- Purchase a DCES Yearbook — 10% off until Oct. 31.
- Help plan a lunchtime or recess activity in recognition of Dia de los Muertos and/or Diwali. Email melmeniawy@powayusd.com.
- Order DCES Spirit Wear.
Save the Date
October
- 10/30 - DCPSO Meeting @ 4 pm on Zoom or in Room 14
- 10/31 - Halloween Parade @ 9 am
November
- 11/1 - FUNky Friday @ 8:50 am, Coffee with the Principal @ 9:15 am
- 11/1 to 11/5 - Candy Buy Back Fundraiser with Sunray Pediatric Dentistry
- 11/8 - Family Art Night
11/11 - Veterans Day (no school)
11/15 - Family Picnic and End of Trimester 1
11/18 and 11/19 - DC Dining @ CPK (all day)
11/18 to 11/22 - Conference Week - Minimum Days (BELL SCHEDULE)
11/25 to 11/29 - Fall break (no school or ESS)
December
- 12/4 - Progress Reports available to view in ParentVue at 5 pm
Good evening, Deer Canyon Families!
This week, we celebrated National Red Ribbon Week: “Life is a Movie, Film Drug Free.” Students and staff wore red on Monday, setting a visual tone for the important messages to come. Throughout the week, we rocked stickers, college/career gear, wacky socks, and jerseys, as well as made pledges to demonstrate our commitment to making healthy choices for our bodies and minds. The week is now wrapping up with our highly anticipated Monster Mash. I hope to see you there!
On Monday, parents and staff on our School Site Council reviewed Deer Canyon’s recent positive attendance rates and various areas where we can seek to improve our school attendance. This week’s mix of serious planning, intentional peer interactions, and community celebration showcased DCES’ dedication to both academic progress and creating a positive, engaging environment for students and families alike.
Quick Attendance Reminder:
After reviewing district-wide attendance data, the day after Halloween has frequently shown a pattern of increased absences. Please help Deer Canyon (and PUSD!) by making attendance a priority each day, especially Friday, Nov. 1.
Next week is a full week of school for elementary students. On Monday, Oct. 28, ONLY our district’s middle schools and high schools have a Professional Growth Day. Deer Canyon students will come to school on Oct. 28 for another engaging day of learning!
This coming week brings a wonderful opportunity for our students to embrace their creativity, enjoy festive activities, and build lasting memories with friends and family. We are excited for another safe and fun Halloween celebration at Deer Canyon this year!
Our team has been hard at work organizing events that will allow our students to engage in the spirit of the season while prioritizing their safety and well-being. From classroom festivities to school-wide activities, we are committed to creating an environment where everyone can enjoy the magic of Halloween.
Halloween Reminders:
Our Halloween Parade is on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 9 am, and students are encouraged to wear or bring a costume (see costume conditions below).
Families are encouraged to come watch our students parade across the front of school.
Please stand on the grassy knoll in the front of school so students can wave to their fans!
The parade route will travel through the hallways, out the MPR, down the sidewalk in front of school, and back in through the Kindergarten/PreK gate.
As always, there is no parking in the drop-off zone, as we need unobstructed views of our students!
Costume reminders:
Props that resemble a weapon are NOT permitted (pirate hooks, swords, fake guns, knives, etc.).
Students may wear face paint or masks during the parade, but masks are not permitted during the remainder of the school day for safety, comfort, and student identification purposes.
Some of our younger children on campus may be frightened by very scary or gory costumes; please refrain from wearing “bloody” clothes, masks, etc.
Get creative! Can’t wait to see our students’ interests shine through in their costumes.
Be sure to join us on Friday, Nov. 1, for FUNky Friday and Coffee with the Principal immediately following the event. DC Leaders, Westview Ambassadors, and all 4th graders will be sharing important messages about this month’s Character Trait of RESPECT.
Cold & Flu Season Reminders
While we navigate a tricky time of winter colds, flus, and the like, I want to remind you to take care of yourself and your family. Ensuring that your student gets ample sleep, consumes nutritious meals, and practices good personal hygiene (like handwashing) is important to keep not only your family healthy, but others, as well. DC staff will continue to utilize available resources to promote airflow, handwashing, and overall health. Thank you for the part you play in keeping our community safe and healthy!
As long as your child is healthy, please encourage and emphasize the importance of positive attendance while school is in session. Every day of school is an important opportunity for students to learn as well as connect to their peers and teachers. The student experience in the classroom cannot be replicated and is vital to student progress and development (both academically and social-emotionally).
Research shows that absenteeism has a direct impact on student performance in their current and future academic achievement and social emotional development. For example, see the figure below, taken from Hedy Chang and Mariajose Romero’s report, “Present, Engaged and Accounted For: The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absence in the Early Grades.” CLICK HERE for more information about attendance in California.
Thank you, families, for your participation and support of this week's Red Ribbon festivities.
The week started with an impressive turnout for our poster contest. We saw such an amount of creativity and talent from our students this year. They did an excellent job including the “Life is a Movie…” theme, too. Great job, and congrats to our winners! Again, thank you parents for your partnership in spreading this very important message to our students and community.
I’d also like to thank our DC Leaders Positivity and Inspire Teams for their help with Red Ribbon Week activities and promoting Monster Mash. A big shout out to Safety team members Yahel, Jace, and Dean for their work on last week’s Digital Citizenship video, too. The Beautification Team began their recycling rounds this past week, as well. Moving forward, our Safety and Beautification Teams will meet every other Tuesday, while the Positivity and Inspire teams will meet every Wednesday. Students are asked to bring their sack or school lunches, promptly to Rm. 22.
In this week’s Second Step lesson, we continued with our Empathy Unit, discussing the word “perception,” that people commonly feel and think differently about the same thing, and how that’s perfectly OK. We talked about why it is important to respect those differences, while focusing on our similarities. Students also learned how we may often experience more than one emotion at a time, and that being able to figure out your own feelings will help you to deal with other people and theirs.
Our friendship groups are also gaining steam. It’s certainly been a challenge to work out the scheduling quirks, balance the numbers, and create a productive group chemistry for each grade level. Hopefully all the moving pieces will align this week. far, the introductory conversations we’ve had, from sharing our favorite activities to qualities we most value in a friend, have been both fun and enlightening.
It’s a genuine pleasure to get to know your kids more and more each day. Across all grades, I continue to emphasize how we must work together as a team, where everyone feels safe, respected and is willing to share. These grade-level friend groups meet for 30 minutes once a week, through November. If you received a permission slip, please complete and return it to myself, your child's teacher, or the front office.
PUSD’s Caring Connections Parent Education website has new and exciting courses being offered this Fall. Each term they have different parenting education courses. We recommend periodically checking the website for the new courses offered to parents, families, and our school community. Click HERE to view the CCC Parent Education Fall Courses.
Get Your DCES Spirit Wear
Our Spirit Wear shop is open and taking orders. Choose from tie-dye (perfect for FUNky Fridays), cartoon (fun for lower grade students — and adults!), school logo, hoodies (perfect for cold weather), zip-up jackets and more. Orders are placed online and can be delivered to school for free or you can pick up at Big Frog (next to Stater Bros).
Place your Spirit Wear order here.
If you have any questions, please contact Razan Lin vpprograms@deercanyonpso.org
