Colt Weekly Update
There is No Straight Line to Success!
February 10, 2023
Colt Parents,
We had a very successful Saturday learning camp last Saturday. Thank you parents for your support. This week we had our elementary PBIS celebration and I will post pictures towards the bottom of this newsletter so that you can enjoy. Our next Saturday Learning Camp will take place on Saturday, February 25. We hope you enjoy spending time with your family and friend for Superbowl this Sunday.
We celebrated our amazing counselors this week with Counselor's Appreciation Week. They are a true asset to our campus.
February Fundraisers
Taki Grams are being sold for only $2.00. These grams will be delivered on Valentine's Day. Students will not be allowed to receive any deliveries for Valentine's Day.
Family Valentine's Day will take place on February 17th from 5pm to 7pm. Tickets are only $2.00 per person. Concession will also be sold and pictures will only be $1.00. The theme is a WESTERN THEME. Get your boots out and come do some dancing with us!
WIN
If your child is in our WIN program, intersession for Spring and Summer is mandatory. Please keep these dates in mind. Students will begin attending some fun excursions, some during the week of both intersessions.
Attendance
Congratulations to the following classes for having perfect attendance for the week!
· 5th grade – 98% x2 and 100% x2
· 1st grade – 98%
· 3rd grade – 98% and 100%
· 4th grade – 98 5 and 100%
-KG – 100%
Let's work TOGETHER! Please support your child in the following:
- read 20 minutes daily
- practice addition and subtraction facts
- practice multiplication facts 0-12 (commit to memory)
- check your child's grades
- communicate with your child's teacher frequently
- being in school every day and on time
- completes daily homework
- attends tutorials when invited
Please review the ENDORSEMENTS shown below. I want to begin promoting these to all our Colts, not just in 8th grade. All 6th and 7th grade students are now familiar with the endorsements. Please ask them to share with you and what their interest might be. Students need to take charge of their future and begin thinking about their interests early in their academic careers.
Wishing you a great week!
Educationally Yours,
Leticia Terrazas
Proud Principal of Desert Wind PK8 School
School Number: 915-937-7800
Email: lterra01@sisd.net
Twitter: @DW_K8S
#NoStraightLineToSuccess
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM-ADVANCED TO NATIONALS!
WE LOVE OUR COUNSELORS!
Students must be reading 20 minutes a day!
PBIS FUN!
Prizes for our winners!
Having fun with friends!
It's all about concentration!
UPCOMING DATES
Community Food Pantry
8th Grade House Bill 5 Endorsements
Community Resources
Attendance Matters!
Bell Schedule
The Socorro I.S.D. designated the school day, for students, as follows:
Morning Bell Schedule
1st Bell: 7:30 am
Tardy Bell: 7: 45 am
Breakfast in the Classroom 7:30-7:45
PreK-Kinder
7:30 am – 2:45 pm
Grades 1st-8th
7:30 am – 3:15 pm
3rd-5th WIN
7:30 am – 4:30 am Monday-Thursday/Friday dismissal is 3:15 pm
Staying ahead of your Average Daily Attendance (ADA)
Staying ahead of your Average Daily Attendance (ADA)
Our goal each week is to maintain a 98% attendance rate. It is extremely important to remember after 17 absences for yearlong courses, 8 absences for fall semester courses and 9 absences for spring semester courses, a student will lose credit for the class and must make up the time or master a module within the content.
Reporting absences to DWS
Please report your child’s absence to attendancedesertwind@sisd.net.
Include the following information when reporting the absence:
· Child’s name
· ID number
· Grade
· Teacher
· Reason for absence
All notes are collected via email, please include details of when your child will return to school.
This year, the district will not quarantine scholars for COVID, it will be treated like the flu. It is vital to submit any COVID-19 absence and E-SWIPE to help alleviate any chance of losing credit. Remember, a doctor’s note must always be submitted to attendance; however, does not necessarily excuse the absence.
Average Daily Attendance (ADA)
The chart below shows our daily attendance for this week and year to date average:
Week of February 6 through February 10, 2023
- Pre-K 93.79%
- Kindergarten 91.35%
- 1st grade 95.71%
- 2nd grade 91.36%
- 3rd grade 92.65%
- 4th grade 96.00%
- 5th grade 95.56%
- 6th grade 91.97%
- 7th grade 93.21%
- 8th grade 93.47%
Year to date ADA= 93.25%
Our goal is to be above 98% year to date attendance. Attendance improvement goes out to K, 1st grade, 4th grade, 7th grade, and 8th grade, keep up the good work Colts!
Please stay healthy and be at school every day.
Attendance improvement goes out to PK, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade, keep up the good work Colts!
Students will be rewarded with food, treats, small prizes, etc. for perfect attendance every marking period with a chance to be entered in a drawing every 6 weeks for items such as TV's, Bluetooth speakers, X-Boxes, PlayStations, Bikes, etc.
Perfect Attendance for the Week!
Congratulations to the following classes for having perfect attendance for the week!
· 5th grade – 98% x2 and 100% x2
· 1st grade – 98%
· 3rd grade – 98% and 100%
· 4th grade – 98 5 and 100%
· KG – 100%
I would like to congratulate the 500+ students who won the Desert Wind 10-day Perfect Attendance Challenge: Students with perfect attendance during the period of January 30, 2023, to February 10, 2023, will receive an ice cream sundae during lunch Monday February 13, 2023 and will be entered in the drawing for a PS5 at the end of the school year! Good work students, we are so proud of you!
No Tardies
It is extremely important to arrive to school on time. Class begins promptly at 7:45 am. Breakfast in the classroom is from 7:30 am to 7:45 am. Students who arrive late to school will require an adult to sign them in the front office.
There is a definite need to address students who consistently arrive late to school. Please help us make the learning process a top priority by recognizing and adhering to a start time of 7:45 am. Tardies are being documented and will be carried over to a progressive discipline plan our instructional leaders follow within their classrooms.
All students must follow dress code
- PK/K-Red Polo with uniform bottoms
- 1st-8th Blue/White Polo with uniform bottom
- Only Desert Wind Hoodies Allowed
- Zip up sweaters allowed
- Spirit Shirts may be worn Friday ONLY! (NO JEANS!!)
COUNSELOR CORNER
Care Solace
Socorro ISD teams up with Care Solace for mental health care coordination services
The Socorro Independent School District has partnered with Care Solace, an organization determined to calm the chaos of mental health care coordination, to expand access to community mental health and substance use treatment providers for students, staff, and their families.
Care Solace provides a Care Companion™ team who can quickly and confidentially find available providers in the community. Care Solace also equips SISD with a customized online tool that gives community members a way to anonymously search for community-based providers matched to their needs.
“Socorro ISD provides endless opportunities for students and staff to succeed. We are proud to partner with Care Solace to give our students, staff, and their families even more support, especially in times of need,” said SISD Superintendent Nate Carman, Ed.D. “This is a great resource that will enable us to enhance the care and support that our dedicated SISD leadership team strives to deliver daily for all students and staff.”
SISD will use Care Solace to support its mission of optimizing each student’s academic, artistic, athletic, career and interpersonal opportunities and to provide another layer of assistance for each student’s social and emotional well-being.
With Care Solace, families and staff gain access to a dedicated Care Companion™ to navigate the mental health care system on their behalf, calling providers to find the right fit and availability. They help families with private insurance, Medicaid, and no insurance, and are available 24/7/365 in any language.
Care Solace’s care navigation system uses proprietary technology and a vast database of behavioral and mental health care resources to find carefully verified therapists and programs in minutes.
"The effects of loss, isolation, uncertainty, and fatigue brought on by the pandemic continue to pose new challenges for students, staff, and their families," said Chad Castruita, Founder and CEO of Care Solace. "We are proud to support Socorro Independent School District in prioritizing the well-being of its school community by providing timely access into mental health care and substance use treatment services.”
The Care Solace service is now available at no cost to Socorro Independent School District students, staff, and their families. For more information about Care Solace, please visit https://www.caresolace.org
Please reach out to us if you have any question or concerns. Our counseling team is here to serve you.
Ms. Sara Castillo (915)937-7816 Grades 3, 5, 8
Ms. Norma Oaxaca (915)937-7916 Grades PK, K, 1, 6
FRIENDLY FEBRUARY
TOOLS FOR PARENTS
VAPING RISKS
VAPING RISKS CONTINUED
BENEFITS OF READING ALOUD TO KIDS
ADVANCED ACADEMY TIMELINE
**FEBRUARY 17, 2023, IS THE DAY THE LOTTERY CLOSES**
Thursday, December 1st, 2022 – Friday, January 13th, 2023
- Advanced Academy Application window open for students to apply.
- Monitor that all students select programs or opt out.
Saturday, January 14th – Friday, January 27th, 2023
- Program Coordinators will check eligibility status and get principal approval.
- As per TEA, Early Colleges, SATA, and Synergi will continue to use a blind lottery.
Saturday, January 28th – Friday, February 17th, 2023
- Lottery opens on January 28th at 5:00 pm.
- Students are offered positions through the lottery.
- Students select or reject the programs that they are offered.
- Once there are no students left to accept an offer, the lottery is over.
- Target date for lottery closure is February 17th at 8:00 am.
Friday, February 24th, 2023
- By February 24th, program coordinators and directors will send students a letter of congratulations with information on important next steps.
Celebrating Student Success!
Games and Fun!
Ms. L. Terrazas is Currently Reading:
FISH! encircles the incredible story of what occurs when Mary Jane gets advice from quite questionable business “experts” and learns their four secrets of success. Mary Jane Ramirez is a mother and a wife who lives in Southern California, who, after her husband gets a dream joboffer in Seattle, moves there with her family.
From our Library
Parents,
If your child owes a fee for an issued SISD device, a paper notice will be provided to your child. You may also receive a phone call to inform you of your child’s outstanding fees.
Below are some of the most common fees associated with student laptops:
$25 – Missing charger
$40 – Physical damage to the laptop (Broken screen, missing keys, laptop parts replacement, etc.
$100 --- Extreme damage to the laptop, or repeated offence to a device
$100 --- Lost device
In addition, if a student has a fee, he/she will not be able to borrow a laptop from the library, until the fee is paid.
In order to minimize the number of disruptions both in the library and during classroom instruction, your child will only be able to borrow a loaner laptop from the library before the start of school between 7:10 - 7:40am.
It is very important for your child to be responsible for his/her district-issued laptop, and it is important for fees to be paid as soon as a laptop is damaged.
If necessary, the school offers a payment plan for parents or guardians experiencing financial difficulty. Please speak with the front office about how to setup payment arrangements.
Parents,
Add the MackinVia App to your phones to access thousands of ebooks.
Desert Wind is a Texas Purple Star Distinction School
We are very excited to announce that Desert Wind is now a Texas Purple Star Distinction School.
The Purple Star Campus Designation recognizes Texas district and charter schools that show their support and commitment to meeting the unique needs of military-connected students and their families.
This special honor was created by the 86th Texas Legislature through SB 1557 and further described in agency rule (19 TAC, § 61.1063), effective April 9, 2020.
In August 2021, TEA will be awarding the Purple Star Campus designation for campuses that apply and meet the established criteria (see below). Campuses that are selected will receive a special Purple Star recognition to display on campus or on the school website. Campuses selected will also have their designation featured on the TxSchools.gov web page.
CAMPUS PERSONNEL
Ms. L. Terrazas: Principal
Email: lterra01@sisd.net (915)937-7802
Assistant Principals
Mr. Guerrero: rguerr09@isd.net
Ms. Saucedo: esauce01@sisd.net
Mrs. Valverde: hvalve@sisd.net
Counselors
Mrs. Castillo: scasti06@sisd.net (915) 937-7816
Mrs. Oaxaca: noaxac@sisd.net (915) 937-7916
Campus Librarian and Media Specialist
Desiree Avila: davila414@sisd.net
Parent Liaison
Ms. Morales: bmoral15@sisd.net
Community in Schools
Janeth Guzman: janeth.guzman@sisd.net