Lion Country News

Hello Canyon Valley Students and Families,

I am in awe of the students here at Canyon Valley. Over the past month I have had the opportunity to have many conversations with students and have learned a ton about their stories and their circumstances surrounding why they are at Canyon Valley. I've also had the chance to learn about their goals and dreams for their futures. I am impressed with their resiliency, grit, and determination to be successful in spite of past challenges. These kids are going places and I'm proud of them!

We also need to address a serious and growing concern on campus: vaping in our restrooms. Every student at Canyon Valley deserves a safe and healthy environment—including access to clean, respectful restroom spaces. Unfortunately, some students have been using restrooms to vape or as a hangout space, and this behavior negatively affects others.

Beginning immediately, students who are found lingering or congregating in restrooms without cause may be subject to an administrative search. We want to be clear: restrooms are not social areas. They should be used for their intended purpose—use the facilities, wash your hands, and leave.

We urge you to have a conversation with your child about the dangers of vaping. It is harmful to their health, and no one—whether they vape or not—should have to be exposed to it during the school day. Our goal is always to support students in making better, healthier choices.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and collaboration. Together, we will keep moving Canyon Valley forward—academically, behaviorally, and socially.

Sincerely,

Adam Strock

Principal

It's time to complete your Annual Update.
Labor Day Weekend - No School on Monday, September 1st
Make-up Picture Day, Tuesday, October 14, Link to purchase pictures.
Sign up for district bus transportation with this link.
Free & Reduced Lunches application and adding money to a lunch account
Gilbert Public Schools- district Health Dashboard
To stay up to date, please be sure to read District emails (link to all district emails here)
Calendar for the 25-26 school year, 26-27 school year

Per Gilbert Public School (GPS) Policy JHCA, all GPS schools are closed campuses. Students are to remain on campus during the school day, including lunch, unless they are signed out by a parent/guardian in person or have approved release time. Students found to have been off campus (including being in the parking lot) during school hours may be subject to a search by school personnel and face disciplinary consequences including suspension.

Canyon Valley does not accept food deliveries from delivery services such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, or from restaurants. Students may purchase lunch from the school cafeteria or bring their own lunch from home. See the link below for information about cafeteria services.

NUTRITION SERVICES

Visit gilbertschools.net/meals for lunch account information and free/reduced meal applications.

Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board approved policies regarding student use of cell phones during the school day to promote student learning and well-being by reducing distractions and improving focus during the school day. All elementary schools and some of our junior highs have already been operating ‘Away for the Day,’ and our high schools have been operating ‘No Cell Bell to Bell’ during the 2024/25 school year. The policy will simply formalize these approaches.

Away for the Day Grades K-8: Once the school day begins, cell phones and wireless communication devices must be turned off or set to silent and stored out of sight (for example, in a backpack) for the entire school day, unless instructed otherwise by a staff member for educational purposes. This restriction includes earbuds and headphones as well.

No Cell Bell to Bell Grades 9-12: During instructional time, cell phones must be turned off or set to silent and stored out of sight (for example, in a backpack), unless instructed otherwise by a staff member for educational purposes. This restriction includes earbuds and headphones as well.

Please visit gilbertschools.net/families for more details.

Infinite Campus Updates Mobile Apps for Parent and Student Portals

Browse assignments by specific class or due date.
Review attendance events in summary and detail form.
Immediate access to grades as they are posted.
Review schedule from anywhere, at any time.
Receive notifications immediately on attendance and updates grades.

Download the mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store by searching for either Campus Student (for students) or Campus Parent (for parents). Learn more

GEF's Annual Power of One Campaign

Join the Gilbert Education Foundation's annual Power of One Campaign and make a lasting impact! Every fall, we ask for just $1 per student and employee to fund our Innovation Grants, student scholarships, STEM education, and enrichment programs that benefit EVERY STUDENT, EVERY EDUCATOR, and EVERY CAMPUS in Gilbert Public Schools. But we can't do it alone – we need your help!

Your donation not only transforms educational experiences but also gives your student's school a chance to win valuable prizes for supplies, equipment, and enrichment. Together, let's create educational magic and help our schools thrive.

Donate today and be the Power of One!

Join Our Team - GPS Nutrition Service Job Fair

When: August 19th, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Where: 140 S Gilbert Rd, Building F - Cactus Room, Gilbert, AZ 85296

Why Work with GPS Nutrition Services?

Family Friendly schedule - No Nights, weekends, holidays
Positive and supportive work environment
Opportunities for advancement - Full time & Management
Make a positive impact on students' lives

Apply at gilbertschools.net/jobs
For questions call: 480-497-3482

Gilbert Public Schools is an equal opportunity provider.

What is Be SMART?

The Be SMART campaign was launched in 2015 to promote responsible gun ownership in order to reduce child gun deaths. Whether you’re a gun owner, or you know someone who owns a gun, there is a role for everyone in the conversation around secure gun storage. Be SMART is a framework that parents, caretakers, and community leaders can follow to help keep their communities safe. Ultimately, you can help prevent kids from accessing firearms by storing them securely, and encouraging others to do the same.

Learn More about Be SMART Here

Please find below campus specific information for our senior students who are planning to participate in senior activities and graduation with their home high school campus.

Campo Verde High School - Coming Soon!

Desert Ridge High School

Gilbert High School - Coming Soon!

Highland High School

Mesquite High School

To enhance safety measures that protect our students, staff, families, and the broader community, we continue to add to our wide range of safety and security tools, processes, and strategies. At the end of last school year, we implemented the use of weapons detectors at all of our high school campuses, and for the new school year, we will also be implementing a clear bag policy for athletic and other large events on our high school campuses.

Additionally, at Canyon Valley we will continue to utilize security cameras in all common areas and classrooms as well as the use of vape sensors in all bathrooms.

If your student is attending a GPS high school for a school event (i.e. sports, carnivals, etc.), please visit gilbertschools.net/safety for more information about expectations and processes.

Students are expected to wear their student ID badges at all times. Students were provided with their badge and lanyard during the first few weeks of school.

Please work with your students to ensure they bring their ID badge with them to school every day.
Bus riders will use the barcode on their ID badge to get on and off the bus once they have received their ID badge from the school.
Students use the barcode on their ID badges to access sign into class for attendance, nutrition services (cafeteria), the library, and the bookstore.
Junior High and High School teachers will now be using ID badges to take attendance each period. Students are required to wear their ID badge in a visible location that can easily be scanned on their way into each classroom.
Replacement badges are $1 for a paper copy and $5 for a permanent copy. Landyards and badge holders are $1 each.

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.

As we begin the new school year, please review the updated bell schedule for 2025-2026 below. This bell schedule is significantly different than last year to accommodate state requirements for instructional minutes for each course each quarter.

Canyon Valley is excited to share that, over the summer, we added food services to our facility and will be serving lunch daily on campus. Students will have the choice between a hot lunch or cold lunch with a bi-weekly rotating menu (see below). With the addition of a cafeteria and served lunch this does mean a couple of logistical changes for Canyon Valley students:

1. Food deliveries (i.e. DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc.) will no longer be accepted and will be turned away. Lunch is a busy time for our front office and organizing and delivering student food orders is not something our office staff can manage during that time.

2. All students have a student lunch account. You can apply for free and reduced lunches and or add funds to your student's account by credit card through the LinQ app or by bringing in a check or cash to the front office at the beginning of the school day. Credit cards and Apple pay, etc. are not accepted to purchase lunch. Instructions for adding funds to your student's LinQ meal account can be found below.

3. Canyon Valley will remain a closed-campus. Students are not permitted to leave campus during the instructional day unless they have an early release on their schedule and are finished with their academics for the day. Students who leave campus are subject to disciplinary action including the search of both their personal belongings and their vehicle.

Adding money to your student's lunch account?

Every student has a lunch account, it is up to the parent to add funds to the lunch account or to complete the free and reduced application. If you would like to add money to your child's lunch account you can do so one of two ways: Adding funds via the LinQ Connect App, or by bringing in cash or a check to the office. If you would like to add money via the app you will create an account (you will need your child's student id number). By creating an account you can choose to be notified when your child is low on funds and you have the ability to see which days they purchased a meal.

Apply for free & reduce meals

To check your student's balance go online to www.gilbertschools.net/meals

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Meal Account Online Instructions with QR Code.pdf

Meal Account Online Instruction (Spanish) with QR code.pdf

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Sign up for district bus transportation

If your child needs to utilize district transportation please complete this Google Form in order for them to be registered.

Download the Here Comes the Bus App

Does your student ride the bus? if so, be sure to download the "Here Comes the Bus" App. This app will notify you when the bus is arriving, when your child has scanned on the bus and when they scan off the bus. ALL STUDENTS MUST HAVE THEIR STUDENT ID'S TO SCAN TO GET ON THE BUS.