Hawk Happenings
March 11, 2022
Principal's Message
It is hard to believe that we have reached the end of the 3rd quarter. This year is flying by! Having said that, we still have much left to accomplish this school year. I appreciate all of the efforts our teachers and community have made to make the 2021-2022 year a success thus far!
I am in awe of the talent that the students of Desert Trails possess! From the annual Sounds of PVSchools this past weekend, to Field Day this week, it is inspiring to see students showcasing their hard work and talents with the community!
As you may have heard, students no longer have assigned seats in the lunchroom. However, we still have the tables set up the same way, and are limited to 3 students per table. Please take the opportunity to discuss various scenarios with your child (ex. What if the person I want to sit with sits next to someone else? What could I do if I see someone sitting all alone?)
Additionally, your child may have shared that we have halted some of our playground activities this week in light of a student injury in the district. This was a temporary measure while our district reviewed our playground safety recommendations. Today, we were informed that we could resume with our typical playground activities, with the exception of tag. The district will be providing us with additional guidance on safely resuming tag shortly after spring break.
If you have not had a chance to complete the district’s calendar survey, please take a moment to do so. The Calendar Committee is looking for feedback on three options for the 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27 school years.
I hope everyone has a wonderful and recharging Spring Break!
Testing Dates - IMPORTANT
This Spring, PVUSD students in grades 3rd-8th will complete a REQUIRED state test titled, Arizona Academic Standards Assessment, AASA. Students in 5th, 8th, and 11th will also take a state science test titled, AZSci. Statewide testing is very important because it is intended to objectively evaluate whether your child has mastered grade-level standards for their specific grade level. The AASA and AzSCI will provide information that will improve how students are taught, how teachers are coached, and how we can better support students. The state test is intended to give teachers an objective measure of how your child is progressing and measure how they are academically growing compared to other students in the state. Additionally, the AASA can provide benchmarks for parents and teachers, students, and schools. All public schools are required to administer state standardized assessments to fulfill the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act. If you would like to read more information about Arizona state testing, please visit the following website: https://www.azed.gov/assessment
Our AASA/AzSCI testing dates at DTES will be as follows:
March 29th - 5th grade Science Testing (AzSCI)
April 6th - 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade Writing (AASA)
April 12th & 14th - 3rd, 4th & 5th Grade - Math/ELA Part 1, Part 2 (AASA)
April 19th & 20th - 5/6 SC - ELA/Math Part 1, Part 2 (AASA)
April 18th & 20th - 6th grade ELA/Math Part 1, Part 2 (AASA)
Please do your best to schedule all doctor and other appointments outside of testing dates.
United Parent Council - Teacher-Staff Appreciation Nominations
The United Parent Council honors PVSchools teachers and staff members annually through its Teacher-Staff Appreciation Program. Parents and students who wish to nominate a teacher or school-site support staff member who has made a difference to them this school year must complete the nomination form, including a short letter as to why the nominee is deserving of this recognition. Principals/administrators are not eligible. All teachers and staff that are nominated will receive a copy of their nomination letter and a commemorative pin.
Beginning February 16th - Submit a nomination online or print a form at pvupc.org/teacher-staff-appreciation
Deadline is March 23, 2021!
Technology & Dress Code Reminders
Personal devices (e.g. smart watches, cell phones) will be in silent mode while on campus. (No texting or calling allowed. If a student needs to contact parents, a staff member will help them make a call.)
Students will keep their cell phone in their backpack while on school campus, unless directed by a teacher.
As it starts to warm up, remember our dress code.
Closed toed shoes, heels are not allowed
Midriffs must be covered (no crop tops)
Shorts must fully cover the rear
Tank tops should have at least 2 finger width straps.
If students are in need of covering up, we will do our best to provide additional clothing more appropriate for school.
HawkFest is Back ~ Friday, March 25th!
Wristbands and raffle tickets are now available for purchase at our website: www.deserttrailspto.com
Volunteers are needed to make this event a huge success! Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084faea82da2ff2-hawkfest4
Know someone with a local business who might want to support our school? Sponsorships are needed too! https://dtespto.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/20610014
Please take a peek at our March PTO Newsletter for the latest updates and activities.
United Parent Council
- March Meeting - Wednesday, March 23rd @ 9:00 - speaker topic is about school financing. Details to come.
- UPC has a YouTube Channel! Check out the UPC Library of past event videos! Be sure to subscribe!
- If you missed a program (monthly, Special Ed, Gifted, etc.), find it on our YouTube channel.
5th Grade in the Spotlight
Our next amazing Desert Trails Team in the Spotlight is…..5th grade! Desert Trails is so fortunate to have such amazing teachers that make learning so engaging and fun! Introducing our 5th grade teachers…..Mrs. Ann Adkins, Mrs. Stacie Stoy and Miss Claudia Droge!
Mrs. Adkins
Kind, Loving, Funny
What is your favorite thing about Desert Trails? Desert Trails has the most amazing students, families, and staff! I am so lucky that Desert Trails allows us to departmentalize in fifth grade allowing us to teach each and every student!
When did you realize you wanted to be a teacher? After working as a Social Worker for a few years, I decided to go back to school and get my teaching certificate. It was the best decision of my life!
What is something that might surprise us about you? I love to garden and bake!
What is your best advice you would give to a student? Learn from your mistakes!
If you could watch or play a sport or a game, what would it be? Football and baseball
Miss Droge
Thoughtful, Caring, Understanding.
What is your favorite thing about Desert Trails? I love the students and teachers at Desert Trails.
When did you realize you wanted to be a teacher and who was your favorite teacher? I knew I wanted to be a teacher in high school when I enrolled in a future educators elective course. I fell in love with the profession and knew it was what I wanted to do. My favorite teacher was my sophomore English teacher. She was so passionate about reading and sharing knowledge, which made me aspire to be like her.
What is something that might surprise us about you? Growing up, I did not like reading. I didn't start liking it until high school. Now I share as much positivity with reading as I can in hopes that I will help my students learn to enjoy it!
What is your best advice you would give to a student? My advice is to always try your hardest. Keep trying even when things are difficult, and ask as many questions as you can!
If you could watch or play a sport or a game, what would it be? I love watching baseball. I grew up going to D-Backs games and always enjoyed watching them!
Mrs. Stoy
Humorous, Helpful, Disney-obsessed
What is your favorite thing about Desert Trails? My favorite thing about Desert Trails is the sense of family that we have at our school.
When did you realize you wanted to be a teacher and who was your favorite teacher? I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. When I was younger I would spend my afternoons "teaching" my dogs and stuffed animals what my teachers taught me in school. I had some amazing teachers in elementary school, but my favorite teacher has always been Mrs. Struble. Mrs. Struble challenged me, pushed me to be my best, and genuinely cared about me.
What is something that might surprise us about you? I enjoy spending time with my family in Disney World.
What is your best advice you would give to a student? Don't be afraid to make a mistake because we learn from our mistakes.
If you could watch or play a sport or a game, what would it be? I enjoy playing board games with my family. Clue is one of our favorites.
THANK YOU for ALL you do to help our students SOAR! Desert Trails is very lucky to have such an AWESOME 5th grade team! Way to go!
Infinite Campus Changes
On March 17th, 2022, we will be moving our district’s IC instance from locally hosted servers to Infinite Campus’ Cloud!
Infinite Campus will be down for a majority of the day on March 17th
What will be different for you and your students?
The URLs to IC will change on March 17th after the migration:
The DNSs (the shortcuts we use) will be redirected to the new URLs on March 17th after the migration:
Students/parents: portal.pvschools.net
What will YOU need to do?
Clear your cache to remove outdated browsing history
Update or delete any old bookmarks pointing to the old IC
Create new bookmarks (click on the URL and then click on the “star” icon in the browser bar)
What will your Students/Parents need to do?
Browser access:
Clear cache to remove outdated browsing history
Update or delete any old bookmarks pointing to the old IC
App interface:
Update mobile app
Check your Infinite Campus app for an update
User will have to log out and log back in
Verify notifications are still active
Old News - But Still Good Information
Sculpture Garden
Our sculpture garden will soon be growing. Our 6th grade class of 2020’s piece is nearly complete, and this year’s 6th grade’s sculpture is in production.
As a reminder, these works of art are made in collaboration with DTES 6th graders and PV High School welding students. They are not for climbing or touching. Thank you for keeping your little ones off of them.
Safety Reminders
Visitors
We are excited to begin to have vistors back on campus. Please be sure sign in at the front office and get a visitor’s sticker. At this point in time, all visitors must be masked while in the building.
Fire Lanes & Handicap Spots
If you are dropping off or picking up by car, use the car drop-off/pick-up lane. If you choose to park and walk your student, you can do so in the big lot only. The lot by the Kinder playground is staff parking only, as it is a bus loading zone. Please refrain from parking in the fire lane as well as in handicap spots without a placard.
Did you know PVSchools is now using a text messaging system to connect with families?
Text notifications are limited to parents and guardians listed in the district student information system, so please contact your school if you need to update any contact information.
You can opt-in at any time by texting the word "YES" to 67587.
The district’s mass notification system does not charge any text message fees; however, wireless carriers typically do. Please contact your wireless carrier for more information about text messaging fees.
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Desert Trails Staff Shout Outs!
Please take a moment to share your child's positive experiences in class and/or some of the fabulous things your child's teacher is doing. Your response will be shared. Thank you in advance for your submission.
PVUSD is Hiring
Potential candidates can view and apply for open positions at www.pvschools.net/hiring. If assistance with the online application is needed, please call 602-449-2000.
PVUSD Open Enrollment for the 2022/2023 School year is here!
- Open Enrollment form is Online
USNews Best Schools
I am excited to share that Desert Trails ranked #9 in the state of Arizona for Best Middle Schools (6-8th grades) and #21 for Best Elementary Schools in Arizona!
Best Elementary Schools in Arizona
PVSchools Website
DTES PTO
Desert Trails Elementary
Every Child ~ Every Day!
About Desert Trails
Location: 4315 East Cashman Drive, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone: 602-449-4100