DSA Families,

I sent an email to families who still need to complete the CCUSD Intent to Return Form. Your response is greatly appreciated, as this information is essential for staffing, class sizes, and overall planning for the 2025-2026 school year.

Thank you to all of our families who attended student-led conferences this week.

Our students and staff had a fantastic time celebrating Read Across America Spirit Week! Enjoy a few snapshots of the fun below.

Looking ahead, 2nd Grade COGAT Testing will take place the week after spring break, and AASA testing for grades 3-6 begins in March. Please review all the important testing details below.

Wishing you all a relaxing and enjoyable spring break!

Best,

Kelly Zywczyk

Principal, Desert Sun Academy

03/10-03/14- School Closed- SPRING BREAK

03/17- Wear green and St. Patrick's Day accessories today

03/19- 5th-grade AzSCI Assessment, Early Release- Dismissal at 2:00 and 5th grade parent night at STMS

03/20- StuCo Meeting and 5th-grade AzSCI Assessment

03/21- Flag Raising

03/25- 5th Grade to Tour STMS and PreK-3 Field Day

03/26- Early Release- Dismissal at 2:00 and 4-6 Field Day

03/27- Volunteer Training- 9:15

03/28- Be You Day

As part of our ongoing efforts to assess and support the academic growth of our students, Cave Creek Unified School District is planning to administer the Cognitive Abilities Test (COGAT) from March 17-21 to all second grade students at our five elementary schools. The COGAT is a standardized assessment designed to measure students' cognitive abilities in various areas including verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning.

If you would like your child to not participate in this testing, please contact your child's school principal and let them know this, in writing, so that we may have a different assignment prepared for them while their peers are testing. If you have any questions about this assessment, please contact one of our gifted teachers at either kbloom@ccusd93.net (LMES/ DSA) for more information on the assessment or our gifted programming in CCUSD.

Late March and April are the time of year where all of our CCUSD students participate in Arizona state testing across all of our elementary, middle, and high schools. In all of our schools we take great pride in providing individualized instruction for all students so that they can perform well.

We ask for your support during this testing season with the following:

• Ensuring consistent attendance at school--on time, every day (please avoid scheduling appointments for your child on testing days).

• Helping them find a quiet place for homework and reading.

• Maintaining communication with your child’s teacher through email or phone.

• Ensuring 9-12 hours of sleep each night for your child.

• Making sure your child has the time to eat breakfast.

• Reminding your child(ren) to do their best every day at school.

We do provide testing accommodations for students who meet Arizona eligibility criteria and our counselors and teachers work with students who may have high test anxiety so that they can experience success on these testing days. We are looking forward to another successful testing season where we can celebrate how much our students have grown in one year.

Below is some information to educate you on the basics of your child’s state assessments:

• Students throughout Arizona in grades 3-8 will take the Writing, Reading and Math assessments between March 31-April 25.

• Grade 3 students will also take an Oral Reading Fluency assessment that measures the rate at which they can read an unfamiliar passage. Students will use headphones with a microphone in order to submit their test online.

• Grades 5, 8, and 11 students will take AzSCI, a test measuring their proficiency in Science, which includes the standards covered in the previous grades. This test must be completed between March 17- April 11.

• Grades 9 and 11 will have the state ASPIRE and ACT test which covers the content areas of Reading, English, Writing, Math, and Science.

• Each school has developed a testing schedule that best meets their needs and resources available to ensure all students are finished in the window of testing.

We highly recommend that you complete the practice questions and test items for AASA, AZSCI, ACT, or ASPIRE on the testing platform using this link to access the practice tests for your grade: https://home.testnav.com/

Please contact your child’s principal or teacher if you have any questions about the state assessment process. We hope that your child views these upcoming assessments as an opportunity to show their growth in academics.

Thank you for your support.

Congratulations to Mrs. Sisk, our DSA Employee of the Month! We appreciate your positivity at DSA.

If your child has a fever, has thrown up, or has diarrhea they need to remain home. Students have to be fever free WITHOUT the assistance of medication for 24 hours before returning to school. Same with vomit or diarrhea, they need to be free of symptoms for 24 hours prior to returning to school

As a reminder - please do not send medicine in your child's backpack. If they are in need of any medicine or cough drops, etc. you must sign a medicine release form and medicine must be dropped off to the health office by a parent or guardian. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out.

Coaching Opportunities at DSA

We have exciting coaching opportunities here at DSA in the new school year. Each club is a season of 10 sessions and 1 culminating district activity. Typically these clubs are held before school but could happen after school. Coaches will be compensated for their time and energy. Please reach out to our P.E. Teacher Shaunna Baldyga if you are interested or have any questions. sbaldyga@ccusd93.net

Mar/Apr: Track & Field

Are you interested in giving time to DSA students and teachers? We would love to have you! Below are some volunteer opportunities here at DSA:

• Classroom parent
• Classroom parties
• Field Days, picture days, and bookfair helpers
• Small group help in the classroom
• Chaperoning field trips

Per our District Office, we will be offering volunteer training sessions monthly in the front office conference room. In order to volunteer in any of the above mentioned capacities, volunteers are required to take one of the trainings. Unfortunately, if you do not attend one of the sessions you will not be able to volunteer at DSA. Please see the dates and times listed below and RSVP to Dot Silva at 480-575-2901 if you would like to volunteer.

• March 27th- 9:15 AM
• April 24th- 4:00 PM

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF DSA!!

• Teshya Hutchison- President
• Amy Kessinger- Vice President
• Kylee Steier- Secretary
• Kelsi Westhoff- Treasurer

"Thanks to a generous donation, CCUSD is thrilled to be able to partner with SmartSocial, an online platform that helps parents understand tech and social media to keep kids safe and successful online. SmartSocial hosts live online Q&A events that address different themes each month. You can watch these events live, or watch them after the fact when it fits your schedule! With over 400 online resources at your disposal, SmartSocial can help parents navigate the challenges associated with technology, including parental controls, screen time, online safety, and more. CCUSD parents can register with SmartSocial using this link: https://smartsocial.com/members?org=cavecreekunified

Your subscription is free when you register through CCUSD. We believe that this will be a valuable resource for our families and encourage you to register and see what they have to offer!"

Developed and Taught By Stanford and MIT Alumni and Graduate Students. See the link below.

Information for Voluntary Student Accident and Sickness Insurance plans for purchase including plans for athletics can be found at https://myers-stevens.com/enrollment/

Check out the information below from Mathnasium!

Arizona 's tax law (ARS 43-1089.01) allows families a tax credit of up to $400 if they contribute to extracurricular activities in public schools. Individuals can give up to $200. Contributions that are made on or before the fifteenth day of the fourth month (April 15), following the close of the taxable year, may be applied to either the current or preceding taxable year and is considered to have been made the last day of that taxable year.

(Please see the picture below to show the simplicity of how it works)

Extracurricular activities are school-sponsored activities that may require enrolled students to pay a fee, including fees for:

• Extracurricular activities, such as field trips, student council and our amazing science lab!
• Character education programs.

From and after June 30, 2019 through June 30, 2024, these items are also Tax Credit eligible:

• Capital items (example: furniture, furnishings, athletic equipment, computer software, pupil & non pupil transportation vehicles & equipment, textbooks, instructional aids, library books)
• Student consumable health care supplies (example: tissues, hand wipes, bandages)
• Playground equipment, shade structures for playground equipment

A single individual or a head of household can use the tax credit for $200. A married couple filing a joint return can use the tax credit for $400. Tax credit donations made on or before April 15th may be applied to either the current or preceding tax year.

How to contribute in a few easy steps!

1. Write a personal check to the school of your choice
   (checks CANNOT be accepted from Partnerships, S Corporations, Regular Corporations, Trusts, Estates and LLCs)
2. Mail or deliver the check to the school with a completed tax credit form.
3. You will be provided with a receipt verifying your contribution.
4. You can claim your tax credit of up to $400.

Email: kzywczyk@ccusd93.net
Website: https://www.ccusd93.org/dsa
Phone: 480-575-2900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Desertsunacademy
Twitter: @CCUSD_93