Little Falcons Preschool

Hello Little Falcon Families!

The preschoolers had an absolute blast during their field trip to the I.D.E.A. Museum. There were lots of hands-on activities the preschoolers participated in. Thank you to all the families that came with their preschool child. We hope you had an amazing time!

On Tuesday Miss Rebecca led our celebration of St. George’s Day. St. George is England's version of St.Patrick’s Day. While it is not as celebrated, it is just as important in British culture. She provided a video, craft and discussion and most importantly, she shared homemade tea and scones with all of the Pre-K children!

Pre-k students got to take a tour of the elementary school in preparation for kindergarten. The preschoolers were so excited and had lots of fun. 

Important Dates

• May 3rd - No School

• May 14th - Avocado will be visiting Little Falcons Preschool to talk about health choices. This event is being sponsored by the Fountain Hills Protect Our Youth Coalition.
• May 23rd - Pre-K graduation program at 9:15 am

Leah Gleason

Director of Early Childhood Education

Little Falcons Preschool

McDowell Mountain Elementary School

Hello Falcon Families!  

Please find important reminders and information for MMES below. 

Junior Achievement Volunteer Opportunity!

The students at our school need your support! We will be running two Junior Achievement Days! Third Grade - Fifth Grade will take place on Friday May 10th. Kindergarten - Second Grade will take place on Tuesday May 14th. Please sign up to partner with a classroom teacher to deliver our fun and engaging Junior Achievement (JA) Programs and help young people develop the skills they need to succeed in work and life. The five to six lessons you teach will have a huge impact on your classroom of students!  

We will be having ONE JA Day for each grade level! Volunteers will work together to teach the 5-6 lessons in one day. A volunteer is responsible for giving instruction and facilitating the discussions and activities. Classroom teachers will also be present to give support!

Here is the link to sign up: https://signup.com/go/fZfGnnV

Job Opportunities for 2024-25 @ MMES

The following positions at MMES for 2024-25 have been or will soon be posted to our district website. If you know of anyone interested in applying, please have them apply at https://fountainhills.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

• 4th grade teacher (3 positions)
• Kindergarten teacher
• Special Education (self contained classroom)
• School Counselor
• Music Teacher
• Health Aide
• Instructional Aide

Camp Invention

Camp Invention® is bringing new, imaginative experiences for grades K-6 to MMES the week of June 17th, 2024! Register for the all-new program, Illuminate, at invent.org/mylocalcamp. Use promo code SUM15 by 5/16 to save $15!

Early Release Wednesdays

A list of all our Early Release days can be found here. Our next early release day at MMES is next Wednesday, May 8th. 

Upcoming Important Dates @ MMES

• MMES Coffee with Dr. J and Ms. Reichler - Tuesday, April 23rd from 9:15-10:15am 
• No School - Friday, May 3rd 

Fountain Hills Middle School

Hello FHMS Students and Families, 

As the school year is coming to an end in 4 weeks it is still important to remember that ATTENDANCE MATTERS. To come to school prepared to learn and demonstrate the Falcon Way of being Respectful, Responsible, Safe, and Kind. 

Our AWESOME PTO sponsored the Hovercraft Project on April 25, 2024, for our 6th grade students. So much fun was had by all! 

Our State Testing is coming to a close on Friday, April 26, 2024. We are so proud of our students' attendance and effort put forth with each test they took. Below is our testing participate rate: 

• AZSci - 8th grade - 100% participation rate. 

• AASA Writing 6 - 8 grade - 100% participation rate. 

• AASA ELA/Math - 6th grade - 99% participation rate. 

• AASA ELA/Math - 7th grade - 100% participation rate. 

• AASA ELA/Math - 8th grade - 100% participation rate. 

AASA Spring 2024 Results for these test will be available: 

May 24, 2024 - Electronic score reports and Student Data Files for Grades 4-8 ELA

and Math available in PearsonAccessnext.

June 13, 2024 - Paper copies of score reports delivered to districts and charters.

FH Community Beautification Day of Service is Saturday, April 27, 2024, at 7:30AM - 11:00AM. Project is to help spread landscape decorative stone in front of the FHUSD High School. Participants are encouraged to bring their own spreading tools (rakes, gloves). Please meet at the Learning Center located at 16000 E. Palisades Road for coffee, doughnuts, and instructions. 

We are excited to announce the teaching of Junior Achievement at our school on 4 consecutive Thursdays during Schultz/Baca’s PE classes. We are in need of volunteers to co-teach or take a smaller class size to teach. The dates are Thursdays: April 25, May 2, May 9 and May 16. If you would like to help please contact Theresa Conti at ptconti@cox.net or Ashley Sommer at ashley@ashleysommer.com. Here is Junior Achievement in action on April 25

Every spring, the FH Coalition hosts a poster contest with a new theme for all Fountain Hills Middle School Students. The goal of the contest is to bring awareness to the students around ways they can live a drug and alcohol-free life. There are prizes for the first, second, and third place winners of each grade. The 2024 theme for Grades 6, 7, and 8 is “Be Smart, Don’t Start, Living Above the Influence” and students are to show visually as a poster what that means to them. Shawn Uphoff with FH Coalition says voting is done and the winners will be announced soon. Till then check out some of these poster submissions.

On May 6, 2024, our 8th grade students who have permission to participate in the Online Arizona Youth Survey will take it in Mrs. McDonald’s Science Class. Please ask your 8th grade student for the parental permission/opt-out option letter. 

Then, on May 7, 2024, our 8th grade students will participate in a 4-day Vaping Curriculum provided by the FH Coalition in Mrs. McDonald’s Science Class. For additional information please click here https://www.fhcoalition.org/catch-my-breath/. 

Let’s continue to BE RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, SAFE & KIND! 

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

• May 3, 2024 - One Hour Early Release Days @ 1:15PM 
• Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 10AM is the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new interactive library and planetarium at McDowell Mountain Elementary School. 
• May 7th is the Band Concert at 6:30PM in the FHHS Gym. 
• May 16 and 17 is the Dance Concert at 7PM in the FHHS Gym. 
• May 20 is the 8th grade Sunsplash Reward Trip, 8:30AM - 2:15PM. 
• May 22 is the 8th grade Promotion Ceremony in the FHHS Gym. 
• We encourage you to send your child to school on time so that they don’t miss out on valuable learning opportunities. ATTENDANCE is key! 
• 3 Tardies in a school week your student will earn a lunch detention on the 3rd day. 
• Lost school ID will cost you $5.00. 
• Please check your child’s lunch account balances. You are welcome to come to the school and pay the balances and add money to their account. 

Let’s continue to make FHMS a great place to be! 

Dr. Kimberly Weeldreyer

Principal 

Fountain Hills Middle School

Fountain Hills High School

Hello Falcon Families!

It’s hard to believe that April is almost over!  Graduation is four weeks from today (but who’s counting?🤣).  Please remember health and family first.  It is exciting but also stressful for some students.  On May 8th we have our 12th Grade recognition ceremony at The Community Center.  It is always a special evening.  Seniors…please please please do not leave your Community Service and classwork until the last minute.  Ninth grade - 11th grade - only 4 weeks left until Final Exams.  Stay rested and healthy and finish the year strongly!  Also to Seniors - Congrats on completing your internships and your OUTSTANDING presentations!  We enjoyed them and it was great to see all the benefits of your Internships!  Remember to stay cool, healthy, make good choices and have a strong month of May!  I look forward to seeing you around campus!

Chris Hartmann

Principal

Fountain Hills High School

Senior Internships

All this week we’ve been listening to Senior Presentations. We have been so impressed with the work that they have done. We have heard about students working in classrooms at MMES, mentoring our middle school students through challenging times, shadowing construction superintendents and much more. We are proud of their hard work and aspirations for the future.

Congratulations to the Beach Volleyball Team for making it to the second round of the AIA Team State Tournament!

Each month we will celebrate a student and a staff member from each site, as well as one staff member from the district office, transportation and warehouse combined. These amazing students and staff best represent the Falcon Way with their exemplary display of Accountability, Discipline, Excellence, Integrity, Professionalism,

Respect and Responsibility.

Thanks to our partnership with PTO, and their generous donations to our district, each recipient will receive a certificate and a $50 gift card.

Congratulations to our well deserved winners for this month!

Amanda Mowrey has been a wonderful addition to our campus. She is positive, energetic, and an excellent Spanish teacher. Ms. Mowrey combines fun activities with academic rigor and students learn Spanish while having fun. She is involved on campus and in the community and is also always willing to help out her fellow colleagues. Ms. Mowrey has single-handedly rejuvenated our Spanish Program here at FHHS. Her personality, demeanor, academic rigor while fun, are the perfect combination for our campus. Ms. Mowrey perfectly exemplifies the Falcon Way daily. She is a valuable member of our staff and we appreciate her immensely.

Rigo Ponciano-Wathogoma is a testament to resilience and growth, as he has undergone a remarkable transformation this academic year. Formerly known for his ability to end up in Miss Wynn's office, Rigo has made an extraordinary turnaround, embodying the epitome of personal growth. Rigo has achieved an impressive record of straight A's across all subjects and is a respectful student who works hard and has focus. Rigo's story reminds us that with perseverance and hard work, you can achieve great things.

Peter McGloin - Since the start of the year when FHMS moved in with the District Office, I have had the privilege to work more closely with Pete. I’ve been a first-hand witness to his exceptional dedication, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to the well-being and success of both students and staff. His ability to build bridges and foster strong relationships is one of the many qualities I admire most. He collaborates well with parents, students, and staff with respect, kindness, and a true sense of sincerity. His positivity is catchy and spreads widely throughout our school. It’s an honor to work with and have Mr. McGloin as a part of the FHMS family!

Mikayla Smith is thoughtful, serious, and a bright, hard-working student. She is a quiet young woman who gets along with everyone. She works very hard to maintain good grades; even through some very tough life circumstances. She is always respectful, responsible, safe, and kind. Mikayla is also a talented athlete who is a leader on the teams she plays with.

David Fields has been a tremendous additon to the MMES team. His infectious demeanor has a positive impact on staff and students alike. For many students, he is the first staff member they see when they get off the bus and Mr. Dave is always there greeting them with a smile. Thank you, Mr. Dave, for being an amazing security guard but an even better example of the Falcon Way for our students. You are appreciated by all who work alongside you at McDowell Mountain Elementary School.

Szebasztian Labbancz is an excellent and outstanding student to have in class. I am so excited to be able to nominate Szebasztian as the falcon of the month. Szebasztian consistently demonstrates what it is like to be responsible in class by following directions quickly, participating in his education, and by making smart and safe choices. He is respectful to others, a good listener, and loved by all his teachers. He gives great insights in class and is so creative, funny, and smart.

Tammy Rigsby joined us this year and she is awesome. She brings a lot of fun to the district office. She works really hard and is great at her job. Her energy that she brings everyday with her positive work ethic has brought continuity to our finance team. Tammy has come in and really grasped the job, and taken it to a whole other level. We are so excited she is part of our wonderful finance team.

We need you!

Considering volunteering at your child's school. Just complete the volunteer app and background check and we'll be happy to find a good fit for you.