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.*

Please join us for the monthly UPC meeting on Wednesday, October 18th. We will begin with a brief Q&A with Dr. Bales and then continue with the UPC meeting. Beginning at 10:00am, we will begin the program "Volunteering With PVSchools." A representative from the HR department will explain the new fingerprinting procedures for parents to become chaperones for the first time. We will learn about the VIP (Volunteer in Paradise) Program and the tremendous impact it has had in our schools. We will also talk about UPC's annual Geri Morgan Award for Volunteers.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

9:00am UPC General Meeting

10:00am "Volunteering With PVSchools"

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"

Meeting Agenda

View the September 27, 2023 Meeting Minutes

What is UPC?

United Parent Council - Who We Are and What We Do: We are volunteers from across PVSchools working together to enhance the educational experience for all students.

UPC:

• Supports PV Schools’ parent group organizations and school communities.
• Facilitates communication and information between families and the District.
• Celebrates the accomplishments of the schools, teachers, principals, staff, and students in PV.
• Collaborates with various organizations to provide valuable information and resources on relevant topics.



UPC General Meetings are held monthly throughout the school year beginning in August with our last meeting in May (no meeting in December). These meetings are open to the public - you do not need to be a UPC Representative/Member to attend.

Welcome to all the new 23-24 UPC Reps! It is wonderful to see new parents getting involved and working to connect their school communities to the district and the resources provided by UPC. Our goal is always to have at least one UPC Rep from each school. If you do not see your school listed below, reach out to your parent group or principal and find out if a parent volunteer is needed to be the UPC Rep this year.

Click here to learn WHAT IS UPC AND HOW CAN I BE A PART OF IT?

In an effort to streamline a safe and easy membership registration process, please use the online 2023-2024 UPC Membership Registration Form to complete your annual registration. ALL UPC Representatives/Alternates/Community Members must complete a new membership form each school year. And to make it easy, we are providing an invoice option to pay your Annual Membership Dues. Just select "BILL ME" as your payment option and a PayPal invoice will be sent directly to your school's parent group leadership (as applicable). Community Members can select this payment option too!

New this year, you can optionally include donations to UPC activities in your registration. Thank you for considering supporting our district-wide programs.

Questions about membership? Please email Andrea Convey, UPC's VP of Membership, at [email protected].

Parents, please mark your calendars and plan to join UPC for this opportunity to hear from the Director of Special Education, Ms. Linda Taylor. If you are able to attend, please email [email protected] and let them know you will be there! If you would like to attend virtually, please click HERE to receive the zoom link.

In case you missed it, HERE is the link for the recording of this presentation. Karen Brown, Director of Gifted Education at PVSchools, gave a great presentation for parents about the middle school options for gifted students.

There will be additional presentations specific to each program:

• Journey - October 17, 2023 from 6:30 - 7:30pm @ Mountain Trail MS
• DLC (now known as Quest) - October 18, 2023 from 6:30 - 7:30pm @ Sunrise MS

If you have questions, please contact [email protected].

Do you receive emails from UPC's Gifted Committee?

Make sure you are signed up for UPC's Gifted email list HERE.

UPC has once again partnered with the Arizona Cardinals to offer discounted Cardinals tickets to the PV community! Also, a portion of ticket sales will be donated to the UPC Outreach Committee so they can continue their efforts to support PV though events like Bus Driver Breakfast, Instructional Assistant Appreciation and holiday support for families.

Please use this LINK to purchase tickets!

Anyone can use this link to support the Outreach Committee, so please share it with your friends and family!

Project Search is a national organization that partnered with PVSchools and the Mayo Clinic to provide job training to students with developmental and intellectual disabilities. This program provides amazing opportunities to PV students!

The Class of 2023 had a job placement rate of 100%! This means that all students that participated in the Project Search Program last year, are now ALL employees of Mayo or surrounding businesses. This is a testament to the value and success of the program. CLICK HERE to learn more about the success of the 2023 graduates and where they are working now!

While participating in Project Search, students have an internship at Mayo and rotate through the different departments to gain job skills. They are expected to dress professionally each day. If you have professional clothes that are just collecting dust in your closet, our students would love to put them to good use! This is the list of sizes for each student. If you have any items to donate, please email [email protected].

K-12 Supplemental Resources Committee

The purpose of the committee is to assist the CIA division in creating a recommended list of supplemental resources for Governing Board approval.

Proposed Meeting times (tentative)

Meeting #1: November 30, 2023: 4:00-5:30 pm - CRC Creativity Room

Meeting #2 December 14, 2023: 4:00-5:30 pm - CRC Creativity Room

Meeting #3 April 18, 2024: 4:00-5:30 pm - CRC Creativity Room

Please complete the interest form by Wednesday, October 18th. 

If you are interested in serving on the K-12 Supplemental Resource district committee as a parent representative, please complete THIS FORM. When possible, parent representation on district committees will be from across the district and represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Completing this form does not guarantee placement on the committee. If you are selected for the committee, you will receive an email from UPC confirming your participation. Thank you for your interest in serving on a district committee! 

If you have any questions, please email Jessica Crain, UPC President, at [email protected].

Ballots are arriving in the mail!!!

UPC Reps voted to unanimously to support a YES vote on the November Bond Election for PVSchools. Follow the links below to learn more about the Bond Election and how voting YES will benefit the students.

District's Bond Election Information

Previous Bond Project Information

YES! For PV Students Website

Check or Update Your Voter Registration

You can return your ballot by:

• putting it in your mailbox by October 31st
• dropping it off in the drop box at the district office (15002 N 32nd St) during business hours
• Voting in-person at Sunset Canyon Elementary beginning October 30th.

Find a full list of drop boxes and voting centers around Maricopa County at: BeBallotReady.com

Here is the link for the Amazon Wish List.

Would you like to be added to the contact list for future volunteer opportunities on district committees?

Just complete THIS GOOGLE FORM and

UPC President Jessica Crain will add you to the contact list.

Mark your calendars for the November 15th UPC meeting!

All are welcome to attend.

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.

Positive Behavior Support

Jon Bowen, PVUSD District SEL Specialist, & Erin Smith, PV Special Education Department, will discuss Positive Behavior strategies at home and school. Families will receive easy to implement strategies to use at home, as well as, learn what strategies are used in PVSchools. 

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 [email protected]. 

With gratitude for all you do,

The 2023-24 UPC Exec Team 

PV United Parent Council