The month of August is shaping up to be a busy one. Make sure to stay informed about the latest updates, important upcoming events and more by continuing to read these monthly parent updates.

DVUSD welcomed back more than 33,000 students and 4,000 employees for this school year last week! A few of the district schools were featured on local news stations before starting up school and as the excitement of the first day set in together!

Make sure to follow @DVUSD on Instagram, Facebook, X, and subscribe to the district's YouTube Channel (@deervalleyunified) to get the latest updates and check out what's going on around the district throughout the school year!

Hundreds of families and students showed up to Highland Lakes School to meet their student's teacher for the 24-25 school year! Hear from two students and their PTSO president about what they are looking forward to for the school year!

If you missed out on all the photos posted on @DVUSD social media you can find some first day of school galleries posted on dvusd.org/firstday

Early Head Start is an Infant & Toddler program that provides family-centered services for low-income families with very young children from 6 weeks to 2 years and 9 months of age. These programs are designed to promote the development of children, and to enable their parents to fulfill their roles as parents and to move toward self-sufficiency.

Tailored for the unique needs of infants and toddlers, Early Headstart promotes the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of infants and toddlers through safe and developmentally enriching caregiving. This prepares these children for continued growth and development and eventual success in school and life. At the end of the program, 3-year-old children performed significantly better on a range of cognitive, language, and social and emotional development measures than a randomly assigned control group.

Applying for free or reduced-price meals is as EZ as ABC! If your child currently receives free or reduced-price meals at his/her school, last year’s meal applications are due to expire September 12. To avoid any lapse in meal and other benefits, please submit a meal application online at www.EZMEALAPP.com by September 11.

Students at Constitution Elementary School, Deer Valley Middle School, Esperanza Elementary School, Mirage Elementary School, Park Meadows Elementary School, Paseo Hills School, Sunrise Elementary School, and Village Meadows Elementary School DO NOT need to apply as their meals are paid for through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) this school year.

Learn more at DVUSD.org/foodandnutrition

All students key in their ID number on a pin pad when they go through the breakfast and/or lunch line to make a purchase. When a student is enrolled in school, they are given an ID number from the school’s front office that they will keep throughout their time at DVUSD. If you do not know your students' ID number, please contact your school.

Parents can add money to a student’s account in three different ways:

1. Cash: Students may buy meals with cash or add cash to their account in the cafeteria.
2. Check: Students may bring a check with their student ID number and current phone number on it to the cafeteria to be added to their account.
3. Online: Payments can be made at EZSchoolPay.com using Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card.

Meal Prices

All Schools-Breakfast

$1.50

K-8 - Lunch

$2.95

High School - Lunch

$3.50

DVUSD is pleased to announce that all meal prices will remain the same for the 2024-2025 school year, despite rising food costs.

Free meal benefits are available for qualifying households and students attending one of our Community Eligibility Schools. For more information regarding pricing, meal benefits, Community Eligibility, menus, lunch accounts, payments, meal charge policy and more, visit: DVUSD.org/menus.

The Edulog mobile bus schedule app used by DVUSD high school students last school year is now available to all K-12 students!

Scan the QR code on the flyer below to download the app. Then input your child's name, student number, and birthdate, and you'll have real-time bus schedules at your fingertips any time.

Download the Edulog parent portal for information on how to find your bus and bus stop, or scan the QR code on the flyer below. Routes are still being finalized and information will be available on the app before the start of school.

Parents and students will be able to see only the stop location, pick up, and drop off times for routes.

Learn more at DVUSD.org/busroutes.

Attention DVUSD high school seniors and family of high school seniors, DVUSD is hosting the annual Public University Night on Thursday, August 22 from 6-8 p.m. at Mountain Ridge High School (22800 N. 67th Ave., Glendale, AZ 85310). This is your chance to connect with and hear presentations from the three, in-state public universities (Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and The University of Arizona.) and learn more about their opportunities including their unique programs, scholarships, financial aid opportunities and more!

Private University Night featuring the private universities throughout the state will be held Thursday, September 5, at the DVUSD Governing Board Room (20402 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 853027) from 6-7:30 p.m.

The 'Supe Scoop is back for this school year! In the first episode of the school year, DVUSD Superintendent Dr. Curtis Finch talks to some of the people who work year-round to make sure DVUSD schools are operating fully, especially for the first day of school.

You'll hear from a plant supervisor (Manny Rivera), a registrar, and a secretary (Julie Zalewski) who help our schools shine every day, not just the first day!

PowerSchools Registration Support has sent an email to you for each child you have in the district. You will receive a unique code for each enrolled student. Please complete these online forms as soon as possible. These electronic forms supply the school with up to date contact details for each child for the 2024-25 school year.

Please open, and respond to this email within 24 hours, so that the district will have the most accurate emergency contact information for your student(s), and verification internet usage preferences.

The email sent to you will be from:

PowerSchool Registration Support<noreplyregistration@powerschool.com>

This process is quick and replaces the paper forms sent home at the beginning of each school year. Please complete one form for each child in the district. These forms are required to be updated each year.

Two Mountain Ridge High School flag football team members, as well as a Sandra Day O'Connor Flag Football team member were invited to participate Arizona Cardinals Flag Football all-Star experience on August 10!

Mountain Ridge High School's coach, Whitney Warmus, was chosen to coach during the playing time! The flag football athletes and coaches will take the field during halftime of the Cardinals pre-season game against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, August 10. These elite athletes will have the unique opportunity to showcase their skills against other top competitors from around the state.

It’s not too late to register your child for DVUSD Kindergarten! If your child will be five years old before September 1, 2024, register your student today for 2024-25 Kindergarten! The process is quick and completely online. Visit: dvusd.org/register to register today.

If your child is between the ages of 3-5 and not yet enrolled in Kindergarten, sign them up for DVUSD’s Big Kid Book Club! We will periodically send your child a free book in the mail along with activities and helpful advice for parents and guardians that will help them prepare to be a student at DVUSD!

If you have a child who will be attending a DVUSD preschool, information can be found here: dvusd.org/preschool. If you have a child you would like to attend preschool and have not yet registered, please reach out to Traci Piccoli at Traci.Piccoli@dvusd.org, or 623-376-3979. Space is available at a few of our locations - but programs are filling quickly!

Hurry - it is time to register for Before & After Care for the 2024-2025 school year. Many DVUSD programs still have spots available! Visit www.dvusd.org/CommunityEd for site locations and rate information.

DVUSD Educational Services will be considering new curriculum resources to support teaching and learning in our Higher Level International Baccalaureate Biology, Physics, and Chemistry classes in grades 11 and 12 (high school juniors and senior classes) and the Arizona State Standards for 8th Grade Science.

The district is looking for parents and community members to participate in the committee. Applications will be accepted until August 16, 2024. Apply Here.

Please make sure to block off the dates for mandatory committee meeting attendance August 22, August 29, September 19 and November 5.

On November 5, 2024, voters living within the DVUSD boundaries will have the opportunity to vote on two initiatives passed by the DVUSD governing board for public authorization:

• Special Bond Election in the amount of $325 million to fund safety, security, instructional resources, technology, building renewal, conservation, buses, and student growth through the year 2029.
• Continuation of the existing 15% maintenance and operation (M&O) override. The 2019 voter approved override will be entering the phase down period, and vital funds (approximately $33 million) will no longer be available after June 30, 2025.

Learn what this special bond would fund at our Bond FAQ page.

Learn what the M&O Override funds at our Override FAQ page.