Families and educators filled the Cartwright Training Center this morning for a Teacher-Parent Workshop centered on early childhood activities and kindergarten readiness. Governing Board President Lydia Hernandez, board member Denice Garcia, and Acting Superintendent Dr. Alfredo Barrantes welcomed families and took part in the classroom activities.

This week, our students are discovering dragon fruit, a vibrant and delicious fruit native to Central America and Mexico, now enjoyed around the world! Through this weekly experience, students will explore fruits from different countries, learn about their origins and cultures, and discover new flavors while building healthy eating habits. At Cartwright, learning goes beyond the classroom...sometimes, it starts with a bite!

☕👮 Coffee Talk at Starlight School: Keeping Our Schools and Communities Safe! During our Coffee Talk, our School Resource Officer (SRO) addressed parents’ concerns about safety in our schools and surrounding neighborhoods. The Phoenix Police officer also reassured families that Phoenix Police are not enforcing federal immigration laws or working with immigration officers on immigration enforcement. We appreciate our SRO for engaging in an open conversation, answering questions, and helping build trust with our families. Safe schools, informed families, and strong communities!

📚☕ Coffee Talk at Starlight School: Empowering Parents, Building Strong Readers! How can parents help ensure their children are reading at grade level? That was the focus of a wonderful Coffee Talk (Cafecito) event at Starlight School, where families learned about valuable resources and practical strategies to support their children’s reading development at home. Parents were introduced to UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) lessons, a research-based approach designed to strengthen essential reading skills, including phonics, decoding, and word recognition. What a fantastic turnout! We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the parents who took time out of their busy schedules to participate, ask questions, and learn new ways to help their children become confident, successful readers. Joining our families were Principal Becky Nanny, the Assistant Principal, Acting Superintendent Dr. Alfredo Barrantes, Governing Board President Lydya Hernandez, Governing Board Vice President Rosa Cantu, and other dedicated district employees. Strong readers start with strong partnerships between schools and families! Thank you to our parents for making their children’s education a priority and for being active partners in their academic success.

Special Services will be sponsoring the first Gifted Family Night of the year on September 23rd from 5:00 - 7:00 PM at the Training Center.
Looking forward to see all our Starlight Gifted students and parents in attendance.

Please see flyer below for more information.

🍂☕ We’re Bringing Fall to the Desert! 🐴🍁

Today, we celebrated the first days of Fall with our amazing Office & Leadership Team creating the ultimate Fall beverage station! 🎉

☕ Warm & iced coffee
⚡ Energy drinks
🥤 Soda & juice
🍯 Lots of delicious toppings & syrups!

Because who says you can’t celebrate Fall when it’s still 98° in the desert?! 😂☀️🍂

Our staff got into the spirit by wearing Fall colors and sipping their favorite drinks from a Fall-themed cup. It may not feel like Fall outside, but we’re definitely feeling it inside! 🍁🧡

🐴 Don’t forget to check out Mustang Lane!
This is where we recognize and celebrate students who go above and beyond and show what it means to be a Mustang!

🌟 October Mustang recognition begins next week!
So, students… what can YOU do to stand out? Show kindness. Give your best effort. Help others. Make a difference. Be a Mustang who goes above and beyond! 💙🐴

🎉 Don’t Forget About Spirit Day Next Week! 🎉

We have an exciting week ahead as we celebrate our school community and the cultures that make us special! ❤️

🌎 Dual Language Presentations
Our students will be sharing their learning with families and celebrating the gift of being bilingual!

🎊 Community Parade – Thursday!
Families, don’t forget to come dressed up and ready to celebrate your culture! We can’t wait to see all the beautiful traditions, colors, and pride represented throughout our community.

💃 And to make the day even more special, we’ll get to watch the 2026–27 Ballet Folklórico perform for the very first time! We are so excited to see our dancers share their talent and celebrate our culture through dance.

📚 Dual Language Enrollment is Still Open!
We are still accepting enrollment for our Dual Language Program for students in Kindergarten–6th grade! Our program helps students become bilingual and biliterate while excelling academically. If you are interested in learning more or enrolling your child, we would love to welcome your family to our Dual Language community!

Come celebrate with us

Friendly Reminder: Early Release Tomorrow!

Dear Cartwright Families,

This is a quick reminder that tomorrow, Friday, August 7, is an Early Release Day across our district.

Please note that dismissal times vary by school, see the graphic below for your school's exact dismissal time (12:15 PM or 1:00 PM). 👇

If you have any questions regarding Friday schedules, please feel free to contact your school's front office directly.

Thank you for your continued support! 💙

Welcome Back, Mustangs! 🐴💙

We had an amazing first day back! It was wonderful visiting every classroom to welcome our students and staff with a special Welcome Back gift. We were so proud to see meaningful learning already happening on Day 1 and the excitement filling our campus.

We're ready for an incredible year of learning, growing, and achieving together. ¡Juntos Crecemos! 💙💛

Please take a moment to review the Social Media Rules of Engagement for the Cartwright School District and its affiliated schools. https://www.csd83.org/page/public-relations

They say legends are not real, but here at Starlight Park Elementary we have a real life one. Help us celebrate Mr. Bill retirement this week by dressing up as he has for 40 years with a Mr. Bill inspired Spirit Week.

🎉 FUNDRAISER NIGHT ALERT! 🎉

Join us at Raising Cane’s and help support our amazing elementary school!

📅 Date: May 14, 2026
⏰ Time: 3:00pm - 9:00pm
📍 Location: 5301 W Indian School Rd. Phoenix AZ 85031

A portion of the evening’s sales will go directly back to our school to support students, teachers, and programs!

Bring your family, friends, and appetite — every meal helps make a difference! 🍗💛

Be sure to mention our school at checkout!
#SchoolFundraiser #RaisingCanes #SupportOurSchool #MaryvaleCommunityStrong
#CartwrightSchool

We’re excited to have Acting Superintendent Dr. Barrantes SantaMaria graces us with his presence today on our Starlight Campus as he get to know each school.

From our Starlight Park Family and the Cartwright School District, Happy Mother’s Day.

This weeks recap:

Who’s ready for Kindergarten next year? Our head start is. This week they had the opportunity to visit with their future kindergarten teacher - first time eating lunch in the cafeteria.
We also have our kiddos twinning with their teachers and finally the Art Show hosted by Atkinson MS.

Thank you isn’t enough as we share our gratitude for everyone who’s involved in making this Appreciation Week possible. From all the parents and community partners we say thank you.

“Not all heroes wear capes, some teach.”
With it being teacher appreciation week, let’s celebrate all the individuals who have had an opportunity to help your child grow.

This week you will have a chance to celebrate your students favorite staff. Take a look at the flyer to see what is happens each day this week.

Our book fair is in full swing. Student can pop into the library to check out and purchase books all week. Parents can also check out the book fair on Thursday after school.

Get your Starlight Park gear before they are sold out. Limited numbers available into the April 26th.
Pick them up at the front office.