Parent Update- Back to School 7.24

Monthly district updates will return for the 2024-25 school year. As we prepare to open our doors for another #extraordinary school year this week on Thursday, August 1, this update provides important reminders and information to ensure a successful transition back to school!

Make sure to follow @DVUSD on Instagram, Facebook, X, and subscribe to the district's YouTube Channel (@deervalleyunified) to get the latest updates and check out what's going on around the district throughout the school year!

Your child's school website as well as the Deer Valley Unified School District webpage is full of tools and information on the upcoming school year. For start/dismissal times, school menus, bus information, school calendars, mass notification systems, and more, visit: dvusd.org/firstday. If you need to find information about bus routes for 2024-25, please go to: dvusd.org/busroutes.

We recognize that temperatures are high during these summer months. Please remind your students to drink plenty of water throughout the day and send them to school with a reusable water bottle. For all DVUSD heat related guidelines, visit: dvusd.org/heat

DVUSD Families,

It’s hard to believe that we are already back together again for the next school year! Whether your student is soaring in as a Skyhawk or an Eagle, ready and roaring as a Lion or a Bear, slithering in as a Viper or a Rattler, racing in as Stallion or a Colt, or riding in as a valiant Knight, we are looking forward to another #extraordinary year together.

I believe that the support and involvement of our families is pivotal in not only a student’s success in school, but the success of our schools in general. As we begin this school year together, I want to thank you for the continued support of DVUSD! By working together we can ensure the continued success of our district and continue to make DVUSD what I believe is one of the best school districts in the state of Arizona!

This is the start of year eight for me at DVUSD (with 26 total years as a superintendent!). You may see me at your student’s school or in their classrooms once again over the course of the year as I aim to visit 500 classrooms throughout DVUSD. These classroom and school visits give me the opportunity to see first hand the learning, growth, and development that happens each and every day at all of our schools.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter or Instagram @DrFinchDVUSD as the school year continues and I showcase the DVUSD difference - our students, schools, staff, and community!

Curtis Finch, PhD

DVUSD Superintendent

Back to school means the calendar starts to fill up with important dates! Find your student's meet the teacher night details at dvusd.org/meettheteacher

PowerSchools Registration Support has sent an email to you for each child you have in the district. You will receive a unique code for each enrolled student. Please complete these online forms as soon as possible. These electronic forms supply the school with up to date contact details for each child for the 2024-25 school year.

Please open, and respond to this email within 24 hours, so that the district will have the most accurate emergency contact information for your student(s), and verification internet usage preferences.

The email sent to you will be from:

PowerSchool Registration Support<noreplyregistration@powerschool.com>

This process is quick and replaces the paper forms sent home at the beginning of each school year. Please complete one form for each child in the district. These forms are required to be updated each year.

Applying for free or reduced-price meals is as EZ as ABC! If your child currently receives free or reduced-price meals at his/her school, last year’s meal applications are due to expire September 12. To avoid any lapse in meal and other benefits, please submit a meal application online at www.EZMEALAPP.com by September 11.

Students at Constitution Elementary School, Deer Valley Middle School, Esperanza Elementary School, Mirage Elementary School, Park Meadows Elementary School, Paseo Hills School, Sunrise Elementary School, and Village Meadows Elementary School DO NOT need to apply as their meals are paid for through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) this school year.

Learn more at DVUSD.org/foodandnutrition

DVUSD is pleased to announce that all meal prices will remain the same for the 2024-2025 school year, despite rising food costs.

Free meal benefits are available for qualifying households and students attending one of our Community Eligibility Schools. For more information regarding pricing, meal benefits, Community Eligibility, menus, lunch accounts, payments, meal charge policy and more, visit: DVUSD.org/menus.

All students key in their ID number on a pin pad when they go through the breakfast and/or lunch line to make a purchase. When a student is enrolled in school, they are given an ID number from the school’s front office that they will keep throughout their time at DVUSD. If you do not know your students' ID number, please contact your school.

Parents can add money to a student’s account in three different ways:

1. Cash: Students may buy meals with cash or add cash to their account in the cafeteria.
2. Check: Students may bring a check with their student ID number and current phone number on it to the cafeteria to be added to their account.
3. Online: Payments can be made at EZSchoolPay.com using Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card.

Meal Prices

All Schools-Breakfast

$1.50

K-8 - Lunch

$2.95

High School - Lunch

$3.50

The Edulog mobile bus schedule app used by DVUSD high school students last school year is now available to all K-12 students!

Scan the QR code on the flyer below to download the app. Then input your child's name, student number, and birthdate, and you'll have real-time bus schedules at your fingertips any time.

Download the Edulog parent portal for information on how to find your bus and bus stop, or scan the QR code on the flyer below. Routes are still being finalized and information will be available on the app before the start of school.

Parents and students will be able to see only the stop location, pick up, and drop off times for routes.

Learn more at DVUSD.org/busroutes.

It’s not too late to register your child for DVUSD Kindergarten! If your child will be five years old before September 1, 2024, register your student today for 2024-25 Kindergarten! The process is quick and completely online. Visit: dvusd.org/register to register today.

If your child is between the ages of 3-5 and not yet enrolled in Kindergarten, sign them up for DVUSD’s Big Kid Book Club! We will periodically send your child a free book in the mail along with activities and helpful advice for parents and guardians that will help them prepare to be a student at DVUSD!

If you have a child who will be attending a DVUSD preschool, information can be found here: dvusd.org/preschool. If you have a child you would like to attend preschool and have not yet registered, please reach out to Traci Piccoli at Traci.Piccoli@dvusd.org, or 623-376-3979. Space is available at a few of our locations - but programs are filling quickly!

Hurry - it is time to register for Before & After Care for the 2024-2025 school year. Many DVUSD programs still have spots available! Visit www.dvusd.org/CommunityEd for site locations and rate information.

DVUSD Educational Services will be considering new curriculum resources to support teaching and learning in our Higher Level International Baccalaureate Biology, Physics, and Chemistry classes in grades 11 and 12 (high school juniors and senior classes) and the Arizona State Standards for 8th Grade Science.

The district is looking for parents and community members to participate in the committee. Applications will be accepted until August 16, 2024. Apply Here.

Please make sure to block off the dates for mandatory committee meeting attendance August 22, August 29, September 19 and November 5.

On November 5, 2024, voters living within the DVUSD boundaries will have the opportunity to vote on two initiatives passed by the DVUSD governing board for public authorization:

• Special Bond Election in the amount of $325 million to fund safety, security, instructional resources, technology, building renewal, conservation, buses, and student growth through the year 2029.
• Continuation of the existing 15% maintenance and operation (M&O) override. The 2019 voter approved override will be entering the phase down period, and vital funds (approximately $33 million) will no longer be available after December 31, 2024.

Learn what this special bond would fund at our Bond FAQ page.

Learn what the M&O Override funds at our Override FAQ page.

From the court to the stage, athletically, academically, and even our schools and staff had a banner year of success in 2023-24! Before we start achieving together in 2024-25 take a look back on the many accomplishments of our students, staff, and schools in this #extraordinary achievements booklet!