Coyote Connection
Desert Sage Elementary- January 7, 2022
Upcoming Dates
January 11: PTO meeting 4:30-5:30pm (in the staff room)
January 14: Early Release @ 1:25pm (AM PK/Kinder end @ 10:55am; PM PK/Kinder start @ 11:40am)
January 17: Martin Luther King Jr/Idaho Human Right Day: NO SCHOOL
A Message From Your School Administrators
Greetings Parents!
Our first week back to school was a great start to the new year! Please welcome our new staff members to Desert Sage: Connie Kirtlink, Head Secretary and SuzAnne Howlett, Paraprofessional. They come to us with lots of experience and we are excited to have them on board.
As you know, this is not a usual school year: Mask Optional, Mask required, COVID Protocol changes. Because of COVID, the new variant and the more than usual social gathering over the holidays, we are experiencing an even higher than usual rate of teacher and student absences and this is happening district wide. For example, we heard that Thursday night the district sub system received over 100 teachers calling sick for Friday. This makes it difficult for all schools to get the substitute teachers that we need. The reason we are sharing this information is that the district has offered to come to our school to provide training to our parents or family members interested in helping Desert Sage by being a substitute teacher. If you are interested in earning a little extra money and want to help Desert Sage, we will schedule a training event one evening for our parents who are interested. Please contact Principal Kelly or Assistant Principal Carbajal to let us know what night is best for you for this Substitute training, then we will schedule this training.
This Friday is an Early Release Day for elementary schools. Every elementary student in the district will have a short assignment that they must complete Friday right after they arrive home. Your child will need to do the following independently (with little to no help from parents):
1) Log on to their school issued laptop/iPad
2) Open SeeSaw or Microsoft Teams
3) Find the assignment on SeeSaw or Microsoft Teams (the platform that the teacher uses)
4) Complete the simple assignment
5) Turn in this assignment via SeeSaw or Microsoft Teams.
The purpose of this exercise is to see which students will need extra help with navigating and using the online learning platform (SeeSaw or Microsoft Teams). If students do not have internet access, requests for hotspots should be submitted to the classroom teacher.
Best Regards,
Principal Kelly & Assistant Principal Carbajal
The Nurse Needs Your Help!!!
Please return borrowed clothing after it has been washed. I am VERY LOW on pants of all sizes.
A message from the Ada County Housing Authority:
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program: This program allows participants to afford rent in an increasingly difficult affordable housing environment. The Housing Authority is opening the waiting list for new applications. The waiting list will be open from January 10 through February 10, 2022 – on a “lottery” selection basis. From the applications received, a random selection of 2,500 households will be selected for placement on the waiting list. More information is on our website; https://bcacha.org/. You can also call 208-345-4907 for more information. Applications are available in English and Spanish.
Additional assistance is available through the Emergency Rental Assistance program: This program is being administered in Boise and Ada County by the Housing Authorities. This assistance is for low-income tenants who have been financially impacted by the COVID pandemic, directly or indirectly. Applicants must currently be on a lease agreement. Other eligibility requirements are explained on the attached flyer and on our website; https://erap.bcacha.org/ .
These are housing authority programs and are not associated with the school. Please contact the housing authority with questions.
Does your student like computer games?
Is your child interested in making their own computer games? Or likes puzzles? Maybe wonders how computers work. Then Code Kids is for them. Coding is not only fun but helps with reason and logic. It is a free, eight-week class held on Tuesdays after school starting January 24. There is an application, if your student is interested, talk with Ms. Chapman.
Note from the Counselor
This month, social-emotional classroom lessons will be focused on being flexible and assertive rather than bossy for K through 2nd and understanding what is within our control and what is out of our control for 3rd through 5th grade. We will be talking about the Garbage Can tool this month in classroom lessons, which emphasizes "letting the little things go". When students have a small problem, something that can be ignored or let go, this is a great tool that they can practice using.
There are a few different parenting class options added to the Desert Sage website if you are interested. Each of the class flyers posted start next week, so please register if you are interested! To find these, visit the Desert Sage website -> Parents/Students -> Counseling Services -> Parenting Resources. There are online and in-person options. Please reach out at 208-350-4020 if you have any questions.
Do you have a Safety Concern or Bullying to Report?
If you have a safety concern or bullying to report, please go to our school website to complete our form. To access the form, click this link https://www.westada.org/Domain/13 (If you are on your phone, scroll down to the bottom and click on the last tab, "Student Safety Concerns." If you are on a computer, scroll down to the bottom of the page). Once received, our team will begin the process of investigating the situation in order to create a positive resolution.
We Have Job Openings!
Special Education Paraprofessional: To apply, click here (scroll down to JobID 18029)
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/