Sunset Hills News

Our Monthly Newsletter is here! Please check our newsletter for important updates for the month of April, including state testing dates.

Enrollment is open for the 24/25 School Year and we can't wait to meet all of our future Bobcats! 

Recently we hosted our annual Kindergarten Showcase where future Bobcats and their families were able to come meet staff and tour classroom areas.

Check out our Photo Gallery of this awesome event!

There will be No School for Spring Break; Monday, March 18- Friday, March 22. School will resume on Monday, March 25th. Have a safe and happy break Bobcats!

Our Monthly Newsletter is here! Please check our newsletter for important updates for the month.

Sunset Hills is competing against 15 other campuses within our district, in the Sweet 16 Attendance Challenge! 

• Spirit Week Fun See Full Schedule below, but highlights include: a Red,White & Pink Spirit Day for February 14th and Spring Picture Day on February 15th
• Daily Drawings for students who are in attendance all day
• Classes with the highest attendance each day will win an extra 10 minute recess the following day
• Awards will be given for students who are here every minute of the week
• Make sure you are here at the end of the day on Friday for a special treat for all of our students (students must be present to receive treat)

Spirit Week Days:

Monday - Pajama Day - Sometimes we're sleepy, but we know that Every Day Counts

Tuesday - Twin Day - Sometimes things are crazy, but we are better when we're together

Wednesday - Pink, White & Red Day - We love our Sunset Hills Family

Thursday - Dress for Success, Picture Day - Where we are set up for success

Friday - Bobcat Cool Day - Where being a Bobcat is always cool!

It is almost Production week and our Cast & Crew can not wait to share all we have been working on! All of our shows will be at the Vista Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or ahead of time at shes.booktix.net

Show Schedule

Thursday, 2/22 @ 7 pm 

Friday, 2/23 @ 7 pm

Saturday, 2/24 @ 2 pm 

Saturday, 2/24 @ 7 pm

8th Grade Student, Spencer J., received 3rd place in the VFW Patrios’s Pen Contest for the district. Veterans visited Mrs. Lynch’s class to present him with his award. Congratulations Spencer!

Check out our December Newsletter Here.

We had a successful November with our Veteran's Day Assembly, Thanksgiving Family Lunch, and Attendance Contest to name just a few! And we can't wait to see what December brings us as we close out our 2nd quarter.

We look forward to highlighting some of our student's talents in our Winter Choir Performances, Band Performance and our Kindergarten Winter Concert. 2nd Quarter report cards will be released on Friday, December 22nd. 

Friday, December 22nd will be a 1 pm dismissal for our students as we start winter break. Students will return to school on Tuesday, January 9th. 

We wish everyone a wonderful Winter Break and Holiday Season! 

We want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving Break! We are thankful for all of our Sunset Hills students, staff, and families! Please enjoy the time off with your family and friends and we will see you all on Monday, November 27th.

Our front office will also be closed for the Thanksgiving Break. 

It has already been a busy month of November and the events just keep on coming! Be sure to check out our Newsletter so you can see all of our events! 

This week we will have our Family Thanksgiving Lunch on Friday, November 15th. 

Next week we will be closed for Thanksgiving Break from 11/20-11/24.

When we return from break we will have our Spirit Week. Our theme is Every Day Counts and we will be having attendance contests throughout! We can't wait to see everyone participate in these awesome Spirit Days!

Monday 11/27  - Switch roles with those who take attendance. Students dress like teachers, teachers dress like students!

Tuesday 11/28 - Attendance is a BIG HIT. Wear a band shirt today!

Wednesday 11/29 - Attendance leads to success. Dress for success day! It is also Club/Group/ & Make-up Picture Day.

Thursday 11/30 - Attendance is tied to great learning. Wear a tie dye shirt today!

Friday 12/1 - Attend today, achieve tomorrow! Wear school colors today.

All school Newsletters can be found here!

Today we had the privilege of honoring our Veterans in our Annual Veterans Day Assembly and Breakfast. We were treated to performances by our choir and band and readings from several of our student leaders. 

Thank you again to our Veterans and their families for their sacrifices for our country. And thank you to our teachers, staff, students and volunteers who helped make today possible.

Please take a look at our Photo Gallery here. 

We are so proud to announce that Sunset Hills Elementary School earned an “A” rating from the school accountability labels for the 2022-2023 school year! Sunset Hills is one of 18 schools in the district to receive the “A” rating.  Additionally, Sunset Hills ranked in the top 20% of schools  in the state.  We are thankful for all of our teachers, staff, students and their families who come together to make this possible! We are better together! 

The school accountability labels measure year to year student academic growth, proficiency on English language arts, math and science, the proficiency and academic growth of English language learners, indicators that an elementary student is ready for success in high school and that high school students are ready to succeed in a career or higher education and high school graduation rates.

Our 1st Quarter Awards for Grades 4-8 will be this week, 10/19-10/20. This is a chance to celebrate your student's achievements during the 1st Quarter and we invite our student's families to help us celebrate them! Please remember to bring your photo ID if you plan on attending your student's assembly.

Thursday 10/19:

• 8:30-9:05 AM - 6th Grade
• 9:15-9:50 AM - 5th Grade
• 10:00-10:35 AM - 4th Grade

Friday 10/20:

• 8:30-9:05 AM - 7th Grade
• 9:15-9:50 AM - 8th Grade

There will be no school for Fall Break from 10/9-10/13. Our offices will also be closed during the break.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back, and starting Quarter 2, on Monday 10/16.

Important updates for the Week of 10/16:

• Wed 10/18 - Student Council Pink Out Day
• Thu 10/19 - 1st Quarter Awards for 6th Grade (8:30-9:05 am), 5th Grade (9:15-9:50 am) and 4th Grade (10:00-10:35 am)
• Fri 10/20 - 1st Quarter Awards for 7th Grade (8:30-9:05 am) and 8th Grade (9:15-9:50 am)

Be sure to read our October Newsletter for all of our updates and to find our Calendar of Events. 

Don't forget we have Parent/Teacher conferences the week of October 2-6, with 1 pm Early Dismissals on Mon 10/2, Thu 10/5 and Fri 10/6.  The following week will be Fall Break from 10/9-10/13. We look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday, 10/16, for the start of our 2nd quarter!

Sunset Hills hosted activities throughout the day in remembrance of 9/11.

• Preschool learned about emergency responders and how they help us in times of need
• Kinder created an anchor chart to learn about what a hero is 
• First grade read a short story about heroes and how they are to be remembered and celebrated on 9/11
• Second graders made ribbons of remembrance to adorn the hallways
  
• Third grade students wrote a short essay about Patriot Day
• Fourth grade did a Paying Tribute activity and watched a video about 9/11
• Fifth grade read Save the Boats, learned about the 9/11 memorials and created their own symbolic tribute to 9/11
• Sixth, seventh grade, and eighth grade students watched videos about 9/11

Audition Packets will be released next week for our Annual Musical Production. This year we will be bringing to life the classical story of CATS. 

Check back here for more information as soon as the packets are officially released! We can't wait to share this memory with you!

Monday, September 4th, 2023 there will be no school in observance of Labor Day. 

Boys Baseball

• Tue 8/22 from 6:30-8:00 am
• Wed 8/23 from 6:30-8:00 am
• Thu 8/24 from 6:30-8:00 am

Girls Softball

• Wed 8/23 from 3:15-5:00 pm
• Thu 8/24 from 3:15-5:00 pm

Regular season games will begin the week of 9/12. Let's Go Bobcats!

Please see our August Newsletter!

August Newsletter

Beginning in 5th Grade our students get to choose 2 of their classes each quarter from the following categories: P.E., Music, Art, and iExplore. These classes allow students to explore interests outside of the standard math, reading, science and social studies. Students are required to take at least 1 class from each of the 4 categories below but with 8 options throughout the year there is still plenty of room for their favorites!

P.E. Offerings:

• Outdoor Team Sports (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Health in Sports (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Indoor Sports (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Fitness (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Lifetime Sports (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)

Music Offerings:

• American Popular Music (8th)
• Music Blogging (7th)
• Jazz & Improvisation (6th)
• Movie Music (5th)
• Choir (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Beginning Band (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Band (6th, 7th, 8th)
• Musical Theatre Performance (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Musical Theater Survey (8th) 
• Music History (7th) 
• Music PBL (6th) 

Art:

• Painting (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Drawing (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Ceramics (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Art & Technology (7th, 8th)
• 2D/3D Multimedia (5th, 6th)

iExplore:

• iExplore Coding (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Creative Technology (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• STEM (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
• Robotics (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th)

If you are completing enrollment for the 23/24 School Year and would like more information on our Elective Course Options, including detailed course descriptions please find your grade level below for the complete course guide:

• 23/24 5th Grade Elective Courses
• 23/24 6th Grade Elective Courses
• 23/24 7th Grade Elective Courses
• 23/24 8th Grade Elective Courses

Back to School Information

Our Office will be open with modified hours for the summer:

Week of 5/29

Monday 5/29 - Closed for Memorial Day

Tuesday through Thursday    7:15 am - 3:45 pm

Weeks of 6/5, 6/12 & 6/19 - Summer School Office Hours

Monday through Thursday    7:30 am - 11:30 am

Weeks of 6/26 & 7/3 - Office Closed for Summer Break

Weeks of 7/10 & 7/17 - Summer Office Hours

Monday through Thursday    7:15 am - 3:45 pm

Regular Office Hours Resume Monday 7/24

Monday through Friday    7:15 am - 3:45 pm

Our 23/24 School Supply Lists can be found here:

• PreK School Supply List 2023-2024
• Kindergarten School Supply List 2023-2024
  
• 1st Grade School Supply List 2023-2024
  
• 2nd Grade School Supply List 2023-2024
  
• 3rd Grade School Supply List 2023-2024
  
• 4th Grade School Supply List 2023-2024
  
• 5th Grade School Supply List 2023-2024
  
• 6th Grade School Supply List 2023-2024
  
• 7th Grade School Supply List 2023-2024
  
• 8th Grade School Supply List 2023-2024
  

Click here for our May Newsletter: 22/23 May Newsletter

And catch up on all of our newsletters here: Sunset Hills Newsletters

Here is the state testing calendar for Sunset Hills: 

State Testing

Monday March 27 our current 4th - 7th graders will be choosing their electives for next school year.

Here are the Elective Offerings for 2023/2024 School Year, (remember to use the grade level your student will be in the 23/24 School Year):

5th Grade Course Descriptions 2023-24

6th Grade Course Descriptions 2023-24

7th Grade Course Descriptions 2023-24

8th Grade Course Descriptions 2023-24

Band Elective Contract and Agreement 2023-24

Congratulations to our Dysart Heroes, Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Boisvert! 

Newsies Jr Photo Gallery

Get your tickets now at shes.booktix.com

Shows are:

• Thursday 2/23 @ 7 pm
• Friday 2/24 @ 7 pm
• Saturday 2/25 @ 2 pm
• Saturday 2/25 @ 7 pm

Sunset Hills PTO is hosting a Donation Drive from Feb. 6th - Feb. 17th

Please bring any donated supplies to your homeroom teacher! Homerooms with the most donations will win:

1st Place - Sonic Lunch for the Class!

2nd Place - Sundae/Float Party for the Class!

3rd Place - Popcorn Party for the Class!

Sunset Hills would like to Congratulate Mrs. Older and Ms. Moberg on their recertification of their National Board Certification! 

Tickets are on sale now for our highly anticipated production of Newsies Jr.! Our cast and crew have been working hard to make this show big enough to take on the World! Make sure you Seize the opportunity and Watch What Happens when we get 100 Voices Singing on that stage! 

Shows are at The Vista: 

• Thursday 2/23 @ 7 pm 
• Friday 2/24 @ 7 pm 
• Saturday 2/25 @ 2 pm 
• Saturday 2/25 @ 7 pm  

Get your tickets today @ shes.booktix.com

Here's a sneak peek preview of our amazing show!

Happy New Year to all of our Sunset Hills community! I hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful winter break! We completed benchmarks for grades 3-5 and finals for grades 6-8 prior to break. Our 6-8 grade students will be taking benchmark 2 the week of January 9. The data from all of the assessments will be used to evaluate growth toward our continuous improvement academic goals as well as individual student driven goal setting. Please encourage your child to do their best!... (click here for full newsletter)

Sunset Hills is so excited to welcome back our families on to our campus for our Thanksgiving Lunch! Please see the attached flier with all the information, including an RSVP that is due this Friday 11/4/22

Thanksgiving Lunch

Sunset Hills Elementary School is excited to announce that we have received an A-rating from the newly-released 2022 State of Arizona accountability labels. This letter grade provides us a glimpse into many areas of proficiency and growth for our school, including information about student achievement, college and career readiness, student growth, and other key areas of interest. We appreciate our hardworking students, staff and parents for their contributions in making our school an A-rated school! 

This is the first time the state has issued new labels since 2018-2019, due to House Bill’s 2910 and 2402, which temporarily paused the issuing of A-F letter grades. It is important to note that this year the state used the same cut marks as they did in 2019 for K-8 schools, the last year they issued letter grades. However, this year's K-8 growth score is only based on growth percentile and does not include growth-to-target.

About School Letter Grades: Arizona Revised Statutes § 15-241 requires the Arizona Department of Education, subject to final adoption by the State Board of Education, to develop an annual achievement profile for every public school in the state based on an A through F scale. The system measures year to year student academic growth, proficiency on English language arts, math and science, the proficiency and academic growth of English language learners, indicators that an elementary student is ready for success in high school and that high school students are ready to succeed in a career or higher education and high school graduation rates. 

 Dysart Unified School District invites parents and students to a Career and College Expo on Wednesday, October 26 from 5:30 - 7:30pm at the Dysart District Office, located at 15802 N. Parkview Place in Surprise.  

The expo showcases Dysart's Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, West-MEC, colleges and universities, and military representatives so families can explore opportunities to pursue in and after high school. This is a great way for 5th through 11th grade students and their parents to get hands-on with all of the career pathway classes and programs offered at Dysart Schools. The event is free and open to the public. Details can be found at www.dysart.org/CTEexpo. 

Dysart Schools currently offer 17 CTE programs at four high schools (Dysart High School, Shadow Ridge High School, Valley Vista High School, and Willow Canyon High School.) Program options include Automotive Technology, Culinary Arts, Digital Animation, Digital Photography, Education Professions, Engineering, Film and TV Production, Fire Science, Graphic Design, Laboratory Assisting, Law and Public Safety, Marketing, Nursing Services, Software and App Design, Sports Medicine, Stagecraft Design and Production and Technology Device Maintenance. Learn more at www.dysart.org/CTE. 

Our October Newsletter is here!

22 23 Newsletter September.pdf

Boys Baseball & Girls Softball Try Outs are this week! Ask the front office or your coaches for more information and how to get a try out packet. Boys Baseball tryouts will be Tuesday and Wednesday (8/23 & 8/24) and Girls Softball will be Wednesday and Thursday (8/24 & 8/25).  Games begin the week of 9/13. Come on out to cheer on our Bobcats!

Boys Baseball Schedule

Girls Softball Schedule

Sunset Hills had a successful first day of school!  We were so excited to welcome back our more than 930 students and their families for another great year.  Please continue to check our website and social media to learn more about all the great activities and events planned, as well as updates on our academic progress!  We hope you have a great year, and please reach out if you need anything to help make your student successful! Check out the photo gallery from the first day below!

Sunset Hills is ready for another fantastic year! Join us on Monday, August 1st from 5:00-6:30 pm for Meet the Teacher Night.  Our PTO will be ready that night with all the Sunset Hills Spirit gear you will need to start off the new year.  Papa Eddie's BBQ and Cerealphoria will be joining us and ready to serve up some delicious eats, with a portion of their proceeds going back to our fabulous PTO.

We can't wait to see our Bobcats back on campus for our first day of school Wednesday, August 3rd!

Join us for Sunset Hills Meet the Teacher Night on Tuesday August 1st, from  5:00-6:30 pm.  

We can't wait to see everyone back for the first day of school on August 3! Make sure you mark your calendars for event and activity dates and keep an eye on our new website for important information as the start of school approaches.

Our Meet the Teacher night will be on August 1 from 5:00-6:30pm. Please join us to see the campus, meet your child's teachers, and get information on what to expect this year. 

Still need to enroll? There's still time to get your children enrolled for the 2022-2023 school year! Parents and guardians can complete the necessary registration information online at Dysart.org/enroll at any time.  Please note that in order to finalize registration the following documents will be required: government issued photo identification; birth certificate; proof of residency; and immunization records. For additional assistance with student registration, families are welcome to contact our front office.

Don't forget to make sure you have access to the Parent Portal to keep up with your child’s academic progress throughout the year! Sign up or access the site online at Dysart.org/parentportal or via the Campus Parent app. 

Dysart Schools have many opportunities for the community to assist schools in providing an amazing educational experience to each and every student. Volunteers help to enrich children’s learning opportunities, provide individual attention to children who need one-on-one assistance, promote a school-home-community partnership for quality education, provide staff members with more time to work with students, and assist staff members and support personnel with non-instructional tasks.

Where is Help Needed?

• Classroom and teacher support 
• One-on-one student assistance 
• Event help (preparations, setup, operations, tear-down)  
• Guest speakers (experts or retirees in various fields) 
• Front office assistance

How to Become a Volunteer:

1. Review the volunteer handbook and complete the volunteer application at Dysart.org/Volunteer 
2. Make an appointment for your volunteer orientation 
3. Coordinate your schedule through the school office 
4. Put on your volunteer badge and have fun!

Who Should Apply to Volunteer?

Anyone who cares about children and education is a potential volunteer. Parents, grandparents and community members 18 years of age or older who want to make a difference in the lives of children and support educators are encouraged to apply to become a volunteer with Dysart Unified School District. Volunteers are welcome in all of our schools and prior teaching experience is not necessary.

Learn more or apply here.

Dysart Nutrition Services ensures that students at all schools have fresh, wholesome and nutritious breakfast and lunch options to support their education and focus in class. Learn more about Nutrition Services at Dysart.org/Nutrition. Menus and nutritional information may be viewed at Dysart.Nutrislice.com.

Apply for Free and Reduced Meals

Beginning July 1, 2022 the USDA is returning to income eligibility guidelines for free or reduced meals. All families should complete a Free and Reduced Lunch Application at SchoolCafe.com to help maintain school funding and make sure that qualified families receive this and other benefits. Only one application is required per family, and may be completed at SchoolCafe.com.

How to Add Meal Funds to an Account

Cash and checks are accepted for meal purchases, or families may utilize SchoolCafe.com to prepay for meals online, view their balances, or place restrictions on purchases. Online payments take 24 hours to post to student accounts.  

Meal Prices 

• Elementary Lunch $2.60, Reduced $.40, Adult $3.50  
• Elementary Breakfast $1.25, Reduced $.30, Adult $1.75  High School Lunch $2.85, Reduced $.40, Adult $3.50  
• High School Breakfast $1.25, Reduced $.30, Adult $1.75 

A la carte and snack items are available for purchase on each campus, and additional meals are available for an added charge. Parents are always welcome to dine with their child, but please be sure to call in advance and check-in at the school office. Adult meals may be purchased for $1.75 for breakfast or $3.50 for lunch. 

Dysart is the largest employer in both the cities of Surprise and El Mirage with over 2,700 employees. Dysart Schools offer highly competitive salaries, full benefits and an inviting school-year calendar with holidays and weekends off for most positions. 

With a wide-variety of positions ranging from groundskeeper, to mechanic, to office staff, and teachers, we’re always looking for great people to join our Dysart team!

Current High Need Areas: 

•  Bus Drivers and Aides
•  Childcare and Preschool Aides
•  Paraprofessionals
•  Behavioral Technicians 
•  Speech and Language Pathologists 
•  Special Education Teachers 
•  Math Teachers 
•  Science Teachers 
•  ASL Teachers 
•  Health Services Assistants 
•  Crossing Guards 
•  Maintenance Workers and Plant Managers 
•  Social Workers

Check out our current openings at Dysart.org/Careers and apply today!

The Parent Portal is a great tool to stay informed 24/7 about your child’s academic progress. Grades, attendance, assignments and more are viewable in real time online or via the app, Campus Parent. A single login allows parents with multiple students to access information for all of their children in one place. Learn more at Dysart.org/ParentPortal.

Update Your Communication Preferences and Contact Info

To make sure that we can keep you informed in emergency situations, please ensure that your contact information is current in the Parent Portal. You are also able to adjust your communication preferences (phone, text, and/or email) at Dysart.org/ParentPortal or on the Campus Parent app to ensure you are getting the various message types in the way that you would like. Remember that if you select more than one type of communication per category, you will receive the message multiple times via each of those avenues.

Students from West Point Elementary School and Sunset Hills Elementary School were recently recognized for being named finalists in the annual Friends of the Surprise Libraries Bookmark Contest. Each year, Friends of the Surprise Libraries invites local sixth through eighth grade students to participate and create bookmarks depicting reading and literacy.  First place, honorable mention, and a Mayor’s Choice Award are selected in each grade category. The following Dysart students were selected as finalists: 

• First Place - Grace Luu (6th grade, Sunset Hills) and Layla Calico (8th grade, West Point). 
• Honorable Mention - Kayla Krise (6th grade, West Point), Isabella Jordan (7th grade, West Point), and Kayla Patnod (8th grade, West Point). 
  
• Mayor's Choice Award - Audrey Howat (8th grade, West Point)
  

Each student was recognized and presented a plaque with their winning bookmark, as well as a monetary award at the April 5, 2022 Surprise City Council Meeting. 

Friends of the Surprise Libraries is a non-profit organization supported by local citizens who volunteer their time to promote local Libraries, literacy and reading programs. They are dedicated to supporting the local community by sponsoring various programs, school grants, and providing gifts and donations to public libraries and literacy organizations.