The Latest News
There's a lot happening in our vibrant and growing school district! From events taking place at school, to public information notices we may send out to families, we’ve included all the latest events here on one page. Make it your first stop when you visit our website to ensure you are always aware of what is going on.
The 2018-2019 school year is underway! We hope that you are aware of these important dates!
- October 1-12 - No School Due to Fall Break
- October 15 - School Resumes
- October 20 - Love Our Schools Day
The Queen Creek Unified School District (QCUSD) is proud to expand our Parent Institute offerings for the 2018-2019 school year. Classes focus on issues that affect families both at school and at home and are for QCUSD parents and guardians. Below are the dates and times for upcoming classes. We will add additional classes throughout the year. All Parent Institute sessions will take pace at the QCUSD district office at 20217 East Chandler Heights Road, Queen Creek, Arizona 85142.
- Math Strategies for Grades K -2
Thursday, October 25 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. - Internet Safety for Parents
Thursday, November 1 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. - "More than Sad" Presentation
Tuesday, November 27 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. - Math Strategies for Grades 3-5
Thursday, November 29 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. - Early Literacy/Young Readers (K-1)
Tuesday, January 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Gateway Polytechnic Academy - Early Literacy/Young Readers (K-1)
Wednesday, January 16 at 5:00 p.m. at Frances Brandon-Pickett Elementary - Early Literacy/Young Readers (K-1)
Thursday, January 17 at 6:00 p.m. at Queen Creek Elementary - Early Literacy/Young Readers (K-1)
Tuesday, January 22 at 6:00 p.m. at Desert Mountain Elementary - Organizational Tools for Your Student
Wednesday, January 23 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. - Early Literacy/Young Readers (K-1)
Thursday, January 24 at 6:00 p.m. at Jack Barnes Elementary - Financial Literacy
Tuesday, January 29 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. - Early Literacy/Young Readers (K-1)
Tuesday, February 12 at 6:00 p.m. at Faith Mather Sossaman Elementary - Anti-Bullying for Parents
Thursday, February 21 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Thank you to all who participated in and were sponsors of the recent Queen Creek Schools Education Foundation Golf Tournament. The event raised more than $60,000 for student scholarships and teacher grants. The deadline to apply for a teacher grant is Tuesday, October 23. Please see our Education Foundation page for details.
School letter grades were released on October 5, 2018, and are available to the public on the state board of education’s website. The school letter grade reflects student performance on the statewide assessment, AzMERIT. This grade system measures student proficiency and annual growth in key areas as well as readiness to take the next step in their education or career.
- Desert Mountain Elementary: A - Excellent
- Frances Brandon-Pickett Elementary: A - Excellent
- Gateway Polytechnic Academy: B - Highly Performing
- Jack Barnes Elementary: A - Excellent
- Queen Creek Elementary: A - Excellent
- Newell Barney Middle School: A - Excellent
- Queen Creek Middle School: B - Highly Performing
- Queen Creek High School: A - Excellent
Did you know?
- Queen Creek Unified School District (QCUSD) proficiency rates for all levels of math has had a 62% increase from 2015, outperforming 82% of Arizona district and charter schools with reportable data on math proficiency.
- The district proficiency rate for all levels of English language arts has had a 44% increase from 2015, outperforming 76% of Arizona district and charter schools with reportable data on ELA proficiency.
- 97% of QCUSD 8th grade Algebra 1 students passed the AzMERIT end of course assessment.
Please see the items below for more information.
The Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce named Dr. Perry Berry as the 2018 Community Star award recipient. At the chamber’s business awards dinner on Thursday, September 20, they recognized Dr. Berry. This is an excerpt from the chamber’s nomination of Dr. Berry:
“The Community Star is someone who has a positive impact in the community, either as a volunteer or while doing their job above and beyond. They go out of their way to improve the community, to build connections, and by doing so, they make it a better place for all of us to do business. This year’s recipient has changed the course of an organization by changing the culture, by continuously reaching out to the community for input, and by making his organization more transparent. He has created opportunities to work with businesses and has supported community organizations and events. All this while overseeing the massive growth and multiple construction projects!”
Congratulations as well to Mrs. Castillo and Mrs. Davis of Gateway Polytechnic Academy. Both ladies were nominee finalists for chamber awards!
Student and staff safety is paramount in the Queen Creek Unified School District. To ensure everyone’s security, QCUSD has adopted a pro-active strategy for lockdown procedures known as ALICE: Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate.
The ALICE plan offers a different philosophy in response to school violence. ALICE encourages the use of technology and information so that life-saving decisions can be made during a time of crisis. The ALICE strategy also includes ways for those involved in a crisis to remove themselves as much as possible from the danger zone. Additionally, ALICE provides realistic ongoing training so that students and staff have a better chance of surviving.
Learn more about ALICE in the presentations below.
Community members were invited to join Queen Creek Unified School District (QCUSD) officials on September 10, 2018, to celebrate the groundbreaking of QCUSD elementary school #7. The new school, which is not yet named, is in the Cadence at Gateway community located in the northern part of the district’s boundaries. QCUSD has hired DLR Group to design the district’s seventh elementary school. Chasse Building Team is serving as general contractor.
“This school will be a great addition to our high-achieving district, especially for the families in the northern part of our boundaries,” said QCUSD Superintendent Perry Berry. “It will be a state-of-the-art facility that offers many amenities including a mastery learning model, leadership opportunities, and a STEAM focus.”
The new school, which serves students in pre-k through fifth grade, consists of two single-story buildings and two two-story buildings. The buildings frame a central courtyard, extending learning and gathering opportunities to the outdoors. Large garage doors open to make room for large group activities, dining, assemblies, and events in the courtyard. Shared specialty and breakout spaces, including the smart lab for technology-based, hands-on programs and the wet lab maker space counterpart enhance STEAM curriculum and encourage collaborative teaching across the campus.
“The district’s number one goal was to uphold and grow their high educational standards in both program and facility. As a result, DLR Group proposed a site adapt design to save time and money, while customizing the facility to meet the community’s specific educational needs,” said Pam Loeffelman, FAIA, DLR Group k-12 education leader.
“For this project, Chasse Building Team used the LEAN construction process which is aimed at reducing costs, material, and time. This will allow us to maintain our construction schedule, which is critical in order for the campus to be ready for new students in 2019,” said Andy Gooding, superintendent at Chasse Building Team.
In addition to classrooms and labs, the school includes a multi-purpose gym and performance space, a commons area that doubles as the cafeteria, two music rooms, a media center, administrative offices, playgrounds, and athletics fields.
Funding for the new school comes from the Arizona school facilities board and a voter-approved bond.
We need your input! Next school year (2019–2020), there will be a boundary update to accommodate our new schools. This update will be for Eastmark High School in Mesa and elementary school #7 located in Cadence at Gateway also in Mesa.
You can share your thoughts/opinions on proposed boundary changes by emailing any comments/input to the boundary realignment committee. The committee will review these. You can also give feedback during public comment meetings for each school.
The public comment meeting on Eastmark High School (QCUSD HS#2) boundaries is September 19 at 6:00 p.m. at the QCUSD District Office. The public comment meeting on elementary #7 boundaries is September 18 at 6:00 p.m. at Gateway Polytechnic Academy in the library.
There will also be time for public comment on proposed boundaries for the new schools at the October 16 school board study session, which starts at 4:30 p.m.
Eastmark High School, QCUSD’s newest school, is one step closer to being finished. On August 29, QCUSD Board members, district administrators, the Mayor of Mesa, the school facilities board, Core Construction, and the Orcutt Winslow design team signed a beam that will be installed in the new high school. Eastmark High is set to open July 2019. The school is located in the northern part of our district boundaries, which extend into Mesa. This is in the Eastmark Community near Ellsworth and Ray. Learn more about the school at Eastmark High School's Informational website.