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, September 27th. 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 "Who's Who in PVSchools." Meet the directors of the various departments and learn what they do to support the students in PVSchools.

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

9:00am UPC General Meeting

10:00am "Who's Who in 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

Updated Budget

View the August 23, 2023 Meeting Minutes

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?

Thank you to the following schools that have completed the registration so far:

Cactus View Elementary School

Desert Cove Elementary School

Desert Shadows Elementary School

Desert Shadows Middle School *

Eagle Ridge Elementary **

Fireside Elementary School *

Grayhawk Elementary School *

Horizon High School *

Mercury Mine **

North Ranch Elementary School *

Pinnacle High School *

Quail Run Elementary School *

Sandpiper Elementary School *

Shadow Mountain High School *

Shea Middle School *

Sky Crossing Elementary School *

Sonoran Sky Elementary School *

Sunrise Middle School

Whispering Wind Academy *

Wildfire Elementary School *

* = Paid

** = Paid but not registered

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].

Join Karen Brown, Director of Gifted Education at PVSchools for one of our evening Parent Informational Presentations. She will share the middle school gifted services offered through the Paradise Valley Unified School District. If you would like to attend this event via zoom, please register HERE to receive the link.

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].

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!

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!

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].

Information Technology Committee

UPC is looking for two parents to participate in the Information Technology Committee. The purpose of this committee is to make proactive decisions and recommendations as appropriate, regarding information technology, by clearly communicating and collaborating so that all stakeholder voices are heard, and equity across classrooms and student success remain the focus.

Meeting Dates: Third Thursday of each month, starting October 19th.

Virtual and/or Crest Presentation Hall at 3:45-4:45pm. 

If you are interested in participating, please complete THIS FORM. Jessica Crain, UPC President, will contact the parents that are selected with additional information.

Parent Feedback Needed!

The district has asked UPC to gather feedback from parents regarding the method of delivery for the Human Growth and Development Unit in the spring. Please complete THIS brief form to share your input.

***Please remember that Human Growth and Development is only taught to students whose parents have OPTED-IN and given permission for their child to participate in the unit.

At the August UPC meeting, the UPC Reps voted 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

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 October 18th UPC meeting!

More information to come soon!

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