Special Back to School Edition

SHERIFF’S TESTIMONY

Howdy Partners,

Together, we are embarking on a new quest for learning…one that will make it fun & easy for

students to jump back in the saddle again! You guessed it. We are no longer on an adventure

of learning with Indiana “Gecko” Jones (2008-2009), exploring new galaxies boldly going

where no school has gone before (2009-2010), on a crusade of learning in an enchanted forest

during medieval times (2010-2011) or charting our ship’s course towards attaining our A+

School of Excellence distinction (2011-2012). This year, we’re taking students back to the

wild, wild West!

And so it begins on August 6, 2012 – the first day students will officially be heading westward.

As your Sheriff, along with Deputy Dino and our gang of cowboys, we intend to take our young

cowpokes on the ride of their lives. As soon as they arrive in the Town of Brisas, they’ll see

that we have everything they’ve been searching for…PEACE, happiness, academic success, and

maybe even some “gold”!

Parents, please be sure to attend Meet the Teacher tonight and your child’s grade level

Curriculum Night event during the 2nd week of school. Both these events provide valuable

opportunities for you to begin building a partnership with your child’s teacher. On behalf of

the Brisas Gang, it’s a pleasure to welcome you back to school. We are truly looking forward

to this upcoming school year with renewed energy, focus and much enthusiasm. We hope

your child finds the 2012-2013 school year an unforgettable learning experience!

Best regards,

Christie Winkelmann, Principal Kyrene Regional Lead Principal aka Sheriff Winkelmann

TOWN HALL RECORDS

– ADMINISTRATIVE & OFFICE STAFF

School Principal Christie Winkelmann (480) 541-2050 cwinke@kyrene.org

Assistant Principal Dino Katsiris (480) 541-2051 dkatsiris@kyrene.org

School Psychologist Dr. Paula McCall (480) 541-2022 pmcall@kyrene.org School Secretary Genniva Rios (480) 541-2002 grios@kyrene.org

Attendance Clerk Christina Pinkus (480) 541-2003 cpinku@kyrene.org Health Assistant Christy Messinger (480) 541-2020 cmessinger@kyrene.org

Building Manager Mario Cota (480) 541-2025 mcota@kyrene.org Cafeteria Manager Yuie Mustoe (480) 541-2026 ymustoe@kyrene.org

Kids Club Coordinator Marisa Vega (480) 541-2155 mvega@kyrene.org

Kids Club Coordinator Kathy Blake (480) 541-2155 kblake@kyrene.org

– CERTIFIED STAFF

Christy Asta (480) 541-2140 40 Kindergarten Teacher Kathy Anderson (480) 541-2028 Library School Librarian Courtney Audsley (480) 541-2161 61 2nd Grade Teacher Holly Benson (480) 541-2077 PE Office Physical Education Teacher Mary Jo Boergers (480) 541-2163 63 2nd Grade Teacher Lindsey Buckle (480) 541-2132 32 2nd Grade Teacher Sue Buckle (480) 541-2125 25 4th Grade Teacher Nicole Burt (480) 541-2142 42 1st Grade Teacher Stephanie Calabretti (480) 541-2150 50 Kindergarten Teacher Terry Carr (480) 541-2144 44 1st Grade Teacher Sally Carrillo (480) 541-2153 53 1st Grade Teacher Lynn Clapper (480) 541-2111 11 Preschool Teacher Cheryl Davis (480) 541-2110 10 Preschool-age SLP Beth Dibble (480) 541-2123 23 4th Grade Teacher Debbie Dobyns (480) 541-2145 45 1st Grade Teacher Nicole Dodson (480) 541-2028 Library School Librarian Rosann Eschrich (480) 541-2110 10 Preschool Teacher Kristina Foster (480) 541-2151 51 Kindergarten Teacher Patti Foster (480) 541-2131 31 Kindergarten Teacher Kim Frampton (480) 541-2120 20 4th Grade Teacher Lauren Grant (480) 541-2162 62 2nd Grade Teacher Mary Anne Green (480) 541-2166 66 Math Coach Jennifer Hall (480) 541-2166 66 Literacy Coach Kathy Hawthorne (480) 541-2134 34 3rd Grade Teacher Nancy Hebert (480) 541-2124 24 4th Grade Teacher Kelly Herrmann (480) 541-2165 65 2nd Grade Teacher Amanda Herting (480) 541-2115 15 5th Grade Teacher

Lori Jamer (480) 541-2171 71 SEI Teacher Specialist Samantha Kann (480) 541-2133 33 3rd Grade Teacher Sandi Klotz (480) 541-2122 22 4th Grade Teacher Catherine Koshick (480) 541-2152 52 1st Grade Teacher Kim Laine (480) 541-2156 Pod 5 Art Teacher Karen Lederman (480) 541-2121 21 Preschool Teacher Alena Leos (480) 541-2113 13 5th Grade Teacher Tracey Levine (480) 541-2167 67 Resource Teacher Laurie Mehl (480) 541-2114 15 5th Grade Teacher Debbie Merrill (480) 541-2169 69 School-age SLP Robin Moe (480) 541-2154 54 Gifted Teacher Karen Monks (480) 541-2173 Music Room Music Teacher Megan Noppenberg (480) 541-2112 12 5th Grade Teacher Ashley Pancratz (480) 541-2143 43 1st Grade Teacher Janet Pancratz (480) 541-2141 41 Kindergarten Teacher Tricia Saverino (480) 541-2156 Pod 5 Art Teacher Kristin Smith (480) 541-2160 60 2nd Grade Teacher Ellen Stellburg (480) 541-2121 21 Preschool-age SLP Stacy Thomas-Carroll (480) 541-2168 68 Resource Teacher Judy Thompson (480) 541-2135 35 3rd Grade Teacher Susanna Yazzie (480) 541-2156 Pod 5 Art Teacher Audrey Yoshioka (480) 541-2130 30 Kindergarten Teacher

– Brisas PTSO Executive Board & Site Council

Christine Hightower PTSO Co-President dcahightower@msn.com Rebecca Vasey PTSO Co-President vasey1999@yahoo.com Dan Helt PTSO Vice-President azhelt4@cox.net

Nicole Quillan PTSO Secretary nquillan@cox.net

Stephanie Tammaro PTSO Treasurer stammaro@microage.com Shirley Steimer PTSO Co-Volunteer Coordinator azshirley@cox.net Monica Flanagan PTSO Co-Volunteer Coordinator cmflanagan@me.com John Quillan PTSO Art Masterpiece Coordinator quillan@cox.net

Linda Moon PTSO Contributions Coordinator lindabmoon@cox.net Srilu Viene PTSO Fundraising Coordinator srilu.viene@gmail.com Serenity Petersen PTSO Historian epetersen@sunstateequip.com Patty Foster Site Council – Teacher Rep. pfoste@kyrene.org Kathy Hawthorne Site Council – Teacher Rep. khawth@kyrene.org Laurie Mehl Site Council – Teacher Rep. lmehl@kyrene.org Kristin Smith Site Council – Teacher Rep. krsmith@kyrene.org Jan van Ryswyk Site Council – Support Staff Rep. jvanryswyk@kyrene.org Warren Bauer Site Council – Parent Rep. wbaueraz@yahoo.com Jocelyn Dinnan Site Council – Parent Rep. jgdindin@q.com Elijah Nielson Site Council – Parent Rep. Elijah.nielson@gmail.com Karen Millerwise Site Council – Community Rep. karenmillerwise@cox.net Open Site Council – Parent Rep. -

School Office: (480) 541-2000 School Fax: (480) 541-2010 Attendance Line: (480) 541-2001 School Webpage: http://sw.kyrene.org/bri PTSO Webpage: http://sw.kyrene.org/Page/12317 Brisas PTSO Email: brisasptso@inbox.com Follow us on FACEBOOK – Like us at “Brisas PTSO”

School Office is open Monday through Friday 7:15 AM—3:45 PM

– School-age Students

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 7:45 AM—2:35 PM School bell rings at 7:40 AM Tardy bell rings at 7:45 AM Pre-dismissal bell (for duty staff only) rings at 2:30 PM School Dismissal bell rings at 2:35 PM

Wednesday Only (Early Release) 7:45 AM—12:35 PM

School bell rings at 7:40 AM Tardy bell rings at 7:45 AM Pre-dismissal bell (for duty staff only) rings at 12:30 PM School Dismissal bell rings at 12:35 PM

– Preschool Students

3-Day Program Mrs. Eschrich’s AM and PM Preschool Class Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 7:50 AM—10:50 AM or 11:50 AM—2:50 PM

4-Day Program

Ms. Lederman & Ms. Clapper’s AM and PM Preschool Classes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 7:50 AM—10:50 AM or 11:50 AM—2:50 PM

Grade Level Recess Time Lunch Time

Kindergarten 10:20 AM – 10:40 AM 10:45 AM – 11:05 AM Kindergarten 10:30 AM – 10:50 AM 10:55 AM – 11:15 AM

1st Grade 11:10 AM – 11:30 AM 11:35 AM – 11:55 AM 1st Grade 11:20 AM – 11:40 AM 11:45 AM – 12:05 PM 2nd Grade 10:45 AM – 11:05 AM 11:10 AM – 11:30 AM 3rd Grade 11:00 AM – 11:20 AM 11:25 AM – 11:45 AM 4th Grade 11:30 AM – 11:50 AM 11:55 AM – 12:15 PM 5th Grade 11:45 AM – 12:05 PM 12:10 PM – 12:30 PM

Note: Due to having six kindergarten and six 1st grade classrooms, kindergarten and 1st grade lunch and recess times will need to be staggered this year. For kindergarten, 3 classes (K. Foster, P. Foster, and Yoshioka) will start recess at 10:20 AM, and then 3 more kindergarten classes (J. Pancratz, Asta, and Calabretti) will start recess at 10:30 AM. For 1st Grade, 3 classes (Dobyns, A. Pancratz, and Carr) will start recess at 11:10 AM, and then 3 more 1st grade classes (Carrillo, Koshick, and Burt) will start recess at 11:20 AM. All K-5th grade students will have recess for 20 minutes followed by lunch for 20 minutes every day.

August 6th is our first day of school. Students should report to the playground upon arrival to school. Every Brisas teacher will be out on the playground to escort their class into the building. There also will be volunteer greeters, provided by our PTSO, available to answer questions and help students and parents locate their teacher’s line. Adult supervision on the playground begins at 7:15 AM daily. Students may not arrive on campus before that time.

All visitors to Brisas are required to sign in at the school office and obtain a temporary visitor’s badge. If you plan to volunteer in your child’s classroom on a regular basis or escort your child onto the playground in the morning, it will be more convenient for you if we make you a permanent I.D. badge. Do you need a Brisas Parent ID Badge? Please bring your picture identification (i.e. driver’s license) to Meet the Teacher; pictures will be taken in the MPR between 5:30 - 7:00 PM. If you are unable to obtain your I.D. badge during this time, pictures will also be taken from 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM and 2:15 - 2:45 PM during the first week of school. Please make sure to get your I.D. badge made during these times. If you have a badge from last school year, please know that you do not need to get a new one. Replacement I.D.’s cost $3.00 and optional clips are available for 50¢ each. We appreciate your support in helping keep Brisas a safe place for all students and staff.

– Policy & Procedures

Parents/guardians are required to notify the school when their child will not be in attendance. You do this by calling our 24-hour attendance line at (480) 541-2001.

A call must be made for each day a child is absent. If your child is going to be tardy or absent due to a medical or dental appointment, please have your provider verify the absence with a note to the attendance office. For an extended absence, such as a vacation, the attendance office must be notified in advance. Please show your child the importance of education by keeping vacations aligned with the school calendar. Please refer to the official Brisas School Events Calendar and/or the Brisas At-A-Glance School Events Calendar for a listing of school days, no school days, and all school events. These official school calendars are available on our school website’s homepage at http://sw.kyrene.org/bri under the “Quicklink” heading.

Every absence not called in will require the school office staff to make contact by phone. When no contact is able to be made, the student will be marked truant. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation.

The e-Gecko Newsletter will be sent home electronically via the Brisas Listserv prior to the start of each week. It will contain a bulleted list of upcoming events as well as

important information your family will need to know to stay well-informed about school.

Brisas is also on FACEBOOK! Simply search BRISAS PTSO and “LIKE” us. By following us on FACEBOOK, you will be able to receive in-the-moment communications about what is going on at school, on field trips, wherever! Be “in the know” instantly…whether you are at home, at work, or out-and-about. This year, we will be writing more posts, sharing more photos, and you can write on our wall, too! We’re taking our school’s social networking for parents to the next level! Don’t wait, “LIKE” us today!

Each grade level has provided a list of specific supplies students will need for school this year. These school supply lists have been shared with parents via the Brisas Listserv, but can also be accessed at any time on our school’s website under the “Parent Tab” or by typing in http://sw.kyrene.org/domain/376. Students are encouraged to bring their school supplies with them on Meet the Teacher Night to avoid students having to carry all these items on the first day of school. By bringing these items to school on Meet the Teacher, we hope that more parents will be able to drop-off students on the first day of school using the curb in the large parking lot, versus having to find a place to park on the street to help their child carry these items into the building.

SCHOOL-AGE STUDENTS WHO RIDE THE BUS TO SCHOOL

Does your child ride the school bus? If so, please know that your child’s bus schedule will be available at Meet the Teacher. To determine if your child is eligible to ride the bus to school, the pick-up and drop-off times, bus stop location, as well as your child’s bus number, you can also go on-line to http://sw.kyrene.org and click the “School Bus Routes” under the Quicklinks heading or simply type in http://sw.kyrene.org/Page/993.

SCHOOL-AGE STUDENTS WHO RIDE THEIR BIKES TO SCHOOL Brisas has a locked bike compound for students to store their bikes during the school day. All bikes must also be locked while in the compound. The school cannot be held responsible for lost, stolen or damaged bikes. The Brisas bike compound is located between the blue shade structure and the playground. Please note: As soon as students arrive on campus, they are expected to walk their bikes on the sidewalk leading to the bike compound; this rule is in place to keep everyone safe. (See note below regarding back gate access to campus)

SCHOOL-AGE STUDENTS WHO WALK TO SCHOOL Students may walk to school. As always, it is important to take precautions to keep children safe. Please remind your child of precautions they should take to keep safe, including never talking to strangers (especially telling a stranger their name or giving personal information), walking with two or more people, staying on the main walkways and sidewalks, and going straight to school and home. In the morning, all students must use the crosswalk to get onto campus; then proceed to the playground area. In the afternoon, students must leave campus immediately following dismissal, use the crosswalk, and go straight home. (See note below)

Note: The back gate, located at Juniper/Monterey, will be unlocked from 7:15-8:15 AM, Monday through Friday, and from 2:40-3:30 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and from 12:40-1:30 PM on early release Wednesdays. This back gate provides a safe and convenient access point for only those Brisas and Aprende students who live in the nearby neighborhood and choose to walk/bike to and from school. Students who live in the nearby neighborhood can request a picture ID badge from the front office. Only students who have a designated “Back Gate ID Badge” will be allowed to access campus from the back gate. A staff attendant will be located at the back gate daily to check student ID badges and enforce this policy.

SCHOOL-AGE STUDENTS WHO GET PICKED-UP & DROPPED-OFF BY MOTOR VEHICLE It is critical that you watch for and take direction from staff members both in the parking lot and at the crosswalks. We ask that you consider every child as important as your own child and consider their safety when moving through the parking lot and adjoining streets. Also, please refrain from using a cell phone while transporting your child. It is important that all parents pay close attention while driving their vehicles, especially when children are present.

If you will be driving your child to and from school, you may choose from the following two options:

1) Parents may park on the street or at Desert Breeze Park to escort their child onto campus. In the morning, once your car is parked on the street, all children and their parents must use the crosswalk to get onto campus and then proceed to the

playground area. In the afternoon, once your car is parked, parents must use the crosswalk and proceed to the blue shade structure near the bike compound to locate their child for pick-up. Again, using the crosswalk, parents will then escort their child back to their parked cars.

Note: At Brisas, we have very limited parking available to staff and visitors. The total number of parking spots in the Brisas/Aprende lot is insufficient to accommodate our buses, all of our staff, and our visitors who arrive during the school day. If you have a 2nd-5th grade child and still prefer to park your vehicle to physically escort your child at pick-up and drop-off, we kindly ask that you consider curb side pick-up and drop-off for this coming year. By you doing so, more parents of preschool, kindergarten and 1st grade students who wish to park and escort their child to and from campus would be able to more easily find parking on the street.

2) Parents may enter the large parking lot for curb side pick-up and drop-off. This is the recommended method for picking-up and dropping-off your child. Due to the large percentage of our student population who live outside a reasonable walking/biking distance and who don’t live in bus eligible areas, we will continue to designate our large parking lot for student pick-up and drop-off, and the small parking lot for buses and daycare vans only. Neither parking lot will be accessible for parents to park during designated pick-up and drop-off times. In the morning, pull alongside the curb and drive to the furthest most spot as indicated by the A-frame sign to unload students. Please make sure that your child is seated on the passenger’s side of the car and has his/her belongings in-hand ready to exit the car. Please do not get out of your car; if your child needs help with his/her seat belt, a staff member on duty will be there to provide assistance. Keep your goodbye brief so that we can move cars quickly and safely through the line. In the afternoon, you will drive further forward, past the flagpole, to the student loading area as indicated by the A-frame sign. Please have your child’s name card clearly visible in your vehicle’s window. Your child’s name and grade will be called over the radio and then a staff member will escort your child from under the shaded area in front of the library to your vehicle. Please do not encourage your child to walk to your vehicle without an escort.

Note: During designated times, this large parking lot is reserved for students’ curb side pick-up and drop-off, as well as for staff parking only. Only staff and authorized visitors with visible parking permits will be allowed to park in either parking lot during designated pick-up and drop-off times. An attendant will be at the entrance to both parking lots to help authorized vehicles and personnel gain access.

PRESCHOOL STUDENTS WHO GET PICKED-UP & DROPPED-OFF BY CAR The hours of our Brisas 3-day and 4-day developmental preschool programs have changed for the 2012-2013 school year. Due to Brisas’ school-age student drop-off just finishing and Aprende’s student drop-off just beginning, AM preschool parents must park on the street or in the small parking lot near the blue shade structure. Due to the small parking lot being used for school-age buses just prior to preschool starting, preschool parents will not be able to access this parking lot until after 7:40 AM. This parking lot will also be used for a few special needs buses. A portion of the curb in the small parking lot will be reserved for these special needs buses to drop-off preschool students; please avoid parking on the furthest forward part of the curb that has been reserved for these buses as indicated by posted signs. Also, please

be careful to avoid walking with your child near and/or around the buses. For AM pick-up and PM drop-off, preschool parents may use the small or large parking lot; during these preschool pick-up and drop-off times, parents may park in any available parking spots, or may temporarily park and leave their vehicles on the curb to sign-in / sign-out their preschool child. No preschool parents can be parked on the curb in either the small or large parking lot after 2:10 PM to avoid interfering with Brisas school-age dismissal. For PM pick-up, preschool parents must park on the street or in the small parking lot near the blue shade structure. This small parking lot is used for school-age buses just prior to preschool dismissal. Preschool parents can access this parking lot after 2:40 PM, but must remain behind the marked sign to allow room for the buses to load students and exit the parking lot.

The yellow area designates the parking lot at Desert Breeze Park that parents can use to park their vehicle, cross Desert Breeze Blvd. using the cross walk, and escort their child to and from school during pick-up and drop-off times.

The green line designates where students’ safe and convenient curb side pick-up and drop-off occurs. During pick-up and drop-off times, this large parking lot is reserved for staff and authorized visitors parking only, as identified by their visible parking permit. Parents and other visitors may park in this lot once school is in-session. The blue line designates the curb where parents pull their vehicle up to the furthest available spot before stopping. Students should exit the vehicle from the passenger’s side closest to the curb and sidewalk.

The red line designates where school buses and day care vans load and unload students in the small parking lot. During pick-up and drop-off times, this small parking lot is authorized for staff parking only. Parents and visitors may park in this lot once school is in-session. Preschool parents may use this parking lot for pick-up and drop-off times as specified above. The red line on Juniper Drive indicates where our residents would ask parents to avoid parking; there are portions of Juniper Drive that prohibit parking, but not on the entire street.

This street has many students who walk and ride their bikes to school and the more we can work together to reduce the amount of traffic the safer students will be to and from school.

The orange lines designate the locations where orange cones are placed to prevent parking on the street. These locations are near crosswalks where vehicles cannot block the view of personnel responsible for ensuring student safety.

All students are required to have their current immunization records on file before entering

school. Please make sure that your child’s health record is up-to-date and includes all summer

immunizations. For your child’s health and safety, please remember to also send a water

bottle with your child to school every day.

As you know, we are fortunate in Kyrene to have class sizes that are quite low compared to our surrounding districts. In addition to our per pupil allocation allocated to us by the State of Arizona, Kyrene is able to use additional voter-approved K-3 override funding to lower some of its class sizes, as indicated in the table below. Without these additional funds, our class sizes would be considerably higher. As your principal and fellow parent of three children who currently attend Brisas, I want to thank all those that supported the K-3 Override, as well as last year’s Capitol Override. Your support does make a difference in the high quality education we are able to provide students in the Kyrene School District. As you refer to the chart below, you will see that as of today, July 30, 2012, we have 2 grade levels that are at the top of their class size range. District officials are watching these grade levels very closely. We will continue to enroll new students who live within our boundaries (i.e. we are closed to Open Enrollment in these grade levels) and will wait to see how many students have moved over the summer months but failed to contact us about this change. For grade levels that go over class size guidelines after the first 10 days of the school year, we will consider how best to respond in a manner that is in the best interests of the students as well as what is financially feasible for the District. If we need to add another teacher to a grade level between now and the first day of school, or even after the school year begins, we will certainly consider those steps.

Kinder

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

Board-Approved

Class Size Range

23-25 25-27 25-27 25-27 28-30 28-30

Adjusted Class Size

Due to K-3 Override

21-23 22-24 23-25 24-26 n/a n/a

Brisas Student Enrollment as of August 1st

134 140 131 111 134 122

Brisas Class Size as of August 1st

22-23 23-24 26-27 27-28 26-27 30-31

Our school’s enrollment continues to rise! We have grown 155 students in the past 5 years. This year, we are excited to welcome 61 preschool students that are currently enrolled in our three developmental preschool programs. In addition to preschool, we will welcome over 181 brand new students to Brisas, of which 134 are incoming kindergarten students. The high percentage of students who request to attend Brisas on Open Enrollment continues to soar! Students come from all over the valley to attend Brisas Elementary School; this year, less than half of our total student population (48%) actually live within our school’s boundaries, while 25% of currently enrolled students live in another Kyrene school’s boundaries but choose to make Brisas their “home” school. Even more noteworthy are the 226 students currently enrolled who live outside the District’s boundaries, which represent 27% of our school’s total enrollment. These students choose Brisas over any number of closer schools driving from as far away as Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Gilbert, Mesa, Maricopa and Avondale! Below is graph depicting our school’s upward enrollment trend over the past 5 years:

This year, we are happy to welcome some new teachers to our Brisas staff, a few of which you’ll find have familiar faces and/or names. Ms. Nicole Burt – our very own hometown gal who graduated from Brisas/Aprende/Corona/NAU, was the assistant director of the Gecko Players drama corp, as well as our playground supervisor and student teacher at Brisas last year – has officially joined the 1st grade team. Ms. Catherine Koshick completed her student teaching last fall at Brisas – while also being named ASU’s Student Teacher of the Year – and has joined our 1st grade team. Ms. Ashley Pancratz (daughter of Mrs. Pancratz, kindergarten teacher) who has taught 1st grade at Kyrene del Norte for the past 4 years has also joined our 1st grade team at Brisas. [And…YES…we do now have three mother-daughter duos teaching at Brisas; the Buckles, Hawthorne/Grant, and the Pancratz. Interesting to note, we also have two teachers with the same last name “Foster”, both in Kindergarten, but surprisingly they are not related.] Mrs. Nancy Hebert may also be a familiar face to many in the Brisas community; since 2002, she has been (and continues to be) a Brisas parent and her husband, Greg, has been the choir teacher at Corona del Sol for the past 19 years. Mrs. Hebert brings with her 6 years of teaching experience (3 years in Kyrene) and has now joined our 4th grade team. Ms. Alena Leos, an enthusiastic and experienced 5th grade teacher from outside the

678 694 749

793

0100200300400500600700800900

2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013

Student Enrollment Trend

833

District has joined our 5th grade team. Last but not least, Mrs. Kelly Herrmann, previous math coach at Brisas and teacher of 24 years, has joined our 2nd grade team. As a staff, we believe that the following configurations of grade level teams will foster the very best learning for all students across all grade levels.

Preschool Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade Ms. Clapper Mrs. Asta Ms. Burt Mrs. Audsley Ms. Buckle Mrs. Buckle Mrs. Herting

Mrs. Eschrich Mrs. Calabretti Mrs. Carr Ms. Boergers Mrs. Hawthorne Ms. Dibble Ms. Leos

Ms. Lederman Ms. Foster Mrs. Carrillo Mrs. Grant Mrs. Kann Ms. Frampton Ms. Mehl

Mrs. Foster Mrs. Dobyns Mrs. Herrmann Mrs. Thompson Mrs. Hebert Mrs. Noppenberg

Mrs. Pancratz Ms. Koshick Mrs. Smith Ms. Klotz

Mrs. Yoshioka Ms. Pancratz

At Brisas, we believe in creating “community”. As parents, one way to strengthen our sense of

community is to stay well connected -- which for many of us, that is easier said than done!

Once again, we want to help you stay connected by encouraging you to come join us for coffee

in the Brisas Courtyard periodically through the year. Come relax, read the paper, meet &

greet friends, get to know your school’s administration and staff better, and come away

learning something new about Brisas School. Each Coffee Connection will feature a guest

speaker or brief presentation in a casual setting. Just come by the Brisas Courtyard before

school/work and enjoy a cup of coffee and we’ll do the rest. As these events are scheduled,

parents will receive details via the Brisas Listserv.

– Immediate Access to Your Child ’s Homework & Grades

The Kyrene School District uses a secure state-of-the-art web-based system that allows parents to access and view a variety of information about their student(s). In addition to bus routes and lunch menus, this is where parents are able to log-in to Parent Vue and access their students’ grade book and weekly homework assignments. Parents can also view their child’s absences, demographic data, and input/manage their own email address information. This year, all K-5th grade students will access their weekly homework assignments through Parent Vue. Additionally, all 4th and 5th grade students at Brisas will have their daily assignments and grades able to be viewed by parents at anytime throughout the year in Parent Vue. Parents who have used Parent Vue in the past will continue to use their same log-in and password which will not change from year to year or from school to school. Parents who have not used Parent Vue in the past will receive their secure log-in and password during the 1st week of school. All parents will receive specific directions on how to access student’s homework Curriculum Night.

– The most important night of the year!

Mark your calendars! It is essential that all parents attend. You will hear first-hand about homework, academic and behavioral expectations, curriculum targets, etc. Especially important to learn about this year is our new Common Core State Standards in the areas of mathematics and English language arts; these standards articulate rigorous grade-level expectations that identify knowledge and skills students need in order to be successful in college and careers. These new standards will also align to our new national assessment that will eventually replace AIMS. It is very important that you learn what your child will be studying throughout the school year, so you can know how best to support your child’s learning. Students whose parents are informed and involved do better in school and achieve more. Our Curriculum Night events for 2nd-5th grade will be held in the Brisas MPR. Parents of kindergarten and 1st grade students, however, will begin in their child’s classroom and then will complete the event in the MPR. For Curriculum Night, free childcare for school-age children will be provided by Kyrene Kids Club courtesy of our Brisas PTSO. Children may be signed-in to Kids Club up to 15 minutes prior to each event’s start time and must be picked-up within 15 minutes after the event. For Curriculum Night, free childcare will be held in the Brisas Library. Please plan to attend your child’s grade level scheduled day/time as follows:

Monday, August 13th Tuesday, August 14th Wednesday, August 15th 4th Grade 5:15-6:15 PM 3rd Grade 5:15-6:15 PM 1st Grade 5:00-6:15 PM 5th Grade 6:45-7:45 PM 2nd Grade 6:45-7:45 PM Kindergarten 6:15-7:30 PM

Parents of currently identified 1st-3rd grade gifted students who have been placed in gifted cluster classrooms should plan to attend a special curriculum night presentation from Mrs. Moe, Gifted Teacher Specialist, on Tuesday, August 14th from 6:15-6:45 PM. Parents of currently identified 4th-5th grade gifted students who have been placed in gifted cluster classrooms and may also be pulled out for gifted direct services in math and/or reading should plan to attend a special curriculum night presentation from Mrs. Moe on Monday, August 13th from 6:15-6:45 PM.

Arizona tax law (ARS 43-1089.01) allows taxpayers a tax credit up to $400 per calendar year if they contribute to extracurricular activities in public schools. This is an actual credit! Contributions are donated directly to our school, not the state or the school district. This money can only be used by the school and only for extracurricular activities. In the law, extracurricular activity means any optional, noncredit, educational or recreational activity which supplements the educational program of the school, whether offered before, during, or after regular hours. With these funds, we are able to offer field trips, assemblies, after school clubs, and our intramural program during recess. Please make your tax credit donation today! Simply go to http://sw.kyrene.org/credit. You can access/print the 2012 Tax Credit form, attach your donation (i.e. check or money order) and then send it with your child to school. You can also make your donation on-line using a major credit card and then processing your payment using our secure SSL connection with PayPal. It’s that easy!

– Breakfast & Lunch

Please know that our School Nutrition Standards have changed as a result of The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This act signed into law by President Obama required the USDA to update school meal nutrition standards to reflect the most current dietary science. These standards were critically needed to help combat the epidemic of childhood obesity as well as the urgent problem of childhood hunger. For many children, a school meal is the only nutritious source of food they can count on.

The key changes for this school year for our school lunch program are: Meals will now be “Component-based” instead of the current “Nutrient-based”. Calorie minimum and maximums are now set for each grade level, along with sodium,

trans fat and saturated fat limits. Fruit is required daily. Students must select at least ½ cup of fruits or vegetables as part of the reimbursable

meal prior to the point of sale. Daily vegetables requirement plus a weekly requirement of dark green, red/orange,

beans/pea (legumes), starchy, and “other” vegetable must be offered. At least half of the grains offered during the school week must be whole grain-rich. Fat-Free (unflavored or flavored) and unflavored low–fat milk only may be offered. Students must select three out of the five components; one of the three components

must be the fruit or vegetable component, to be considered a reimbursable meal. The five meal components consist of the following;

o Meat/Meat alternative (Protein) o Bread /Grains o Fruit o Vegetable o Milk (Dairy)

Sodexo, Kyrene’s food service provider, has always focused on student health and wellness and will continue to be committed to student well-being. Due to the above fruit and vegetable requirements, the Garden Bar will also be tailored to offer a variety of garden vegetables to all students. Please know that your child’s teacher and our cafeteria staff will work together to help students learn about these changes. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mrs. Mustoe, our cafeteria manager.

The Kyrene School District uses a computer system to track student meal accounts. You can place money in your child’s account at Meet the Teacher or send in a check anytime during the school year. Please make checks payable to the Kyrene School District and include your child’s name and teacher’s name in the memo field. By creating an on-line account, you can also pay on-line as well as monitor your child’s meal expenditures. In order to create an on-line account, you must have your child’s student ID number, which can be obtained by calling the Brisas front office. If you left money in your

Meal Prices

Student Breakfast $1.00

Student Lunch $2.50

Milk 50¢

Bottled Water 35¢

Adult Breakfast $1.25

Adult Lunch $3.00

child’s lunch account from last school year, it will be available for your child’s lunch this year. If you are not sure how much money is in your child’s lunch account, please deposit at least $10.00 for the first week.

Breakfast and lunch menus will be printed and sent home with students at the beginning of each month, or you can access the current month’s menu on-line. If you have any questions regarding your child’s meal account, you may call our Cafeteria Manager, Yuie Mustoe, at (480) 541-2026. Please note, Mrs. Mustoe is unavailable to take calls while meals are being prepared and/or served. Mrs. Mustoe is able to accept calls from 1:00-1:45 PM, Monday through Friday.

Make a difference in your child’s classroom by being an Art Masterpiece volunteer! In this program our volunteers visit the classroom 5-6 times during the school year. You will talk to the children about different artists and their work. We provide you with information about the different artists, examples of their art work, as well as the art supplies you will need to have students create their own corresponding art project. You don’t need to have any experience in Art to join Art Masterpiece. You can learn right along with the children! We look for volunteers, who have all sorts of interests (i.e. photography, computers, cooking, scrapbooking, drawing, painting, etc.), to join the Art Masterpiece program. We want our volunteers to use their unique talents to bring artwork to life! Our program depends on volunteers for every K-5 classroom. Sign up to be an Art Masterpiece volunteer on Meet the Teacher in your child’s classroom; you can also visit the Art Masterpiece display table in the MPR to meet our Art Masterpiece Coordinators and to learn more about being a volunteer with this exciting program. The Art Masterpiece Orientation meeting for all volunteers will be held on August 22, 2012 in the Brisas Library at 7:00 pm. If you have any questions about this program, please contact our Art Masterpiece Coordinator, John Quillan, at brisasptso@inbox.com or learn more about the program from our school’s website under the “Parents” tab, then click on “Brisas PTSO”, then on “Volunteer Opportunities”. You can also type in the following address in your Internet browser: http://sw.kyrene.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=12318.

Each month, we hold “Community Builders” at various restaurants near Brisas. This is a great opportunity to socialize outside of school with classmates, friends, and teachers. Brisas will receive a portion of the sales at these events. This year, Community Builders will be held at some of your favorite restaurants, such as Someburros, Dairy Queen, Jimmy & Joe’s Pizzeria, McDonald’s, Rubio’s and Panda Express, to name a few. We will hold our first Community Builder of the year on Tuesday, August 21st at Yogurt Kraze. For a list of all of our Community Builders, please see our school event calendars.

At Brisas, we know how difficult it can be to keep track of our children’s busy schedules. For this reason, we do our very best to plan our school events as far in advance as possible to be able to capture and share these dates with parents in the Brisas School Events Calendar and in our 1-page At-A-Glance School Events Calendar. Both of these valuable resources are shared with parents via the Brisas Listserv, as well as are accessible on our school website at http://sw.kyrene.org/Page/4696. We hope that by having this information available to parents before school begins will help families fully benefit from what Brisas Elementary School has to offer all year long! Brisas School Events Calendar At-A-Glance School Events Calendar

The Brisas PTSO is happy to announce the return of the Student Store for the 2012-2013 school year. It is open during students’ lunch/recess time, usually twice a month, and always on a Friday. Please check our School Events Calendar for exact dates, identified by this symbol. Store items range in price from 10¢ to $5.00.

Check out our new shirt design! Fridays are spirit days at Brisas when students and staff show their Gecko pride with Brisas colors and apparel. This year, we have a western-themed dark brown t-shirt (see logo) that will be available for purchase at Meet the Teacher. Student t-shirts cost $12 and adult t-shirts cost $13 each. If you are unable to purchase a t-shirt at Meet the Teacher, order forms will also be sent home via the Brisas Listserv shortly after school starts.

– The Brisas READ-A-THON

Instead of selling candy and gift wrap, we will be holding our fourth annual Read-a-Thon as our main fundraiser. Last year’s Read-a-Thon was a huge success, raising $27,682.67! As a result, we were able to provide much needed instructional supplies for all classrooms, pay for assemblies, author visits, and additional library media resources; purchase gardening materials and equipment; hire Mike Sissel, CEO of YELP (i.e. Youth Exemplifying

Leadership Principles) to provide direct instruction to all 3rd-5th grade students; as well as show our deep appreciation to all of our staff for a job well-done.

Our PTSO and staff, once again hope to enhance students' love of reading and their overall reading skills while helping to raise money for our school. There will be tons of incentives and prizes for all who participate. Packets and information will be given to parents at Curriculum Night. If you have questions about any of our school’s fundraising efforts, please contact our Fundraising Coordinator, Srilu Viene, at brisasptso@inbox.com.

Fry’s Grocery Stores Please help our school raise funds while doing your everyday shopping as usual. All you need to do is link your frequent shopper cards for Fry’s to Brisas, and they will send us a portion of the sales. Fry’s is pleased to office their “COOL CA$H” Earning for Learning Program. This program is part of their on-going commitment to our schools, our children and our educational process. Fry’s has worked hard to make this program easy

for parents to participate. By having our school’s barcode & your V.I.P Card linked together, every purchase you make will be automatically deposited into our school’s account. So, on your next trip to any Fry’s food store, present this bar code along with your V.I.P. Card to the cashier. You must renew your card with the barcode annually. Your card will be activated within 72 hours. Once the school reaches $50,000* in spending, Fry’s will send our PTSO a check for $500. *Excludes alcohol, tobacco, money order, Western Union, postage stamps, event tickets, Ticket Master, lottery ticket, gift card fundraising and pharmacy.

Please save your Fresh & Easy receipts, and turn them in with your child at Brisas. We will have a collection box that will help us earn cash for our school. For every $20 worth of receipts, we will receive $1 from Fresh & Easy.

Brisas will also be participating in the Chandler Fashion Center

program for schools known as School Cents. Just bring by any receipts spent at or in the nearby stores of Chandler Fashion Center to guest services and log them for Brisas. Even food receipts will help us win the money that is so generously donated to the winning schools.

eScrip and hundreds of participating merchant partners have created a system that rewards customer loyalty by contributing a percentage of purchases to our

school. You shop the way you like to shop for groceries, clothing, travel and entertainment. It’s simple and convenient, and benefits Brisas! Just log onto www.escrip.com and enter 6659815 for our group ID. Register your Safeway Card (renew annually with one click) as well as your debit, ATM and credit cards. It is that simple! While on the website, you can view a full list of participating merchants by clicking on “about the program” and then click “family of merchants”.

We've discovered another terrific way to raise funds for our school. It's SO-easy, and all you have to do is use your Target Visa or Target Card. We will receive a percentage of the amount of each purchase in the form of a cash donation

from Target through the Take Charge of Education® Program. It's easy. Just visit target.com/tcoe, or call 1-800-316-6142 to designate our school (code 702). We earn ½ percent of all of your purchases! So if you're going to Target anyway, please consider using your Target Visa or Target Card.

– School-wide Classroom Competition

The box tops for education coupons can be found on hundreds of products that you probably already purchase at your local grocery store. Pillsbury, General Mills, Kleenex, and Ziploc are a few of the participating products. For a complete list of products, you can log onto http://www.boxtops4education.com/Image.aspx?id=3878.

Each coupon you clip and bring in is worth money for our school. Last year, we earned approximately $2,000! Congratulations and thank you!! Remember there are great prizes for the class that collects the most box tops each quarter. In the spring, the class that contributes the most box tops over all three quarters will win a party at PUMP IT UP!

In partnership with our Brisas PTSO, Jamba Juice will be back on campus this year with delicious blended fruit smoothies available for purchase immediately following school dismissal on Wednesdays from August 22nd up until fall break and then again in the spring. A percentage of sales will be donated directly back to Brisas School. Please check our School Events Calendar for all Jamba Juice dates identified by this symbol.

The Kyrene School District offers several opportunities for students at Brisas to participate in high interest clubs after school. Enrichment clubs this year will include chess, keyboarding, Spanish, tumbling, drawing, fitness, golf, basketball, Zumbamatics, Stomp, drama, and Engineering FUNdamentals with Legos, to name just a few. Class size is limited and classes fill quickly. You can enroll your child in a Brisas After School Enrichment Club 1) on-line at http://sw.kyrene.org/Page/1184, 2) in-person at the Kyrene Customer Service Center, located at 8700 South Kyrene Road, or 3) by phone by calling 480-541-1500.

– The Town of Brisas