Mesquite Elementary

Dear Mesquite Elementary Families,

This week I would like to highlight our teachers, staff, and families! Thankful for our amazing PTSO for a wonderful week of spoiling staff and to the many families who donated! We are proud of our Mesquite Community!

As we get close to wrapping up the 2024-2025 school year, please keep in mind enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year is currently open! 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. For more campus information, please visit GilbertSchools.net/LevelUp.

Sincerely,

Wendy Norburg

So proud of our students for celebrating and encouraging others!

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!

Speaking of Mesquite Pride, this week we were able to celebrate Mrs. Ellis who is retiring this year after 30 years at Mesquite! Mrs. Ellis has made a difference in many ways from at Mesquite Elementary and we will miss her greatly!

Mrs. Seagraves was proud to nominate Owen Gould for Student of the Month because he consistently demonstrates responsibility and a strong work ethic. He arrives to class each day fully prepared, with all the necessary materials and a positive attitude. As the only string bass player in 5th grade orchestra, he has embraced this role enthusiastically and is developing into a strong musician. He plays his instrument at home so he is prepared for class, and even learns new songs without prompting. Owen is a good leader for the low string section and creates a positive atmosphere. Additionally, his keen sense of humor brings smiles to his classmates faces and makes the classroom a fun and engaging place to be. Thank you Owen!

Mr. Gonzalez, our general music teacher, led the first graders in an amazing performance on Thursday, April 24th. The students impressed all! Mr .Gonzalez had a vision for using the Gruffalo story and made this vision come to life! Thank you the Mrs. Ellis, Mrs. Homer, and Mrs. Mendoza for the amazing costumes created! A special thank you to our first graders for a wonderful performance and for the families that joined us for the performance!

Thank you for your generous support of our Spring Book Fair! We appreciate all the volunteers that helped at Evening of the Arts and throughout the week as well!

Thank you to PTSO for giving each student a jump rope this week during Jump Rope Ninja Week! We appreciate your generosity and know how excited the students are for their new jump ropes!

Allyoyo will be appearing at Mesquite Elementary on May 9, 2025 for a special show and workshop on yoyoing which will include beginning to advanced skill levels as well as yoyo science and safety. For more information please see the flyer below!

Thank you Ms. Kelli for working to have Phinley visit our campus and spend time reading with students! These students recently completed the Animals, Books, and Children Reading Program! Way to go Readers!

What a treat this year's Talent Show was! We can't wait to see where our brave students end up in the future as we were all impressed by the many talents of our students! Thank you Mrs. Borger and Mrs. Pardy for leading and organizing the Talent Show each year! Thank you to Mrs. Hernandez and the Magic Squad for selling some food and snacks! Thank you to our brave performers and all who came to cheer them on! We were thankful for all the staff members that attended as well!

Hello Mesquite Families!

We are running very low on snacks! If you are able to, we would love any unopened snack items! Ideas include: cheez-its, gold fish, chewy bars, fruit snacks, veggie straws, crackers etc. It is also starting to get hot, so we would happily take any water bottle donations! Thank you so much!

-Your nurse and social worker :)

Thank you to all who joined us at our PTSO Meeting on Thursday, April 10, 2025! The next PTSO meeting will be on Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 3:15 p.m. in the Library and we would love to have you join us!

Thank you to all who joined us for Evening of the Arts! We are grateful for the families that volunteered, donated to, and bid on grade level baskets! We appreciate you support!

Thank you to our PTSO that always goes above and beyond to shower our staff with appreciation! We truly are grateful for the many hours PTSO puts into organizing, setting up, and cleaning up special surprises each day for all staff! Thank you to all the families that donated so generously!

Mesquite Elementary Spirit Night will be on Thursday, May 14th at Fat Cats from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

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!

• 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.

• May 9 - Kindergarten Mother's Day Activities at 8:30 am
• May 13 - Fourth Grade Musical at 6:00 pm
• May 14 - PTSO Fat Cats Spirit Night 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
• May 15 - PTSO Meeting at 3:15 pm in the Library
• May 16 - Kindergarten Father's Day Activities at 8:30 am
• May 19 - Sixth Grade Field Trip to Sunsplash
• May 20 - Advantage Preschool End of Year Celebration (AM Class) at 9:30 am and (PM Class) at 12:45 pm
• May 21 - Building Blocks 4 Promotion at 9:00 am
• May 22 - Kindergarten Promotion at 9:00 am, Sixth Grade Clap Out at 11:15, Early Dismissal at 11:55 am, and Last Day of 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.

Preschool Registration for the 2025-2026 school year opened on December 2, 2024. For more information please visit gilbertschools.ce.eleyo.com.

Kindergarten registration for the 2025-2026 school year is currently open. For more information please visit gilbertschools.net/enroll.

Gilbert Public Schools is proud to offer various summer camps and summer school opportunities. More information about programs and registration can be found here. Registration is currently open for all programs.

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!

When a student runs out of money in their meal account after Monday, May 12th, at the

end of this school year, they may pay cash at the register daily or continue to deposit

money into their meal account. If a student has any amount of money less than the

price of the meal the student will receive the alternate snack lunch at no cost. The

snack lunch consists of a cheese sandwich, fresh fruit, anything they wish from the fruit

and vegetable bar, milk and juice. No charges (negative balances) will be allowed after

Monday, May 12, 2025.

Money remaining in a student’s meal account will roll over to the next school year and

follow them if they transfer schools within the district. If you wish to receive a refund,

please fill out the Refund Request Form on the Gilbert Public Schools website at

www.gilbertschools.net. No funds can be paid directly from the cafeteria manager; a

check will be mailed from the District Office within 3-4 weeks.

Please see this letter for further information.

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.

Please remember students must have their Student ID Badge to ride the bus. All bus riders have had copies of their badges added to their backpacks, we ask that you make sure these stay on your child's backpack. Thank you!

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 4- 4th-6th grade

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

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at 3:15 p.m. Mesquite would like to celebrate and honor any graduating seniors who attended Mesquite Elementary with a special clap out and reception. Please use this link to register and we look forward to seeing returning seniors there!

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 for Cox Communications continue their work in 29th Place to relocate their facilities. Following their work, waterline installation can begin, and more information will be provided once that work is scheduled.

• Scheduled to begin Tuesday, May 27, to take advantage of the school's summer break, crews will work to install water pipeline along the north side of Mesquite Street directly adjacent to Mesquite Elementary School.

• Following waterline work near Mesquite Elementary School, crews will conduct removals and begin grading in this area on the north side of Mesquite Street to prepare for concrete curb, gutter, sidewalk and valley gutter. Primary work on the north side of Mesquite Street, near the school, is expected to be complete prior to the school session resuming in July.

• Those impacted by planned water service disruptions will be notified in advance. Residential services should not be disrupted; however, please contact us if you experience issues.

Mesquite Street and 29th Place will remain open for travel with a flagger activity in place, as needed, to shift traffic away from the work zone. Pedestrian traffic may be shifted to the opposite side of the street, away from the work area, in the interest of safety. 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