Mesquite Elementary

Dear Mesquite Elementary Families,

This week I would like to highlight and say thank you our amazing and dedicated Special Areas team! Mrs. Pardy, Mrs. Sturdevant, Mr. Martins, and Mr. Gonzalez make a difference each day! As a team they support our campus in untold ways going above and beyond! We are grateful for all they do!

Enrollment for next school year is currently open. For more enrollment information please see this link. As you start thinking about junior highs for next year, please know that we feed into Greenfield Junior High School, South Valley Junior High School, and students have the option to apply to Gilbert Accelerated Middle School at Gilbert High School, Gilbert Classical Academy, and/or Gilbert, Talented, and Creative Program at Highland Junior High School.

A huge thank you to our PTSO for working to plan the Fall Festival coming up on Friday, November 14th. PTSO is currently seeking volunteers to help at the Fall Festival and we ask you to please use this link to sign up. Please know these event are only possible with the leadership of our amazing PTSO Volunteers and other volunteers that join us for events! We encourage you to be a part by joining our PTSO at their third meeting on Thursday, January 8th in the Library at 3:15 p.m.! Please know you are welcome to bring your child(ren) to the meeting. More information about our PTSO and Fall Festival can be found in the PTSO Section at the bottom of the weekly newsletters!

Sincerely,

Wendy Norburg

Thankful to our students who announced and celebrated our Character Ticket Winners this week with Mrs. Janine! Proud of these students for being respectful, responsible, and safe in so many ways!

Mesquite Mountain Lions, this year we would love to see your pride colors! We look forward to seeing our Mountain Lions wearing their favorite school shirt or school colors on Fridays this year! If you were interested in buying a school shirt and weren't able to buy one at Meet the Teacher Night, please see the visit the Spirit Wear store on the Mesquite PTSO Website to buy a shirt or other school apparel! Magic Squad will be warding the class with the highest percentage of students wearing school spirit wear with a prize!

The Arizona Department of Education has recognized Mesquite Elementary as an A-rated school for the 2024-2025 school year! Letter grades are based on a range of performance metrics in areas such as student academic growth, proficiency, readiness measures, and more. An A letter grade represents “Excellent.” We are incredibly proud of our students, staff and families for all of their hard work to achieve this letter grade!

The White Table is set in many mess halls as a symbol for and remembrance to service members fallen, missing, or held captive in the line of duty. Solitary and solemn, it is the table where no one will ever sit. As a special gift to her Uncle John, Katie and her sisters are asked to help set the white table for dinner. As their mother explains the significance of each item placed on the table Katie comes to understand and appreciate the depth of sacrifice that her uncle, and each member of the Armed Forces and their families, may be called to give. It was just a little white table... but it felt as big as America when we helped Mama put each item on it and she told us why it was so important. "We use a Small Table, girls," she explained first, "to show one soldier's lonely battle against many. We cover it with a White Cloth to honor a soldier's pure heart when he answers his country's call to duty." "We place a Lemon Slice and Grains of Salt on a plate to show a captive soldier's bitter fate and the tears of families waiting for loved ones to return," she continued. "We push an Empty Chair to the table for the missing soldiers who are not here..."Thank you to Mrs. Sturdevant for honoring our Veterans with an America's White Table in the Library.

• If you are in need of food assistance or support and/or wishing to donate food items, please see this resource directory. This also includes holiday meal assistance!
• Please see this link to find the weekly local food assistance calendar. This includes the day of the week, pick up times available for that agency and the locations. You may need to show your ID and or proof of residency depending on the agency!
• I can also sign your child (ren) up to receive weekend food bags. These go home on Fridays and come with a variety of snacks for the weekend. If you are interested, please email me at karina.nyberg@gilbertschools.net.

The Holiday Angel Tree is up! If you are willing and able, please stop by the front office to grab an ornament off the tree. (If you want your child to pick one, please send a note with them). By purchasing an item from our Angel Tree, you will be supporting a child from our amazing community. If you cannot come in, but want to donate, gift cards to grocery stores, Walmart, and or Target are always helpful too. Unwrapped items are due Wednesday, December 3rd!

Thank you to all who joined us at our PTSO Meeting on Thursday, November 6, 2025! Our fourth PTSO meeting will be on Thursday, January 8, 2025 at 3:15 p.m. in the Library and we would love to have you join us!

Upcoming Meeting Dates:

• Thursday, January 8
• Thursday, February 12
• Thursday, April 9
• Thursday, May 14

PTSO is currently seeking volunteers to help at the Fall Festival! Please use this link to sign up for at time to help support PTSO and all the amazing work they do on our campus!

Fall Festival will be here soon! Presale tickets are available for $5 using the QR Code found below! At the door they will be on sale for $10. We hope to see you there!

Thank you to Judd Orthodontists and Barrett Real Estate for sponsoring and supporting Mesquite Elementary PTSO! You are so appreciated!

Thank you to those that follow the Mesquite Elementary PTSO Facebook page. PTSO has an Instagram account as well which can be found using this picture QR Code. Thank you for following along and sharing along the way!

A heartfelt thank you to our amazing 25/26 PTSO Executive Board. Your commitment to the students, staff, community, and campus is so truly appreciated! Thank you to those to support PTSO by attending events, donating items, and volunteering time.

25/26 PTSO Executive Board

• Kimberly Castro - President
• Stacy Nelson - Co-Vice President
• Amy Simon - Co-Vice President
• Allison Brumfield - Co-Secretary
• Heather Foti - Co-Secretary
• Mel Van Klavern - Treasurer

Please check the PTSO website and join the Mesquite Elementary PTSO Facebook group for all the current information from PTSO. This is a great way to connect with other families.

Student Council will present their first ever Hall of Haunts in the hallway of scares at the Fall Festival on Friday, November 14th. The cost will be $2.00 and payable by cash only! We hope to see you there!

Student council is hosting a Food Drive! Be apart of a meaningful initiative to support families in need. All donations will go to Matthews Crossing Food Bank, which supports our students Weekend Meals to Go Program and GPS Community. The most needed items are: canned and dried foods, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, soup, cereal, and nutritious snacks. Please drop off items in Nurse Jenny's Room starting on October 27th!

• November 11 - Veteran's Day No School
• November 12 - Third Grade Veteran's Day Concert at 6:00 p.m.
• November 14 - Fall Festival from 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
• November 18 - Picture Retakes
• November 25 - Turkey Trot During Specials and PTSO Family Spirit Night at Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers (Gilbert/Warner Location)
• November 26-28 Thanksgiving Holiday No School
• December 2 - Second Grade Winter Program Concert at 5:30 p.m.
• December 5 - Second Grade Field Trip to the Riparian and Band Field Trip to Highland High School
• December 10 - Fifth Grade Band and Strings Concert at 5:30 p.m.
• December 15 - 17 - Fifth Grade Science Camp
• December 19 - Half Day Dismissal at 11:55 a.m.
• December 22 - January 2 - Winter Break No School

If you haven’t already, please take a moment to complete the online ‘Annual Update’ for your student(s). In order to ensure we can communicate with you regarding your student, or in case of an emergency, it is important that we have your up-to-date contact details. Even if there are no changes, we ask you to please complete to confirm the information we have is accurate for this school year. Please log in to your Infinite Campus parent portal and complete your student’s Annual Update today. For more details, visit gilbertschools.net/annualupdate.

Download the GPS App

The GPS App includes a link to IC, as well as access to your student’s school calendar, meal information, bus routes, and other helpful information for parents and students. Visit www.gilbertschools.net/app for more information.

If you wish to add money to your child's account, please use this link. The Free and Reduced Price Meal Online Application is available here as well!

Directions for how to apply for Free and Reduced Lunches online in English can be found at this link and in Spanish can be found at this link. Please use this link to complete a Free and Reduced Lunch Meal application. If you are interested in applying and have questions please don't hesitate to contact the front office or our social worker, Ms. Karina Nyberg.

By becoming a Friendship Club member at Mesquite Elementary, students learn to build awareness and create opportunities in which friendships can grow in a safe and accepting environment. At each club meeting, students will engage with peers before school for 30 minutes for structured fun and peer interaction. There are no costs to join this club.

Thursdays 7:30am - 8:00am

Quarter 2 - 3rd-6th grade
Quarter 3 - Kindergarten-2nd grade
Quarter 4 - 3rd-6th grade

Email Ms. Kelli at kelli.stark@gilbertschools.net to sign up!

Please see this link for the rehearsal schedule that has been shared with all families.

January 16 - Performance at Gilbert High School at 6:30 pm

January 17 - Performance at Gilbert High School at 2:00 pm

• November 18 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• November 19 - Movers Club Meet Location TBD at 4:30 pm
• December 2 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• December 9 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• December 16 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• December 17 - Movers Club Meet Location TBD at 4:30 pm
• January 6 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• January 13 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• January 20 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• January 21 - Movers Club Meet Location TBD at 4:30 pm
• January 27 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• February 3 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• February 10 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• February 17 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• February 18 - Movers Club Meet Location TBD at 4:30 pm
• February 21 - Movers Club Meet at Gilbert High School at 8:00 am (time subject to change)
• February 24 - Movers Club Mesquite Only Meet at Mesquite

Thank you to those who joined us as we relaunched the Mesquite Garden at the Parent University: Growing Together: A Family Garden and Resource Fair with the help and support of Parent University and so many community volunteers! To make our garden dreams a reality, we need the support of our amazing community. We welcome any volunteers that would like to help us with the upkeep of the garden! Thank you to Mr. William and our earliest learners in Building Blocks and Kindergarten who are helping take care of our garden!

We wanted to say thank you to those who are all working behind the scenes to revitalize our garden area! Thank you to Ashley Fortune, with GPS Parent University, who is leading the way alongside William Erickson, our building manager. Ms. Karina, our social worker, is supporting as well! The Torreon Family started the refurbishing of our garden beds last year and this year the Widdowson/Welsh Family and Fortune Family who continued to refurbish the area, including painting the fences! We appreciate the many gracious volunteers who are taking the lead and jumping in to revitalize the garden area!

A special thank you to Shopper's Supply who has graciously volunteered to donate so many items to our garden area including, but not limited to tomato cages, water jugs, seeds, gloves, and Gypsum! As a local, family owned and operated small business, their commitment and support of community is so appreciated as they invest right back into the community! Shopper's Supply stands by their logo, "You Live It. We Supply It."

Our School Break and Holiday Camps provide a safe, fun childcare option on select non-school days throughout the school year. In addition to the daily scheduled activities, Camp days feature guest speakers and field trips that enhance learning and add extra fun.

Registration for the Veteran's Day (11/11/25) and Day Before Thanksgiving (11/23/25) holiday camps is now open! These camps will be located at Playa del Rey Elementary & Superstition Springs Elementary.

Registration for the Veteran's Day camp closes on October 31, 2025. Registration for the Day Before Thanksgiving camp closes on November 14, 2025. Be on the look out for more upcoming Winter Break and Holiday camps!

Register now on Eleyo!

1. Notice of Public Community Meetings - Four community meetings will be held to share proposed changes and gain input from the community. The proposed closure of Pioneer Elementary, and the change of Carol Rae Ranch, Harris, and Val Vista Lakes boundaries to each include portions of the Pioneer area. Additionally, a small change of boundaries from Greenfield Junior High to Mesquite Junior High in part of the current Pioneer boundaries area.

2. Opportunities for Public Comment:

• Monday, November 17, 2025 - 6pm @ Pioneer Elementary

• Wednesday, November 19, 2025 - 6pm @ Carol Rae Ranch Elementary

• Thursday, November 20, 2025 - 6pm @ Val Vista Lakes Elementary

• Monday, November 24, 2025 - 6pm @ Harris Elementary

3. Governing Board Meetings:

• Tuesday, December 9, 2025 - 6pm - Governing Board Work Study/Brief Board Meeting @ District Office (No Board action will be taken.)

• Tuesday, January 27, 2026 - 6pm - Governing Board Meeting @ District Office (Board action on proposed changes.)

Provided below is current upcoming construction information based on the current schedule. Please remember schedules can be impacted by various factors, to include weather, materials scheduling and availability of resources, coordination with other projects or utilities, and neighborhood or school activities. A project description and exhibits from the public meeting are available on the project webpage.

• Crews continue work to trench and install water pipeline in the north side of Mesquite Street, currently working in an easterly direction approaching Val Vista Drive. As this work crosses driveways or side streets, crews will coordinate with the respective residents related to access.

• Scheduled to take place Sept. 29 - Oct. 10, crews will install waterline into Val Vista Drive, with no access to westbound Mesquite Street from Val Vista Drive during daytime hours, weekdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastbound Mesquite Street will be permitted to turn right (southbound) at Val Vista Drive. This waterline will ultimately need to cross Val Vista Drive, so following this effort, work will take place in the middle of Val Vista Drive with traffic shifted to the curb lanes and left turns restricted at Mesquite Street and Val Vista Drive.

• Water pipeline installation is expected to take another couple of months and following that work, storm drain pipe installation can begin.

• Those impacted by planned water service disruptions as part of the waterline installation will be notified in advance via door hanger. Residential services, such as mail delivery and trash pick-up, should not be disrupted; however, please contact us if you experience issues.

• Please be aware that bicyclists are subject to following the same traffic restrictions in the roadway as vehicles, so need to obey traffic signage or flaggers, as those activities are meant to protect all travelers, as well as nearby residents and construction crews.

Mesquite Street and 29th Place will remain open for travel with a flagger activity in place, as needed, to shift traffic away from the work zone. Pedestrian traffic may be shifted to the opposite side of the street, away from the work area, in the interest of safety. Access to residences and the school will be maintained.

Please maintain safe speeds and obey traffic and construction signage, as it is placed for your safety and the safety of travelers and construction crews. In addition, please do not disturb workers as they are given specific tasks, working within allowable rights-of-way or easements, which need to be completed to maintain the project schedule.

Thank you for your patience during this work.

Project Information: 480.898.4090 | www.gilbertaz.gov/cip