Mesquite Elementary

Dear Mesquite Elementary Families,

What a great first quarter we have had here at Mesquite! We couldn't do it without you and your continued support through your attendance at events such as Parent/Teacher Conferences, regular communication with staff, support with fundraisers, and more! This week I would like to highlight and say thank you to our talented fourth grade team. We are grateful for the support that Ms. Kahldon, Ms. Kim, and Mrs. Prisbrey provide for our students as they transition into intermediate and take on more responsibilities! Fourth grade is a year of great learning, growth, and challenging experiences. We are grateful for a team that truly invests in and believes in each student! We appreciate our fourth grade team and the impact they make at Mesquite!

If you have not yet completed your Annual Update on Infinite Campus we ask that you please do so. We have had 89.90% of families complete their child's Infinite Campus Annual Update! This information on Infinite Campus allows us to communicate with you each week through campus messages. In addition to this, updated information allows us to reach you or emergency contacts for your child in the event of an emergency. Even if no information has changed, we still ask that you verify this by completing the Annual Update. Please see this video for more information about the importance of Annual Updates with our Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education and other district departments with directions about how to complete the update. We truly appreciate Mrs. Janine who has been working to get all accounts updated! Thank you Mrs. Janine!

I wish you and your family a safe and fun Fall Break! We look forward to seeing you back on campus Monday, October 14th!

Sincerely,

Wendy Norburg

Fifth grade students were challenged to learn about a state. Students then created a state float and magazine! It was exciting to see all of their hard work come together as they worked on both ELA and Social Studies Standards!

Sixth grade did an amazing job with their Ancient Wax Museum Project! It was exciting to see all of their hard work come together as they worked on both ELA and Social Studies Standards!

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!

Fox 10 News will be visiting Mesquite Elementary on Friday, September 27th for a special segment highlighting our amazing campus and community!

We will have our annual Halloween Book Parade on Tuesday, October 31st at 2:15 p.m. All students Kinder through 6th grade as well as Building Blocks will participate. Kinder teachers will be reaching out to families about their grade level plan. Students in grades 1st-6th, we ask that your child dress as their favorite book character and/or bring a book with a character similar to their costume. Costumes should not include masks and should be school appropriate. Parents are welcome to join us and will be lined up outside on the playground along the parade route. We look forward to seeing you on campus!

Thank you to all who joined us at our first PTSO Meeting! PTSO shared information about committee and volunteer opportunities throughout the year! The greatest need at this time is for volunteers to help prepare for and volunteer at the Fall Festival on Friday, November 15, 2024. The next PTSO meeting will be on Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 3:15 p.m. in the Library and we would love to have you join us!

Would you like to help support the Mesquite Elementary PTSO and your business?

• Vendor tables, which can be used for advertising your business and/or selling your product, will be available at Mesquite’s 2024 Fall Festival. All we ask from you is a minimum $50 donation and an item for our raffle drawing.

When

• Friday, November 15th from 5:30pm to 8:30pm

Mesquite Elementary School - 1000 E. Mesquite Street Gilbert, AZ 85296

• Your donation will include two cafeteria tables and a 10x10 space to use at your disposal. Please let us know if you plan to bring your own table.
• Please note, we are hoping to get participation from a variety of vendors without duplication of service or product.
• We are not able to provide power so please plan accordingly.

Please use this link to sign up and/or for more information.

Our Fall Funderaiser was a succes and we raised over $15,000.00 which means Ms. Pardy, Mrs. Borger, Mrs. Sturdevant, Mr. Martins, Mrs. Pallozzi, Ms. Vossler, Ms. Dobson, Mrs. Schock, Mrs. Welling, Mr. Bender, and Mrs. Norburg will all be participating in the Inflatable Race. Thank you to all who generously donated and collected donations! We can't thank you and our PTSO enough for this generosity, we are so excited for our students!

• Amy Simon - President
• Stacy Nelson - Vice President
• Kimberly Castro - Secretary
• Mel Van Klaveren - Treasurer
• Heather Foti - Member At Large
• Allison Brumfield - Member At Large

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.

• September 27 - Half Day Dismissal at 11:55 am
• September 30 - October 11 - Fall Break No School
• October 17 - Sixth Grade Field Trip to ASU Space Exploration
• October 18 - Third Grade Field Trip to the Musical Instrument Museum
• October 24 - Second Grade Field trip to The Crayola Experience, Battle of the Books at 1:45 pm, And Sixth Grade Spooktacular Concert at 6:00 pm
• October 31 - Halloween Book Parade at 2:15 pm
• November 6 - Site Council Meeting at 7:20 am in the Library
• November 7 - PTSO Meeting at 3:15 pm in the Library and Third Grade Veteran's Day Concert at 6:00 pm
• November 11 - Veteran's Day No School
• November 14 - Picture Retakes
  
• November 15 - Fall Festival from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
• November 26 - Turkey Trot During Specials
• November 27-29 Thanksgiving Holiday No School

It is very important that all families complete the online ‘Annual Update’ to prepare for the new school year. The ‘Annual Update’ in Infinite Campus allows you to tell us of any updates to your contact information, address changes, and updates to emergency contacts. In order to ensure we can communicate with you regarding your student, or in case of emergency, it is essential that we have your up to date contact details. Please log in to your Infinite Campus parent portal and complete your student’s ‘Annual Update’ today. To access the IC portal visit www.gilbertschools.net/IC.

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 for this coming year, please use this link. The Free and Reduced Price Meal Online Application is available here as well!

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 7:30 am - 8:00am

Quarter 2 - 4th-6th grade

Quarter 3 - Kindergarten-3rd grade

Quarter 4- 4th-6th grade

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

Musical Theater Club will be back starting this November! Registration is now open, please use this link to register!

• November 18 - 4th - 6th Grade Musical Theater Club from 3:00 pm. - 5:00 pm
  
• November 19 - 4th - 6th Grade Musical Theater Club from 3:00 pm. - 5:00 pm
• November 20 - 1st - 3rd Grade Musical Theater Club from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm and Mandatory Parent Meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the Multi Purpose Room
• November 21 - Video Auditions due by 9:00 am and Musical Theater Club In Person Auditions from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
• November 25 - 4th - 6th Grade Musical Theater Club Receive Scripts

Mesquite Movers Run Club is created for students who love to run, Mesquite Movers encourages students to move, whether that is speed walking, jogging or running. We will train for monthly meets and keep your heart healthy! Students participate in weekly practices at Mesquite starting after fall break. Practices will be on Tuesdays from 3:00-3:30PM. Run Club meets will be in November, December, January and February at a junior high or high school. If this is something your child is interested in sign up using the following link https://gilbertschools.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getcategory/program_id/14.

• October 15 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm
• October 22 - Movers Club at 3:00 pm
• October 29 - Movers Club at 3:15 pm
• November 5 - Movers Club at 3:15 pm
• November 12 - Movers Club at 3:15 pm
• November 19 - Movers Club at 3:15 pm

Preschool will be doing quarterly Parent Activity Nights at Community Education. The first one will be on Wednesday, September 25th from 5:30pm to 7pm. The flyer registration link can be found here. The event will be capped to 35 families, please note spots may go quickly. Families with children ages 3-5 are welcome to attend.

Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board approved that in November 2024, voters living within Gilbert Public School boundaries will decide on a proposed 15% budget override continuation. This would be a continuation of the existing budget override approved by voters in November 2019 and in place since the 2020/21 school year. The existing override generates approximately $36 million annually to:

• ensure competitive salaries to recruit and retain high-quality teachers and staff in classrooms,
• maintain programmatic choices for students creating future ready graduates,
• maintain campus safety and security personnel and,
• maintain class sizes with allocation to class size reduction.

For more information please visit our website - www.gilbertschools.net/election