Little Falcons Preschool

Hello Preschool Falcon Families!

The preschool students were very busy learning about colors these last two weeks. With high demand, we extended our colors unit and finished all the colors on Tuesday, September 19th and celebrated with a pizza party while wearing our tie dye shirts that we made. 

Our tie dye shirt process

Step one: lay shirt on a flat surface. Use a fork and place it in the center of your shirt and twist the fabric up on the fork. 

Step two: Secure the shirt with 3 rubber bands crossing over the center of the spiral.

Step 3:  Apply the premade die covering all of the visible white areas.

Step 4: Put the covered shirt in the bag and leave it overnight.

Step 5: Take off all the rubber bands and leave it outside to dry completely.

Step 7: Wear the shirts!

Thank you to all the families that supported and donated to make our colors unit full of fun!

On September 21st we had our ice cream social where students and families grabbed ice cream and added their favorite toppings. We all enjoyed socializing and meeting other families and friends. We had so much fun and a great turn out. 

Important Dates

• Parent Conferences are Thursday October 5th and Friday, October 6th from 12:00 - 4:00. Club Falcon After School Care is closed both days.  All students will be dismissed at 11:15 am.
• Fall Break is October 9th - October 13th 
• Club Falcon October Break Camp will take place Monday, October 9th - Friday, October 13th from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm. Sign your child up for a fun week of activities with Ms. Sims and Ms. Gretchen. Please check your child's backpack for the registration form. Parents are responsible for providing lunch, a water bottle, and transporting their child to and from camp.
• October 16th - NO SCHOOL - Professional Development Day for Staff

Have a wonderful weekend!

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. 

Homecoming Parade

I wanted to send a quick thank you to all of the students and parents who joined us at the Homecoming parade this past Wednesday evening on the Avenue of the Fountains. We really appreciate your support and hope you had fun walking and passing out candy to all the parade patrons. 

Early Bird Care (Before School)

Just a friendly reminder that If you would like to start using Early Bird Care which is free to all Falcon families, please sign up by using this link. You can drop your student off anytime from 7:00-8:20am in the cafeteria. We do ask that you park and walk your child inside to sign them in. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please find the map for Early Bird drop-off here for your reference. 

Also, please remember that only K-5 students ride the buses together this year so using school transportation is always an option. In the past, elementary school students were transported with middle school students but that is no longer the case this year.

Kona Ice @ MMES 

Just a reminder that Kona Ice will be available to purchase during lunch for students in grades 1-5 every Wednesday. Kona Ice is Smart Snack compliant according to the USDA’s All Foods Sold in Schools Standards. The cost for this snack is $3.00 for the small size and $4.00 for the medium sized. After fall break, there will be a, “pre-pay,” option for families so students do not have to bring cash to school. I will send more information on how to sign up when it becomes available from Kona. A portion of all sales will be given to MMES to purchase items for the PBIS Store as well as other student needs. Students can earn a free Kona Ice through their classroom PBIS rewards system too! If you would like your student to purchase this snack, please send money with them every Wednesday. 

Early Release Wednesdays

Next Wednesday, September 27th, is an early release day at MMES with dismissal at 2:00pm. A list of all our Early Release days can be found here. 

Little Falcons Night @ FHHS Football Game

On Friday, September 29th, FHHS will be hosting, “Little Falcons Night!” at the HS football game against Blue Ridge. All Falcons in grades K-8 will get free admission to the game and are invited to the sidelines during halftime to cheer on Mr. Wilkinson as he kicks a field goal. If he makes it, all K-8 students in attendance will win a mini football. Please see the flyer below for more information.

Little Pommies @ MMES

Come cheer with the Fountain Hills High School Pom team during their home game on Friday, September 29th at 7pm! Practice will be held on Wednesday, September 27th from 4pm-5pm in the Elementary school gymnasium. $20 per student- all proceeds go to the Fountain Hills High School Pom Team. Use the link to sign up: https://forms.gle/u7B4qxR7kegMzQau6

Informational flyer for LIttle Pommies can be found below.

Ballet Under the Stars

Ballet Arizona has been coming to McDowell Mountain to work with some of our 3rd grade students. These professionals have been directing the students to be creative, create choreography or dance movements as well as other tools necessary to perform as part of Ballet Arizona’s Ballet Under the Stars evening concert at the Fountain Park on Thursday, September 28th at 7:00PM.  All are welcome to enjoy an evening of ballet. Bring your blankets and chairs.

Boys & Girls Club Fall Camp

The Boys & Girls Club is offering a fall break camp for students. Please find more information on the flyer below (in the FHMS section of this Falcon Focus.)

Miss Doiron’s Kinder students huddle around their action/reaction citrus experiment. 

Students enjoy the new hop scotch mural outside the cafeteria. Thank you to our amazing PTO for sponsoring this awesome idea! 

Mrs. Hatfield’s 3rd grade students show off their presidential rulers and booklets donated by the Ladies Auxiliary Post #58 of Fountain Hills. 

Great lesson on “Respect”! from Mrs. Smart in Miss Rodriguez's Kinder classroom. 

Upcoming Important Dates @ MMES

• Wednesday, September 27th - Early Release Wednesday
• Coffee with Kevin - Tuesday, Sept. 26th from 9:15-10:15am in the 4th/5th Team Room
• Town Hall with Dr. J - Wednesday, September 27th, 6:30-7:30pm in MMES Gym
• Pizza with the Principal - Thursday, September 28th during all lunches
• Parent/Teacher Conferences - Thursday, October 5th & Friday, October 6th

Thank you in advance for your support of FHUSD. Although we are going through numerous changes, I truly believe we will be a stronger school and district because of these initiatives. We have many projects on the horizon and we cannot wait to share updates with all of our Falcon families. 

Have a great weekend. 

Kevin Wilkinson

Principal

McDowell Mountain Elementary School

Fountain Hills Middle School

Hello FHMS Families! 

Time is flying by so fast that October is around the corner. That means the first quarter is almost done and students are preparing for their benchmark testing and looking forward to their Fall Break that begins October 9 - 16, 2023. 

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB is providing a FALL BREAK CAMP.

PARENT/TEACHER Conferences are scheduled for October 5-6, 2023. However, you may hear from some of our teachers earlier in order to accommodate parent/guardian schedules and to ensure ALL families get the opportunity to meet with their child’s teachers. 

RETEACH Information. Our teachers care so much and want the best for your student(s) that we are offering Reteach for all subject areas throughout the week after school from 3:00PM - 3:30PM. Teachers are reaching out to families for those students who need reteach. Please make sure they attend reteach as recommended by their teacher. 

Reteach Schedule

Monday/Thursday - Math & Science

Tuesday/Friday - English & Social Studies

Regular Wednesdays ONLY - Electives 

Our lunch/recess is always a good time especially when the Boys & Girls Club provides FUN activities for the students. The students play football and volleyball on a regular basis

This past week FHMS participated in the high school homecoming events like the parade and spirit days

Special thanks to Ron Ricci from Fountain Hills Golf Carts, who loaned the district golf carts for use in the homecoming parade. We sure do appreciate you Ron!

Friendly reminder regarding attending any high school events - STUDENTS MUST HAVE A PARENT/GUARDIAN PRESENT in order to attend. PLEASE HAVE YOUR STUDENT ID with you for ALL EVENTS. 

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

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS: 

• 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. 
• September 27, 2023 - Early Release Day. School is dismissed @ 1:15PM 
• October 5-6, 2023 - Parent Teacher Conferences and Half Days -  Release time 11:55AM
• October 9-16, 2023 - Fall Break - NO School 
• Coffee & Conversation with Dr. W is on Tuesday, October 24th @ 9AM in Room F-205
• Sport Season Information - If your child is interested in participating in a school sport please make sure to get required paperwork submitted through REGISTERMYATHLETE.COM and pay FEES. 

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!

What a great Homecoming week!  Please see pictures below of the Parade and the Homecoming Assembly.  We are always looking for opportunities to partner with the Town of Fountain Hills, and Homecoming Week is always a great chance  to do that. We were able  to bring the parade back to the Avenue of The Fountains for the first time in years!  Thank you to Evelyn Wynn, our High School AD and Dean of Students, for organizing the parade on very short notice! 

On an academic note, students please make sure  you get rest, sleep, and focus on self-care.  Keep working hard, you’ll have a break in just two weeks!  Here are some upcoming reminders:

Senior Pictures

Will be 10/2 and 10/3 in the front office conference room.  Please sign up online using the link on the High School Website.

Senior Internship

We will be meeting with all Seniors on Tuesday, September 26th during Advisory in the lecture hall.. If you are a late arrival, please make sure you get here in time. For those who have EVIT in the morning, you will need to be in the lecture hall at 12:40. 

Chris Hartmann

Principal

Fountain Hills High School

Homecoming Week!

Parade

Pep Assembly Fun

Homecoming Game

Dynamic Trio

Come out tonight at 6pm for the Powderpuff game at Falcon Field!

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!

Allison Campbell has been a wonderful addition to our team. Originally hired as a part time staff member, she quickly pivoted when necessary and took on a full time teacher role early on in the school year. She is always positive, willing to ask questions and is very popular with students including rigorous academics in her classroom. We look forward to the direction she will be taking the sports med program for our Falcon students.

Chris has shown exemplary leadership skills as he has for the past 3 years. He is a respected member of the band, a self-starter who takes initiative and is confident in his decisions being the student leader of the band. With the band instructor out for over a week, Chris led the band for the new field ribbon ceremony with little time to prepare and did it flawlessly. He also asked if he could gather a small group and read the daily announcements. Leading that group, they show up every day, on time and always deliver a positive energy. If it wasn't for Chris, Ms. Wynn would still be reading those daily announcements.

Ms. Reichler is small and mighty! She embraced the role of Dean of Students last year and executes the job as if she has been in the position for a decade! She is well respected by both staff and students. Her ability to discipline and defuse contention in one sitting is remarkable. Needless to say, students, staff, parents, and guardians respond well to Ms. Reichler. She quickly develops a trustworthy rapport with the students and holds them to a high level of expectations. Ms. Reichler models and executes the pillars of the PBIS standards and follows the protocols as expected. She is a team player, has an incredible work ethic, and is very much dedicated to the success of Fountain Hills Middle School.

Isabella is a wonderful student and FHMS citizen. She embodies PBIS responsibility by caring about her education and asking questions to clarify an assignment. She is kind and befriends new students by making them feel welcome. She is always respectful when communicating with students and staff.

Jeniffer is an amazing team member. As the ESS Specialist, she is an integral part of the special education process from obtaining educational records, to medicaid billing and communicating updates with the staff. Jeniffer is hardworking and committed to providing the tools staff need to get their jobs done. Jeniffer also worked tirelessly on the preschool move from preparing the site for licensing, putting new furniture together and promoting the preschool at different events around town. Jeniffer is always willing to take on additional tasks to help her team. We appreciate her so much!

Mia is respectful to her teachers and friends and she always remembers her manners. Mia is responsible and always willing to help. She is excited and eager to learn. My favorite thing about Mia is that she is compassionate and empathetic towards her friends. She always has a smile and good attitude. It is a pleasure to have Mia in class.

Angie is our expert when it comes to our student information system. She makes sure all of our platforms work together. We threw a lot at her in the first year with changing every schedule. She made the trimester at the high school, the middle school hybrid trimester schedule and the elementary schedule work. She keeps all of our apps working seamlessly and cleaned up thousands of errors in them. She works tirelessly for us. Angie is the one behind the scenes that makes everything flow and work with our systems. She is always offering professional development and training to our registrars and admin assistants to help them excel in their jobs as well. Angie has done a great job and is a great addition to the Falcon team!

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