Updated March 27, 2024
On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will occur. In Arizona, residents will experience a partial eclipse. Although it’s an exciting event with many educational opportunities, our top priority at Salt River Schools is student and staff safety, as well as respecting everyone’s cultural/spiritual beliefs.

In general, no recess/play or physical education classes will be held outdoors during the hours of the eclipse at Salt River Schools. However, some classes may use this opportunity to discuss STEAM-related curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math). Some families may prefer their children not participate in classroom eclipse activities: Please inform your child’s teacher/school if this is the case.

Click here to learn more, or call SRES at 480-362-2400 with any questions or concerns.

Updated March 26, 2024
The Bureau of Indian Education created and mandated a system of standards, assessments, and accountability that was implemented during the 2019-2020 school year. SRES implemented the BIE Common Core standards that year and participated in the BIE assessments the following year. We will administer the following BIE assessments this spring. Please ensure your child attends school on time every day.

• BIE Science April 8-12 (5th grade only)
  
• BIE ELA and Math April 15-26 (3rd through 6th grade only)

Click here to learn more about the summative assessments taken by SRES students. If you have any questions, please call 480-362-2400.

Updated February 29, 2024
This message is to let you know that emergency responders were called to campus today for a young student. The emergency response team checked the student and released the student to their parent. We want to recognize our secretary, Kyronna Roanhorse, for her swift, heroic action in assisting the student prior to the arrival of emergency responders. We wish the student a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing them back at school. Click here to read the full notice.

Updated February 26, 2024
This message is to let you know that our afterschool program, Eagles Club, will be cancelled on Thursday, Feb. 29, out of respect for those mourning the loss of former SRPMIC President Herschel Andrews and to allow staff and families time to attend his funeral services. Please call SRES with any questions at 480-362-2400.

Updated February 20, 2024
This message is to let you know that our school conducted a bus evacuation today. We conduct various safety drills throughout the school year. It is important for you to understand this type of drill.

Please know:
A school shall conduct an evacuation drill of a school bus at the school including every passenger who rides or is in school on the day of evacuation.

The drill may include practice and instruction in the location, use and operation of the emergency exits, fire extinguishers, first aid equipment, windows as a means of escape, and communication systems. It might also include practice and instruction in when and how to approach, load, unload and move away from the school bus a minimum of 100 feet.

In addition, the drivers will stress the importance of orderly conduct. When a school bus needs to be evacuated, it is very important that passengers hear what the bus driver is saying. Emergencies can appear without warning. That is why it is important to follow rules of safe conduct at all times. Students and staff must be prepared to evacuate their bus any time they are told to do so.

Our drills today went smoothly and without incident. If you have any questions, please call SRES at 480-362-2400.

Updated February 12, 2024
This message is to let you know that an ambulance was called to SRES today for a student having chest pains. The emergency response team checked the student and released the student to parents. We wish the student a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing them back at school.

Your child may have questions about what happened today. This link from Nemours KidsHealth is an excellent resource for how to talk to children about various topics, including how, why, and when to call 911. If you have any other questions, please call SRES at 480-362-2400.

Updated February 6, 2024
The safety and welfare of students and staff are the highest priority at Salt River Schools. At SRES, we practice safety drills throughout the year to help us prepare for real emergency situations.

This afternoon (2/6), our school practiced a lockdown drill led by our Safe Schools & Security Team. The school conducts four lockdown drills every school year, or as needed. Our drills are not pre-announced. This type of drill secures the school building and safely shelters all students, staff and visitors inside the building.

The purpose of this drill is to ensure that during a real emergency, students, staff and visitors are kept safe from any danger that may occur outside or inside the building. During a lockdown drill all perimeter doors to the school building are locked and remain locked until the danger or issue outside or inside the building is removed. To ensure everyone remains safe, no one is allowed to enter the building or leave the building until school and law enforcement officials authorize such a release.

Our school has worked closely with local authorities and representatives from U.S. Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to correctly develop and implement safety procedures. The goal of practicing emergency drills throughout the school year is to improve our ability to protect students, save lives and reduce injuries. These practice drills allow us to evaluate our emergency operation plans and improve our response skills. Click here to learn more about the safety drills and procedures at Salt River Schools.

We are pleased with the outcome of today’s drills and feel reassured that our safety plans can be implemented effectively by our staff.

Please note: During a real emergency, parents and emergency contacts of students will be notified during and after the event by Salt River Schools administrators through our notification system, which includes phone calls, texts and email, among other platforms. As such, it is important your contact information on file be current. If you need to update your contact information, please contact the SRES front office. It is important that parents and emergency contacts do not attempt to contact the school, teachers or students during an emergency as that could impact everyone’s safety.

Your student may tell you about today’s drill and we encourage you to talk with them about why it’s important and ask what they learned. Our goal, while practicing important safety procedures, is to be sure all students feel safe.

If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to call SRES at 480-362-2400.

Sincerely,
Dr. Emily Niu
SRES Assistant Principal

Updated November 22, 2023
Ske:g Taṣ! Kamduum?* Dear Salt River Schools Families,

This message is to inform you that our schools have partnered with the Salt River Police Department and the Gilbert Police Department to conduct training for police dogs.

The K-9 units will train at all of our campuses—the Early Childhood Education Center, Salt River Elementary School, the Accelerated Learning Academy, and the Administration building—today, Wednesday, Nov. 22. No staff or students will be on-site during this time.

This letter was also broadcast to families using our SchoolMessenger system. If you did not receive it, please call your child's school to ensure we have your most updated information on file. If you have any questions, call 480-362-2500 or email Communications @saltriverschools.org. I hope you and your families have a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Dova ‘ep em ñei! Nyyuunthxa!*

Sincerely,

Dr. Melody Herne
Superintendent/Director of Education
Salt River Schools

*Ske:g Taṣ translates to “Good Day” in the O’odham language. Kamduum translates to “How are you?” in the Piipaash language. Dova ‘ep em ñei (O’odham) and Nyyuunthxa (Piipaash) translate to “I’ll see you later.”

Updated November 2, 2023
The safety and welfare of children, students, and staff are the highest priority at Salt River Schools. All our campuses practice safety drills throughout the year to help prepare staff and students for real emergency situations.

Today we practiced lockdown drills at the Early Childhood Education Center and Salt River Elementary School. The lockdown drills were led by our Safe Schools & Security Team, in partnership with the Salt River Police Department. Our school campuses each conduct four lockdown drills every school year, or as needed. This type of drill secures the school building and safely shelters all students, staff and visitors inside the building. Click here to read the full announcement.

Updated November 2, 2023
A student at Salt River Elementary has a confirmed case of Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease. We want to inform you about this condition and the related exclusion and return-to-care practices at our facility. Without violating the confidentiality of this child, the facts you need to know about your child's possible exposure in this situation can be found in this notice.

Updated November 1, 2023
This message is to let you know that an ambulance was called to SRES today after a student needed medical assistance during the Fun Run event. Due to federal privacy laws, we are not allowed to disclose more information; however, the ambulance did transport the student, and we are expecting them to make a full recovery.

Some children may come home today and want to talk about the ambulance or about what their classmate experienced. Just like teachers do in classrooms, we encourage families to talk with children about emergency responders, the importance of taking care of our bodies, and what to do if we need medical assistance. Our health team recommends parents check out this resource from Nemours KidsHealth for more information.

Thank you,

Dr. Amanda Guerrero
SRES Principal
480-362-2400
[email protected]

Updated October 5, 2023
Salt River Schools Leadership continues to monitor the air quality around the school sites. At this time, the air quality falls within the "good" range as reported by the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources team (EPNR). The Shelter in Place was lifted this morning. We will continue monitoring the air quality daily.

Sincerely,

Salt River Schools

Updated October 3, 2023
Personnel from the Salt River Landfill continue to address a green waste fire that started Saturday, Sept. 30. Salt River Schools leadership is monitoring the air quality around our school sites. At this time, the air quality falls within the “moderate” range as reported by the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources team.

Our schools will begin the school day in a Shelter In Place procedure. This means students and staff will remain inside their schools with doors and windows closed. Salt River Schools will continue to monitor the wind direction and air quality; we will lift the Shelter in Place status when it is safe to do so and following the guidelines of the EPNR team.

Updated October 2, 2023
The safety and security of our school campuses continue to be our first priority. Due to the landfill fire, the air quality is reduced. The landfill fire may continue to smolder for several days.EDU Leadership is in collaboration with Tribal departments to ensure staff and student safety.

At this time, all education buildings are in a shelter-in-place under our emergency management plans. Public Works staff will be closing all fresh air dampers and fresh air intakes to the HVAC units on all sites to reduce the amount of smoke going into our facilities. This decision was made to improve the air quality in our buildings. Masks have been distributed to school sites and are available to all staff and students.

We will continue to send updates as we receive them regarding this issue. Please reach out to your child's school for additional information.

Thank you,

Salt River Schools

Updated September 13, 2023
A student at Salt River Elementary School has or is suspected of having scabies. As a precaution, we want to inform you about this condition and the related exclusion and return-to-care practices at SRES. Without violating the confidentiality of this child, the facts you need to know about your child's possible exposure in this situation can be found in this notice.

Updated September 12, 2023
A student at Salt River Elementary School has a confirmed case of ringworm. We want to inform you about this condition and the related exclusion and return-to-care practices at our facility. Without violating the confidentiality of this child, the facts you need to know about your child's possible exposure in this situation can be found in this notice.

Updated September 8, 2023
A student at Salt River Elementary has a confirmed case of Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease. We want to inform you about this condition and the related exclusion and return-to-care practices at our facility. Without violating the confidentiality of this child, the facts you need to know about your child's possible exposure in this situation can be found in this notice.

Updated September 6, 2023
This notice is to inform you that around 5:05 p.m. this evening an unknown substance was found in one of our classrooms by a teacher, who immediately reported the incident to our Safe Schools & Security team. The classroom was secured, and the Salt River Police Department was contacted. An officer collected the substance, and the incident is now under investigation.

Public Works arranged to have the classroom deep cleaned this evening. Students in the affected classroom will meet in an alternate location tomorrow.

We are grateful for the quick response and coordination of staff, security, police, and Public Works. We do not know what the substance is; however, we are taking this matter seriously and want to be proactive and transparent with our families. This is a great reminder to stay vigilant, and remember that we have a zero tolerance drug policy in our Community and especially at Salt River Schools. If you see something suspicious, please report it to law enforcement.

Please call or email me with any questions.

Thank you,

Dr. Amanda Guerrero
SRES Principal
480-362-2400
[email protected]

Updated August 23, 2023
Student and staff safety is our top priority at Salt River Elementary School. In order to maintain a safe environment for students to study and learn, it is necessary that we practice our emergency and crisis response plans by conducting a variety of safety drills throughout the school year.

This message is to inform you that today, Wednesday, Aug. 23, we practiced a FIRE DRILL. It is important for you to understand this type of drill.

Fire drills are typically happen monthly. These drills are a requirement and are completed in partnership with the Salt River Fire Department. This type of drill is an evacuation in which every adult and student evacuates the building to safety. Once students and adults are accounted for, the drill is lifted and school/business resumes as normal.

We want each student to understand and be aware of the importance of this drill and not be afraid when the fire alarm is sounded. Practicing ensure students will know what to do and how to do it in a real emergency.

Our drill today ran smoothly. Each student and staff member followed the procedures effortlessly.

Please remember that these safety practice drills are done to help maintain our school as a safe place to learn and work.

If you have any questions regarding today’s drill or other safety concerns, please contact SRES at 480-362-2400.