benchmarks use public health data guided by recommendations from county, state, and federal experts to inform our schools on implementing a safe return to the classroom.”
A dashboard available at http://azhealth.gov/schoolsCOVID19 indicates whether counties meet the recommended benchmarks for initial reopening of in-person learning in schools. ADHS recommends that all three benchmarks fall into the moderate or minimal transmission ranges before schools in a county consider a hybrid approach of virtual and in-person learning. When one or more benchmark categories are in the range of substantial transmission, ADHS recommends that schools work with their local health departments and start preparing for virtual learning. Data on the dashboard will be updated weekly on Thursdays.
“The public health benchmarks released today by the Arizona Department of Health Services provide our school communities much needed clarity on the safe reopening of schools,” said Kathy Hoffman, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “While it is clear that Arizona is not currently ready to resume traditional in-person or hybrid learning, we now have clear goals for knowing when it is safer to return to the classroom amid COVID-19. I urge all school leaders to use these benchmarks to make safe decisions about learning in this school year.”
ADHS has developed materials offering schools guidance on subjects such as what to do when someone is found to have COVID-19 symptoms. For children, ADHS materials include instructions on wearing masks, washing hands, physical distancing, and understanding COVID-19 symptoms.
“As a mother and public health professional, I know that getting kids back in the classroom safely is important to their overall health,” said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. “The level of COVID-19 transmission in the community is an important factor, along with the health of our health care system, in determining when it is safe to begin in-person instruction.”
The agency has also partnered with Embry Women’s Health and several Valley school districts to offer no cost testing for students, staff, their families, and the community. ADHS will continue to expand community testing throughout the state.
For more information about schools and COVID-19, visit www.azhealth.gov/schoolsCOVID-19.
Enrollment Information
How to Enroll at WFES for the 2020-2021 School Year
If you or anyone you know needs to enroll a student for the 2020-2021 school year, please know we are still accepting enrollments during summer vacation.
If Wildfire Elementary School is your home school, download the PVSchools Student Registration Form, and email the completed forms and other required documents to jeolsen@pvschools.net.
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, 2020.
You will also be required to fill in a Student Emergency Card upon registration.
Registration packets may also be brought into the school office. Please note, that when on the school campus, you must wear a mask, and please be sure to respect social distancing guidelines.
Emergency Card Information Update
If you have not already, please take a moment to make sure your emergency information is updated for the 2020 - 2021 school year. The Annual Update allows you to make any updates to your contact information such as address changes, phone number changes, changes to a child’s health history, as well as update emergency contact information. This will replace the printed Emergency Card.
- Please go to Portal.pvschools.net.
- Select More and then Annual Update.
- You may also click the Annual Update link on the Announcement Page.
Need help? View our Annual Update Smart Card.
Amazon Smile
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way to support our school.
The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases. Click on the picture above to learn how to donate.BOX TOP$ for Education
Box Top$ for Education is now digital! No more cutting and collecting box tops.
Click here to see how it works and how to contribute.
Fry's Community Rewards
If you are a Fry's VIP member you can link your card to Wildfire PTO and effortlessly earn money for our school simply by doing your normal shopping. You just have to signup once and the school will reap the benefits all year!
Important Upcoming Dates:
- August 10th, 2020: Virtual Curriculum Night
- Early Release Day - School Ends at 12:30: August 25th
Wildfire Elementary School Firebirds
Email: wfes@pvschools.net
Website: https://www.pvschools.net/wfes
Location: 3997 East Lockwood Drive, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone: (602) 449-4300
Facebook: facebook.com/WFESFirebirds
Twitter: @WFESFirebirds