UPC brings parents from across the district together to enhance the PVSchools experience! 

*UPC is independent from PVUSD and information posted in this newsletter does not represent the views of the Paradise Valley Unified School District.*

Join UPC for our January meeting beginning at 9:00 a.m. Dr. Courson and Cabinet will be at the meeting to share updates and answer questions. Then join us for our program: "You've Got This (And So Do They) Preparing for Middle and High School"

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

9:00am UPC General Meeting

10:00am "Preparing for Middle and High School"

This meeting will be held both in person and online.

To attend in person, please join us in DAC East/West at the District Office: 15002 N 32nd St Or, please register in advance HERE to receive the Zoom link.

View the UPC Facebook Event HERE and click "Going"

Budget Report

View the November 19, 2025 Meeting Minutes

Everyone is invited to join UPC for our first PV Parent Expo! Meet local businesses, learn about programs in PVSchools, connect with local nonprofits and find out how they support our community! Bring a friend and enjoy connecting with other parents in our district!

Please RSVP HERE!

View the Facebook Event HERE and invite your friends to attend too!

If your business would like to have a table at the Expo, please sign up HERE!

What to Do When Things Are Hard!

Presented by D. Laura Wingers, PsyD

Join us as we explore research-backed strategies that help parents and teachers understand and respond to challenging behaviors in gifted and twice-exceptional children.

As we teach, connect, and support our children’s growth, we sometimes encounter obstacles we find difficult to overcome. This session will uncover why behavior happens, how to set children up for success, and ways to navigate difficult moments. We’ll also focus, with humor and compassion, on how adults can stay regulated when it matters most.

Tuesday, February 10th from 6:00pm-7:00pm

Desert Shadows Middle School Media Center

5858 E Sweetwater Ave.

View the flyer HERE!

Questions? Please email gifted@pvupc.org for more info!

UPC is looking for parents from around the district to participate in the annual Literature List Review Committee. Committee members will be asked to review submitted titles and make a recommendation to the Governing Board on which new titles to add to the Literature List.

Please complete THIS FORM if you would like to volunteer for this committee.

Transportation and Bell Times Committee Update

School Start Times May Change Next Year & Parent Feedback Requested

This committee met five times during the fall semester to review data and evaluate options to address the challenges the district has faced in regards to Transportation. A shortage of bus drivers has often led to buses being late and that has impacted students, families and staff. There were representatives from all the stakeholder groups on the committee.

At the Governing Board meeting on Thursday, January 15th, a detailed presentation was shared explaining the reasoning behind the proposed changes to the start and end times of the school day for all students. You can watch the District's full presentation HERE. It has not yet been determined which elementary schools would be on Tier 2 (8:10am-2:40am) vs. Tier 3 (9:00am-3:40pm).

Here are some slides from the presentation:

Parents, please check your inbox for a survey from the district that was sent on Friday, January 16th around 3pm. Before a final recommendation is presented to the Governing Board for approval on February 12, 2026, PVSchools is seeking parent and guardian feedback. This survey will close on February 6th.

Cactus Day Camp

Celebrating our 20th summer, Cactus Day Camp is an accredited, safe, traditional day camp for ages 4–13 offering activities, caring staff, friendships, and camp-wide events parents trust year after year.

cactusdaycamp.com

Contact:

480-836-CAMP (2267)

Info@CactusDayCamp.com

Paradise Valley United Parent Council is a district-wide parent group that has been active in Paradise Valley Unified School District for more than 40 years and is a 501(c)(3) organization. Looking out for the interests of students is our primary goal. We do this by offering parents support, information, and opportunities to be influential voices in the decisions that affect their children's education. You can join UPC in supporting the parents, students and families in PVSchools by becoming an official Sponsor!

Funds raised from sponsorships will go towards UPC events like Bus Driver Breakfast, Teacher and Staff Appreciation, educational programming for parents, and the work of the Outreach Committee to support students in our Title I schools.

Cost of Sponsorship: $450

Dates: Present-August 31, 2026

Sponsor Receives:

• Listed as a Sponsor on the UPC website’s Sponsor Page
• The Sponsor Page will be promoted on UPC’s Facebook and Instagram quarterly
• Sponsors will be individually promoted twice on UPC's social media
• Sponsor Page will be listed in UPC’s monthly newsletter with a button that links to the Sponsor Page on pvupc.org
• There will be a maximum of 10 sponsors this year
• Each sponsor will be featured one time in the UPC monthly newsletter with a circulation of more than 1700 people. They will be highlighted as the “Sponsor of the Month”
• BONUS: This year, sponsors will receive a FREE space at the UPC PV Parent Expo in Winter 2026! This will be an opportunity to directly market your business to PV families. More information to be released soon!

Find more info HERE. Use this link to register as a UPC Sponsor!

UPC's Annual Transportation Breakfast!

UPC's Outreach Committee celebrated the Transportation Department at our annual holiday breakfast in December. We provided them with bagels donated by the Einstein Bros. Bagels at Tatum and Cave Creek. We were also able to provide gift cards as prizes.

Thank you to the Desert Cove PTO, Grayhawk PTO and the Mountain Trail Middle School PTSO for your donations in support of the breakfast!

Special Needs Planning: How to Prepare for Your Child's Future with Emily Kile, Esq.

You can view the recording HERE.

An Overview of the GIfted Program options available in PVSchools.

You can view the recording HERE.

Career and Technical Education

(CTE) Programs

PVSchools offers a wide variety of Career and Technical Education different programs at all five high schools. You can view a list of CTE Programs available at each school HERE. This presentation includes videos of many of the CTE programs and would be great to watch with your student!

Watch the recording HERE.

Fine Arts in PVSchools

Learn about the many programs and opportunities for students to learn more about the fine arts. Also, learn the steps a student needs to take in order to earn the Seal of Fine Arts upon graduating from any of high school.

Watch the recording HERE.

PVSchools Resources for Families:

HERE is UPC's List of Health and Wellness Resources 

View the District's list of Resources for Families: English and Español

PVSchools is hiring! Check out career opportunities HERE! 

Your participation is vital to the success of UPC and to supporting our students and PVSchools. 

If you have any questions or suggestions, please email President@pvupc.org. 

With gratitude for all you do,

Julie Blumenreich, President 2025-2026 & the UPC Exec Team 

PV United Parent Council