- ESS Families: Please consider contributing to our ESS Holiday Gift.
- Contact Maha (melmeniawy@powayusd.com) if you're interested in leading a lunchtime craft or activity in recognition of a December cultural celebration recognized in your home.
- Order DCES Spirit Wear.
Save the Date
November
11/25 to 11/29 - Fall Break (no school or ESS)
December
- 12/2 - School Site Council Meeting @ 7:45 am in Room 14
- 12/4 - Progress Reports available to view in ParentVue at 5 pm
- 12/6 - Winter Movie Night - doors open @ 5:30 pm
- 12/9 - Deadline to contribute to the ESS Holiday Gift
- 12/10 to 12/12 - Winter Wonderland Holiday Shop
- 12/11 - Last day to contribute to the Giving Tree program
12/13 - Holiday Bazaar @ 5:30 to 8 pm
12/16 - DC Dining @ Chipotle (Carmel Mountain Plaza) @ 4 to 8 pm
12/20 - Spirit Day - Pajama Day!
12/20 - Deadline to purchase tickets for the SD Gulls Hockey Night & Performance (details below)
12/23 to 1/3 - Winter Break (no school or ESS)
January
- 1/6 - School resumes
- 1/20 - MLK Day (no school)
- 1/27 - Professional Growth Day (no school)
- 1/29 - Winter Recital @ 6 pm
- 1/31 - SD Gulls Hockey Night & Performance
Good evening, Deer Canyon Families!
As we embark on our week off from school, it is the perfect time to reflect on all the things I am thankful for. My list is about 500 items long because it includes each of YOU! Here are just a few of the many things I am grateful for:
Our Supportive Community: Strong partnerships with our families and community, which play a vital role in enhancing our students’ educational experience and fostering a sense of belonging in each space on campus, each day.
Our Dedicated Staff: Our committed and collaborative staff work tirelessly to meet the needs of each student, ensuring a positive learning environment filled with innovation, creativity, and joy.
Joyful Moments with Students: I cherish the small, sweet moments shared with students. I’m driven and inspired by their enthusiasm when sharing their learning with me, showing me a new playground game, or highlighting the new friendships they’ve built. Each of our students so valuably contribute to our vibrant school culture — DCES wouldn’t be the same without each individual!
After what I’m sure were meaningful conversations during Conference Week, we look forward to recharging over the Fall Break and returning for a few weeks of intentional planning, learning, and growth.
As a reminder, Synergy ParentVUE online access to progress reports will be available Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 5 pm. Click on these links — English Spanish — to access progress reports in Synergy ParentVUE. Parents can access the Trimester 1 Parent-Friendly page 3 through the PUSD website (Parent Resources) by clicking HERE.
Additional events this week included a Kindergarten ABC Parade that was full of adorable, crafty, and educational alphabet vests! Check out @deercanyonpusd on Instagram for pictures!
When we return from Fall Break, it will already be December! In the spirit of giving, Deer Canyon will again participate in our annual Giving Tree from today through Dec. 11. This event is supported by our DC Leaders and Mr. Higgins. Please consider contributing what you can to support Deer Canyon families this season. Information is included below!
In preparation for the fast and furious winter season, we're already looking for parent volunteers to lead a lunchtime craft or activity in recognition of any December cultural celebration that is recognized in your home. As an educational institution, we are committed to finding regular opportunities to teach our students about the beauty in various cultures and celebrations, recognizing and highlighting our school’s diverse community. Please contact Maha (melmeniawy@powayusd.com) if you’re interested. We will work with teams of parents to develop school-appropriate, educationally-based activities and determine the best date(s) for these activities.
I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming December events: Movie Night (Dec. 6), Winter Wonderland Holiday Shop (Dec 10 to 12), Holiday Bazaar (Dec. 13), and Dec. 20th’s PAJAMA DAY!
Please be sure to bookmark the Deer Canyon school calendar and follow us on Instagram (@DeerCanyonPUSD) for event information, reminders, and celebrations!
Have a wonderful weekend, Deer Canyon!
Katie Bendix
Principal
Giving Tree: Accepting Donations Through Dec. 11
Deer Canyon’s participation in our community’s Giving Tree program is beginning Nov. 22 and will end Dec. 11.
The Giving Tree will be available daily at the Main Gates starting Monday, Dec. 2. You can remove a tag from the tree and Venmo the amount directly to @deercanyonpso or return a purchased gift card to the Main Office. If you’d prefer to simply Venmo a dollar amount, all donations are welcome and appreciated! We will distribute packages of gift cards to our selected Deer Canyon Giving Tree families during the week of Dec. 16.
Please make your donation by Dec. 11. If electing to Venmo your donation, please Venmo @deercanyonpso and include the subject line “Giving Tree Donation __(Store Name)_Gift Card.” Store names include Gas Station, Grocery, Amazon, or Target.
Deer Canyon has always been incredibly generous with their gifts, and we thank you in advance for your continuing support as we sponsor new families this holiday season.
Thank you for your continued participation and generosity!
Conference Week was far from business as usual in the counseling world. Since minimum days leave barely enough time to cover core curriculum, there were no scheduled groups or SEL classes.
However, I did finish last week’s anti-bullying lesson with students who didn’t hear it previously. To recap, we talked about the common forms of bullying and the various ways they can prevent them at Deer Canyon. We discussed the importance of being an “upstander” – someone who stands up to bullying by being a buddy to the target, distracting the aggressor, speaking out against it themselves, or telling an adult. We posed various bullying scenarios and discussed the possible options for each situation.
I again chose to highlight the Bystander Effect — that people are less likely to be helpful as the number of bystanders increases. Individually, humans are prone to lend a hand when they see someone needing assistance. Sadly, however, there is a “diffusion of responsibility” coming to someone’s aid as the crowd size grows because everyone assumes that someone else will step in and save the day. I remind them that today “that someone” might be them, and encourage them to do the right thing.
The downtime in class was beneficial, as I could begin to prepare for this year’s No Place For Hate activities, Hope Squad, next trimester’s group needs, and review some curriculum ideas. We will begin with new groups in January, as well as another spring session starting in March.
Additionally, our DC Leaders Safety Team got a refresher course on their own safe practices and a reminder on the importance of being able to responsibly follow a schedule. Kudos to our Beautification Team, who are doing a fabulous job, too. Thank you for being so self-sufficient, while also helping us do our part to recycle and conserve valuable resources. Positivity and Inspire Teams are prepping for The Giving Tree campaign, our upcoming FUNky Friday, and other holiday activities.
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.
Halloween Candy Buy Back Update
Wow Deer Canyon, way to collect all that extra candy!
We donated 170.6 lbs. of candy this year, earning our school $100 (50¢ per lb.; Sunray generously rounded up with an extra $15). In previous years, we've collected as “little” as 145 lbs. and as much as 196 lbs. Thank you to all who participated!
With 10 schools participating, the total weight of candy collected was 990.9 lbs! Check out some photos of Sunray Pediatric Dentistry boxing up the candy and sending it off to the Soldiers Angels program for U.S. troops overseas.
We're sending a BIG thank you to Sunray Pediatric Dentistry for putting on this fundraiser and for being such great partners with our school. We appreciate you so much!
Give Back to DC on Giving Tuesday - Dec. 3
Giving Tuesday has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
Many people perform an act of kindness or volunteer work on this day, while others donate to their philanthropy of choice. Many companies use it as another opportunity to provide a company match before the end of their fiscal year.
What will you consider doing to “give back” to Deer Canyon this Dec. 3?
Here are a few ideas to think about in honor of this special day:
If you haven’t already donated to DCPSO this year or if you’re in a generous holiday mood, please consider a donation toward our annual goal of $99,000, and/or check with your employer to see if they will enable a company match. Every little bit helps a lot! We've earned over $50,000 so far this year, and company matches are still coming in. Please reference our PSO budget here to better understand our goal and how we spend these funds. Links for supporting DC are below.
Ask your child's teacher if they need any supplies replenished and help to purchase some of them, or purchase items from their wish list if they have one.
In January, sign up to volunteer your time to help our DCPSO put on events for students and families. Lots of great opportunities coming. If you can’t wait until then, please reach out to Kristina Boeing at volunteer@deercanyonpso.org to see how you can help now.
Thank you for your consideration and support!
- DCPSO Venmo link (@deercanyonpso)
- DCPSO PayPal link
- PUSD Company Matching Search Here
- Checks can be made payable to “Deer Canyon Parent Staff Organization” or “DCPSO”
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
