Deer Canyon Echoes
April 26, 2024
To Do
- Check out the minutes from the April 24 DCPSO meeting.
- New Student Enrollment is open.
- Order DCES Spirit Wear.
Save the Date
April
- 4/26 - TONIGHT! DC Dining @ Chuck E. Cheese - 3 to 9 pm
May
- 5/3 - FUNky Friday @ 9 am
- 5/3 - Coffee with the Principal @ 9:30 am
- 5/3 - BMX Assembly
- 5/6 to 5/10 - Staff Appreciation Week
- 5/6 - CAASPP Testing begins (5th grade)
- 5/8 - Walk/Bike/Roll to School Day
- 5/8 - DC Dining @ The Kebab Shop
- 5/9 - Deer Dash Fun Run
- 5/13 - CAASPP Testing (3rd-5th grade)
- 5/15 - DCPSO Meeting @ 5 pm
- 5/17 - Family Movie Night
- 5/23 - Volunteer Tea
- 5/27 - Memorial Day (no school)
- 5/28 - Choir Concert
- 5/29 - Band Concert
- 5/31 - FUNky Friday @ 9 am
- 5/31 - Family Fun Night
June
- 6/4 - DC Dining @ Urban Thai
- 6/5 - 5th Grade Promotion @ 9 am
Principal's Message 📚
Good evening, Deer Canyon Families!
It was a blast to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math with so many of you and our community partners at last Friday’s STEAM Night! Thank you to Mrs. Harris, Janine Barrueta, and all parent volunteers who helped make the evening happen. If you weren’t able to make it, check out this video compiled by Mrs. Welty and shared with students in class this week.
This week was bustling with Earth Day activities and trash clean-up, a School Site Council meeting to launch the drafting of our 2024-25 School Plan for Student Achievement, a day of celebrating our office staff on Administrative Professionals Day, and an XP Friday! Phew, what a week! Please join me in thanking our hardworking office team that keeps all things running smoothly at Deer Canyon. Their dedication to our students and families is beyond compare. I am so proud to serve our school community alongside such wonderful people.
Next week, we’ll be spending the week diving deeper into our learning, gearing up for CAASPP testing, revisiting end-of-year Deer Canyon expectations, and continuing our planning for next school year. We look forward to recognizing our Teacher, Classified Staff, and Volunteer of the Year (all announced in last week’s Echoes), Nutrition Services staff, and more at FUNky Friday. Please plan to join us!
3rd-5th Grade Families: CAASPP Testing
Please review previous editions of Echoes for more detailed information.
Monday and Tuesday, May 6 and 7: CAST Testing (5th grade only)
Monday and Tuesday, May 13 and 14: Math Testing (all 3rd-5th grade)
Monday-Wednesday, May 20 to 22: ELA Testing (all 3rd-5th grade)
Planning for Next School Year
As a reminder, Deer Canyon’s start time will be 8:45 every day for the 2024-25 school year.
It’s the time of year when we are planning in earnest for the coming school year! In late May and June, we will build classes for next year based on our anticipated enrollment numbers. If you would like to contribute to the process for your student(s), your input must be received by Wednesday, May 8. Information and input that is most helpful describes your child as a learner and the environment in which they are most successful. It is not recommended to request a specific teacher, as staffing often changes as we progress through the planning stages.
Through multidisciplinary collaboration with grade-level teams, I will orchestrate the class building process to ensure balanced classes in which students are best set up to thrive next school year. Please know that there are a myriad of factors that contribute to class placement; parent/guardian feedback is part of the process, but does not guarantee a specific placement.
You may provide input by delivering a letter to the office or sending me an email. Please submit a separate letter or email for each student. If submitting a printed letter, please include your student’s name, grade, and student ID number. If submitting your request via email, please format the subject line as “Student Name, Student Grade: Class Placement Parent Input.” Thank you!
2024-25 ESS Interest Application
There is a new, centralized application management system for families interested in applying for before and/or after school program services through Extended Student Services (ESS). If you are interested in the program for the upcoming 2024-25 school year, please visit the ESS webpage for the latest information on the lottery draw and enrollment timeline. If you need help submitting an interest application or have questions about the ESS program, please send a message to enrollment-ess@powayusd.com.
New Student Enrollment
New student enrollment is still open! CLICK HERE for details. Please share this news with any new families you know who may need to enroll their children in school:
Poway Unified School District is currently enrolling new students for the 2024-25 school year! PUSD Enrollment is an online process. Packets are completed digitally using any computer, tablet, or smartphone with an internet connection. You can contact your assigned school of residence to schedule an appointment if you do not have access to a device/internet or if you need assistance with completing the online enrollment packet. Please visit the PUSD Enrollment page for directions and access to the online enrollment portal.
PUSD offers Transitional Kindergarten (TK); TK is designed as the first year of a two-year kindergarten program using a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate. EC Section 48000 [d]. Students who participate in TK will attend school daily for a partial day, including a scheduled lunch and recess. Contact your neighborhood school for specific hours and details.
For the 2024-25 school year, if your child's 5th birthday is between September 2, 2024, and June 2, 2025, (born between September 2, 2019, and June 2, 2020), you are eligible to enroll your child in Transitional Kindergarten. Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, PUSD will provide optional TK enrollment to all eligible 4 year olds within the Poway Unified School District. We are currently in the fourth year of a phased-in process.
We can’t wait to meet our new students! School starts on August 21 for the 2024-25 school year.
Families of students served through Special Education
Community is important to us here at Deer Canyon and our parent ambassadors want to connect with you on whatever level you need: general camaraderie, answering questions, or sharing their own experiences. Sometimes, simply connecting with another person through a shared experience can be powerful. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the PUSD parent ambassadors with students at Deer Canyon, Michael Matsuda and Stacy Zhang, using THIS FORM.
Have a wonderful weekend, Deer Canyon!
Katie Bendix
Principal
Upcoming Events
TONIGHT: DC Dining at Chuck E. Cheese
Get ready for some good cheesy fun at Chuck E. Cheese on Friday, April 26, from 3 to 9 pm at the Mira Mesa/Scripps Ranch location (near Trader Joe’s and Breakfast Republic).
Pizza, games and Chuck E. Cheese himself! It will be a blast — don’t miss out! Meet up with friends and family for some pizza, skeeball, pop-a-shot, video games and more.
Deer Canyon PSO will receive 20% of all food, merchandise and games sales during the event. Make sure to tell them at the registers that you’re there for Deer Canyon and/or show them your flyer (mobile or paper). See flyer for details and important coupons, including free play points and tickets. Flyers will be in today’s Friday folders. We hope to see you there!
Never been to Chuck E. Cheese? Check out this promo video and restaurant menu. For more info, visit their website.
Staff Appreciation Week: May 6-10
Staff Appreciation Week is coming up May 6-10. Our school theme is "In Our DC Staff Appreciation Era." Please be on the lookout for more information from your room parents in the upcoming week!
Razan Lin
VP Programs
Deer Dash Fun Run: May 9
Hey Deer Canyon! Get ready for our annual Deer Dash Fun Run on Thursday, May 9!
This year, things may look a bit different, as Deer Dash is a “Fun Run” only -- no fundraising involved! We will still be running laps, having fun, and earning our popsicle parties.
We encourage parents to come join the fun and add to the exciting energy by cheering on their runner(s) and signing up to help mark laps, distribute popsicles, or simply be part of the general cheering section!
CLICK HERE to sign up to volunteer for a role at Deer Dash: big or small, in whole or in part! Check out the running schedule below.
If you have questions or would like to help us plan the event, please email Eve: president@deercanyonpso.org
Important Updates
ESS Summer and Fall Enrollment
Summer ESS 2024
Summer ESS enrollment is closed. Current families that missed the original deadline or new families that missed the new family summer registration deadline can complete our Summer Wait List Survey.
THIS DOES NOT guarantee enrollment, and families may be contacted in the order they were received, permitted there is space in the corresponding grade. This is for a Wait List only; grade and space permitting. There is a very good chance you are not contacted at all.
Fall ESS 2024
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR TK-5 FAMILIES NEW TO PUSD IN 24-25
We want to inform you about a slight change in the enrollment process for our incoming Kindergarten/TK and new students to PUSD.
In previous communications, we mentioned that you could fill out the interest list for ESS before enrolling and being accepted into the school. However, we have received updated information that the process will now require you to enroll in school first and be accepted before being placed on the ESS interest list.
Once you have successfully enrolled, been accepted into the school, and received an email with your new PUSD parent account, you will be able to proceed with the ESS Interest Application. You will need to use the PUSD parent account that you receive from the district, via email, once you are accepted into the school to fill out the application. Since enrollment will be done by lottery, there is no advantage or disadvantage having to wait to apply.
Families Interested in ESS for the 2024-2025 School Year
Parents of new students should fill out the interest form after their registration packet has been accepted by the school.
CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT INTEREST FORM
Thank you,
DC ESS Supervisory Team
Show Your School Spirit with DCES Spirit Wear
Make Friday mornings a little easier by ordering Spirit Wear!
Our Spirit Wear shop is open and taking orders. Choose from a variety of options: tie-dye T-shirts (perfect for FUNky Fridays), cartoon T-shirts (perfect for kids — and adults!), school logo T-shirts, hoodies (perfect for the cold weather), zip-up jackets and more.
Orders are placed online and can be delivered to DCES for free.
Questions: Please contact Razan Lin rbattikha@gmail.com