WFES Newsletter

We are very pleased to have Mr. Daniel Fourmy join our staff as our new daytime custodian. Mr. Fourmy comes to Wildfire from the Paradise Valley Transportation Department. Prior to joining PV, Mr. Fourmy was a soldier in the United States Army. Mr. Fourmy also volunteers at the Liberty Wildlife Rehabilitation Center which is the #1 rated bird rescue in the country!

Welcome to WFES Mr. Fourmy!

Do you need technical support and/or help navigating the online world of PV Connect, Infinite Campus (IC), Google Classroom, and other online resources?

Our Instructional Coach Mrs. Spetrini is gauging interest for live virtual informational sessions where she can work with parents to help answer technology questions. If you are interested or would like more information, please click the button below and complete the short survey.

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.

If you or if you know of a Wildfire student or staff member who is struggling with social and/or emotional issues or stress and would like help, please complete a referral form linked below and a Wildfire SEL team member will reach out within 48 hours (excluding weekends or holidays/breaks). The SEL team will work with the person referred to provide help and support.

The counselor referral form and other social and emotional resources can also be found on the Wildfire website.

Starting Monday August 24th, students can put a book on hold from our Wildfire Library. Mrs. Mineo will pull the book and check it out for that student.

The hold books will be on a cart outside the front office between 12:30 and 3:30 Monday thru Friday for pick up.

A book return bin will also be located outside the front office daily.

Watch the video below to learn how to check-out a book online.

Our Yearbook team of students, teachers and parent volunteers have once again worked throughout last year to create a meaningful yearbook for our families. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 related factory shutdowns at the Lifetouch plant, production of the 2019-2020 yearbook has been significantly delayed. Please see the attached explanation letter from Lifetouch.

A Yearbook Distribution Date will be announced once it is known. Thanks for your patience & understanding.

September 3, 2020

As we have shared previously, PVSchools is following public health benchmarks as our guide for reopening schools safely. We are happy to report our district continues to move closer to meeting targets for full in-person reopening.

According to data released this morning from the Maricopa County Department of Health (MCDPH), for the first time one of our metrics, percent positivity, is within the “green light” while our other metric, cases per hundred thousand, remains within the “yellow light” and continues to decrease. This is positive news. Once both metrics are within the “green light,” we can move forward with our plans to resume in-person learning.

As we continue to monitor the metrics, the Governing Board will reconvene as necessary to follow up with additional discussion and/or action.

Here are a few other updates I would like to provide:

• Within the next two weeks, families will be surveyed regarding their desire to return to full in-person learning or continue with an online learning model.
  
  
• We are ensuring necessary safety preparations at our schools are in place when we welcome our students back. This includes installing additional handwashing and hand sanitizing stations, needed protective equipment, conducting staff training, establishing isolation rooms for potential illness, finalizing protocols and guidelines, and posting signage.
  
  
• An outline of the district's metrics, our current “traffic signal,” and link to MCDPH’s data dashboard can be found at www.pvschools.net/reopening. The webpage also includes the latest information, our reopening plan (which is in the process of being updated with the latest guidelines/recommendations), and all correspondence that has been sent to families.

It hasn't been easy but our teachers and staff members are working incredibly hard at providing all our students the best education possible.

If you would like to thank a staff member for all their hard work or for any of the other amazing things they do, you can give them a shout-out! Simply complete the form below and the shout-outs will be shared with the staff member and without a doubt will make their day!

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.

Early bird open enrollment for the 2021 - 2022 school year began on September 1st, 2020 and will run through December 1st, 2020.

• The Early Bird Round, which is for families residing within, as well as outside, district boundaries, is from Sept. 1 and concludes on Dec. 1. All early-bird applications received will be processed and parents/guardians notified via email prior to winter break.
  • The Early Bird Round is NOT first-come, first-served. Everyone applying between Sept. 1 and Dec. 1 has the same opportunity for acceptance.
• The Final Round, which is for out-of-district families only, begins Dec. 2, 2020, and concludes on Jan. 21, 2021. Applications received during this time frame will be processed and accepted or denied based on remaining space availability at the requested school. Please note that there may be additional closures by Dec. 1. Applicants will be notified via email in February.
• After Jan. 21, 2021, please contact the school of your choice to inquire about space availability for enrollment.
• All open enrollment questions may be directed to tsorenson@pvschools.net.

Click here to access the online open enrollment form.

Please note, that Wildfire Elementary School is open for kindergarten open enrollment applications, but closed for all other grade levels for the 2020 - 2021 school year.

Vaccines prevent many communicable diseases and complications so I must again remind you how important it is for your children to be fully vaccinated, especially during this time. Even though students are learning online at home right now immunization requirements will not change. Per AZ state law, all students must provide proof of required vaccines or a valid vaccine exemption form prior to entry or attendance at school. This means that if a child is enrolled at a “brick and mortar” school but is at home learning, vaccine requirements must still be met and students must be ready to go back to that “brick and mortar” building at any time. AZ Department of Health Services is not granting any extensions because of COVID.

Students who are 11 years old: two vaccines required (Tdap & Meningococcal).

All other vaccines: due asap if you have received previous notice from me.

Vaccine Clinics: PVUSD will be partnering with Maricopa County to offer free vaccine clinics.

Saturday, Sept. 12 (9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.). North Canyon High School. Flu vaccines only. Offered to adults as well.

Saturday, Sept. 19 (9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.). Greenway Middle School. All vaccines will be offered.

Appointments are not necessary. Masks will be required and social distancing will be maintained. Remember to bring a copy of your child's current vaccine record and any notices received from the school nurse.

Chronic Conditions, Emergency Medications, or Daily Prescription Medications

You will need to complete care plans and sign consents for the medications. The forms are available on the Wildfire nurse website if you would like to get a head start on the forms.

Learn about how our Parent Teacher Organization makes a difference at Wildfire Elementary! Check out volunteer opportunities. Listen to school updates from the Principal and our Teachers. Links will be posted at www.wildfirepto.org

What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL) & Why is it Critical for Student Success?

Join PVSchools' District SEL Specialist and School Psychologist, Jon Bowen for a presentation about Social Emotional Learning (SEL). We will learn the rationale for SEL, introduce evidence-based and systematic SEL approaches, share distance learning social-emotional support efforts currently employed across sites in PVUSD, and discuss social-emotional supports in development for the reopening of school doors. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and walk away with helpful tips and resources to support your family.

Wednesday, September 16th

General UPC meeting begins at 4:00 pm

Programming begins are 4:30 pm

This meeting will be virtual and login information will be shared prior to the meeting.

AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Wildfire Elementary every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at Smile.Amazon.Com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones.

How to turn on AmazonSmile in the mobile app:

1. Join AmazonSmile. If you are not already an AmazonSmile member, sign up on your web browser. Simply select Wildfire Elementary PTO to start generating donations, at no cost to you.
2. Get the app. Download or update to the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app on your phone. You can find it in the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android.
3. Turn on AmazonSmile. Open the app and find ’Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.

On your first visit to smile.amazon.com, you will be prompted to select a charitable organization. Select Wildfire Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization. Every time you shop on Amazon simply start at smile.amazon.com and the school earns 0.5% of every purchase. It's that easy to make a difference! Ask your friends, family and co-workers to participate too! As always, Thank you for your support!

• Class T-Shirt Orders Due - Sept 4th
• Labor Day Recess (No School) - Sept 7th
• STUGO Spirit Day -Patriotic Day - Sept 11th
• Light Our Fire Donation Drive Competition Ends - Sept 14th
• Family Night Take Out Night - Cafe Zupas: September 15th at 5:00 PM-9:00 PM
• UPC Monthly Program: September 16th at 4:00 pm
  
• Firebird Friday - Sept 18th
• Virtual PTO Meeting - Sept 21st at 5:00 pm
• Sandra Day O'Connor Civics Celebration Day - Sept 25th
  
• STUGO Spirit Day - Think Green Day - Sept 25th
• Fall Break (No School): Sept 28th-30th

The mission of Wildfire Elementary School is to lead students to high achievement and individual excellence in a collaborative learning environment

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