Colt Weekly Update
There is No Straight Line to Success!
March 24, 2023
Colt Parents,
We had a great week back. We are down the final 9 weeks of this academic school year. We have been working hard to get ready to MASTER the STAAR! We will begin with our state assessments in April.
There are excited for our Spring Butler Games this coming week. The games will be on Wednesday at the SAC. We want to wish them tons of luck!
These last nine weeks we must work on attendance. It is imperative that we raise our attendance percentages. Please ensure your child is in school, unless they are sick.
We are having our parent teacher conferences this coming Wednesday, March 29th. Conferences will be from 4pm to 6pm and from 4:30-6:30 for WIN classes.
We will also be having our HB5 MANDATORY 8th grade meeting. The expectation is that all 8th grade parents attend. There will be three sessions at 5:00, 5:30 and 6:00.
We are planning our end of year activities for this school year. Below you will find our Awards Ceremony dates so that you can plan accordingly.
In observance of Easter, there will be no classes on Friday, April 7th. Please make arrangements for your child.
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
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
Save the Date!
Happy Education Diagnostician's Week Mrs. Chavez!
Easter Bunny Pictures for grades PK-5th grade -April 4, 2023
Track Season is here!
Spring Butler Games!
Good Luck Athletes!
Socorro ISD parents will soon be able to connect with their child’s teacher, courses, and campus, all in one place via Schoology. Schoology is a Learning Management System that allows students to access their course materials from an online classroom.
Starting March 20, parents will be able to access their child’s course material, including assignments, assessments, and grades. Schoology is a system that is similar to learning management systems that colleges and universities across the country use. With this new tool, Socorro ISD is leading the way in preparing its students for greater success post-high school.
SISD parents can prepare to use Schoology starting this spring. They should ensure the listed primary parent of any student attending one of our SISD schools has a personal email on file with the district. If you are an educator and parent of a SISD student, please update your contact email to a personal email to ensure your parent account is created in a timely manner.
Join us for one of two Schoology Informational Meetings that will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. at the district’s Technology Services Center. Parents with students in the Socorro, Americas, Montwood feeders and at Mission Early College High School are invited to attend Monday, March 20 and parents with students in the Eastlake, El Dorado, Pebble Hills feeders, and at Options High School to attend Tuesday, March 21.
To learn more about Schoology, parents can visit the district’s Parent Support Center at sisd.net/sgyparents. The page includes FAQs with additional details about the Schoology Parent Portal.
8th Grade House Bill 5 Endorsements
SAFETY!
Please talk to your child about the on-going situations that have been occurring. All situations will be taken seriously and they should not be playing with this topic at all.
Community Resources
Students must be reading 20 minutes a day!
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.
Week of March 21 through March 24, 2023
- Pre-K 95.69%
- Kindergarten 88.46%
- 1st grade 96.43%
- 2nd grade 93.33%
- 3rd grade 94.56%
- 4th grade 98.37%
- 5th grade 90.57%
- 6th grade 93.38%
- 7th grade 90.80%
- 8th grade 92.45%
Year to date ADA= 92.72%
Our goal is to be above 98% year to date attendance. Attendance improvement goes out to 1ST grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 6th grade, and 7th grade…keep up the good work Colts!
Please stay healthy and be at school every day.
Perfect Attendance for the Week!
Congratulations to the following classes for having perfect attendance for the week!
· K – 100%
· 1st grade – 98% x 2
· 2nd grade – 98%
· 3rd grade – 98% x 2
· 4th grade – 100% x 2
· 7th grade – 98%
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.
Saddle Up
Congratulations to 1st grade for completing Saddle Up for 98% + attendance!!
First grade students will celebrate with free dress Monday, March 27, 2023!
Good job Colts!
Eastlake Feeder Pattern Family
Eastlake Feeder Pattern Family Literacy Night -Wednesday, April 5
All Desert Wind students and parents are welcome to attend!
We will have food, live entertainment, and FREE BOOKS!
Time 5:00-6:30pm
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
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 3rd--5th, 8th, 7th M-Z
Ms. Norma Oaxaca (915)937-7916 Grades PK--2nd, 6th, 7th A-L
TSIA2 Placement Test for 8th Graders
TSIA2 Reading and Writing Placement Test
Eighth grade students are preparing to begin their high school career in just a few months.
Socorro ISD has arranged for your child to complete the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA). This test will determine if your child is ready for college-level course work in the areas of reading and writing. With successfully passing this assessment, your child will be eligible to register for Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Credit classes at their high school. These classes will, in turn, become college credits your child will be able to transfer post-graduation. In addition, the TSIA is needed for those students applying to Advanced High School Academies and Early Colleges.
Desert Wind School will be testing 8th grade students beginning on Tuesday, April 11 and ending on Friday, April 14.
Students will be practicing the Reading and Writing during their Entrepreneurship class or P.E. class.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Sara Castillo, Eighth Grade Counselor, at
(915)937-7816 or by email scasti06@sisd.net.
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
Congratulations!
Our BAND received a Division II rating super proud of them! Good job, Mr. Bushaw!
MINDFUL MARCH 2023
TOOLS FOR PARENTS
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