Deer Canyon Echoes

Good evening, Deer Canyon Families:

The week sure flew by, as always! We started our week by hosting our annual hearing and vision screening and welcoming the San Diego Symphony for a morning of music and learning! Thank you to our District Nurses for the support and our teachers that organized the Symphony visit — what a treat!

Wednesday brought a morning Emergency Drill (Duck, Cover, Hold, and Evacuation Drill) and unexpected news of an active wildfire in PUSD. In an abundance of caution, students ate lunch and participated in lunch recess inside the MPR. We participated in indoor PE for the day, and, as conditions improved, were able to access our outdoor playgrounds for recess (sans Running Club).

On Friday, we welcomed loved ones to campus for Family Picnic! This is always such a special event for our students and staff. Thank you to those that joined the fun and community building. We deeply appreciate the paper donations provided during your participation in the event, as well.

Next week, there will be no school for students on Monday, as staff engage in professional learning. On Tuesday, all of DCES will have an opportunity to enjoy an assembly experience, thanks to the Deer Canyon PSO and your generous donations! We will welcome magician Brock Edwards for a show focused on the six Character Traits. Don’t worry, all families will have an opportunity to enjoy the show together soon, too! See below for more information.

Finally, I look forward to seeing all of the wild hairdos on Friday, Jan. 31, for Crazy Hair Day! I’m already researching some new ideas for myself. 🙂

Wellness Week: April 28 to May 2

Deer Canyon will be participating in a Wellness Week, a 5-day focus on Environmental, Intellectual, Social, Physical, and Emotional Wellness. Please email Ms. Bendix at kbendix@powayusd.com if you have community connections, bright ideas, or are interested in partnering in the planning of Wellness Week at DCES!

PUSD Safety Summit: Student Wellness & Mental Health

The first PUSD Safety Summit of 2025 will be hosted this Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 6:30 to 8 pm in the Community Room at the PUSD District Office and will focus on the topic of Student Wellness & Mental Health. This event will also be live streamed on the PUSD Board of Education YouTube channel.

Panelists will include mental wellness experts Heather Nemour, SDCOE Coordinator, Student Wellness & School Culture, and a representative from Lifeline Community Services, with a parent presentation on suicide prevention and intervention.

I will be attending the Summit, alongside member(s) of the DCES Safety Committee. I encourage you to join in person or online.

Current Tk-4th Grade Families: Continuing Student Family Surveys

It is hard to believe it but our district has already begun planning for the 2025-2026 school year! In an effort to help us provide the most accurate information about the number of students who will be returning next year, please complete THIS SURVEY no later than Sunday, January 26, 2025.

This will provide us with the number of returning students as well as those who will be leaving Deer Canyon, and will ensure that your child(ren) is enrolled correctly for the 2025-2026 school year. Please submit one form per student.

Note: **This is NOT considered continuing student registration. Continuing student registration will take place February 28 to March 31 and needs to be completed for ALL students enrolled in PUSD for the 2024-2025 school year. Visit PUSD Continuing Student Registration for more information.

Families do not need to complete the form for current 5th-grade students because they will be automatically enrolled in 6th grade at their school of residence.

Attendance

While we navigate the significant impacts of of intense colds, flus, and the like, please take care of yourself and your family. Ensuring that your student gets ample sleep, consumes nutritious meals, and practices good personal hygiene (like handwashing) is important to keep not only your family healthy, but others, as well. DC staff will continue to utilize available resources to promote airflow, handwashing, and overall health. Thank you for the part you play in keeping our community safe and healthy!

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.

I am excited to announce the relaunch of our Positive Attendance Initiative at Deer Canyon. This comprehensive program will include enhanced parent education, the implementation of an Attendance Intervention Team, and positive incentives for students.

Research consistently shows that regular attendance in elementary school is crucial for academic success and social development. According to a study by Attendance Works, students who miss just two days of school each month are more likely to fall behind in reading, writing, and math. In light of this, we are committed to supporting our students' consistent attendance. Please be on the lookout for upcoming communications detailing the importance of attendance and the specific support measures DCES will be implementing. Together, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive academically and socially.

Have a wonderful 3-day weekend, Deer Canyon!

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 last week! Be sure to swing by the office to check out the Caught Being Kind board and our new Feed the Herd bucket!

TK

Reyna, Anthony, Amar

Audrey, Ethan, Bea, Amelia, Dylan, Mark, Caleb, Agniv, Bella

Lok Yan, Hunter

Maya, Brennan

Chace, Andrew V, Jayden

Aiden, Josiah, Evie, Sebastian, Aiko, Ken

Hello, Deer Canyon families!

This week was business as usual on campus. Second Step lessons continued, with our focus on Emotional Management. We’re working on how to recognize the onset of strong feelings in our bodies and how to cope with them, sooner rather than later. I stress that, in life, it is necessary for a person to control his or her emotions, not let the emotions control them. I compare strong feelings to a rising elevator, and we need to get to the bottom floor before we can respond well. We watched a great video about what happens inside our brain and body when we experience intense feelings. We also discussed how our amygdala can get us into trouble if we let it.

Next, I showed them how they can regain control of themselves by, first, using a “stop signal” to get their own attention, then identifying the emotion they’re struggling with. By doing this, they can start to re-engage their cortex, helping them to start to calm down, and enabling them to make better choices. Next week we will discuss a variety of different calming strategies to choose from.

Meanwhile, our small counseling groups are off to a great start. These winter session groups will primarily be focused on emotional regulation or growth mindset. They’ll be doing some fun art projects, as well. We’ll be meeting for 30 mins each session, once a week, for 5 to 6 more weeks. If your child has been considered for a counseling group, you will receive a permission slip with more details. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

DC Leaders are staying busy, as we prepare for a change of shifts at the end of the month. The 4th grade Spring DC Leaders will begin their duties on February 3! The Spring Squad rosters will be posted next week. I think all of our incoming Leaders will get their first choice of committee assignment, too.

Currently, there are lots of projects they're preparing for, including our Family Picnic, Spirit Day, the upcoming Talent Show, and Kindness Week, beginning February 10. There are a handful of members who still have not received their uniforms yet. Parents, if your student is an active member on one of our wonderful teams, you should have received an email with payment instructions. If you did not get my email, please contact me at thiggins@powayusd.com. If your students already got his or hers, thank you for your prompt attention.

I am also excited to announce that the new DC Counseling website will be up and running next week. On it, you will find information about myself, our counseling vision, and a number of helpful resources for parents and students alike. It will be accessible via the “Academics” tab of the Deer Canyon website, as well as a link right here in each Echoes Newsletter.

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.

DC, how you doin’?? We are excited to announce that our DC Talent Show 2025 will be held this April!

Are you good at dancing? A great singer? Yo-Yo master? Rubik's cube guru? Are you flexible? Have some awesome friends to make a great memory together on stage? Join us and shine on the stage in April. Be creative, this is a variety show!

Sign-up: General Sign Up (deadline is Friday, Feb. 7)

Auditions: Tuesday, Feb, 11, @ 3:15 pm

Rehearsal: Thursday, April 3, @ 1:30 pm

Recital: Friday, April 4, @ 6-8 pm (tentative)

5th Graders: We need stage crews, dancers, and emcees. We would love to see you as part of the show production!

• 5th Grade Crews Sign Up
• Deadline is Friday, Jan. 31