Dear Parents,

As we approach parent conference week, we’re excited to welcome you for a collaborative conversation about your child’s progress and growth. This is a valuable time to connect with your child’s teacher and gain insights into their learning journey.

To help make the most of your conference, consider asking questions like:

- What are my child’s strengths and areas for improvement?

- How does my child interact with classmates, and what social skills are they developing?

- How can I support my child’s learning at home?

- Are there specific goals you would recommend we focus on this year?

These questions can open up a meaningful dialogue about how we can work together to make every minute count for your child’s success.

Warm regards,

Ms. Mikels

Principal

Synergy ParentVUE online access to progress reports will be available Wednesday, December 4th at 5:00 pm. Click on these links - English Spanish - to access progress reports in Synergy ParentVUE.

Elementary school parents can access the Trimester 1 Parent-Friendly page 3 through the PUSD website (Parent Resources) by clicking HERE.

Conference Week Schedule

Monday 11/18 Non-student day - conferences all day

Tuesday through Friday Minimum Day

(TK - K 11:50 - 1st - 5th 12:00)

It’s been so fun seeing the kids at the track each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! A big Thank You to the teachers, staff, and parents that help support students in their running efforts! There will be NO Running Club on the week of 11/18-11/22 to allow for our parent volunteers to meet the adjusted schedule needs of minimum days and conferences. We’ll look forward to seeing the kids back at the track on Monday, 12/2, following the Thanksgiving break.

Hello Wildcat Choir Families,

This week is conference week and minimum day schedule. We will NOT be having choir rehearsal on Wednesday, 11/20. I am working on a Google Drive with our songs so kiddos can practice at home and over the Thanksgiving break :)

-Angie Serrano

Wildcat Choir Director

Poway Unified School District hosted a truly beautiful night of celebration to honor excellence! A huge congratulations to last year’s awardees, Becky Cook and Jacki Congdon, for their well-deserved recognition on stage. Your dedication and achievements continue to inspire us all. 🎉👏

Check out the celebrities among us! Three of our 5th grade Student Ambassadors (Luke, Lulu, and Luke) spoke at this month's PUSD School Board Meeting. They did an amazing job! Thank you Mrs. Bivin and Mrs. DeLeon for leading this group and prepping our representatives. Our students begin speaking at approximately minute 16.

We are excited to announce that we are continuing the Hope Squad program at Sundance. Hope Squad is an evidence-based, peer-to-peer youth suicide prevention program. The goal of this program is to increase inclusion and connectedness in schools by teaching students how to provide friendship, encouragement, and support for students who may be bullied or feel isolated.

At Sundance, we offer an opportunity for students grades 4th-5th to become a Hope Squad member and peer mentor. Students will participate in biweekly lessons with Ms. Park and Mrs. Woodworth during their lunchtime. In these lessons, Hope Squad members will be trained to take action when someone is struggling and look for warning signs in their peers. They will learn to

show empathy, listen without judgment, and reduce stigma regarding help-seeking and mental health.

You can read the full community letter here and check out the Hope Squad website here.

Butter Braids - Purchase by THIS TUESDAY!

Butter braids will be on sale thru Tuesday Nov 19 so make sure to get your orders in for a December 10 delivery date. We only have 34 students registered right now and are about halfway to our goal!! One student Kai Dean has sold an unprecedented 55 Butter Braids! Thanks for your support!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at jacquebenton@gmail.com

Attention all 5th grade parents. You’ve heard about the butter braids to support promotion but now we have to plan one!! We need parents to help plan decorations, refreshments, programs and a theme!

If you want to be a part of the committee please email me at jacquebenton@gmail.com. As soon as we get a group we can start the process.

🥫🥫🥫Holiday Food Drive for Feeding San Diego - Nov. 12th-15th🥫🥫🥫

Lost & Found Reminder!

Is your student missing a jacket or water bottle? Don’t forget to check the Lost & Found by the main gate for your items. The Winterfest event will be the last opportunity to claim your items as all items will be donated on December 9.

🎁🎁🎁PUSD Giving Tree - November 15th-December 6th🎁🎁🎁

This holiday season, Sundance is sponsoring 9 kids in the Poway Unified Community through the Giving Tree program! Please consider donating gifts for kids and gift cards for these 3 families. Drop off new and unwrapped gifts at the front office by Friday, December 6th. Click on the sign up PUSD Giving Tree for specific gift ideas and more details are available on the flyer. Feel free to contact Caitlin Taifehesmatian (peck.caitlin@gmail.com) and Rose Meloney for any questions.

Dine Out Night - Knotty Barrel on Nov 19th 3 - 9 pm

Join us at Knotty Barrel for November’s Dine Out Night! Just mention Sundance when dining in or placing your order for pick up and a portion of the proceeds will go back to Sundance Elementary. We hope to see you there!

November Parent Coffee on 11/20 at 8:30 am

We are grateful for our Sundance community and families! Join other Sundance parents at the November Parent Coffee being hosted by Manisha Patel in her home. For the location details, please email manisha3183@gmail.com. RSVP is not required to attend.

3rd Annual Turkey Trot at Mesa Verde Middle School on Thursday, November 28th

In town for Thanksgiving and like to start your day with some sunshine and exercise? No need to go downtown, stay here in PQ! MK3 sports has been working to bring pickleball and badminton to the public is holding its 3rd Annual Turkey Trot. Sign up using the QR code!

🍭🍭🍭Candy Buy Back Program Results🍭🍭🍭

THANK YOU Sundance community for donating your unwanted Halloween candy to support our school and the Soldiers Angels Program! The total weight collected from TEN schools was 990.9 lb! During the process of transporting and weighing candy, attention was given to not only keep all candy together with each school's collection bin, but also to protect it from consumption by anyone who came near it and wanted to watch the fun process! Here are the final results: Sundance collected 84.3 lbs of candy and we earned $50 back to our school. That’s a WIN!

Love a good deal and save money at the same time? The yearbook will be at its LOWEST price for the whole year ($19.40 for a softcover, $24.49 for a hardcover, tax included). Each book comes with 2 free customized pages that you can design and personalize, however you want, and prints ONLY in your book. October is a busy month full of school events such as the Book Fair, Carnival, Halloween Parade, and Halloween celebrations. Relive these moments by purchasing your very own copy of the Sundance yearbook today.