Deer Canyon Echoes

Good evening, Deer Canyon Families:

Congratulations on the completion of Trimester 2! Can you believe that we are this far along in the school year?!

After a beautiful, unifying evening celebrating the diversity of our school community at Family Heritage Night last Friday, we kicked off our last week of Tri 2 with our annual Read-a-Thon! Students dove into reading and we celebrated milestones and bingo game winnings all along the way! *Don’t forget, students can log their reading minutes through SUNDAY!

I look forward to hearing the final number of minutes and dollars raised on Monday; we’ll be sure to shout it from the “mountaintops” of social media right away! The entire week was so special, connecting with students over books. I was continuously inspired by the genuine pride students have in their accomplishments. I, too, am so proud of our students! Thank you, families, for your support.

The week started with a Monday morning Safety Committee meeting, where we reviewed and discussed resources and other important information to share with our school community. We welcomed our Westview Ambassadors for a playdate on Wednesday, and wrapped up the week today with a FUNky Friday focused on Caring. With a lovely adjustment to the indoors, we have begun implementing visual slides to supplement verbal announcements. I hope this supports our guests and students during our time together!

Next week, we will have NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS ON TUESDAY, as staff meet for professional development.

Attendance Trends at Deer Canyon

We're beginning to notice a return to baseline in our attendance data, after four weeks of significantly higher absenteeism (about triple our number of typical daily absences!). While many students were fighting off illnesses in January and February, others were traveling and we are still processing OCIS contracts.

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 to connect to their peers and teachers. Research consistently shows that students who attend school regularly are more likely to succeed academically, develop strong social skills, and have better long-term educational outcomes. We appreciate your partnership, in support of your student(s)!

5th Grade Families

• Mesa Verde Middle School is hosting an Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night on Wednesday, March 26 at 5:30pm in their gym.

• OCIS-PE applications are due to your boundary school’s office by Friday, March 14 (see OCIS-PE information from MVMS here).

TK is a Full-Day Program for 2025-26!

We have some exciting news regarding our district’s TK program. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, PUSD Transitional Kindergarten will be a full-day program.

The range of age-eligibility will also expand — children who turn 4 years old on or before September 1, 2025, will be age-eligible for TK. (Students who turn 5 years old on or before September 1, 2025 will be age-eligible for Kindergarten). Enrollment for TK for 2025-26 school year opens on April 1, 2025. Please feel free to share this news with your friends and neighbors who have children in this age range.

Parents of English Learners

Our next DELAC (District English Learner Advisory Committee) meeting is Wednesday, March 12, at 6 pm at the District Office. You are cordially invited to attend this meeting with your DELAC representative. At this meeting, we will be looking at the results of our engagement survey and will engage with one another to gather input from parents along with brainstorming ways to continue to support our English Learner families. Your time is precious and we would gladly appreciate you attending to support the hard work of your parents!

SDCCU Classroom Heroes Program

Spotlight a stellar teacher through the SDCCU Classroom Heroes program for the chance to win a $500 gift card and be featured on CBS News 8. Winning teachers will be entered to win the grand prize of a five-day, luxury San Diego staycation. Submit a nomination today!

For over 10 years, San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU) and San Diego County Office of Education have recognized local “Classroom Heroes." This school year the recognitions went from quarterly to monthly, with one local San Diego County teacher being recognized as a Classroom Hero each month through May 2025. Winning teachers receive a $500 SDCCU Visa® gift card and are featured on CBS News 8.

SDCCU has just added a grand prize for the 2024-25 school year. One of this year's classroom heroes will receive a five-day luxury staycation at Kona Kai Resort in San Diego. There is still time to nominate a deserving teacher! Educators, students, and families can do so by visiting the SDCCU nomination page.

SD Helpful Honda Teacher Appreciation Awards Call For Nominations

Do you know of, work with, or have heard the story of a San Diego teacher whose efforts have greatly impacted their students, community, or school?

To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5 to 9, 2025, the San Diego Helpful Honda team will honor and surprise four deserving teachers, each, with $5,000 worth of school supplies and materials they need to better help their students succeed!

How to submit to a deserving teacher: Nomination Form: https://forms.gle/ppWkw1BhAYBinEC77. The deadline is Monday, March 31, 2025… so nominate a teacher today!

Have a wonderful weekend, Deer Canyon! I’ll see you in March!

Katie Bendix

Principal

We have heard from 36% of DCES families!

Online Continuing Student Registration will be open until March 31, 2025. We MUST receive a completed digital packet for all returning students. This will allow for proper placement of your student for the 2025-2026 school year. This annual digital process allows a family to complete one single “family” packet instead of completing one packet per student. Packets can be completed using any computer, tablet or smartphone with an internet connection.

Continuing Registration Steps:

1. Login and complete the digital registration packet via the online registration portal found here.

1. Review and complete any required forms located at the conclusion of the process. A packet is not considered finalized until this step is completed.

Please note: MEDICATION FORMS or ADDITIONAL SIGNED SITE SPECIFIC FORMS WILL NOT BE COLLECTED UNTIL SCHOOL BEGINS IN AUGUST FOR THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR.

Forgot your username or password? Need technical help? You can retrieve your username as well as reset your password by visiting https://password.powayusd.com and clicking the button that represents the help you require. Technical help is also available by sending an email to accounthelp@powayusd.com.

Need access to a computer or tech support beyond what is available online? Come by the Main Office and we will assist you!

Please email kbendix@powayusd.com as soon as possible if you do not plan to return to PUSD for the 2025-2026 school year.

Thank you for your attention to this important process!

Through our Caught Being Kind program, students are recognized by a staff member for exemplifying respect for themself, others, or the environment. I am excited to share with you the names of students who were Caught Being Kind this week!

This group of students tipped us over the “fill line” - WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY FED OUR HERD!

For our earned schoolwide prize, Deer Canyon students will participate in a schoolwide bingo game, flush with prizes and fun.

Parents, we need your help! Please email kbendix@powayusd.com if you're interested in helping support prize distribution at this event.

TK

Everett H., Ariana L.

Ayden W.

Emma G., Jonas Z., Yui I., Keziah P.

Sammy H., Brennan C.,

Sena G., Monroe C., Ella P., Nathan C., Auriella D, Andrew V.

Jordan R.,Devyn R.,Alyssa L., Aiden L., Allison Y., Quy N.

Dongbo Z., Joaquin M., Jason L.

Hello, Deer Canyon families,

This week, our 4th grade classrooms completed the Emotional Management Unit of our Second Step curriculum, with lessons on how to avoid jumping to conclusions, as well as resisting the urge for revenge – two common sources of conflict on any elementary school playground. I re-emphasized the importance of using our practiced calm down strategies proactively, before doing or saying something regrettable. We also spoke about the versatility of “Stop, Name your Feeling, Calm down”, and how those simple three steps can help them tame any wild emotion. Fifth graders will finish that same unit next week, before I introduce the District’s problem-solving curriculum.

Our DC Leaders met to clarify their schedules and expectations. I’m working with them to independently be responsible for their assigned duties and to be punctual. All the information for every team is posted next to my front door, so if they ever have questions, you can refer them there. Please note, because there is no school on Tuesday, March 11, our Beautification Team will be meeting on Monday to discuss some new activities as well as a recycling education video we will be creating.

A uniform update: I’m currently in a dispute with our T-shirt provider, who are attempting to charge us 300% more for the exact items we ordered for the fall team. The very same $11 t-shirt, they’re saying, now will cost $38. This is unacceptable in my opinion. I will keep you informed as my negotiations move forward. I do apologize for the delay and thank you for your patience.

Finally, our small counseling groups will be wrapping up this coming week, with a couple exceptions, due to scheduling conflicts. We will be starting with the spring sessions at the end of this month, continuing to focus on emotional regulation, growth mindset, and making friends. If you have any questions about these groups or their curriculum, please feel free to contact me any time.

If you haven’t yet, please check out the new DC Counseling & SEL website. You will find information about myself, our counseling vision, and a number of helpful resources for parents and students alike. It is accessible via the “Academics” tab of the Deer Canyon website, as well as right HERE.

Remember, 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.

Have a great week!