Deer Canyon Echoes
March 22, 2024
To Do
- Order your DCES Yearbook by April 18.
- Register your child(ren) for Continuing Student Registration by March 31. This is required for all continuing PUSD students.
- Fifth-grade families: Here's a link to the Mesa Verde Middle School parent night presentation.
- Follow the PSO Instagram @deercanyonpso for announcements, reminders, and pictures of fun events organized by the PSO.
- Seeking parent volunteers for lunchtime activities to recognize Ramadan, Developmental Disabilities Awareness, and Women’s History Month. Please contact Maha at melmeniawy@powayusd.com.
- Got design skills? The PSO is still looking for someone with graphic design experience to help us design a new logo. Please contact Eve Lanham at president@deercanyonpso.org.
- Order DCES Spirit Wear.
Save the Date
March
- 3/25 to 3/29 - Rockin' Recess
- 3/27 - Pizza Picnic with Ms. Bendix (Read-a-Thon 500+ min readers)
- 3/28 - Pizza Picnic with Ms. Bendix (Read-a-Thon $200 fundraisers
- 3/29 - Funky Friday @ 9 am and Family Heritage Night @5:30 pm (it's also Crazy Hair Day!)
- 3/31 - Deadline for PUSD Continuing Student Registration
April
- 4/1 - Principal Bendix's Crazy Costume Day
- 4/15 to 4/19 - Career Café for students
- 4/19 - STEAM Night @ 5:30 pm
- 4/26 - DC Dining: Chuck E. Cheese, 3 to 9 pm
Principal's Message 📚
Good evening, Deer Canyon Families!
No way is next week the last week of March. Time flies when you’re having fun…and learning lots!
On Tuesday morning, I attended a feeder school equity walk with principals at Mesa Verde Middle School. On Wednesday, parents and guardians joined me for Coffee with the Principal, where we reviewed our progress on Deer Canyon SPSA Goals and thoughtfully discussed our hopes for next school year.
Yesterday brought our fourth and fifth grade classes a fun day in the sun with Julian Mining Company. When I asked a few students about their favorite activity of the day, one said, “Definitely *not* washing clothes!” Ha! Another shared that his favorite part of the day was dressing up on theme! Thank you to our wonderful teachers for organizing this reverse field trip; it was such a fun learning experience for students.
Next week, we will kick off our Read-a-Thon prize celebrations with Rockin’ Recess all week long and two pizza parties for students who met milestones (individual invites are on their way). Our PBIS team will continue our regular meetings to review, revise, and revamp our site plans and framework, as we prepare for the 2024-25 school year. We will also have PUSD Inclusive Practices Teachers on special assignment on campus for staff collaboration opportunities.
On Friday, we will have Crazy Hair Day and FUNky Friday at 9 am — please join us! I look forward to capping off our week together, celebrating, appreciating, and learning about the many beautiful cultures and backgrounds of our Deer Canyon families at Family Heritage Night at 5:30 pm. Embracing and honoring our varied heritages not only strengthens our sense of unity but also contributes to a vibrant and dynamic learning environment.
See you there!
TK-5th Grade Trimester 2 Progress Reports
As a reminder, you are now able to view your student's Trimester 2 Progress Report in Synergy ParentVUE! For directions on accessing your student's Progress Report, click here: (English) (Spanish). *If you cannot view your student’s progress report, you may not have completed continuing student registration (see below).
(ACTION NEEDED!) 2024-2025 Enrollment for Returning TK-4th Grade Families
Continuing Registration is only open for one more week! All returning families are required to complete continuing registration by March 31, 2024, if you plan to return to Deer Canyon next school year.
We must receive a completed digital packet for all returning students. This will allow for proper placement of your student for the 2024-2025 school year. Please check your email for instructions. If your student is not returning to Deer Canyon next school year, please email me as soon as possible at kbendix@powayusd.com.
Continuing Registration Steps:
Login and complete the digital registration packet via the online registration portal found here.
Review and complete any required forms located at the conclusion of the process. A packet is not considered finalized until this step is completed.
Forgot your username or password? Need technical help? You can retrieve your username as well as reset your password by visiting https://password.powayusd.com and clicking the button that represents the help you require. Technical help is also available by sending an email to accounthelp@powayusd.com.
The Poway Unified transfer window is now open! Transfer requests for students who live within the Poway Unified boundaries and would like to attend a different Poway school other than their school of residence should be submitted online by visiting the PUSD webpage and clicking the “Transfers” link on the home page.
This includes incoming siblings of current students. Please enroll your student at their school of residence when new student enrollment opens online on April 1, 2024. Transfer requests cannot be processed until the student is enrolled in their school of residence. The transfer window closes on March 31 at 5 pm. For more information, please visit PUSD’s Residency & Transfers webpage.
5th Grade Families
CLICK HERE to view Mesa Verde Middle School’s incoming fifth grade parent orientation slide deck from Wednesday night.
Upcoming Field Trips and Volunteers
All chaperones for field trips must be cleared volunteers. Each year, volunteer status needs to be renewed via a new application. If a chaperone will be alone at any time with a small group of students, they must have Level 2 clearance. If the field trip allows for the entire class(es) to be together at all times, Level 1 clearance is acceptable. For more, visit PUSD Volunteer Information. Visit the Front Office for a volunteer application! Unsure if you are already cleared as a volunteer? Contact mboeckman@powayusd.com.
Positive Attendance Incentives
I will be taking a break from reporting our attendance data this week as I work with District staff to align our reports.
Families of students served through Special Education
Community is important to us here at Deer Canyon and our parent ambassadors want to connect with you on whatever level you need: general camaraderie, answering questions, or sharing their own experiences. Sometimes, simply connecting with another person through a shared experience can be powerful. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the PUSD parent ambassadors with students at Deer Canyon, Michael Matsuda and Stacy Zhang, using THIS FORM.
Have a wonderful weekend, Deer Canyon!
Katie Bendix
Principal
Updates from the PSO
Deer Canyon PSO Elections for 2024-2025
Our PSO is accepting nominations for next year’s Board, Chair and Staff positions. We hope you can take a moment to consider offering your talents and expertise as a volunteer.
PSO is responsible for several beloved events and programs, including Book Fair, Family Fun Night, Family Heritage Night, Character Counts, Math Olympiads, Direct Ask Fundraiser, Monster Mash, School Assemblies, Yearbook, and Echoes Newsletter.
Without Board, Committee Chair and Staff members, many of these programs would not exist year over year. Numerous PSO volunteers are wrapping up their time at Deer Canyon as their youngest children are promoting to Mesa Verde Middle come June.
Current volunteers are available to share their experiences and will support you as you begin a new volunteer role. Please consider how you can support Deer Canyon next school year!
Elections take place in April to serve the following school year; please reach out by 3/31 if you have an interest in any of the open roles below. For questions about the roles and expected time commitment, please email melissa.doctor@yahoo.com or call/text Melissa at 760-518-3757.
THANK YOU!
Upcoming Events
Family Heritage Night Needs Your Help on March 29
This amazing event on March 29 allows Deer Canyon families to take a trip around the world in one evening!
It's our chance to experience the culture, fashion, art and food of our diverse community.
We are looking for volunteers to help with set up, passport and drink stations and tear down.
Come be a part of this meaningful event.
STEAM Night is Coming
Deer Canyon is excited to announce STEAM Night on Friday, April 19, from 5:30-7:30 pm. Join us in exploring science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics through engaging hands-on activities. We welcome students and families for a night of science and fun! Want to help with STEAM Night? We need volunteers! We need parents to help with set up, clean up, and run the welcome table during the event. Please contact Jamie Harris at Jaharris@powayusd.com.
Counselor's Corner
Career Cafe is Coming!
Deer Canyon will be hosting our first-ever Career Cafe on April 15-19. Students will have an opportunity to have lunch in room 22 while learning about different career paths.
Do you have a career you’d like to share with our students? Mrs. MacDougall is inviting you to share a short 10-15 minute presentation or Q&A with our TK-5th grade students. Please plan on committing to one day that week from 11 am-12:30pm.
Please email Mrs. MacDougall directly for additional details at cmacdougall@powayusd.com.
For Parents: Coffee with the Counselor & Book Club
Mrs. MacDougall is inviting you to join a Book Club that will meet Thursday mornings after drop off. Come have a cup of coffee and discuss key takeaways from “The Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be.”
Let’s connect with and learn alongside each other as we dive into the work of Dr. Becky Kennedy, a clinical psychologist whose approach is based on attachment theory and the internal family systems model. We will explore the goodness of our children and prioritize connection over consequences as we take a long-term view of parenting.
We will meet at 9 am on these Thursday mornings: March 21, April 4, April 18, May 2.
Please RSVP by emailing Mrs. MacDougall at cmacdougall@powayusd.com.
Important Updates
Get Your DCES Yearbook - Deadline is April 18
Hold on tight to those Deer Canyon memories!
Have you ordered this year's yearbook? If not, it is not too late!!
Deadline to purchase the yearbook and customize the 2 free-custom pages is Thursday, April 18.
Questions: Contact the yearbook committee at deercanyonyearbook@gmail.com.
How to Purchase:
- Visit the TreeRing website
- Enter the DCES passcode: 1015490278194159
Seeking: Pictures for the DCES Yearbook
Do you have pictures to share for our DCES Yearbook? If so, please upload them via TreeRing.com or directly from your phone using the app. We'd love to have them!
Instructions:
Show Your School Spirit with DCES Spirit Wear
Make Friday mornings a little easier by ordering Spirit Wear!
Our Spirit Wear shop is open and taking orders. Choose from a variety of options: tie-dye T-shirts (perfect for FUNky Fridays), cartoon T-shirts (perfect for kids — and adults!), school logo T-shirts, hoodies (perfect for the cold weather), zip-up jackets and more.
Orders are placed online and can be delivered to DCES for free.
Questions: Please contact Razan Lin rbattikha@gmail.com