Bobcat Families,

We’ve officially been back in school for a month, and what a fantastic start it has been! Our Bobcats are showing their stripes—working hard in class, being kind to one another, and embracing the “Paw-sitive” attitude that makes Peralta Trail Elementary such a special place.

Thank you for making attendance a priority and for supporting our students every step of the way. This past week our attendance goal of at least 95% was met! Together, we’re building a strong foundation for a year full of learning, friendship, and Bobcat pride. Let’s keep GROWLing forward!

Grow - Respect - Overcome - Work - Lead

Proud to be a Bobcat,

Mrs. Smith

At Peralta Trail Elementary, we believe that every minute counts—whether it’s the first bell of the day or the last. Building strong classroom communities is essential to student success, not only academically, but also in developing the social skills that help them thrive.

Morning Meetings give our students a positive launch into the day, setting goals and building connections. At the end of the day, reflection time helps classes celebrate successes and identify areas to grow together. These daily routines create a supportive environment where every Bobcat learns how to get along, work as a team, and lift each other up.

Don't forget that missing just 18 days in a school year—that’s just two days a month—means a student is considered chronically absent according to the state of Arizona? Chronic absenteeism has a significant impact not only on a child’s academic success, but also on our school’s ability to earn a strong state letter grade, which includes a component specifically tied to reducing student absences.

At Peralta Trail Elementary, we believe every day counts. Students who are in school consistently are more likely to stay on track, build stronger relationships, and reach their academic goals. We know that sometimes absences are unavoidable—especially for medical reasons—and we completely understand. When that happens, please be sure to turn in a doctor's note to the office so we can document the absence appropriately.

We are asking for your continued partnership to help all our Bobcats succeed. Here’s how you can help:

When we work together, we can make a real difference—not just in attendance numbers, but in the lives of our students. Let’s show up strong, Bobcats!

Challenge Goal: Build a boat that can hold the most pennies without sinking!

- A sheet of aluminum foil (about 6x6 inches)

- A bowl or pan filled with water

- A cup of pennies (or other small coins)

Directions:

1. Design & Build: Using only the piece of foil, design a boat you think will hold the most pennies. Fold, bend, or shape it however you like—just no extra materials!

2. Test: Place your boat in the water and slowly add pennies, one at a time.

3. Record: Count how many pennies your boat holds before it sinks.

4. Improve: Try making a new design to beat your first score.

5. Discuss: Talk about what shapes worked best and why they held more weight.

STEM Connection: This activity teaches kids about buoyancy, weight distribution, and the engineering design process—plus, it’s a fun family challenge!

August 8-September 2 - PTO Cookie Dough Fundraiser

August 19 - National Aviation Day!

August 20 - EARLY RELEASE @ 1:30

August 25 - Fall School Picture Day

August 26 - AJUSD Governing Board Meeting

August 27 - "Goodies with Grown-Ups" 7:30-8:30am in the cafeteria

Welcome back from a fantastic (and scorching) weekend! We have tons of exciting news from the Bobcat den, so let’s jump right in!

 

We officially launched our Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough & More fundraiser on Friday, and our first weekend challenge is almost over! If you haven’t registered your child(ren) yet, please do so now to be sure they can collect their sponsor prizes, as well as raffle tickets for a chance to win one of PTO’s separate prizes. Our prizes include various dessert boxes, lunch delivered to school for you and a friend, a free item from the upcoming Scholastic book fair, an Amazon tablet, and more…trust us, you do NOT want to miss out on this opportunity! As our weekend challenge comes to an end, students can continue to earn raffle tickets for completing the following tasks through the week:

 

 

Whether you’re interested in purchasing items or not, sharing your student’s link and/or paper order form with friends, family, and even co-workers often increase sales/donation significantly. Our organization works diligently to raise funds for important classroom materials, supplies, and activities, as well as field trips and services that are not funded by the school district. Every little bit helps enhance the Bobcat experience for our kiddos, so please help where you can!

 

We’ve already received several orders for the 2025-2026 spirit apparel, and we will be submitting our first order by 5 pm on Tuesday 8/12. We also plan to purchase some extras to have on hand for various upcoming events, though you can continue to submit orders on our site throughout the year. Most items are $15.00, and we are now offering tank tops, long sleeve shirts, performance tees, and hoodies (on top of the usual t-shirts). The kiddos love to show their school pride every Friday, so show your Bobcat spirit and get yours now!

 

Our first “Goodies with Grown-Ups” breakfast event is scheduled for Wednesday 8/27 from 7:30-8:30 am in the PTES cafeteria – don’t forget to RSVP today! We love seeing all the support for our Bobcat kiddos and encourage parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, older cousins, and/or your closest family friends to attend. It is so important to understand that the definition of family isn’t the same for everyone, so invite those who are nearest and dearest to you! We request that you please RSVP using the link below, along with an estimate of attendees from each family (be sure to include your student). You do not need to RSVP if you can’t make it, we just want to ensure we have enough food for those who plan to attend!

 

PTO QR CODE

Safety is a priority and we want to make sure that the procedures are followed for a smooth arrival and dismissal. Any transportation changes MUST go through the main office (480-677-7540) no later than 1:00 pm.

Please remember the following:

Please use the QR Code to add money to your child's lunch account or to apply for free and reduced lunch; we encourage everyone to apply! Did you know that Peralta Trail Elementary receives Title I funding for important programs? Our allocation of Title I funding depends on the percentage of students who qualify for Free & Reduced lunch; this is why we encourage you to apply each year. Be sure to apply if you have not done so already for the 2025-26 school year. Thank you!

Last year, AJUSD adopted a cell phone policy for our campuses. Thank you for your support and reminding your child of our Cell Phone Policy. Last year we only had a few issues and students were more focused during the school day. If a student has a cell phone, once on campus they are to turn it off and secure it in their backpack as it is not permitted to be out during school hours. Please see the new policy below: