Coyote Connection
Desert Sage Elementary Newsletter- January 2024
Upcoming Dates
- December 23-January 7: No School- Winter Break with Snowball Reading
- January 8 : No School (Teacher Prep Day)
- January 9-11: Return Snowball Reading to be entered for Prizes
- January 11: PTO Meeting 4:30 in Staff Room
- January 15: No School - Martin Luther King, Jr./Human Rights Day
- January 23: PTO Popcorn Money due
- January 24: No School (Professional Learning/Collaboration)
- January 29: PTO Texas Roadhouse fundraiser
- February 2: Coyote Pride Ticket Drawing
- February 16: No School
- February 19: No School (Presidents' Day)
- March 6: No School (Professional Learning/Collaboration)
Family Engagement Meetings at 8:15am (in the library)
- January 12
- February 2
A Message from the Principal
Hello Desert Sage Families!
Happy New Year! We hope you have had a great time with a chance to reconnect with your families over this winter break. We are also so excited to see you back at school on January 9. Although we all definitely need a rest, we always miss our Coyotes when they are gone.
Were you able to get a lot of reading in over this break? Don't forget to submit your snowballs from January 9-11 to be entered for prizes.
As we begin this third quarter, we hope that we can once again reinforce our mantra of higher levels of learning for all. We believe all of our students are capable of achieving high levels of success and that with hard work, nothing is too far out of reach.
Let's make 2024 a great year together.
Beau Dahlgren
Report Cards
A “report card” will be emailed to parents/guardians the week of January 16th. The report card will indicate your student’s progress on any standards that have been instructed on and assessed up to the Winter Holiday Break.
The report card will be emailed to Contact 1 and Contact 2 as indicated in PowerSchool. Please make sure that you have current email addresses for these two contacts in PowerSchool.
Information on how elementary teachers grade, and instructions on how to update email addresses in PowerSchool can be found on the public site: Assessing and Reporting Grades | West Ada School District. If you have questions regarding your child's progress, please reach out to their teacher.
From the school counselor:
As you may know, I have been out on maternity leave and will be returning after the holiday break. I am excited to start going into classrooms to teach lessons and start group counseling. In the coming months, one of the lessons that I will be teaching is personal safety in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade classrooms. Please look out for an *opt-out* form in your child’s backpack after break. This form only needs to be signed and returned if you DO NOT want your child to participate in these lessons. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns!
What is it?
· Eligible students will receive $1,000
· $3,000 maximum each family
· Money must be spent on approved educational services or devices
· Purchases must be made through the Odyssey Marketplace
Who can apply?
· All children in Idaho enrolled in school K- 12th grade
· You must have done your 2022 or 2023 taxes
· Visit here for more information
How to apply?
· Visit here
Create a parent account
· Complete the application
· Upload one of the following documents for the parent
o US passport
o Driver’s license or State ID
o Green Card
· Upload one of the following documents for the student
o US passport
o Birth certificate
o Driver’s license or State ID
o 1040 Federal Tax Return
Do you need help with the application?
Desert Sage Elementary would like to help. We have computers and interpreters available.
If you need help please email Rainbow Dye
From PTO
PTO Thanks to You...
Thanks for your support in our Krispy Kreme fundraiser. This money is used to continue to support our students and staff in activities. We hope you enjoyed the donuts.
Thanks for making Friday more fun with an outstanding response to Popcorn Friday. We will be continuing making Friday fun with Popcorn.
Looking Forward...
Popcorn Friday:
January 26th is Popcorn Friday. Money will be due back Tuesday, January 23rd. Each bag of popcorn is $0.50 with a limit of 2 per student. Keep an eye out for the form to come home for payment options.
Snowball Reading
Your students had the opportunity to participate in Snowball Reading over the December Holiday break again this year. Their reading participation earned them the opportunity at a chance for some prizes after the Holiday Break. When your student read the amount of minutes needed for their grade they earned a snowball to return for a chance to win a prize. Snowballs will be turned in January 9th - 11th during their lunch break. Some of the great prizes are a Nerf Scooter, board games, blocks and lunch with Mr. Dahlgren.
Texas Roadhouse Restaurant Night:
Please join us at Texas Roadhouse for some great food and a portion of the sales from the evening will be returned to the school. Please make sure to bring your flyer and tell the server you are there to support Desert Sage. (see flyer below)
Donations for Jog-A-Thon
We are beginning our planning for prizes for our second annual Jog-A-Thon that is scheduled for April. We heard from many families last year that they or a business they work for would like to offer a donation. If you or someone you work for would like to donate a prize for Jog-A-Thon, please reach out to us at desertsagepto25@gmail.com
Next Meeting
Come join the PTO at their next meeting, January 11th from 4:30-5:30.
If you can't come to the meeting but have time to volunteer or have questions or suggestions please email desertsagepto25@gmail.com
Attendance
Did You Know? – Missing 10% or just 2 days a month can cause a student to fall behind. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and about their own ability to learn. Good attendance is a skill that will help them succeed in high school and college.
Attendance Tips – set a regular bedtime, avoid screen time at least 30 minutes before bed and develop a nighttime and morning routine.
Desert Sage is doing attendance competitions. Classes with the best attendance and students who meet attendance goals will receive rewards. Standby for more details and announcements.
FROM PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS...
Breakfast and Lunch services
Birthday Celebrations
At Desert Sage, we want families to have the opportunity to celebrate their child's birthday at school in ways that fall within West Ada School District's Wellness Policy. To ensure that you are able to plan accordingly, please note the following:
- Birthday celebrations will happen the last Friday of the month. Please consider sending non-food items such as a favorite book to be read, a game to be played, or donating a book/game to the class in your child's name.
- If the teacher is accepting food for monthly celebrations, healthy options must be included. It is the teachers discretion whether or not to accept any food and to coordinate the inclusion of healthy options.
For more information regarding the Wellness Policy, click on the following link: Wellness Policy
Student Drop-off Times
- K-5 (M/T/Th/F): 8:45-9:05am*
- Wednesday K-5: 9:00-9:20am*
- AM Preschool (M-Th): 9:00am
- PM Preschool (M-Th): 12:55pm
*There is no adult supervision outside of these drop-off times. Please do not drop off students before the indicated times. Students are to go to the playground and line-up when the bell rings. If a student arrives after the drop-off times, they will need to enter through the office.
Breakfast is served starting at 8:45am every day except for Wednesdays when it is served starting at 9:00am.
All West Ada elementary schools are closed campuses, meaning parents and community members are not allowed to enter campus without checking in at the front office when students are present. Parents are asked not to access classrooms and hallways for the first two weeks of school as we build routines for students. Therefore, please be sure to drop off your child outside of the campus gates that access the playground or in front of the school.
For the elementary school bell schedule, click here: Bell schedule
Important Safety Information
- All roads surrounding Desert Sage are 20 mph speed limit.
- On school grounds, speed limit is 10 mph or slower as traffic allows.
- Use the loop at the front of the school for drop-off and pick-up of students. The back of the school building is reserved for staff parking and school buses only.
- There is no double-parking or double drop-off/pick-up. Students must be dropped off and picked up at the curb. All drivers need to stay in the line and continuously pull forward so as not to leave any gaps in the line. Other cars will follow in line and move forward as the line moves.
- Do not pass other cars in drop-off/pick-up area. Please wait patiently in the line until the car ahead of you moves.
- Do not block crosswalks.
- Have student ready to exit the car immediately.
- If you need to get out of your vehicle, please park in the marked spaces in the parking lot. Do not park in the loop or in the daycare line.
- Unless your vehicle is clearly defined as being qualified to use the handicap parking, please be aware and refrain from parking or sitting in your car in these spots. Signs are posted as a reminder.
- Keep the area directly in front of the gate at parent pick-up clear so students can exit the gate and navigate to their parent/guardian.
- Please cross at the crosswalks.
- When conditions are wet/snowy/icy, please slow down and plan on additional time.
- Please refrain from using/checking your cell phone while in the drop-off/pick-up line.
We appreciate your help in keeping our students safe!
Visitor Check-in Procedures
We also want to make all of our families aware that pets are not allowed on campus when students are present.
Thank you for helping us keep our students safe!
Student Absences
If your child will be absent from school, we ask that you please call our attendance line at (208) 350-4021 by 9:30am and leave a message with your child's name, date(s) of absence, and reason for absence.
End-of-Day Transportation Change?
Desert Sage Elementary
Website: https://www.westada.org/desertsage
Location: 9325 West Mossywood Drive, Boise, ID, USA
Phone: (208) 350-4020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desertsageelementary/