Dragon Dispatch

Wednesday, December 11

• School Site Council Meeting, 3:30pm

Thursday, December 12

• Writing Benchmark for Grades 2-8

Tuesday, December 17

• ELA Benchmark for Grades 2-8
• Kindergarten Violin Promotion, 6:00pm

Wednesday, December 18

• Math Benchmark for Grades 2-8

• Family Engagement Team Meeting, 2:00pm

Thursday, December 19

• Volleyball Classic Staff/Parent Game vs. Volleyball Teams (Middle School Girls' Game @ 8:50 & Middle School Boys' Game @ 9:10)

Friday, December 20

• No School -- Grading Day

Monday, December 23 -- Friday, January 3

• No School -- Winter Break

Monday, January 6

• School Resumes

Monday, January 20

• No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Wednesday, January 29

• No School - Staff Professional Development

Thursday, December12

• Middle School Boys' Volleyball Playoff Game at Catalina High School

Winter Break 12/20-1/3

Benchmark Testing

School Site Council Meeting Tomorrow (12/11)

Spirit Week Next Week

Free After School Dance Class

March Book Madness!

Hat/Sock/Glove and Hygiene Product Drive

Kindergarten Violin Promotion 12/17

December PTG Meeting Cancelled

T-Shirt Order Follow Up

Science Event Opportunity for High School Students

Reminder: Donate Part of Your Taxes to Drachman!

Reminder: Register for Next Year!

Reminder: Magnet Lottery for 2025-2026 Now Open!

Reminder: After-School ACE Program for Spring Semester

Reminder: Salvation Army Christmas Angel Tree

Reminder: Yearbooks on Sale!

December Dragons of the Month

There is no school on Friday, December 20 for Grading Day. School will also be closed for winter break from December 22 through January 3. School resumes on January 6.

End-of-Quarter Benchmark testing begins Thursday for 2nd through 8th grade students. On Thursday, December 12, students will take the writing benchmark. The ELA benchmark is on Tuesday, December 17 and the Math Benchmark is on Wednesday, December 18. Makeup testing is scheduled for Thursday, December 19.

Please make an effort to have your students at school on time and well-rested, encourage them to eat a good breakfast on testing days, and if possible, schedule appointments outside of these times.

We invite you to join us for the School Site Council meeting tomorrow (Wednesday, December 11), starting at 3:30pm. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria, or you can join us online. All are welcome.

Next week, December 16-19, is Spirit Week! We hope you'll join in the fun on the following themed days:

• Monday 12/16: Holiday Head Gear
• -Tuesday 12/17: Whoville Day
• -Wednesday 12/18: Holiday Sweater Day
• -Thursday 12/19: PJ Day

We are excited to be able to again offer a free dance class after school for elementary students on Tuesdays from 3:00 to 3:45 starting the week after winter break (on January 7). To participate, please return the “informed consent” form below to Wendy Gordon Weeks, Magnet Coordinator. Email Ms. Weeks with any questions and scanned consent forms.

We are excited to grow our love of reading by participating in “March Book Madness” again this year! Like basketball’s March Madness, there are sixteen books in a bracket. Students will vote on which they like better in each pair, and winners of each round will go against each other, until finally one book is chosen as the favorite! This is a national (and even international) phenomenon, so not only will we be choosing Drachman’s favorite, we’ll get to see how our favorites compare to other schools’ favorites!

We think this will be a fun opportunity to build students’ excitement about reading and get them talking about books! It will also build community since most of our classrooms will be reading these books! If your student was here last year, they likely remember it! Our favorite book last year was "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt.

You might be thinking -- it's December, why are we talking about March Madness right now?! We actually begin reading the books in January, and it can take some time for books to arrive, and we need your help!

We are hoping you can help us with getting copies of the books for the project. We’ve made an Amazon wishlist with all the books we’ll need to do this. There are a variety of prices, and used copies are fine. We’d prefer hardcover books if possible. After all the classes have had the opportunity to read them, we will add them to the school library. The wish list should direct the purchases for you, but if it does not, the books should go to Wendy Weeks, Magnet Coordinator, who is coordinating this project, and the school address is 1085 S. 10th Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Weeks.

Thank you so much for your support!

The Drachman Student Council & 5th Graders will be collecting socks, hats, gloves, etc., personal hygiene products, and school supplies for the Youth on Their Own Organization and other local charities. Please note that personal hygiene products must be full size products (NOT travel sizes). Items can be submitted to the donation boxes which are located in the classrooms.

Please donate new items to benefit those in need. Note that the last day they will be able to accept items is Wednesday, December 18. Thank you!

Kindergarten will have their Violin Promotion Ceremony on Tuesday, December 17 at 6:00pm in the cafeteria. Be sure to join us! Please note that participating students must be in the cafeteria by 5:45 pm.

View the Kindergarten Violin Promotion flyer.

The December meeting of Drachman's Parent Teacher Group (scheduled for December 18) is cancelled. We hope you will join us for the next one on Wednesday, January 29 at 3:00pm. All are welcome!

If you ordered a shirt through Mrs. Weeks, the shirts should be distributed by the end of the week to the students. If you were not able to place an order but still want a Drachman shirt, you can always order through the PTG's online shop.

If you have a high school student in your family:

High school students are encouraged to register for a Biosphere 2 event on Martin Luther King weekend (Jan.17-19). Participants will design a space settlement on Mars and learn how engineering industries work. Students will be selected from this event to compete in the International Space Settlement Design Competition at Kennedy Space Center this summer!

This event is geared toward high schoolers, grades 9-12. The $125 registration fee pays for a dorm room for two nights at Biosphere 2, and meals from Friday night through Sunday morning (and a t-shirt).

We invite you to support Drachman’s mission to provide exceptional opportunities for our students. This year, we are raising funds for essential programs such as our Greenhouse projects (Gardening and Ecology Projects), interscholastic sports fees so all children can participate in sports, field trip experiences, and music programs. Your tax credit donations make it possible for all families to access these enrichment activities without added costs.

Arizona residents can directly benefit Drachman by redirecting their state tax dollars to cover field trip expenses, support music programs, and provide resources for student-athletes. Married couples filing jointly may contribute up to $400, and individuals up to $200. Every donation—big or small—brings us closer to our goals, and you'll receive the full amount back on your state tax return.

The deadline to donate for this fiscal year is December 31st, 2024. Donations can be made online or in person at Drachman. Steps for making on online donation are attached.

Thank you for considering Drachman for your tax credit donation this year.

Online registration for the next school year is now available! Please register NOW for next school year to help Drachman get maximum funding and keep all current teaching and staff positions! We need all returning students/families in grades Kindergarten through 7th grade to do this as soon as possible! It’s easy: just open your ParentVUE account and follow the registration steps. Also, please let us know if you have a child who will enter kindergarten at Drachman next year!

Applications are now available for the magnet school lottery. 8th graders hoping to attend Tucson High or Palo Verde next year will want to get their applications in as soon as possible. For more information about either school or to schedule a tour, please email Tucson High’s Magnet Coordinator, Ms. Mariel Hall or email Palo Verde’s Magnet Coordinator, Ms. Jenn Maynard.

Also, if you know anyone who would like to join the Drachman Montessori community next year, please encourage them to put in an application. Email Ms. Wendy Weeks, Drachman’s Magnet Coordinator, with any questions. Families can also sign up online for tours of Drachman.

Applications for all magnet schools are online now. For the best chance of being accepted to the magnet school of your choice, your application should be submitted by the first week of January at the latest. You can apply to multiple magnet schools with one application. Questions about the lottery or the application process can be directed to the Student Placement and Enrollment office by email or by phone at (520) 225-6400.

Please notify Dr. Celaya if you would like your child(ren) to be in the after-school ACE program as soon as possible, and be prepared to submit the $400 fee for the spring semester.

The Salvation Army Christmas Angel Tree Online Toy Registration began on November 4th. Families that are interested in signing up for the program can login on the Angel Tree website -- the registration will remain open until all 1,500 spots are filled. You will need to enter your zip code; however no invitation code is needed. If you have any questions, you can email Adriana Manrique. Thank you!

Yearbooks for this school year are currently on sale for $10 each. The price will go up as the deadline gets closer, so order now to get yours at this discounted early bird price! You can purchase a yearbook on the TUSD Payment Portal, with your student’s ID number as the user name (this can be found on ParentVue), and the student’s last name as the password. Please note that yearbooks must be pre-ordered. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Amanda Laub, who is coordinating the yearbook.

Congratulations to the following students, who were our Dragons of the Month for December!

Ms. Garlovsky

Emily Rose M.J.

Skylur L.

Ms. Patty & Ms. Christine

Benjamin M.

Sabrina M.

Ms. Morola

Paulette V.

Ms. Rebecca & Ms. Elisa

Anthony S.

Apollo E.

Arian G.

Arthur M.

Ms. Amanda

Albert M.

Mayte M.

Ms. Nye

Roberto R.

Susanna S.

Ms. Christina

Romeo H.

Ms. Julie

Jose O.

Ms. M & Ms. S

Christopher A.

Jacob S.

Leroy M.

S.A.

Mr. Haro

Ezekiel L.

Jayla P.

Mr. Evans

Grant C.

Juniper M.

Ms. Hemperley

William M.

Ms. Bury

James M.

K.P.

Mr. Flewelling

Emiliano L.M.

Penelope T.

Ms. Pardee

Cruz S.

Jordon H.

Ms. Russell

Laila G.

Otto K.

Ms. Tapia

A.Q.

Axel B.

N.Q.

Ms. Muñoz

Isabella M.

Max B.

Our Mission:

Drachman Montessori K-8 Magnet nurtures the whole child, helps students discover their cosmic task and role as citizens of the world, and guides students to achieve individual excellence.