Scorpion Welcome Newsletter
2022- 2023 School Year
From the Principal's Desk
Parents and Students,
Welcome to Desert Edge High School. We are excited for the new school year and engaging all of our students in a culture of learning. This year is Desert Edge High School’s 20th Anniversary. As we move into the next decade, we want to celebrate the excellence that has filled our classrooms, hallways, courts, stages, and fields. We plan to celebrate BIG throughout the year honoring our Scorpions and we look forward to having all of you join us.
We will welcome our Freshmen class on their first day on Monday, August 8 at 8:10 am. Our incoming 9th graders will participate in a series of activities that will provide them with the information that they need for the upcoming year. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors will begin on Tuesday, August 9.
We are excited for another incredible and productive school year. Our devoted staff is already planning and preparing for classes, activities and special events. Our office team is registering new families, ordering needed materials and updating student files. And, our hard working maintenance team have spent the entire summer preparing the building for students to return. Each year brings positive change. This includes our new student services building as well as a few additions to our faculty and staff. We are excited to introduce them to all of you and we welcome them to our Scorpion family.
We understand that each year of high school is an exciting time for both parents and students. At each step there is a new milestone in the pursuit of your student’s future. We have planned an orientation for this school year (DE101) that will celebrate your excitement and keep you informed of important information about our programs and opportunities for you to help your student be as successful as possible. We will hold this orientation on Thursday, August 4 at 5:45PM in the DEHS Gym following the Principal’s Welcome. We look forward to seeing all of you
Thursday, August 4
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
for our
Meet the Teacher Night
beginning with the Principal's Welcome in our DEHS Gym.
Our administrative team is honored to serve Desert Edge High School. It is a privilege to work with a community where parents, teachers and students care for each other and strive to build positive relationships that engage in relevant and rigorous education while supporting the academic and social growth for each student.
I hope that we are able to answer all of your questions in this newsletter. We look forward to seeing all of you at our Meet the Teacher Night on Thursday, August 4.
If you have any questions, please contact our school office at 623-932-7500, Ext. 3001.
Go Scorpions!
We are Desert Edge!
Gretchen Hann
Principal
Desert Edge High School
SCHOOL OFFICE HOURS
Desert Edge's office is open Monday through Friday beginning Monday, July 25 from 8:00am- 3:30pm. Please note, we will be transitioning the front office to the new Student Services building once construction is complete. We will communicate the date as it becomes available.
your water, electric or gas bill. If there are any questions or further information needed, you are welcome to come to school Monday through Thursday 8AM to 2PM, through July 29.
Medical information MUST BE updated for our Health Office. Please complete the enclosed medical form (found at the end of this newsletter). This must be done annually to ensure your student’s health needs are met. This can be returned to school on the first day and given to your student’s Advisory teacher. (Required).
How do I reaffirm my student's information and get into my ParentVue?
For returning students, parents will login to their existing ParentVue account to reaffirm/validate their information.
For new students, IF you registered via OLR (Online Registration), you have created your ParentVue account in doing so. New students do not reaffirm as they supply all the needed documents during registration.
For new students that registered via paper and not OLR, a ParentVue account will need to be created was created and shared with you. New students can access their account once they have their schedule with their student ID information.
What is ParentVue?
ParentVue is a link to your student’s schedule and grades. It is a vital part of monitoring your student’s progress. If you are unsure of your ParentVue activation or password, please contact the school at 623-932-7500. https://afsd.edupoint.com/PXP2_Login.aspx
Student ID Cards
How does my student get a School ID card?
ID pictures will be taken on Monday, August 8 for Freshman and Tuesday, August 9 for Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors.
ID cards will be distributed during Advisory once they are received from Grads Photography.
Once received, ID cards MUST BE worn at ALL times when on campus.
When does my child receive their class schedule?
All student schedules will be able to be viewed in ParentVue/ StudentVue on Thursday, August 4.
Paper copies of the schedule will be distributed to Freshman in Advisory on the first day of school. 10th, 11th and 12th grade students NEW to DEHS will pick up their paper copy in the school lobby at the start of the day on Tuesday, August 9.
PLEASE NOTE, some Advisory classrooms and teachers may have changed. Please check ParentVue/ StudentVue to confirm where your Advisory will meet.
What if my student’s schedule shows a class that was not on the course selection sheet? Unfortunately, not every course offered at registration becomes available. There are a variety of reasons why a class might not be offered (teacher availability, student interest, etc.) resulting in another course being selected for your student. Every effort is made to schedule students in the classes they selected whenever possible.
How can I request a schedule change?
As stated in the AFHSD Course Description Book, a student’s class schedule may change ONLY under the following circumstances:
1. Completion of a class by online or summer school
2. Failure of a prerequisite course
3. Changes necessary because of health reasons
4. Changes necessary to satisfy graduation requirements
5. Administrative changes such as course conflicts, unbalanced class enrollments or student
misplacement.
Class selections were finalized in March after we sent home course selections for parental approval. If classes were unavailable, we used alternate selections made by your student.
If you meet the above circumstances regarding a schedule change, please contact your counselor:
Student Last Names: A-C-- Cinthia Oller cbebawi@aguafria.org
Student Last Name: D – I-- Charlotte Bethel cbethel@aguafria.org
Student Last Name: J –N-- Erin O’Shaughnessy eoshaughnessy@aguafria.org
Student Last Name: O- R-- Irma Padilla ipadilla@aguafria.org
Student Last Name: S- Z -- Ashley Hurley ahurley@aguafria.org
Counselors will be available beginning July 27, 2022.
The fall season begins August 8. All student athletes must be cleared by the athletic department prior to participation. Please register for an account at www.registermyathlete.com for athletic clearances. If you have any questions regarding athletic clearance, please contact Jason Linn, Athletic Director at jlinn@aguafria.org.
Please contact the head coach of your program for specific information:
What fees do I need to pay?
Your student may also be enrolled in a course that has a required fee. To determine what those fees might be for your student, you can find the fee schedule online in the 2022-2023 Course Description Book.
Course fees will be charged to student accounts on August 19, 2022, after all schedules have been finalized. All purchases and student debts can be paid through Desert Edge’s Online Webstore (see enclosed flier). Please note: ParentVue must be activated to use this service. You are also welcome to visit the Bookstore in person.
What if we want to purchase an Athletic Pass?
In addition to the required fees mentioned above, optional purchases can be made for student athletic passes, family athletic passes, yearbooks, and parking permits.
For considerable savings, a student athletic pass may be purchased for $25. After purchase, an icon is placed on your student’s ID card to identify them as an annual pass holder. Student pass holders may present their ID card for admission to all Desert Edge regular season athletic events at no charge. Separate family athletic passes are available to purchase at the Bookstore.
What happens if my student has an outstanding debt on their account?
Students must have all debts cleared before graduation. Seniors with outstanding debts will NOT be able to complete Senior Checkout and participate in Desert Edge’s graduation ceremony until their student accounts have been cleared through the Bookstore. Please keep your account current and contact the Bookstore with any questions regarding student accounts.
Technology
(Action Required)
Every student will be required to have a School issued Chromebook. Please see the enclosed 1:1 Technology Program flier in this packet for complete information.
What if I do not want my child’s image on the School's website or School Social Media? If you do not want your student’s picture to be used for any school related internet post, please use the following link to opt-out. OPT-OUT Media Link
Transportation
Eligible students needing transportation beginning August 8th are REQUIRED to register via the Edulog app.
All bus information will be communicated through our district's smart phone application, known as "Edulog Parent Portal" and can be found on the Google Play Store for Android devices or the Apple Store for IPhone devices. The following videos will walk you through the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZAph55ybok and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNb-I477cek
This app allows parents to track their students' bus in real time as well as allow us to send out push notifications for anything that happens with the bus (Bus running late due to mechanical issues, traffic, road construction, etc.).
All you need to register for the app is a valid email address and your students 5 digit Student ID number. For users new to the app this year or returning from the 2021-2022 year you will need to go into the app and use the new ride registration function to make sure your student will be on the list for transportation.
It is REQUIRED that all students be registered on the parent portal app, in order to receive transportation. This process allows Transportation through the parent portal registrations a way to easily track how many students plan on using our buses.
If you run into any complications in the registration process or do not have access to the internet or if you do not have a smart phone, please feel free to contact the Districts Route Coordinator, Christina Sills, in the Transportation department by Phone: 623-932-7023 or Email: csills@aguafria.org.
PLEASE REGISTER BY 08/03/2022*** EVEN IF YOU PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED YOU WILL NEED TO COMPLETE THE REGISTRATION PROCESS AGAIN SO WE HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF STUDENTS RETURNING ON THE BUSES. Push notifications to all registered riders will be sent out as soon as routes are complete with route information.
***Follow this link which is also available to view on the parent hub via the District website: For first time users https://youtu.be/cZAph55ybok and for users needing to use the ride registration feature https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNb-I477cek
Does my student need an ID to ride the bus? Students are permitted to ride the bus without an ID for the first two weeks of school. After ID cards are distributed, students will be required to show an ID before permitted to ride the bus.
What bus does my student ride?
Please register in Edulog Parent Portal (instructions above) for that information.
Student Parking/ Student Drop Off
How does my student get a parking pass?
Parking passes can be purchased in the bookstore for $50 along with parent permission form, proof of insurance, registration, and driver’s license. An assigned parking space will be given to students with a pass. Student parking passes are purchased on a first come, first served basis. All students parking on campus must have purchased a parking pass by August 19.
Students SHOULD NOT be parking in the Goodyear Recreation Center parking lot during the school day.
Where do I drop off and pick up my student? Please see the enclosed map for the Desert Edge access and traffic flow information. As with any school, traffic flow around our campus can be a challenge in the morning and afternoon. It is imperative that you use the designated areas as intended. This helps everyone get on and off our campus safely. We thank you in advance for your cooperation!
How does my student buy lunch?
Students provide their ID number to the cafeteria (student ID number is on their class schedule) for the first two weeks. After ID cards are distributed, students will be required to use their Student ID to purchase meals.
How do I apply for Free and Reduced Lunch?
We encourage all families to apply for Agua Fria Union High School District Free and Reduced Lunch program. In addition to receiving free and reduced price lunch, it has many other cost benefits when it comes to athletic and academic programs. The Free and Reduced Lunch Application is available on the website by visiting: www.aguafria.org/site or family.titank12.com/
Student Responsibilities and Attendance
Student dress, personal appearance, and conduct must be such that it will detract from the learning environment. Student dress and grooming shall be such that they meet reasonable safety, health, and decency standards and will not diminish the disciplinary control of the teacher or administrator. Please refer to the District’s 2022-23 Student Handbook.
Does my student need their ID during the school day?
Yes, students will be required to wear their school issued ID at all times. They will also need their ID for purchasing lunch and riding the bus. School ID pictures will be taken on August 8 and 9. IDs will be distributed during the first week of school.
The Desert Edge attendance office is a busy place as it is the first entry point of our school. If you are calling in an absence for your student, we ask that you use our dedicated attendance line,
623-932-7501 and leave your student’s name, ID number, the date and reason they are absent on the voicemail and it will be processed as soon as possible.
