Back to School
Desert Vista Elementary School
School Starts on Monday, July 24, 2023
Where students are the center of everything we do!
Meet the Teacher Night Thursday, July 20 from 6:30- 8:00PM
Teachers will be in the classrooms to meet you and your student, provide information to families, and receive supplies to lighten backpacks the first day.
Be sure to stop by the cafeteria for information about: PTO involvement, Room Parent Sign up, Spirit Shirt Sales, Registration, Food Services, Social Worker, Free Backpacks, Car Line Cards, Bus Info, Photo Booth, Yearbook Pre-Order, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and more!
Who is my child's teacher?
Class assignments will show up on your ParentVUE on July 19. Access ParentVUE on our website in the upper right corner as shown on the image below.
Teacher assignments will be posted on ParentVUE July 19
Prepare for the First Day of School July 24th
Registration
Verify your student's registration online. It only takes a few minutes and it is a great time to update phone numbers, addresses, and emergency contacts for the upcoming year. If you need assistance, please contact the school office at (480) 677-7510.
Arrival
Gates open daily at 8:05am. Supervision is not provided prior to 8:05. School starts promptly at 8:25am. All students arriving late to school must be accompanied by an adult and signed in at the DVES office. Students are not to sign in without an adult.
Transportation
Parents can call 480-677-7556. Parents can access routing information on parentVUE on July 19th. On Meet the Teacher Night, representatives from the transportation department will be on hand to answer questions. They will also distribute out information to parents on how to use the parent app.
Dismissal
Students are released at 3:00PM except for Wednesdays when we have 1:00PM early release. There are a few exceptions but they are clearly communicated in advance.
School Lunch
Students have a 20 minute recess and a 20 minute lunch period each day. Students may bring lunch from home or eat the lunch served in the cafeteria. We do not accept third party deliveries for student lunch such as Door Dash or Grub Hub.
Please take a minute and log into your student's lunch account prior to the first day of school. We are asking every family to complete the Linq meal application . Please fill out a meal plan application even if you do not think you will qualify for free/reduced lunch. This helps us continue our Title I funding for our school. Important Note: A NEW APPLICATION MUST BE FILLED OUT EACH SCHOOL YEAR. THEY DO NOT ROLL OVER. On the main district page click on the tile for "Lunch Pay/Apply" and then click on the button "Start Meal Application." Follow the instructions for completing the application.
Student Device Insurance
- The Technology Insurance Plan is available now. This is an important plan to save you from paying full price for broken/lost laptops. Purchases can be made by clicking on the "Payment Portal" tile on the main AJUSD webpage. You must have an active ParentVUE account to purchase the plan. If you are not sure you have an account, please contact the school and someone in the office can assist you. 480-677-7510.
Family Involvement
DVES faculty and staff want to work as partners in your child’s education. There are multiple ways for you to become involved. We hold several evening parent engagement nights where you can learn about our curriculum. Family Math Night and Read Across America Night are fun events for you to get a glimpse of what the students are learning. We hope that all families will join us for parent/teacher conferences.
We also have opportunities for families and community members to serve on the School Site Council. Contact the principal if you are interested in becoming a representative. This group meets monthly to:
- Discuss issues important among staff, parents, and our community representatives
- Serve in an advisory capacity to the principal
- Approves Tax Credit expenditures for DVES
- Raise awareness and strengthen our school culture by identifying common school goals and communicating these out to the learning community as a whole
Room Parents Wanted
If you are a parent, grandparent, guardian, aunt, uncle, or sibling, we want you! Our goal is to have one adult per classroom as a leader to help the teacher organize events and help communicate with the families. Volunteer time in the classroom is not required but appreciated. Click or scan the link to sign-up as a room parent for your student's class.
DVES PTO Parent Teacher Organization
DVES PTO Executive Board
We are excited to introduce the DVES PTO Board for the 2023-24 school year!
President - Elizabeth Coleman
Vice President - Chelsea Connolly
Treasurer - Michelle Russo
Secretary - Mallory Blackwood & Kristina Hafer
DVES PTO Objectives
To promote the welfare, growth and education of children, youth and parents in the school and the community.
To sponsor projects and events for the benefit of DVES students.
To bring a closer working relationship between home and school so that parents, administrators, and teachers may collaborate in the education of the students.
DVES PTO supports teachers and classrooms by holding fundraisers and contributing much needed resources. They host annual evening community events including Fall Festival, Family Valentine Dance, and Spring Carnival. If you are interested in becoming involved in PTO everyone is welcome to attend the monthly meetings.
PTO Facebook Page
Want to stay up to date with the most current information about DVES PTO? Join the Facebook Page!
Friday is Spirit Day!
PTO Spirt Shirt Sales
Every Friday is SPIRIT DAY! It is the time to show off your Mustang Pride by wearing Red, White, and Blue. The DVES PTO will be selling T-shirts for just $12 each for kids sizes and $15 for adult sizes at Meet the Teacher Night. Imagine how quick your student will get ready for school because they won't have to wonder about what to wear on Fridays! Spirit shirts will be sold after Meet the Teacher Night but the cost will increase.
Family Communication
Rooms Replacing Dojo
The bad news is Class Dojo is no longer being used. The good news is AJUSD has a new resource for digital communication called Rooms. This is a two-way communication and messaging tool. All schools will be using the same resource so you won't have to switch apps for students at various schools. District wide announcements will all be held in the same space. Parents will never have to wonder when their children’s homework is due and students can ask their teacher school-related questions in a monitored, safe place. Rooms translates into a variety of languages and works on both desktop and mobile devices. Teacher can also use Rooms to give students points for positive behavior and classroom participation. While we might miss the cute monsters, we are confident that the new tool will be just right for AJUSD families.
Find Us on the World Wide Web
AJUSD has a new look online. Our new website has fantastic photos and great information about DVES. Website
There are 3 key areas to check out on the homepage.
- Large blue bar with 8 icons take you to: School Info, Enrollment, School Menus, Parent Vue, School Schedule, Lunch Account, Payment Portal, and Tax Credit.
- Below the arial photo of the school you will see the EVENTS section. This lists upcoming dates for school activities, early release, and holidays.
- Red Menu drop down takes you to other commonly viewed items such as staff directory, principal letter, and tutoring information.
We are continuing to add more information to the website so come back frequently!
Desert Vista Elementary School
3701 E Broadway Ave, Apache Junction, AZ 85119
Phone - 480-677-7510
Office Manager - Coreen Wax
Registrar - Kimberly Graham
Receptionist -Nicole LoRusso
Psychologist - Daniel Albert
Nurse - Michael Barrett
Behavior & Academic Interventionist - Stephanie LaClair