Sunset Heights Elementary School

🎶 Welcome, Mr. Tyler Wilkens! 🎶
Please join us in giving a warm Sunset Heights Cub Welcome to our new Band Teacher, Mr. Tyler Wilkens! 🎺🥁🎼
Mr. Wilkens is beginning his third year teaching in Peoria Unified School District, where he was also a student from preschool through high school! Prior to joining Sunset Heights, he taught band and K–4 general music at Apache Elementary.
Outside the classroom, Mr. Wilkens enjoys anything music-related—especially composing and arranging choral music—along with reading, exploring world history, drinking coffee ☕, and drawing hilarious cartoons on his classroom whiteboard! ✏️😄
We are excited for our Cubs to learn, grow, and make music with Mr. Wilkens this year. Be sure to give him a warm welcome when you see him around campus! 🐻💙💛
🎶🎺🥁

🎒⏰ 10 Days Until the First Day of School! ⏰🎒
The countdown is ON, Sunset Heights Cubs! 🐾💙 With just 10 days left, now is the perfect time to check off those school supply lists! ✅
📚 Be sure to look through the images to find your child’s K–8 supply list and make sure everything is ready for day one.
🖍️ Sharpen those pencils
📒 Stock up those backpacks
🎒 Get ready for a fantastic start!
We are so excited to see our Cubs back on campus soon—it’s going to be an incredible year! 🎉
💡 Pro tip: Label supplies now to make the first day smooth and stress-free!
🐾✨
https://www.peoriaunified.org/o/sunsetheights/documents/families/supply-lists/776529

➗💙 Help us welcome Ms. Trisha Yamauchi to the Sunset Heights family! 💙➗

We are excited to introduce Ms. Trisha Yamauchi, our new 6th Grade Math Teacher! 🎉
Ms. Yamauchi joins Sunset Heights with an incredible 28 years of experience in Peoria Unified School District, including the past eight years dedicated to teaching sixth grade math. She is excited to become part of the Sunset Heights community after hearing so many wonderful things about our staff, students, and families. An added bonus? She'll be teaching alongside her husband, our very own Coach Y! 🐻💙

When she’s not in the classroom, Ms. Yamauchi enjoys traveling with her family to Maui, the San Diego area, and Northern Arizona. Her family loves fishing, diving, and spearfishing, while she enjoys taking walks, listening to audiobooks, reading, and watching beautiful sunsets and local wildlife. 🌅📚🎣

One of her greatest joys is spending time with her grandchildren whenever possible. During the school year, life stays busy with school and baseball, making family time even more special. ⚾❤️

We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Yamauchi to our Cub family and can't wait to see the positive impact she will have on our students. Please join us in giving her a warm Sunset Heights welcome! 🐻✨

📚💙 Please help us welcome Ms. Toni Edwards to the Sunset Heights family! 💙📚
We are excited to introduce Ms. Toni Edwards, who will be joining Sunset Heights as our new Resource Teacher this school year! 🎉
Ms. Edwards brings 13 years of experience in education, all within the Peoria Unified School District. Throughout her career, she has taught kindergarten, second grade, and fifth grade, and most recently served as the Dean of Students at Sahuaro Ranch for the past two years. While she has enjoyed her leadership role, she is excited to return to her passion—working directly with students and helping them learn, grow, and reach their full potential every day. 🌟
A proud PUSD family, Ms. Edwards and her husband have raised three children who all attended Peoria Unified schools. This year, their youngest daughter will be a senior at Centennial High School! 🎓💙
Outside of school, Ms. Edwards enjoys reading a great book, planning travel adventures, hunting for the best shopping deals, hosting family game nights, and catching the latest movies. 📚✈️🛍️🎲🎬
We are thrilled to have Ms. Edwards join our Cub family and look forward to the positive impact she will make on our students, staff, and community. Please join us in giving her a warm Sunset Heights welcome! 🐻✨
# LevelUpCubs

📚✨ Join us in welcoming Ms. Karis Mason to Sunset Heights! ✨📚
We are excited to introduce Ms. Karis Mason, our new 6th Grade ELA Teacher! 🎉
Ms. Mason has been teaching for six years and is especially excited to serve in the district where she grew up. As a proud Peoria Unified alum, she is thrilled to be part of the Sunset Heights community and help inspire a love of reading, writing, and learning in her students. 💙💛
When she's not in the classroom, Ms. Mason enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, building LEGO creations, and caring for her growing collection of plants. 🐶🪴🧱
We are thrilled to have Ms. Mason join our Cub family and can't wait to see the positive impact she will make in the lives of our students. Please help us give her a warm Sunset Heights welcome! 🐻✨

📚➕ Help us welcome Ms. Nicole Kepl to the Sunset Heights family! ➕📚
We are excited to introduce Ms. Nicole Kepl, our new 7th Grade Math Teacher! 🎉

Ms. Kepl recently graduated from Northern Arizona University and is already continuing her educational journey by pursuing her master’s degree. She brings valuable experience from teaching preschool in Flagstaff for two years and is no stranger to Sunset Heights—she recently completed her student teaching right here on our campus and even coached our Mathlete Team! ➗🏆
Through her time at Sunset Heights, Ms. Kepl fell in love with our amazing staff, students, and welcoming community, and we are thrilled she has chosen to make Sunset Heights her home. 💙💛
When she’s not in the classroom, Ms. Kepl enjoys spending time with her family, being a proud dog mom, and exploring the outdoors. 🐶🌲☀️
We can't wait to see the positive impact she will have on our students and school community. Please join us in giving Ms. Kepl a warm Sunset Heights welcome and wishing her an amazing first year as a Cub! 🐻✨

🍎📚 Welcome Back, Mrs. Kadisak! 📚🍎
🍎📚 Welcome Back, Mrs. Kadisak! 📚🍎
The Sunset Heights family is excited to welcome back Mrs. Kadisak as our Early Literacy Specialist! 🎉❤️ With 16 years in education and 10 years previously spent right here at Sunset Heights, we're thrilled to have her return to the place she calls home.

Mrs. Kadisak is passionate about literacy and loves helping students develop strong reading skills. As a lifelong learner, she's always exploring new ways to inspire a love of reading in children. When she's not diving into all things literacy, she enjoys coffee ☕, ice cream 🍦, tulips 🌷, family game nights 🎲, movie marathons 🎬, outdoor adventures 🌳, and trips to Disneyland 🏰 and the beach 🌊.

Please join us in giving Mrs. Kadisak a warm Sunset Heights welcome back! We know she will make a positive impact on our Cubs and can't wait to see all the amazing things this school year has in store. She knows it's going to be a WONDERFUL year! 🐻💙💛

🌅🐾 Please join us in giving a warm Sunset Heights welcome to our new Assistant Principal, Ms. Christine Wiley! 🐾🌅
We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Wiley to the Sunset Heights family! With more than 20 years of dedicated service in the Peoria Unified School District, she brings a wealth of experience, a passion for student success, and a deep commitment to our community. ❤️
Ms. Wiley is a proud PUSD parent whose two children attended PUSD schools from kindergarten through high school. This year is especially exciting as her daughter begins her first year of teaching in PUSD, while her son celebrates becoming a new homeowner in Peoria! 🎉🏡
When she's not supporting students and staff, Ms. Wiley enjoys spending time with loved ones, exploring new restaurants, traveling, and hiking. 🌄✈️🍽️
We are excited for the positive impact Ms. Wiley will have on our Cubs and can't wait for you to meet her! Please help us give her a warm Sunset Heights welcome in the comments below! 💙💛

We can’t wait to meet the students 🎉✏️🚌
Thursday, July 30th -
3:00 Kindergarten
4:00 - 4:30 pm Last name A-H for students in grades 1st thru 8th
4:30 - 5:00 pm Last name I-P for students in grades 1st thru 8th
5:00 - 5:30 pm Last name Q-Z for students in grades 1st thru 8th

Happy birthday to America! 250 years ago, on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence forming the United States of America. From learning about the three branches of government to understanding the importance of voting, Peoria Unified is committed to educating our students to be civic-minded, responsible citizens.

Be sure to register, verify and update your voter registration status by visiting peoriaunified.org/vote.