News

Borton is going to have 6th grade here starting the 2025-26 school year! TUSD has selected our school to become a Pre-K-6th grade school. This is exciting for our kids and families that want to stay in an elementary environment that will better prepare their children for a 7th and 8th grade Middle School experience. We are creating what our 6th grade middle school addition will be and how it will operate. The children will emulate a true middle school experience that will include core classes and electives. The children will switch classes and have changes throughout their day. The district is assisting us with the instruction and operational design for our new 6th grade. We will communicate any new information as it becomes available.

What an amazing show! Borton’s music concert brought joyful sounds and big smiles from PreK through 5th grade!

🪇 Our PreK and Kindergarten students lit up the stage with shakers, singing, and fun movements.

👏 First graders wowed us with their voices and body percussion.

🎼 Second graders made beautiful music with xylophones, glockenspiels, and their voices.

🎶 Third graders showed off their recorder skills and harmonized as they sang.

🎻 Fourth and fifth graders played strings with grace and confidence.

🎤 The Choir Club also joined in with a lovely song, adding to the celebration of music.

Huge thanks to our incredible music teacher, Ms. Yvette for helping students find their voice, rhythm, and confidence on stage! 

A huge THANK YOU to our incredible Borton students, families, community and PTA! Your kindness, thoughtful gestures and overwhelming support during Teacher Appreciation Week truly filled our hearts. From sweet notes to generous treats, every act of appreciation reminded us why we love what we do. We are so grateful to be part of such a caring and connected community!

We’re sending out a HUGE thank you for Nurse Appreciation Day and Speech Therapist Day! 

We’re so lucky to have Mr. Ray, Ms. Melissa, and Ms. Katie at Borton — their care, patience, and dedication make such a big difference in our school community.

Did you know? One thing that makes our health office extra special is Mr. Ray’s love for LEGOs! His awesome LEGO displays bring comfort and smiles to every visit.

Thank you for all you do to support our students’ health, healing, and communication every day!

On April 29, Borton’s talented 5th grade musicians took the stage for our annual Band Concert, performing for proud families and our fourth-grade students – who now have even more to look forward to next year! 🥁🎺🎷

The informal concert was filled with beautiful music and musical learning, as students introduced the audience to different instruments and their unique sounds.

This special evening was also a heartfelt farewell to our beloved Band Director, Mr. Stan Dunst, who took his final bow after a prolific career. 💛 Over the years, Mr. Dunst has taught at many TUSD schools, and his legacy is truly extraordinary—many of his former students have gone on to become band educators and directors themselves. His humor, honesty, and deep musical knowledge have inspired generations of young musicians. Borton students were so lucky to learn from him this year—and he will be deeply missed. 💫

We were honored to welcome a group of educators from St. Louis who are partnering with the Waters Center for Systems Thinking to their schools! During their visit, we shared how systems thinking is woven throughout Borton and how it supports deep, meaningful learning through project-based learning. Our visitors had the chance to hear directly from our teachers, explore student work featuring Behavior Over Time graphs, stock-flow maps, mental maps and connection circles, and even observe a classroom where a student was presenting their thinking as a systems thinker.

Borton's Magnet Coordinator, Ms. Sara, and Principal Eric attended the Magnet Schools of America Conference – and proudly accepted a Top School of Excellence Award on behalf of our school! They toured other magnet schools with Project-Based Learning themes and participated in inspiring workshops that sparked new ideas and connections.

Borton 5th graders kept the tradition alive by making pizza from scratch in Outdoor Learning using our wood-fired pizza oven! From kneading dough to adding toppings and watching it cook over the flames, students experienced the delicious results of teamwork, creativity and outdoor education. A tasty milestone our 5th graders look forward to every year!

Our 5th grade Borton mentors teamed up with 2nd grade students to bring math to life through Minecraft! 💻📐 Together, they used creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork to build and explore math concepts in a digital world.

Big shoutout to our amazing 5th graders for their leadership and support—and to our 2nd graders for jumping into the project with excitement and curiosity!

What an unforgettable weekend for Borton’s Hiking Club! Our adventure took us to the Desert Museum, where students explored the wonders of the Sonoran Desert — and even had the incredible experience of petting stingrays! 

The adventure didn’t stop there! After a day of discovery, our young explorers earned their official Junior Ranger badges at the Red Hills Visitor Center at Saguaro National Park. A huge thank you to the Friends of Saguaro National Park for making this amazing experience possible!

Borton’s S.C.O.R.E. Club (Students Creating Opportunities Raising Engagement) recently created beautiful sun catchers to bring joy and light to the rooms at Hospice of the Valley. These thoughtful creations are a reflection of our students’ commitment to making a positive impact in the community.

Through S.C.O.R.E., students are not only spreading kindness but also developing important social skills like communication and problem-solving. We’re so proud of their dedication and generosity!

Clubs like this are made possible through extracurricular donations, and it’s not too late to give! Your generous contributions directly fund clubs, field trips, and enrichment opportunities that make learning at Borton even more engaging.

Congratulations to our amazing Borton second grader, Micah for being honored with a Young Artists Award at the Festival of Books! 🎨📖✨ His creativity and dedication shine brightly, and we couldn’t be prouder!

A huge thank you to Ms. Margaret for her mentorship and guidance, nurturing his artistic journey and inspiring all of our young creators.

The Narwhal classroom hosted a book tasting where students sampled different genres, analyzed their flavors, discussed their favorites, and rated their choices—all while enjoying some light refreshments. From thrilling mysteries to heartwarming tales, students expanded their literary palates and discovered new favorites!

To celebrate how much our students have grown from the beginning of the year until now, we took on an exciting obstacle course! Just like in the classroom, students climbed to new heights, took risks, and embraced mistakes as part of their learning journey.

Even the teachers and Principal Eric joined in on the fun, proving that learning is for everyone. The course was filled with laughter, determination, and pure joy.

Borton 2nd graders took math beyond the classroom and into the real world! ✨

The project launched with a Math Extravaganza featuring an architect, an artist, and a football player—each showing how math plays a role in their work.

Sara has worked at Borton for three years now, but her journey at our school started as a parent!  Drawn by Borton’s project-based learning and systems thinking, she knew this was a special place.

Some of her favorite things about Borton? The incredible community, family engagement, and traditions like the Cupid Shuffle Fridays and morning meetings. She also love seeing students thrive with outdoor learning and hands-on activities that make learning meaningful. Before joining the Borton family, Sara taught modern dance at Tucson High and has been dancing since she was 3! She still dances weekly and loves reading, food adventures and traveling, with her favorite destination being Thailand, where she has family.

Sara is also a proud parent to Hudson (10) and Wyatt (6), who both attend Borton. Seeing her kids happy and learning on campus makes her work feel even more special.

We’re so lucky to have Sara as part of the Borton family!

Meet Devin, our incredible Family Liaison at Borton! Devin has been part of our community for years, making a difference in the lives of families. Last year, Devin organized donations that helped feed 8 families for Thanksgiving and Christmas. When asked about her favorite part of working at Borton, Devin shared, "I hope I’m making a difference in the lives of families." Outside of work, Devin is a supermom to four boys, keeping busy with their sports and activities!

Thank you, Devin, for your generosity, dedication, and heart for our Borton community.

Watch the video above to learn more about Borton's magnet program!