Phoenix Union High School District -

PXU Family, just a reminder that tomorrow, Fall Break begins! Classes are not in session and will return on Monday, October 13. Have a great Fall Break! 🍁

We hope everyone has a great end of the first quarter and a fun, safe Fall Break! Fall Break is from Monday, October 6 thru Friday, October 10. Classes will resume for the 2nd quarter on Monday, October 13. 🍂

Last weekend, Carl Hayden's Boys Basketball team competed in the 1st Annual Southwest Showdown and brought home the championship! This upcoming weekend, they are headed to Las Vegas to take on The Border League West, which is an invite-only tournament where last year over 200 college coaches, 400 media members, and 30 NBA scouts were present. Good luck to our Falcon Boys Basketball and Coach Brown leading their way to victory. Good luck, Falcons! 💙💛🏀

In PXU, we believe that Every Day Counts. When students attend school regularly, they build strong relationships, stay connected to learning, and stay on track to graduate.

💡 Did you know? Missing just 2 days a month adds up to 18 days in a school year—enough to be considered chronically absent.

We know life happens — transportation, health, and family challenges can sometimes make it difficult to get to school every day. That’s why we want to partner with you. If your student is struggling with attendance, please connect with your school's Student Liaison. Together, we can identify solutions, remove barriers, and build strong habits that support long-term success.

With your partnership, we can make sure every student is present, supported, and ready to thrive. 📚

#ChronicAbsenceAwareness #EveryDayCountsInPXU
#StrongerTogether

Today, the PXU Governing Board invited Carl Hayden Community High School Folklorico and members from Betty Fairfax and South’s Gay Straight Alliance, along with Cesar Chavez Theater, to celebrate both Hispanic Heritage Month and LGBTQ+ History Month. Hayden Folklorico gave a wonderful performance, and PXU GSA students participated in an informative video that was played during the meeting. Thank you to all who helped us celebrate!

Today, two Phoenix Coding Academy teachers, Ms. Angie Gustafson and Dr. Emily Bogusch, were surprised with $500 from APS through their Supply My Class initiative 🥳 Thank you to APS for supporting our teachers! 👏

Last night, Carl Hayden hosted their Noche de Orgullo Latino, a night full of performances and celebrations of culture 🎉 It was very well attended and was a great way to celebrate during Hispanic Heritage Month. Congratulations on the successful event, Carl Hayden familia! 🥳

Happy National Principals Month, PXU Family! We are so grateful to all of our principals for being so dedicated to our schools and students, not only this month, but every single day. Thank you, PXU principals! 🥳

Attention Central High School and Phoenix Coding Academy staff, students, and families, tonight, Governing Board Members Francisco Pastor-Rivera and Debbie Cross will host a listening session in the Library at Central High School to discuss the Governing Board’s goals and guardrails. This event provides a great opportunity for you to attend and have you voice heard! Light refreshments will be available and young children are welcome to attend with their families. The event will take place from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. See you there!

Attention Camelback and Camelback Montessori staff, students, and families, tonight, Governing Board Members Francisco Pastor-Rivera and Debbie Cross will host a listening session in the Library at Camelback High School to discuss the Governing Board’s goals and guardrails. This event provides a great opportunity for you to attend and have you voice heard! Light refreshments will be available and young children are welcome to attend with their families. The event will take place from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. See you there!

Today, Bostrom had a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the brand new outdoor eating space on their campus🥳 After the ceremony, attendees were served scones made by Bostrom's very own student chefs. Congratulations on the new eating space, Bostrom! We hope you make many great memories within it.🔥

Today, South had their Fall Sports Assemblies and celebrated their teams for this season 🏈🏸⛳️📣🏐 We wish all of their teams a great season! Go Jaguars 🐆❤️🩵

Join Councilwoman Betty Guardado at the Mexican Baseball Fiesta on September 26-28 ⚾️🏟️! Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with some baseball and a fun time 🔥 Get your tickets at mexicanbaseballfiesta.com 💻

Join Carl Hayden Community High School on September 30th at 6 PM for their Noche de Orgullo Latino! Celebrate Latino culture and see performances, art, and more! We hope to see you there.

Representative Ansari encourages young coders in Arizona’s Third Congressional District to apply to the 2025 Congressional App Challenge and showcase their skills by creating an original software application (app).

Only students who reside in or attend school in AZ03 can have their work accepted by the office and displayed in the app challenge, as per guidance from the Congressional App Challenge.

Instructions:

Students can now register and start coding their 2025 apps at this link: https://webportalapp.com/sp/login/congressional_app_challenge_2025. For additional information, students can find further instructions through the videos on this page: https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/students/student-registration/.

Rules and Eligibility:

STUDENTS CAN USE ANY PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE (example: C, C++, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, “block code,” etc.) and ANY PLATFORM (PC, web, tablet, robot, mobile, etc.). There are NO LIMITS on application themes or topics!
Eligibility and Age Division:
To be eligible to participate in the Congressional App Challenge, you must be a middle or high school student at the time of app submission.
Students may register as individuals or as teams of up to four. No more than four students are allowed to form a team.
Students may compete in the district they reside in or the district they attend school in.
If competing as a team, at least half of the teammates must be eligible to compete in the district in which they are participating.
All competing students must be U.S. residents at the time of submission. There is no citizen requirement for students.
Deadline:

October 30 – Deadline for students to register and submit their app online

The full rulebook can be viewed here: https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-CAC-Rules-2.pdf. For more information please visit the official Congressional App Challenge website at CongressionalAppChallenge.us, or contact our office at (602) 956-2285.

Today, Phoenix Coding Academy is a professional development hub ✅! PD opportunities for both education support professionals and certified employees are underway. ESP’s, if you are interested in the next ESP Super PD Saturday, stay tuned for an email about the next opportunity. Thank you to everyone who is facilitating these PD opportunities this weekend! 👏

Today, North hosted assemblies to celebrate their Fall athletics programs🔥 They have a home football game tonight beginning at 7PM! We hope to see you there! Go Mustangs ❤️💙

Today, CW7 hosted a pep rally at Cesar Chavez to get everyone excited for their home football game that will air on live TV TONIGHT 📺🔥 Tune into CW7 this evening at 6:30 PM to see the Cesar Chavez Champions take on Saguaro 🏈 You don’t want to miss it!

Today, students from across the district attended the annual HBCU Fair at Phoenix College 🏫 Students learned about various schools from across the country and started preparing for their futures! Thank you to everyone who makes this event happen each year. 👏