Sunset Elementary

Happy teaching!

• Bus/Front Drop Off- Carrasco
• Cafeteria- Quintela, Herrera, Cartwright

4th Grade

-By the end of this week you should have 12 grades in ELA and Math and 6 in Social Studies and Science (If applicable).

Monday, September 14th

Lesson Plans Due 7:35am

Leadworthy Lessons Begin

PLC- Whole Group in Library/ Bring 3 High Leverage Tasks and Standards Companions

ILT Meeting 3:15

Tuesday, September 15th

MGT Instructional Rounds

Fire Drill 9:15

Committee Meetings 3:00

IT Professionals Day- send a small note of thanks

Wednesday, September 16th

MGT Instructional Rounds

Thursday, September 17th

Sunset Spirit Day!

MGT Instructional Rounds

Friday, September 11th

Cavemen Spirit Day!

High Five Friday!

Spirit Sticks

MGT Instructional Rounds

Alarm-

We have a new alarm system that arms itself at 10pm. If you are coming in over the weekend, please text me so I can show you how to disarm it.

Bulletin Boards-
Our front bulletin boards are dedicated to celebrating Outstanding Student Work! Each grade level has its own board, and we want to fill them with examples of learning we are proud to showcase. When students complete work that demonstrates strong understanding of a standard and they are especially proud of their work, send them down to the office so we can celebrate them and display their work! We are excited to see the amazing learning happening in your classrooms and to give our students the recognition they deserve!

School Spirit Day THURSDAY-
Let's show our Sunset School Spirit! Every Thursday, students and teachers are encouraged to wear a Sunset shirt or Sunset colors. Each teacher will record the number of participating students on the board outside your classroom. The class with the highest participation will earn a prize! Let's see which class can show the most Sunset pride each week! 🦂

WIN Books-
As we wrap up our BOY testing, it is time to begin creating our Student Data Trackers! During Data Day, work with your team to identify the data points, goals, and information that will be most meaningful for your students. We want these trackers to be useful tools that help students understand their learning, set goals, and celebrate their growth throughout the year.

Structured Literacy Walkthroughs-
Structured Literacy walkthroughs are underway and will continue this week. These walkthroughs are an opportunity to celebrate the great literacy practices happening across our campus and identify opportunities to continue strengthening instruction. Thank you for the intentional work you are doing to support our students as readers!

Canvas Walkthroughs-
Canvas walkthroughs will begin and continue throughout the month.

Classrooms-
Let's continue creating classrooms that are clean, organized, and ready for learning! Please build in time for students to take responsibility for their learning environment by cleaning up after themselves. Before students leave for the day, please make sure trash is picked up from the floor and desks. This is another great opportunity for us to build responsibility and leadership in our students!

Absences/Sub Plans-
When you have a scheduled absence, please enter it in Frontline and alert both Rostro and Daughtry that you will be out. For emergency absences, please enter the absence in Frontline and notify both Rostro and Daughtry as soon as possible, ideally between 5:30–6:30 AM. Please help us set our substitutes and students up for success by leaving detailed schedules, routines, procedures, and plenty of meaningful work. Substitutes often move through assignments more quickly than we anticipate, so having extra work available is always helpful. Thank you for planning ahead and helping ensure learning continues smoothly in your absence!

Workroom/Lounge-
Thank you for helping us keep our shared spaces welcoming and organized! Please clean up after yourself in the lounge and workroom so the next person can enjoy the space as well.

Dress Code-
As a reminder, please continue to represent Sunset Elementary with professionalism and pride. Be sure to follow the School Dress Code outlined in the Staff Handbook. Thank you for modeling professionalism for our students each day!

Monday PLC-
Monday we will meet for PLCs to begin our Lesson Prep work! Please bring your High-Leverage Tasks, standards, and plans for the upcoming weeks. We will work together in content groups to intentionally plan lessons that are aligned to the rigor of the standards and designed to maximize student learning. Let's build great lessons together!

Leadworthy Lessons-
Leadworthy Lessons will begin on the first Monday of September. Please make sure you know where to find the lessons in your CKH portal. Journal prompts for September will also be provided. We are excited to intentionally build leadership skills and a strong sense of community with our students!

Technology-
As we continue to focus on high-quality instruction, student engagement, and foundational skills, we will be intentional about how technology is used in the classroom. Please do not assign daily activities or Edpuzzles through Google Classroom. Books and passages students are reading should be provided in hard copy, and students should have regular opportunities to read, write, solve, and think using pencil and paper.

Our campus technology expectations include:

• Amira (Grades 1–3): 30 minutes per week as required by PED (High Quality Tutoring)
• Exact Path (Grades 1–5): 15 minutes per day (ELA and Math)
• Zearn: May be used to reinforce Eureka Math
• Khan Academy: May be used with administrative approval
• Other technology sites (Prodigy, Boddle, Xtra Math, IXL, Math Playground, etc.) require administrative approval to be used for Fun Friday

Our goal is not to eliminate technology, but to make sure technology is being used intentionally and in ways that strengthen—not replace—high-quality instruction.

CKH Expectations-
As a campus, we are excited to fully implement Capturing Kids' Hearts (CKH)! Leadworthy Lessons will begin Monday, with journal writing Tuesday–Friday. Please reference the journal prompts in your Back-to-School folder.

Our Social Contract should be a living part of our classrooms. Use it daily, refer back to it throughout the day, and give students opportunities to reflect on how they are living up to the expectations they created together. Please also make sure all students know how to use the Time Out signal.

Each week, choose one word from your Social Contract to emphasize and post it on the board outside your classroom. This will allow all of us to help reinforce that word as we see students demonstrating it throughout the school!

CKH Leadworthy-
Leadworthy will take the place of Character Counts as we transition to becoming a fully implemented CKH campus. We will no longer give Character Counts awards or use the Character Counts pledge. Instead, we will focus on the CKH traits and intentionally build those characteristics into our daily interactions with students.

September's CKH trait is EMPATHY. ❤️ Let's look for opportunities to model, teach, recognize, and celebrate empathy throughout our school!

Discipline Documentation in Synergy-

In order to help stream line our discipline documentation, A folder has been created and will be placed in your boxes. This will give insight to documenting in Synergy, assigning detentions and consequences.

Hallway Expectations-
Let's help our students show what Sunset leadership looks like in the hallways! Please review expectations with students for walking safely, sharing the hallway, and maintaining a voice level of 0.

If students need another opportunity to practice, simply reset and try again. Consistent practice helps students learn what success looks like. Our goal is for students to confidently demonstrate hallway expectations every time they travel through the building.

Lunchroom Procedures-
Please continue practicing lunchroom procedures with your students. Students should maintain appropriate volume, remain seated until dismissed, and follow hallway expectations when transitioning to the playground.

We also want to build student responsibility by teaching students to clean up their own spaces. We have recently seen tables left with trash and food placed in milk containers, so please take a few moments to reinforce what a clean and responsible lunchroom looks like. Thank you for helping our students develop these important leadership habits!

Restroom Monitors-
Restroom monitors are still an important part of our procedures this year. Please make sure a monitor is assigned and that students understand the expectations and procedures. Thank you for helping us maintain safe and responsible routines throughout the school!

Students Unattended-
Student safety is always our number-one priority. Please do not leave students unattended for any reason. If you need assistance, contact the office so we can support you. We are here to help!

FERPA-
Please continue to protect the privacy and confidentiality of our students. Conversations about individual students or student situations should only take place with staff members who are directly involved in that student's education or have a legitimate educational need to know. Thank you for helping us maintain a professional, respectful, and safe environment for all of our students and families.

By the end of the 2026–2027 school year, the percentage of all students in scoring proficient or advanced in ELA will increase by 10% (moving from 34.4% to 44.4%) as measured by the Spring 2027 NM- MSSA summative assessment, ensuring equitable access to tier-1 core interventions for all diverse student groups.

Sunshine and Staff Celebration Committee- Provide activities and events to encourage a positive environment for our staff. A donation will be requested from the staff at the beginning of each year to provide funds for such activities. The funds are also used in the event of benevolence, wedding/baby showers, etc. The committee will also help promote positive Staff Culture and Celebration by choosing the weekly Staff of the Week and celebrating them as well as celebrating Staff throughout the year.

Student Growth and Celebrations Committee- Focuses on recognizing and supporting the personal and academic development of students. It organizes events, programs, and initiatives that celebrate achievements, encourage progress, and foster a positive learning environment. The committee aims to promote a sense of community and pride among students while acknowledging their accomplishments and contributions to the school or institution. Assist in creating and adjusting positive reward systems and organizing the 9 week awards assemblies. Members will also be in charge of decorating for the events and taking down the decorations at the end of the events.

Student Involvement Committee- Lead and Assist elected student group to represent Sunset by becoming a member of Student Council or an Ambassador and organize After School Clubs open for all students. Student Council Officers and Ambassadors often promote school events, support new students, and provide information about campus life, academic programs, and extracurricular activities. Their role involves fostering a positive image of the school and helping to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone involved in the educational community. After School Clubs will be designed and available to any student who may be interested in joining.

Family and Community Involvement Committee- Aims to strengthen the partnership between families and the school to boost student success. Key duties include outlining events, resources, outreach, and measurable goals. Organize workshops and family nights (e.g., literacy nights, Fall Carnival, STEM nights, parent education sessions on curriculum, homework strategies, social-emotional support, cyber safety, etc.) to equip parents with skills to support learning at home. The committee ensures inclusive communication by creating flyers, newsletters, calendar of events, staff member of the week, and social media updates to foster a welcoming, supportive environment for all students and families.

2026-2027 Committee Members:

Sunshine: Klein, Barnhart, Gomez, Maxwell, DaSilva, Carrasco

Student Growth: Schrock, Edeal, Quintela, Duran, Brown, Owens, Garcia

Student Involvement: L.Quintela, Magnuson, Stephens, R. Galindo, Voldahl, A. Hanway, Ortiz

Family Involvement: Bernal, Morgan, Herrera, Smith, Carreon, T. Galindo, Dominguez

Attendance Team: Ford, Cartwright, Pineda

Student Council Leads: Castillo, Rostro, Driver, Daughtry

This month we are focusing on Lesson Prep. This includes finding that High Leverage Task and planning for it throughout the week. We will then be adding writing the exemplar and planning an effective MOPS sequence. Please get with your MCL if you have any questions.

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Ms. Castillo will be coming in to your classrooms to deliver CKH Lessons. A sign up sheet will be sent around. Leadworthy lessons will be taught by classroom teachers each Monday morning. The curriculum begins in September. Monday lessons will begin the first Monday of September.

Goal: Build your Social Contract and all students Sign it