Deer Canyon Echoes
May 3, 2024
To Do
- New Student Enrollment is open.
- Order DCES Spirit Wear.
Save the Date
May
- 5/6 to 5/10 - Staff Appreciation Week
- 5/6 to 5/10 - DC Leaders Sneaker Drive
- 5/6 - CAASPP Testing begins (5th grade)
- 5/8 - Bike, Roll or Walk 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
- 5/16 - UTK & K New Parent Info Session @ 5 pm
- 5/16 - Finding Nemo Mini-Musical @ 6 pm
- 5/17 - Family Movie Night
- 5/23 - Volunteer Tea @1:45 pm
- 5/23 - Moana Mini-Musical @ 6 pm
- 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 - Graduating Senior Walk @ 2:50pm
- 6/4 - DC Dining @ Urban Thai and Baskin Robbins
- 6/5 - 5th Grade Promotion @ 9 am
- 6/6 - Kickball Game (last student day of school year)
Principal's Message 📚
Good evening, Deer Canyon Families!
It was wonderful to see families out at Funky Friday this morning! And thank you to those who were able to join me for Coffee with the Principal today to review data from our final two academic goals in our School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). By June 6, we will have our 2024-25 SPSA set in place, thanks to the valuable feedback from a variety of Deer Canyon stakeholders. Today, we also had the pleasure of participating in an awe-inspiring BMX assembly! Students were impressed by the performance and inspired to build new skillsets, set goals, and persevere through challenges.
Hopefully you received yesterday’s May Important Dates email; PHEW — do we have a lot going on this month! We are having fun and we won’t slow down until June 6. :)
Next week, we celebrate Staff Appreciation Week! I look forward to our community showering our staff with love and appreciation each day; they deserve it! On Monday, we will begin CAASPP testing for our 5th graders, as well as our GotSneakers donation drive. I know I will be contributing multiple pairs of old sneakers to the cause :)
Wednesday is Walk & Roll to School Day! The first 50 students caught walking or rolling to school will receive a small prize. Carbo-load Thursday’s Deer Dash event by grabbing dinner at The Kebab Shop on Wednesday night! I hope to see families on campus on Thursday for Deer Dash. Please come cheer on your runner as you watch them rack up the laps and enjoy a popsicle with friends! SIGN UP HERE if you are able to volunteer for a shift — short or long! We are still in search of setup help. 🙂 Finally, we round out the week with a couple of field trips! I look forward to the busy, fun-filled week ahead!
3rd-5th Grade Families: CAASPP Testing
CAASPP Testing for 5th Grade students begins on Monday! 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 20-22: ELA Testing (all 3rd-5th Grade)
Wondering how you can support your student during testing weeks? Be sure your student:
Gets a good night’s sleep.
Eats a nutritious breakfast.
Arrives to school on time — the testing window starts promptly at 9 am.
Knows that we simply want them to try their best to demonstrate their learning.
What does Deer Canyon do with our CAASPP test results?
The data is an essential tool for identifying overall areas of strength and growth in our instructional programs (data is typically released in October).
We use the data to develop goals and allocate funds through our School Plan for Student Achievement.
All schools receive key indicators in various areas, including ratings in Math and English based on CAASPP assessment scores, on the California School Dashboard.
We use the data to help identify student areas of strength or need. Parents are provided a copy of their student’s test results over the summer.
The assessments measure critical thinking, analytical writing, problem solving, and subject area knowledge, providing teachers with multiple sources of actionable information about student strengths and areas where students need additional support.
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 where 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 where 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!
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
Staff Appreciation Week: May 6-10
Staff Appreciation Week is next week, May 6 to 10. This year's theme is "In Our DC Staff Appreciation Era." Be on the lookout for more info from your room parents and a flyer in Friday folders!
Let's show our DC Staff all the love and gratitude we have for them! Please SIGN UP to bring in a breakfast item for Monday 5/6, desserts or drinks for Wed 5/8, and/or to volunteer at a few opportunities during the week.
Razan Lin
VP Programs PSO
DC Leaders Sneaker Drive Fundraiser: May 6-10
DC Leaders are hosting a sneaker drive fundraiser. In the spirit of environmental and economic sustainability, we have partnered with GotSneakers, a sneaker recycling organization, which will compensate up to $7 for every pair of wearable athletic sneakers. There is no limit to the amount of money we can earn for our school!
After the sneakers are collected, GotSneakers will process and distribute these sneakers around the world, specifically within impoverished nations. It is estimated that over 300 million pairs of sneakers are thrown away each year in America’s landfills and that over 600 million adults and children worldwide live barefoot. We can touch the lives of thousands by simply cleaning out our closets and collecting our unwanted sneakers.
The request is simple: Clean out your family’s closets of all unwanted paired sneakers. Please bring them to the collection boxes located at Deer Canyon student drop off during the week of May 6-10. Please donate ONLY sneakers and cleats.
Bike, Roll or Walk to School: May 8
Deer Canyon — get ready to bike, roll, or walk to school on Wednesday, May 8!
Bike & Roll to School Day invites participants to celebrate the joy of active commuting while building a sense of community and school spirit.
DC Dining: May 8 at The Kebab Shop
Join us next week on Wednesday, May 8, for DC Dining, Mediterranean-style at The Kebab Shop in Carmel Mountain!
It will be an all-day event with TKS providing our DCPSO with 50% of all sales to benefit our students and community. This is a tremendously generous donation back to our school.
We hope you'll consider eating lunch or dinner there or maybe even catering a meeting lunch! This is an easy and delicious way to support our school. Thank you for your support!
The Kebab Shop
11122 Rancho Carmel Drive, Suite 2
San Diego, CA 92128
(near Chipotle, California Fish Grill & Best Buy)
Show them the flyer and tell them you're there for Deer Canyon PSO fundraiser OR enter the code "FUNDRAISER" when checking out with your online order (order.thekebabshop.com).
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
DCES Volunteer Appreciation Tea: May 23
Have you volunteered in any capacity at Deer Canyon this school year? Please join us for an afternoon of treats and gratitude, in celebration of our incredible DC volunteers!
Thursday, May 23, at 1:45 pm
Deer Canyon Library
So we can best prepare to celebrate you, please RSVP here: Volunteer Appreciation 2024 RSVP
*Childcare is available for Deer Canyon students
Important Updates
Revised ESS Lottery Timeline
We extend our gratitude to our PUSD community for your patience and understanding as we navigate our inaugural year of centralized enrollment through the new ESS application management system.
Please take note of this important update to the lottery draw timeline for the 2024-25 school year.
NOW-MAY
- Now to 5/31: New student interest application open. CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT INTEREST FORM
JUNE-JULY
- 6/1 to 6/14: ESS interest application closed for maintenance
- 6/7: ESS lottery draw for ALL GRADES - School Year 24/25
- 6/10 to 6/14: Families notified - ESS will notify parents/guardians whether their child(ren) has been accepted to enroll in the program or placed on a waitlist
- 6/17: ESS interest application re-opened
- 6/24 to 7/8: Enroll new families via ProCare
Once notified of acceptance to the 2024-25 school year, official ESS enrollment links will be emailed to families. You are required to complete the online registration by July 8. Failure to complete your online registration by July 8 will forfeit your spot.
AUGUST
- 8/5: Second chance draw (if space permits by site)
If you have any questions, please email enrollment-ess@powayusd.com.
We anticipate that interest in the ESS program will greatly exceed the enrollment capacity at each school site, resulting in most families being placed on a waitlist.
Families that need alternate resources can visit: https://childcaresandiego.com/
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