Dear Desert Ridge Families,

It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through the 1st quarter. We have had a good start to the school year and we are excited for the rest of the semester.

Make sure that you are checking your Parent Portal to stay updated on your student's grades and attendance. Sports and activities are happening daily and our students are doing great things. Visit our website to view our calendar for upcoming events.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to working with you and your student to provide the best learning experience that we can. Please reach out to your teachers or Desert Ridge administration with any questions or concerns.

DJ Spetz

Principal

This week there was an update to Infinite Campus and a new field on the portal was added called "Graduation Progress". It then shows "Off Track" or "On Track". There are issues with this tab and the district is working on resolving this problem. Unfortunately, we can not take this field off.

To get the most accurate information, please access the Graduation Tracker tile on the portal to the right.

Sorry for any confusion.

If you are interested in serving on the site council please click here to nominate yourself as a potential committee member.

The site council is comprised of community representatives. The council meets with the Principal and other school staff 6 times during the school year to discuss a variety of topics, share information and broaden understanding of school related issues. Members work together to:

• Advance the action steps of Desert Ridge's Continuous Improvement Plan

• Ensure effective involvement of parents and community to support the partnership between school and community stakeholders.

• Involve parents and community in an organized and timely manner with the planning, review, and implementation of programs and policies of Desert Ridge and Gilbert Public Schools.

The role of a Site Council Member is to:

• Attend the Site Council meetings:

• Meeting dates: 9/25, 10/30, 12/11, 1/29, 2/26 and 4/15

• Time: 3:00-4:00 pm

• Provide information to parents and the community regarding school issues

• Bring questions, concerns, and ideas to the attention of school staff, administration, and other school community stakeholders

• Provide the Principal with feedback and insight from the parent's perspective on school process, policies and initiatives to ensure that the needs of parents and their families are included as decisions are made in the school.

We welcome any parent or community member to join our site council.

It is crucial that all GPS families complete the online 'Annual Update' in Infinite Campus. The information provided will be used by the district or your school to directly communicate with you regarding your student, or in the event of an emergency on campus. Please log into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal and complete the 'Annual Update' today! | Update Here

To give all students an equal opportunity to become their school's valedictorian or salutatorian, Gilbert Public Schools will use the following guidelines:

• Class rank will be used to determine the Valedictorian/Salutatorian distinction. In addition, recognition will be made for students who are in the top 1% of their class. Weighted classes will be included when determining class rank and will be identified on a student's transcript.
• Foreign exchange students will not be eligible for the valedictorian or salutatorian position.
• Mid-year graduates will not be eligible for the valedictorian or salutatorian position.
• The valedictorian and salutatorian must have taken a minimum of twelve and one-half (12.5) credits (25 semester courses) at the high school from which they are graduating and must be enrolled in a minimum of five (5) class periods (full time status) per semester.

Students who are interested in competing for the valedictorian or salutatorian position are encouraged to discuss this process with their school counselor.

GPS Bus Information

GPS Family Information Hub

GPS Health Services

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