Deer Canyon Echoes

• Check out the minutes of this week's PSO meeting.
• Buy tickets to the Jan. 31 Gulls game and watch our students sing the National Anthem on the ice! Deadline to purchase is Jan. 17.
• Sign up to host a table, perform or emcee at Family Heritage Night (details below).




Save the Date


January

• 1/14 - DC Dining @ Kebab Shop (Carmel Mountain Plaza) @ all day
• 1/17 - Deadline to buy tickets for the SD Gulls Hockey Night
• 1/20 - MLK Day (no school)
• 1/24 - Family Picnic and Paper Drive
• 1/27 - Professional Growth Day (no school)
• 1/28 - PUSD Safety Summit @ 6:30 pm (District office and Zoom)
• 1/29 - PSO meeting @ 4 pm and Winter Recital @ 6 pm
• 1/30 - Deadline to sign up for Family Heritage Night
• 1/31 - Crazy Hair Day and SD Gulls Hockey Night & Performance

Exciting Program Updates!

I LOVE celebrating every student who is caught being kind each week…and it’s time to celebrate our school’s awesomeness as a whole, too! Starting this week, we have an exciting addition to our Caught You Being Kind program.

Each time a student is caught being kind by a staff member, they will STILL receive a Caught Being Kind slip to bring to the office. When students arrive at the office, they will PIN their slip on the Caught Being Kind board. Each week, we will watch the board fill up with kind acts, and our staff, parents, and visitors will read all about the wonderful things happening on campus.

On Monday mornings, when I call students to the office on the loudspeaker, students will receive their Caught Being Kind slip and have an opportunity to FEED THE HERD by dropping their slip into our Caught Being Kind bucket. When the herd is full and our container is stuffed to the top, we will earn a whole-school prize, like a lunch picnic on the field, whole-school bingo, or other fun incentives!

On Monday, students Caught Being Kind before Winter Break began feeding our herd. Each week during my Monday Message, I’ll provide students and staff with a visual update on our progress toward our schoolwide prize! Be sure to swing by the office to check out the Caught Being Kind board and our new Feed the Herd bucket!

I am excited to share with you the names of students who were Caught Being Kind the week before Winter Break! 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.

Kinder

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

Happy New Year, Deer Canyon! I hope you all had a wonderful winter break and are rested and recharged for 2025.

Most of this week I spent preparing for this trimester’s small counseling groups -- identifying participants, planning curriculum, and, the most difficult part, scheduling meeting times that can accommodate each student with the least impact on classroom instruction. Groups will commence next week, and meet 6 times for 30 mins each. 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.

Mrs. W kicked off this year’s Second Step lessons for our younger grades with the Emotional Management Unit, where they discuss how to recognize their own feelings and how to cope with strong emotions. The 4th and 5th grade classes will begin next week, continuing where we left off in December – learning how the amygdala can hijack our rational thinking. I’ll stress the importance of calming down before reacting to emotional situations. Over the next few weeks we’ll address these important life-skills, like how to identify their own feelings as well as learn to use coping calming strategies to deal with strong emotions.

DC Leaders continue to keep our curbs safe, our campus beautiful and our students positively inspired. And they’re looking fantastic, too! However, there are a few members who 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.

• The Spring DC Leader cohort will begin their duties on February 3
• Looking ahead: Deer Canyon will recognize Kindness Week on February 10-14

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.

Congratulations! We sold over 100 tickets for the Gulls vs. Marlies hockey game, which enables any DC student who attends to have the option of singing the Star Spangled Banner on the ice before the game starts. Our fantastic Performing Arts teacher, Mrs. Angie Serrano, will direct the students’ performance. Students will have an opportunity to rehearse before the event. Stay tuned for dates and times.

We hope your family will join us at Pechanga Arena for this fun night out and small fundraiser on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7pm. It will be a memorable experience for all!

Check out some photos below from other school performances.

Tickets are $25 each. DCPSO will receive $6 back for every seat sold. Please fill out this Google form to reserve and purchase your seats (seating chart included). We hope to see you there!

NEW EXTENDED DEADLINE to order/purchase tickets - Friday, 1/17

Holiday Shop

Thanks to all the volunteers who stepped up to help at the Winter Wonderland Holiday Shop! Thanks to Angelica Shaw, Ruth Livingstone, Deepti Munjal, Melissa Davis, Annie Baig, Sena Galvez, Yu Chen, Irene Lai, Jessica Crawford, Lauren Mifflin, Stacy Zhang, Eve Lanham, Cara Walsh, Emily Ear, Christopher Santos, Trey Ustick, Polina Gingras, Jade Lyles, Clint Callahan, and Mari Morita … and anyone else we may have accidentally missed!

Holiday Bazaar

It takes a village to bring back a highly desirable community event for our school. We are very thankful for all of our Deer Canyon vendors as well as our PQ small businesses and vendors for being part of this event. A special shout out to Trey Ustick, Kristine Fernandez, Gigi Batoon, Mike Fernandez, Angelica Shaw and Andy Lin for stepping in to help when help was needed! And, to Mrs. Angie Serrano, thank you for an amazing choir performance!

-Your holiday event co-chairs, Maha & Razan

Please join us at The Kebab Shop (11122 Rancho Carmel Dr., Ste. 2, 92128) on Jan. 14 for a fundraising event where 50% of all sales will be donated to our PSO to help support our school. You can order in person or online at thekebabshop.com using the code FUNDRAISER on that day.

Remember to fill out this simple Google form so we know you attended this month's fundraiser.

Each year, DC students and families get to “take a trip around the world” in one night at the Deer Canyon MPR. This year's event will be Friday, Feb. 28.

DC families set up tables with information about their country’s heritage, artifacts, and food samples. There are also multicultural performances to enjoy. It’s a great way to celebrate and learn about the rich cultural tapestry here at Deer Canyon.

This is a FREE event for our families, but we need your help. We are looking for families to help host tables!

Please join us on Friday, Jan. 10, at 3:15 pm to learn more about hosting a table at the 2025 Deer Canyon Family Heritage Night.

Topic: FHN Information Meeting

Time: Jan 10, 2025 03:15 PM Pacific Join Zoom Meeting

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/88465737575?pwd=PsqQRVkcZVjbVr3YnjmV9OZqmFIFPf.1

Meeting ID: 884 6573 7575

Passcode: fhn2025

• Interested in hosting a table? Sign up here

• Interested in participating in the Fashion Show? Sign up here!

• Interested in performing for our audience? Sign up here

• Is your 5th grader interested in being an emcee? Sign up here

Sign up deadline is Jan. 30.

Questions/Concerns? FHN@deercanyonPSO.org

We are seeking a few volunteers to help with mandatory vision and hearing student testing on Tuesday, January 21, from 9 am to 3pm. Testing will occur for the following grades: TK, Kindergarten, 2nd grade, 5th grade, and 1st grade (boys only).

Volunteers will supervise students while they wait for their exam and direct students in and out of the exam room.

Please sign up here if you are interested.

Current ESS families:

Please check the Parent Communication Log sent to your email for information regarding Presidents Week Break, Pro Gro Day (DC only, 3/11) & Spring Break sign-ups. Weekly Activity Schedules will come out a few weeks prior to each break, if not sooner, to assist with your planning needs.

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