Deer Canyon Echoes

• Last call! ESS Families, please consider contributing to our ESS Holiday Gift by Dec. 9.
  
• 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

December

• 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

• 12/12 to 12/19: Girl Scouts Food Drive

• 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
• 1/14 - DC Dining @ Kebab Shop (Carmel Mountain Plaza) @ all day
• 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:

I hope this edition of Echoes finds you bundled up enjoying "Abominable" on the DCES blacktop with your family! I’m sad to be missing tonight’s event due to a family need. I look forward to seeing photos and hearing about the community connection that took place.

It was wonderful to return to campus this week and see our students’ smiling faces. I swear, I noticed growth in many of our students — it’s growth spurt time! This week, we returned to typical classroom learning, with a bit of winter holiday exploration and fun.

On Monday, our School Site Council approved DC’s Comprehensive School Safety Plan for the 2025-26 school year. This plan will be available on our website once it is PUSD Board-approved in January.

On Tuesday night, I was a part of our PUSD Equity Advisory Committee meeting, and I am excited about the next steps for our work in PUSD! Yesterday, our Musical Theater program performed a rendition of Alice in Wonderland. Our students blew me away with their talent, memorization, and the way they made their characters come alive! Today, we had a blast at December’s FUNky Friday, where DC Leaders, Westview Ambassadors, AND our third graders performed songs and skits about RESPECT!

PARENTS/GUARDIANS: We need your help reminding students of school entry and hallway expectations! Recently, we've noticed an increase in the number of students congregating at the Main Gates before 8:20am, then rushing, sometimes pushing, and running through the halls when the gates open. We ask that you assist us in a safe and orderly entry to campus.

Please ensure your student(s) are not crowding or grabbing onto the gate prior to our staff opening the gates. When the gates open, please remind your student to walk to the gate entry, through the halls, and to their classroom backpack rack. All students are expected to drop their backpacks off at the backpack rack before heading to the playground. I will be reviewing these expectations in our Monday Message next week; your reiteration of our practices and expectations will greatly support our efforts to keep students safe. Thank you for your partnership!

Next week, classrooms will visit the Holiday Shop during the school day sometime between Tuesday and Thursday. We are excited to welcome the Winter Wonderland Holiday Shop back to DCES! Our Mt. Carmel Ambassadors join us for a playdate at lunch on Wednesday; we are excited to have them back on campus!

Next Thursday after school, we will enjoy Musical Theater’s performance of Matilda, which will also be performed for all Deer Canyon students the following week! On Friday, please join us for the Holiday Bazaar, where the Deer Canyon Choir program will perform and local vendors will sell their goods (many homemade!)! I look forward to finishing up some of my holiday shopping at these events. 😁

As we tidy up campus before Winter Break, please be sure to check the Lost and Found for any missing items. Any items remaining on the Lost and Found cart will be donated at the end of the day Friday, Dec. 20.

Looking ahead to springtime, please mark your calendars: Deer Canyon will host a site-based Professional Growth day for all staff on Tuesday, March 11 — March 11th, 2025 will be a non-student day for Deer Canyon!

Progress Reports Available in ParentVue
Progress Reports are now available via Synergy ParentVUE. For instructions on how to access your student’s Progress Report, click here: English Spanish. You can also access the Trimester 1 Parent-Friendly page through the PUSD website (Parent Resources) by clicking HERE. This document is a concise overview of the standards covered in Trimester 1.

A Note about Attendance and Winter Break
We appreciate everyone’s efforts to ensure their student attends school each day before the winter break and when we return from break. As long as your child is healthy, please encourage and emphasize the importance of positive attendance while school is in session.

Every day of school is an important opportunity for students to learn as well as to connect to their peers and teachers. The student experience in the classroom cannot be replicated and is vital to student progress and development (both academically and social-emotionally).

During the winter break from school (12/23-1/3), we are grateful to our families for helping your student(s) maintain a schedule, structure, and routine in their day. This will ease the natural challenges of transitioning back to school on Jan. 6.

We recognize and thank:

• Our students and their families who do their best to show up daily even when it isn’t easy.
• Our teachers and support staff who go above and beyond to make school a welcoming and safe place for all students to learn.
• Our many, many healers and helpers - the support staff and community volunteers who provide the extra hands and attention our children need.

If your family or your child needs support heading into Winter Break, please reach out to me or school counselor, Travis Higgins, for assistance or resources.

Thank you for partnering with us! We appreciate each of you. May the upcoming Winter Break be restful and healing.

Parent Ambassadors of PUSD's Special Education Department

Knowledge & Network: Special Holiday Presentation

"Tools to Find JOY in Your Family's Busy Seasons"

Tuesday, Dec. 10, 9 to 10:30 am

Make the holidays brighter and less stressful! Tina Campbell, writer and "chaos coordinator," will be speaking on the topic of "Tools to Find JOY in Your Family's Busy Seasons." Learning objectives include identifying stressors and embracing the love of the season, obligations vs. celebrations, gift giving and receiving conversations, etc.

Please join us in person in the Community Room at the PUSD District Office, located at 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128, or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 539 621 4111 Passcode: 370586. Please RSVP here.

E-Bike Safety Class for Students & Parents

We are excited to announce an upcoming E-Bike Class for students and their parent(s)/guardian(s), aimed at promoting safe and responsible e-bike usage. The class will take place in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Mt. Carmel High School on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 6 pm. Attendees are highly encouraged to arrive at 5:30 pm so they have enough time to find parking and the PAC.

Please be sure to bookmark the Deer Canyon school calendar and follow us on Instagram (@DeerCanyonPUSD) for event information, reminders, and celebrations!

Here’s to a wonderful week ahead!

Katie Bendix

Principal

Deer Canyon’s participation in our community’s Giving Tree program ends this Wednesday, Dec. 11! The Giving Tree is available daily at the Main Gates.

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 then 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!

I am excited to share with you the names of students who were Caught Being Kind this week!

Through our Caught Being Kind program, students recognized by a staff member for exemplifying any of the six pillars of character—trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, or citizenship—are announced over the loudspeaker each Monday morning. These students then come to the office for an in-person message from me, and we take a group photo together! First-time Caught Being Kind students receive a small prize, which is distributed by their teacher.

Kinder

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

In the upper grades this week, we reviewed strategies to initiate conversations with others, as well as how to ask to join in group activities and games on the playground. We circled back to the importance of “being assertive” — using a clear, firm, yet calm and respectful voice to get what you want. I then explained how that assertiveness allows them to disagree respectively with their peers, to avoid escalating any conflict.

We also discussed how showing compassion is empathy in action, be it simply a kind word or physically helping someone in need. Meanwhile, Mrs. W., along with Puppy & Snail, have been working with our TK - 3rd grade kids on recognizing feelings, as well as what to do when accidents occur.

Our DC Leader teams have been busy as well, keeping our curbside safe, our recycle bins empty, and coming up with future events on campus. Our new uniforms will be distributed next week. I will send an email with payment info to our Leader families beforehand.

A BIG thanks to the DC Leaders, student volunteers, and PSO, who’ve helped out with our Giving Tree donation drive. Their assistance in the mornings and behind the scenes is a great help and is much appreciated. Thank you families for getting your Leaders to campus early.

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.

DCPSO is excited to host our annual Winter Wonderland Holiday Shop for students this year on Dec. 10 to Dec. 12.

Students will have a chance to shop with their classes and surprise loved ones with small holiday gifts. Gifts range from $0.50 to $12. Items include gifts for family and friends, such as pens, magnets, mugs, jewelry, small toys, and more. Budget envelopes and gift certificate information will be sent home Friday, Dec. 6.

It takes a village to host this holiday shop! Please sign up for an hour-long shift (or more!).

Sign up HERE to volunteer and check your student's class shopping time (link in the SignUp Genius).

Financial assistance can also be available HERE.

If you have any questions, please email Razan Lin (rbattikha@gmail.com).

Thank you!

Winter Wonderland Holiday Shop Co-chairs: Razan Lin and Maha Elmeniawy

Donate nonperishable goods in bins in front of school.

We're so excited to invite our Deer Canyon family to join us at Chipotle (11134 Rancho Carmel Dr., Ste 104, San Diego, CA 92128 ) on Monday, Dec. 16, from 4 to 8 pm for a fundraising event.

25% of all event sales will be donated to our PSO to help support our school. You can order online with the code YC8TZN6 or dine in person.

We congratulate Mrs. Welty's class for winning the DC Dining trophy for the most attendance at CPK last month.

If you would like to win the trophy for your child's class, please fill out this simple Google form (also linked on the flyer below) so we know you attended the fundraiser.

Please join us for this year's Winter Music Recital on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

We look forward to seeing our talented DC students perform! Click here to learn more and sign up to perform.

Join us at Pechanga Arena for a great night of hockey and family fun on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 pm.

If we sell 100 or more tickets to the game, all Deer Canyon students attending the game who want to participate will be able to sing the National Anthem on the Jumbotron before the start of the game.

Depending on how many students attend, they may even be able to sing while standing on the ice! Our Choir teacher, Mrs. Serrano, will offer one to two practice sessions before the game so all students feel prepared to sing.

Tickets are $25 each. Seats are in Section T4B.

Please fill out the Google form below by Friday, Dec. 20, to reserve and purchase your seats (seating chart included). DCPSO will place a large group order of tickets shortly after the deadline. DCPSO will then distribute tickets to families the week of the game.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/4HB9DMookkV1Xkvr6

This partnership with the SD Gulls will enable our DCPSO to receive $6 back for every seat sold. Thank you to the Gulls for this awesome opportunity for our students and families. We hope to see you there!

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

We’re gathering a holiday gift for Deer Canyon’s awesome ESS staff!

If you're part of the ESS family, please consider participating (suggested donation: $25 per child). Ms. Jen is planning a fabulous holiday dinner to recognize her stellar team, filled with great food and fun prizes.

For more information or to donate, fill out this form.

Deadline: Monday, Dec. 9

Questions? Please contact Jessica Crawford at jessica.z.crawford@gmail.com.