Hawk Happenings
May 2023
Dear Hawk Families,
April was another amazing month at Desert Trails! As we begin our last month of school, we look forward to end-of-year celebrations to highlight all of the growth of our students and the dedication and support of teachers and staff members.
Please read through this monthly newsletter to review school information and check out the video below to see what our students were up to last month. There is so much happening at Desert Trails!!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Maynard, Principal
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May Events
- May 4th Governing Board Meeting 7:00 pm -8:00 pm
- May 8th-12th Staff Appreciation Week
- May 9th Volunteer Breakfast 8:20 am-8:50 am Strings Concert 6:30 pm-8:00 pm
- May 11th Musical 7:00 pm-8:30 pm
- May 12th End of the year PTO party at Cashman 5:30 pm-7:30 pm
- May 17th UPC meeting at the district office 9:00 am-12:00 pm
- May 18th Governing Board Meeting 7:00 pm-8:00 pm
- May 24th Sixth Grade Celebration (Students Only) 1:15 pm-3:15 pm
- May 25th Sixth Grade Ceremony (Parents/Family) 10 am
- May 25th Last Day of School (Early Release)
Staffing Update for 2023-2024
Hailey Lee
Michelle Schreker
Heather Wilson
Lauren Nilsen
Amanda Moore
Kashley Maher
Maureen Love
Thank you for your time and dedication to Desert Trails!
We would like to welcome new staff members and teachers who will be changing roles for the 2023-2024 school year. We are excited to introduce you to:
Whitney Creed- Pre-k self-contained gifted
Maggie Tracey- 1st/2nd self-contained gifted
Heather Hallows- 3rd/4th self-contained gifted
Carlie Manecke and Madison Branson-co-teaching 1st grade
Hannah Stillson-2nd grade
Lynn Caccia-2nd grade gifted cluster
Lori Leyba-3rd grade
Heather Neely 6th grade
Katie Seitz-Special education
Pam McCoy Para-educator
EduKits
DTES Families,
It’s never too soon to start planning ahead for the next school year. It will be here before we know it and it’s better to be prepared! DTES PTO is providing families with an easy way to gather school supplies through Edukits. In fact, you can start ordering your child’s kit today, and all the supplies that your child will need will be delivered right to your child’s classroom on open house, the day before the first day of school. You are just a few clicks away from checking that off your summer to-do list! Click on this link to get started!
The last day to order Edukits is June 15, 2023.
Please contact Lin Graff, your DTES PTO Edukits Coordinator, with any questions at dtesptoedukits@gmail.com.
THANK YOU!
PTO News
From our social worker
Empathy
Empathy, in the most basic terms, is our ability and propensity to perspective take. I like to say empathy is the ability to dawn another's perspective like a garment and wear it like it's your own while still possessing the capability to hang it back up... said more plainly, it's our ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes.
But why is empathy so important in parenting?
Well let's just start with two reasons.
First, empathy is essential for us as parents because it allows us to build strong relationships with our children, create a safe and supportive environment for them to grow, and teach them valuable life skills. Without empathy we are always "doing to" in parenting and not "working with". As long as we are "doing to" we will never truly be collaborating.
Second, empathy is an important skill for our kids because it's going to help them foster healthy relationships, build genuine connections, and be naturally conscious and kind.
Model empathy:
As with anything, children tend to learn by watching you, so one of the most effective ways to teach empathy is to model it yourself. Show your child empathy when they are upset or in need, and (this part is really key) model empathy in your interactions with other people. Use phrases like, "I can see that you are feeling XYZ. I know what it's like to feel like that." and "Your dad is really frustrated about work right now. It's hard to be frustrated about things isn't it? I don't like feeling that way."
Encourage perspective-taking:
Encouraging your child to take the perspective of others is an important way to teach empathy. Help your child imagine what it might be like to be in someone else's shoes. For example, if your child sees another child crying, ask them how they think the other child might be feeling and why. Have your child wish them well. Use narrative to take this process even deeper. Encourage them to think about how they would feel in the same situation.
Read books out loud and watch movies together:
Provided they are age appropriate, books and movies that have empathetic themes can be a huge tool in fostering empathy. Books and movies can be a great way to teach children about empathy without the emotional stakes of "real life". For highly sensitive kids especially who might be overwhelmed by the sensory and emotional overload of real world perspective taking when they're young, this can be transformative. Look for stories that have empathetic themes and characters, and discuss them with your kids. Talk about how the characters might be feeling and why, and, again, encourage your child to think about how they might react in a similar situation.
Please reach out to me if you have any questions! mwarda@pvschools.net
Adapted from: Whole Parenting
Immunization Notice
Notice from the Health Office.
This is a reminder that when children turn 11 they are required to get additional immunizations for school attendance in Arizona. They will need a Tdap and MCV4. Please schedule an appointment with your child's doctor to obtain these. If you have any questions please reach out to the school nurse.
Thank you,
Nurse Judy
Campus Safety
- Use the crosswalk to cross the street
- Stay on the sidewalk as you walk home, do not walk across the parking lot
- Dogs are not allowed on campus
- Use the car pick-up lane to pick up your child(ren) by car, please do not park in the staff parking lot or pick up students in the parking lots
- Please only visit classrooms you are scheduled to volunteer in. Do not go to classrooms you did not sign up to volunteer in. Teachers can only accept volunteers that are signed up to attend their classroom.
ANNUAL UPDATE
The online version of our Annual Update process is now available for the 2022-23 school year. The Annual Update allows you to make any updates to your contact information such as address changes, phone number changes, changes to a child’s health history, as well as update emergency contact information. This has replaced the printed Emergency Card.
- Please go to portal.pvschools.net
- Select More and then Annual Update.
- You may also click the Annual Update link on the Announcement Page.
Need help? View our Annual Update Smart Card.
NOTE: the Portal is where you will find your student´s ID # if needed.
United Parent Council
Attendance
When a student is going to be absent from school, a guardian is expected to call the attendance line (602-449-4101) on the day of the absence, before 9:10 am.
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ABOUT DESERT TRAILS
Connect with Mrs. Maynard
Desert Trails Elementary School
Email: mmaynard@pvschools.net
Website: https://deserttrails.pvschools.net/
Location: 4315 E Cashman Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85050
Phone: (602) 449-4100