Hi Presidio Family!

Welcome to 2023 and congratulations on surviving the longest month of the year! :) January certainly brought about a lot of change at Presidio; specifically staffing changes. Let’s recap the changes…

• Blue Caterpillar Kindergarten - With Ms.Briana Likes’ impending maternity leave close at hand, we have brought on Mr. Russ Granillo to create a smooth transition. Mr. Russ has been with us for the last two weeks learning the ropes and is slowly taking over teaching responsibility this week so Ms. Likes can confidently turn the reins over when she goes on maternity leave.

• Grade 4 welcomed a student teacher and former Presidio alum, Mx. Maggie Wegienka, into the fold. Mx. Weigenka, like Mr. Russ, spent the better part of this month transitioning into the fourth grade classes and will assume the teaching role during the month of February, with Ms. Holm and Mr. Mike assuming the role of mentor. 

• High School ELA - February will bring another student teacher, this time to High School ELA. Ms. Lina Townsend is completing the student teaching portion of her post-bachelor’s degree teaching certificate with Mr. Lang’s high school ELA freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. Her timing could not be better because she will also substitute for Mr. Lang when he takes his paternity leave. Yep, you read that correctly… PATERNITY LEAVE…

• Mr. and Mrs. Lang welcomed Beckett Milton Lang, their beautiful baby boy, at the beginning of January. Mr. and Mrs. Lang are taking their respective maternity/paternity leave throughout the remainder of the school year in an effort to minimize disruption to the educational environment. We are thrilled for their new arrival and appreciative of the time and effort they have put into scheduling and lesson planning!

Change is both a blessing and a curse; however, we believe that these changes are blessings for sure! We are thrilled to welcome the newest members (both employees and babies) into the Presidio Family. As we usher out January and welcome February, I look forward to seeing positive outcomes from the changes that have been made.

Happy February!

Jessica Montierth, Principal

Help Spread the Word!

Presidio School will be having a Kindergarten through 2nd Grade Round Up on Saturday, February 11 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Tuition-Free Arizona and Nationally Recognized College Preparatory School

• Students are provided with an education grounded in knowledge of history, geography, mathematics, science, literature, art and music presented in an environment that fosters individual creativity and confident thinkers through hands-on exploration and discovery.
• Consistently ranked in the top 10% of all AZ schools
• Core Curriculum includes: Art, Music, Technology, Kung Fu, and Dance centered around Social Emotional Learning
• Maximum class size = 22 students
• Optional before and after school program (7:15 AM- 5:15 PM)
• Separate K-2 Campus with outdoor learning opportunities and cooperative play areas
• Four year old students who will be five by January 1 of the current school year and are able to pass a readiness assessment are eligible for Presidio’s college preparatory Kindergarten

PRESIDIO SCHOOL PTSO

 Please join us for our next PTSO Meeting on Thursday, February 9th at 5:00 pm in the Dreamcatcher Library.

What is PTSO?

PTSO stands for Parent Teacher Student Organization.

What is the Purpose of the PTSO?

• To be a relevant resource for families and communities
• To serve as a strong advocate for the education and well-being of every student
• To serve as a type of forum where parents, teachers, administrators, staff, students, and other concerned community members discuss ways to promote quality education, strive to expand the arts, encourage community involvement, and work for a healthy school environment

If you plan to have your student(s) return to Presidio for the 2023/2024 school year a continuation form must be completed in order to secure their spot. Continuation forms are to be completed online via PowerSchool. All Continuation Forms should be submitted via PowerSchool by March 8, 2023.

To Complete the Continuation Forms please follow the steps below:
1. After logging in, select Forms from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.
2. Make sure you see the words "Continuation Forms." There are four forms you will need to fill out.
3. Once the forms are filled out, the right side will show "Approved." All four forms need to show "Approved" to be counted as a completed Continuation Form. Th

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Presidio School

Valentines Candy Grams

Gram with candy - $1.00

Gram with a Cheryl’s cookie - $3.00

Gram with a rose and a Cheryl’s cookie - $5.00

Pre orders until Feb 10th

Delivered on Valentines Day to the classrooms

Being sold on both campuses, before and after school!

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**All funds collected will be used to help off-set the cost of Prom.

Check out some of the cool things we've been doing in Math RTI! Kinder students recently built a monster truck using pattern blocks then compared the number of squares and hexagons by counting and labeling. 3rd grade students have been practicing counting by 5s and decomposing numbers in different ways while reading our way through a book about the Everglades! MATH ROCKS!

We've been having tons of fun being "dramatic" each week. Students have been practicing matching movements with sounds, creating and performing monologues, and even doing some improv skits with their peers!

In third grade Social Studies, students finished writing a mountain man/woman story. They wrote about what their life would have been like if they were living in the 1800s traveling west through the Santa Fe Trail. The students really enjoyed writing about how their lives would have been different than how they live now.

-Kelsey

Third grade reading and writing classes have taken a deep dive into nonfiction books, including studying the different parts of the book. Students also had the opportunity to write their own nonfiction books on a chosen animal which they are then creating into slides and presenting at the end of the lesson. Their passion for animals is definitely shining through!

Tammy (Mrs. G.)

Mr. Mike and Ms. Holm’s 4th grade classes have gotten an exciting new addition: a student teacher! Margaret Wegienka is a former Presidio student who is currently finishing their degree in education at the University of Arizona. Mx. W has been a wonderful addition to our team. They are great with the students, helpful to both fourth grade teachers, and eager to gain valuable field experience from spending time in our classrooms.

Ms. Kendra’s 5th Grade ELA

We have been quite busy in 5th Grade ELA. We have been talking about nature topics and have come up with research questions about them. Our goal is to successfully write our first research paper. Some of our topics are global warming, earthquakes, endangered animals, landslides, and thunderstorms. It has been wonderful to see their hard work and see them gain confidence in their writing skills. 

Mr. Gaver’s 5th Grade Math

We just finished Topic Seven: Add and Subtract Fractions, and I am glad to say, as a whole, this was our strongest topic to date as it was one of the toughest to conquer.  The growth is showing, so be proud fifth graders! We are now moving into multiplying and dividing fractions, and the confidence is there. Overall, the second semester is showing promise.

I am excited to announce that two pieces of Presidio student artwork will be displayed at the University of Arizona Museum of Art (UAMA). I have selected one art piece each from junior, Nicholas Arrowsmith, and senior, Saul Beltran Gutierrez, to be a part of this year's exhibition Our Stories: High School Artists 2023. The exhibit will be on view Saturday, February 25th - Saturday, May 20th. Go check them out!

Remember when our HS senior, Michelle Dang, won the grand prize for the TAAG poster contest? In addition to Michelle, 4 of our other Presidio students made it to the "Top 50"! Congratulations to high schoolers Bailey Montierth, Taylor Mack, Tatiana Berley, and 7th grader, Deekshita Tanguturi. The winning artwork is now posted on the Pima County website.

Since we have a fresh batch of students in art class for the 2nd semester, the Kindergarteners, 2nd, 4th, and 7th graders focused on completing their pre-assessment piece of artwork this January.

In the elementary art classes, we kicked off the new semester getting to know each other. Students drew their own custom Lego Minifigures that included things that told me about themselves.

Our high school class is determined to get things rolling in preparation for the HS Production in March. Can you guess what they are making? Send your thoughts to ctran@presidioschool.com, then we can share your guesses and our progress in next month's newsletter.

In Dance, students are working hard to learn proper technique, French Terminology, and creative movement through discovery. Styles this semester for their show in May are Musical Theater, Jazz Funk, Lyrical Hip Hop, Boy Band Jazz, and Creative Dance. You won't want to miss these students dancing in person this semester. Tickets will go on sale in April.