Mesquite Elementary

Dear Mesquite Elementary Families,

This week I would like to highlight and say thank you to our talented band and strings teachers, Dr. Sanchez and Mrs. Seagraves. Dr. Sanchez and Mrs. Seagraves lead our oldest musicians well as they tackle learning new instruments and how to perform. Dr. Sanchez and Mrs. Seagraves travel between three campuses and they make this look like an easy task, which we know it isn't! Thank you Mr. Gonzalez, Dr. Sanchez and Mrs. Seagraves for creating such a strong foundation for our students as they continue to grow as musicians in the many wonderful music programs offered through Gilbert Public Schools!

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 an all they have done to make this first semester a success, such as the Fall Festival and campus improvements, such as the new Four Square Courts! Please know this and other events 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 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!

Congratulations for Mrs. LeClaire's Class for winning the Spirit Count and earning Mesquite Pencils!

So proud of all of our Spelling Bee Contestants! Sloan will be representing Mesquite Elementary in the District Spelling Bee on Thursday, January 22rd at 6:00 p.m. at Campo Verde. We also wanted to celebrate our runner up, Ethan, and our third place finisher, Aubrielle. A special thank you to Mrs. Schneider and Mrs. Cochell who ran the Spelling Bee! Thank you to our amazing judges Mrs. Amari, Mrs. Cochell, and Ms. Karina as well as the most talented announcer, Mr. Martins! Thank you to our TIE, Mrs. Krueger who supported behind the scenes as well as Mr. William and Mr. Gonzalez who helped set up for the School Spelling Bee! It takes a team and we have some of the best at Mesquite! Thank you to those that took time to be with us on the morning of the Spelling Bee!

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!

Thank you all so so much for donating to our food drive to support Mathews Food Crossing. They shared that we donated 542 pounds! Way to go Mesquite!! This will help so many families in need!

Congratulations to our newest Gold Medal Readers. Addisyn, Stella, Emerson, and Bowie have all read 100 books. Well done Mesquite Gold Medal Readers! Keep up all the hard work on your reading!

Thank you to all who attended the Second Grade Musical Program entitled, The Nutcracker Suite! Mr. Gonzalez shares that each piece of this performance was carefully selected to address parts of the curriculum such as expressive singing, rhythm, pitch, and breath control. Students were an integral part of the teaching of the songs with varied roles as a member of Performing, Rehearsal, or Responding team. The students worked hard to tackle these skills! Proud of our musicians! Thank you Mr. Gonzalez for your dedication to our students and music programs!

Mrs. Pardy was celebrated in our District Communication this past month too! Mesquite Elementary’s P.E. Teacher, Morgan Pardy, was celebrated at the Community Excellence Awards on November 12, 2025 for her dedication, service, leadership, and the lasting impact she has made on students, families, and across our school. | Read More

In accordance with ARS15-721 and GPS policy, a 60 day review period must be established to elicit community feedback on any supplemental curriculum. This communication is to inform you that a 60-day review will run from November 13, 2025 until January 12, 2026 for the following supplemental resource.

Harmony Academy (for elementary students)

Harmony Academy is an evidence-based online platform that will be used as a supplement to our prevention programming with skill-based learning experiences for students in grades preschool through 6th grade. This resource provides complementary resources for educators and families to promote comprehensive student support and engagement. Harmony Academy is already being used as a resource with some students receiving special education services. This resource is free as there is no cost to the district. For further information about this resource, use the following link and provide your feedback using this link.

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

Happy December! It's time to show our wonderful teachers and staff how much we appreciate them. This semester, we have condensed it into one day of treats and celebration. Please click on the link below to see how you can help and/or donate. Thank you!!

Over fall break, a new four square pad was poured on the intermediate playground! Thank you to PTSO for your generosity to this project and a fun playground improvement!

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.

• 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.
• January 8 - Second Battle of the Books at 1:45 p.m. and PTSO Meeting at 3:15 p.m. in the Library
• January 15 - Half Day Dismissal at 11:55 a.m.
• January 16 - MES Theater Presents Frozen at Gilbert High School at 6:30 p.m.
• January 17 - MES Theater Presents Frozen at Gilbert High School at 2:00 p.m.
• January 20 - Martin Luther King Jr Day No School
• January 20 - Sixth Grade Level Up Days at Greenfield Junior High School and South Valley Junior High School
• January 23 - Orchestra, Band, and Clubs/Panoramic Pictures
• January 30 - Winter Dance at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Enrollment for the 2026/27 school year in Gilbert Public Schools Preschool-12 is officially open! Existing families who would like to enroll a new student or transfer a student from one school to another can begin the enrollment process using their existing Infinite Campus Parent Portal. For families new to Gilbert Public Schools, it is quick and easy to enroll online! | Learn More

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

Poster Contest Rules

• Contest runs December 4th-12th and is open to all students (you don't have to be in the play to enter).
• Submissions must have your full name and teacher's name on the back of the poster.
• All submissions must include the name of the show (Mary Poppins JR), dates/times (Friday, January 16 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, January 17th at 2:00 p.m.) location (Gilbert High School) and ticket cost ($4.00).

• 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."

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 make connections of the newly installed waterline in Mesquite Street at Val Vista Drive. Following this work, crews will work to tie-in residential services along Mesquite Street, from Val Vista Drive to approximately 31st Street.

• Scheduled to begin Monday, Nov. 17, crews will install waterline in the north side of Mesquite Street heading west into the middle of Lindsay Road. To accommodate this work, lane reductions will be in place in Lindsay Road at Mesquite Street, and scheduled for Nov. 19 - 21, southbound left turns will not be permitted during daytime, off-peak hours.

• As the waterline installation nears Cactus Wren Street, a lateral line will need to be installed south across Mesquite Street at Cactus Wren. The road will remain open during this work; however, a flagger activity will be in place during daytime work hours to assist in directing travelers around the work zone.

• Electric crews continue work installing electric conduit for SRP electric and street lights on the north side of Mesquite Street, currently west of Val Vista Drive, heading east. This work will then move to the south side of Mesquite Street.

• 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.

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