Deer Canyon Echoes

Good evening, Deer Canyon Families:

Today (and always!) Deer Canyon was the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH! We enjoyed Disney Day together, and campus was bustling with princesses, Spider-Men, Disney ears, and more! Now, families and loved ones are well into their travels around the globe at Family Heritage Night. More to report on this amazing event next week.

It was wonderful to return to campus on Monday after a week away. On Monday, our fifth graders had the privilege of enjoying their hard work and preparation come together on their BizTown field trip! BizTown is a simulated mini-city where students engage in hands-on learning by operating businesses, managing finances, and participating in civic activities to understand real-world economics. We are very fortunate to have this opportunity nearby!

On Wednesday, various clubs and the entire fifth grade class smiled wide for our panoramic Yearbook photos. I can’t wait to see how they turn out! Finally, on Thursday, fourth graders deepened their knowledge of the Gold Rush through hands-on learning with Julian Mining Company.

I would like to extend heartfelt acknowledgments to our Muslim students and families during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan begins today, February 28, and is a time of reflection, spiritual growth, and communal unity. We understand the significance of this month and recognize the commitment of those observing it. To further support our students during this period, we encourage families to reach out to classroom teachers or the school office if they wish to share information about Ramadan practices or request increased check-ins on their students. Your collaboration helps us create an inclusive and supportive environment for all members of our community.

Next week Deer Canyon will dive into reading during our annual Read-a-Thon! Each morning, I will be sharing class-wide progress and celebrating the amazing accomplishments of our students. There will also be other individual and collective prizes to earn! I am eager to see if we can surpass our schoolwide reading minutes from last year.

Additionally, our Safety Committee meets on Monday, the Westview Ambassadors join us for a fun playdate on Wednesday, and we'll wrap up the week with our favorite: FUNky Friday! Please note: FUNky Friday will be held in the MPR this month. Parents, please plan to join us at the MPR doors closest to the parking lot. Due to scheduling conflicts, there will not be a Coffee with the Principal on March 7. Instead, I encourage you to review the School Site Council agenda, which will be posted on the same day, for important updates and data that would have been discussed during Coffee with the Principal.

Mark your calendar for Wellness Week: April 28-May 2! We look forward to offering morning, classroom, and recess activities for our students. Parents, if you’re interested in getting involved in the planning or execution of the week’s events, please contact me.

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

Today is the last day Poway Unified will be conducting our Family Engagement and Accountability survey to gather input from all families of English Learner students. This survey helps shape the District’s goals and guide priorities for the 2025-2026 school year. Your feedback is extremely helpful as we continue to seek ways to better our English Learner program. Please click HERE to complete the survey.

DELAC (District English Learner Advisory Committee) meeting

Our next DELAC 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!

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

Katie Bendix

Principal

Through our Caught Being Kind program, students are recognized by a staff member for exemplifying respect for themself, others, or the environment. Each week, students that were “caught being kind” the week before are announced over the loudspeaker. These students then come to the office for an in-person message from me, an opportunity to “Feed the Herd” and make progress toward our whole-school prize, and we take a group photo together! First-time Caught Being Kind students receive a small prize, which is distributed by their teacher.

I am excited to share with you the names of students who were Caught Being Kind between February 3-February 14! We are almost to a schoolwide prize…I’d project sometime in March! Be sure to swing by the office to check out the Caught Being Kind board and our Feed the Herd bucket!

TK

Leo W., Daniella G., Brooklyn, Ben L.

Davie G., Ella J., Kase D., Luciana C., Sasha S., Avah S.

Mika, Carmelo A., Avery L., Lok Yan A., Mei C., Brodie S., Grayson

Ben P., Arda S., Elle D., Sammy H.

Jay P., Chace C., Ethan H.,Calvin B., Theodore S., Hamza S.,Yazhini R., Aribella C., Jibreel N., Braddock S., Krithish A., Auri D., Gracie W., Andrew V., Kobe L., Jayden M.

Evelyn S., Ed P., Damon S., Lincoln K., Noah B., Alekhya M., Callan F.

Yahel G., Lennox S., Daniel Z.

Hello, Deer Canyon families:

I hope you are all faring well in the harsh San Diego winter. Wow, what a beautiful week it was. …And a busy one, too.

In our Second Step curriculum, we’re nearing the end of our Emotional Management Unit. Students were all taught to use three easy steps for when they need to control any intense emotion, be it anger, anxiety, fear, whatever. Ask your student to explain “Stop, Name your feeling, Calm down.” The goal is for students to recognize the onset of strong feelings and use this strategy for maintaining self-control, before they lose their cool.

This trimester’s small counseling groups will be wrapping up shortly, with a few exceptions, due to scheduling. We will be starting with the spring sessions toward the end of March, continuing to focus on emotional regulation, growth mindset, and making friends.

Our DC Leaders were busy as well. On Tuesday, our Inspire Team visited classrooms, promoting Caught You Being Kind and our Feed the Herd Box. Any student “caught” exemplifying respect to themselves, others, or the environment may receive a “CYBK” notice. All those slips are put into the Feed the Herd Box, which is almost full. Once that box is full, the kids will get a schoolwide prize.

They also informed students about today’s Spirit Day (Disney Day), as well as this evening’s Family Heritage Night. Meanwhile, our Positivity team was looking ahead to next week's FUNky Friday prep. I’m also planning for the Beautification team to start on a recycling education campaign next week. I’m still awaiting a delivery date on the spring team’s uniforms, and will share that info with you as soon as possible.

Wednesday, our campus Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Team met with district colleagues to plan for Deer Canyon’s application for state certification. PBIS is a school-wide approach to help students develop positive behaviors and reduce problem behaviors, by focusing on prevention rather than punishment.

If you haven’t yet, please check out the recently launched 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!

- Mr. Higgins