Conversations with Kelli Frazier

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelli Frazier. 

Hi Kelli, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m a country girl at heart, born and raised in the beautiful state of Texas. I moved to California when I was 15. 

My 4th-grade teacher was my inspiration to pursue a career in education as a teacher myself. Once I moved to California, my peers and teachers loved to hear my very thick Texas accent. In high school, I played soccer, ran track, and was on the student council. 

I then moved to Flagstaff, AZ to attend Northern Arizona University. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in elementary education. I continued my education shortly after graduation and earned my Master’s in educational leadership from NAU as well. 

My husband, Michael, and I have three children, Wyatt, Holden, and Nixon. We love “all things outdoors,” such as hiking, camping, and being with my family. We are often found in Christopher Creek at our family’s cabin. 

I am honored to serve as principal at Silver Valley Elementary. I have had the pleasure of serving students and families in the Queen Creek Unified School district for 6 years. In my 6 years with the district, I have been: a reading specialist, data specialist, and dean of students. Prior to working in QCUSD, I worked in the Sunnyside Unified School District in Tucson. While working with SUSD, I: taught 2nd and 4th grade, was a reading specialist, and was the program facilitator. 

I love being the principal at Silver Valley Elementary and am so thankful for the staff, students, families, and community members that help inspire and optimize the potential of every student entrusted in our care. I view this opportunity as a privilege and am looking forward to continuing to serve with the level of excellence that the community has come to expect from Queen Creek Unified School District. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like any profession, the road to being an educational leader has had many twists and turns for me. I can still remember what my first day of school as a teacher was like – the anxiety and excitement of having my very own classroom with impressionable young minds. The responsibility weighed heavily on me, and yet I was so eager to not just teach, but make an impression on my students that would leave a positive mark for years to come. 

I still get first day of school “butterflies” all these years later – even as a campus principal. 

Of course, it’s no secret that COVID has presented some unprecedented challenges that no amount of college courses could have prepared me for. But even still, in the past two years – I have still experienced some of the greatest joys amidst some of my greatest challenges. Obtaining the Principalship has during a worldwide pandemic has been one of my most humbling and proud accomplishments. Watching my team of teachers and support staff get up every day and do what they do, with the amount of added stress from not just the pressures of kids who missed a good chunk of the school year last year – but while handling their own life stories at the same time, has been such a privilege to be a part of. 

I know my campus and even my leadership has not been perfect along the way. Like everyone, we’ve had our missteps. But I also know that as long as we focus on what is best for kids – we’re doing the right thing. I like to say, “I’m better today than I was yesterday, and I’ll be better tomorrow than I am today… and that’s called learning.” 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
SVE is committed to providing the best educational experience for your child, from our highly-qualified faculty and staff to our dedicated volunteers. Learn many reasons to make Silver Valley Elementary School your educational partner on this page and throughout this website. 

Our Vision 

Where leaders create their own silver lining. 

Our Mission 

Empower all students with the tools to become resilient 21st-century leaders while achieving individual academic and social success. 

Develop a positive learning community that continuously motivates students to strive for excellence in future college and career achievements. 

A Stellar District 

SVE joins 14 other schools in the technology-rich Queen Creek Unified School District. Well-established in excellence, QCUSD is the perfect pillar for SVE to build a deeply-rooted foundation and launch its bright, prosperous future. 

With such a high success rate, our school is destined for academic achievement. 

Our Name 

When we named our school, the committee researched both Mesa and Queen Creek history. We learned that the mines that drew settlers to Queen Creek were the Silver Queen Mines found in our surrounding Superstition Mountain range. A creek that ran at the foot of the Superstitions was Queen Creek. Because our school sits in the valley area between the Superstitions and the San Tan Mountains, Silver Queen morphed to Silver Valley to create a name for our elementary school. 

Our History 

In November 2017, the citizens of Mesa, via voter-approved bond, granted Queen Creek Unified School District permission to build a new school along their northern boundary that would feature kindergarten through sixth-grade classrooms to support the high enrollment at Gateway Polytechnic Academy. 

Construction began in September 2018 with a ground-breaking ceremony featuring prominent figures in both the Mesa and Queen Creek communities. The school opened for the 2019-2020 school year, hosting pre-school through 6th-grade students. 

We’re Innovative 

Within our unified district, SVE is the benefactor of many curriculum coaches and other resources to ensure our academic success. Each classroom at SVE has Chromebooks for student use. Our students also regularly attend a SMART Lab for STEM-focused instruction and hands-on learning in partnership with the technology. The Makerspace is a location for art masterpiece and other fun, messy science activities for all students. 

We offer students many extra-curricular options through our community education offerings throughout the year. Also, each grade level hosts formal tutoring sessions. Our teachers sponsor a variety of clubs including but not limited to student council, yearbook, student leadership, coding, etc. Our district’s Community Education program offers many more programs. 

Our Curriculum 

QCUSD follows the Beyond Textbooks curriculum. Beyond Textbooks is a mastery learning model of a scope and sequence of state standards. Teachers meet regularly to review data collected on student mastery, each standard adjusting on a weekly basis. All of these efforts are to guarantee to prepare our students to move forward. 

SVE uses many resources in addition to our curriculum to meet the needs of the whole student and to meet the needs of each student. QCUSD is an AVID district. AVID is a program supporting best practices in writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading. SVE is one of QCUSD’s science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) influenced elementary schools. Here at SVE, we recognize STEM in our quarterly school-wide events and even in daily lesson plans along with the activities in the SMART Lab. SVE also boasts a Makerspace used by all our K–6 students to interact with the design process and stretch their creative skills. SVE incorporates character education and leadership development into our instruction. 

Teachers utilize many tools to regularly support students’ interaction with technology, including but not limited to Moby Max, Extra Math, Code.org, Typing Club, Hooda Math, Kahoot, Khan Academy, and many more. 

Contact Info:

• Email: kfrazier@qcusd.org
• Website: https://www.kellifrazier.com/
• Twitter: @Kelli_K_Frazier