Monday, September 27, 2010

Wrapping up Septemeber

Where did September go?
Well, I know it was a busy month and a lot of things were happening at school.
First- I would like to welcome Sarah Szanto as our new parent rep. on School Council. Sarah joined us this morning and saw first hand all of the exciting things this groups gets to work on! I also want to thank Mrs. Lawton & Mr.Palethrope for expressing an interest in serving on the Council. Keep in mind, a parent rolls off every year, so we always need willing parents!! All School Council agendas and minutes throughout the year are posted on our school website. All meetings are open and you are welcome to join us.

Technology Camp Meeting was held and we received some excellent ideas. The parents and teachers who attended were involved and committed to share and be an "Agent of Change." Our next meeting will be Dec. 3 at 8:30 a.m. in the Media Center. The Technology survey will remain open until then so more parents will have the opportunity to participate.
Thank you to the parents who attended the first Camp Meeting!!!


Tax Credit
is again on our scope of things to communicate to all parents, grandparents and neighbors. School Council is once again thinking up some great ways to get this WIN-WIN word out!!! Anyone can make a donation and receive a TAX CREDIT. Once received at Desert Trails that money is used to support before/after school enrichment classes such as: Spanish, Science, Reading support, Creative Art, Physical Education, field trip scholarships and much more! School Council oversees the spending of these funds.

Picture Day is coming~ September 30, 2010.
There are some new ordering options you need to know: With Expression First, the new program from LifeTouch, over 100 Portrait Looks are available when you pre-order at mylifetouch.com If you place your order online, you can select a different look for every sheet in your package. Go online and check it out! Need help? Call 1.866.955.8342

Upcoming Events:

9/28 Catalina Parent meeting 6:30 in the cafeteria
9/29 Spirit Dinner at Island 5:00- show your Desert Trails flyer!
9/30 Picture Day
10/15 Quarter 1 ends
10/18 Red Ribbon Week
10/19 Early Release- Students dismissed at 12:30 (no lunch)
10/21 Star Student Lunch with Mrs. Lee
10/25-10/27 Parent~Teacher Conferences

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Doozy of a Deal Helps Desert Trails!

Did you know DoozyofaDeal.com helps raise money for all of our students at Desert Trails?
This on-line fundraising is a win-win for you and us! As a subscriber you can save 50-70% on great deals from local businesses, such as buying a $50 gift certificate for just $25 to your favorite restaurant. Just sign up to receive one "DEAL OF THE DAY" email each day. IT'S FREE, and you can cancel anytime. Desert Trails receives a 7.5% donation on every purchase made! And, the DEALS are GREAT!!!
There is no effort on this super fundraiser for our school- you get a great deal and we get a donation made directly to Desert Trails. Please visit DoozyofaDeal.com and sign up!
Thank you.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

One More Chance!!!

Due to the low response, I am opening back-up both surveys through the pvlearners with the link available at the top of this blog.
Please take a few minutes to give us your input on both! I would like to hear from all parents.
The Technology survey will stay open throughout September and October.
The School Council Parent Representative Vote must close Wednesday, Sept. 22.
If you do not have your child's pvlearners username and password, please email your child's teacher and they will get that to you right away!

Technology Camp Meeting is this Monday night, Sept. 20 at 6:30-7:15 in the Library. Please come to the side door of the Library, located off the Kindergarten parking lot.
The Technology Committee and I look forward to working with you on a great opportunity for our Desert Trails' students!!!

Tuesday, Sept. 21 is a half day! Students are dismissed at 12:30 and lunch is not served on half days. Also, don't forget the forum for the candidates running for the two open seats on the Paradise Valley Unified School District Governing Board.
Desert Shadows Middle School at 7:00.

PTO Membership kick-off concluded with Mrs. Hornbeck & Mrs. Levins having the highest percentage of parent membership!!! Those two classrooms will be the first to get HANDS-ON engagement with our new technology (ipads, flip cameras, and smart table).
Congratulations to those two classrooms!!! But, this doesn't mean PTO isn't still hoping more parents will join and support PTO. Did you know your membership provides classroom materials, teacher and principal training, supplies for students, books, A.R., Study Island for 2nd grade, and much, much more. We could not offer our students the avenues of learning without our wonderful parents/PTO. Please consider how powerful/meaningful your membership is to all of our students, and teachers. It is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

PVUSD Governing Board Candidates

PVUSD Governing Board Candidate Forum

Please join us to hear from the candidates running for seats on the PVUSD Governing Board; there are three candidates vying for two open seats in the upcoming general election. B.E.S.T. (Building Educational Support Together) is hosting the event, and the League of Women Voters will moderate the forum. The public is invited to attend this forum.

 

Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Desert Shadows Elementary School, Multi-Purpose Room,

5902 E. Sweetwater Ave. Scottsdale, AZ 85254

 

Friday, September 10, 2010

School Council Parent Representative Vote

I am pleased to announce our Parent Representative vote is ready to take place.
We have one open parent position on our School Council for the 2010-2011 school year.
Interested parents submitted an input form to share with the community why they would like to serve on School Council. Please follow these steps so you can access the information and vote for the parent of your choice.
All students in Paradise Valley have a pvlearners account. At the primary level you may not be very familiar with this. However, at the intermediate level you are becoming more familiar with pvlearners. All students have a username and password. If you do not know your child's username and password, please get these from your child's teacher. Drop them an email, and they will be happy to respond.
Once you have your child's username and password go to the following link
http://sites.google.com/a/pvlearners.net/dtes-lee-school-site/

You will see a log-in box on the left hand side. Enter your child's information and you will be taken directly to the School Council site. Read each page for directions, and each candidate's information. Click on "Vote Here" to select your parent representative.

The voting window closes Sept. 17, 2010.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

2 things!

Join us for the first 2010-2011 PTO General Membership Meeting which is next Wednesday, September 15th- 6:30-7:00pm is a social Meet and Greet and the meeting will begin at 7pm in the school library.  PTO has invited Guest Speaker, Tom Elliott, PVUSD Assistant Superintendent of Business Services.  Mr. Elliott will speak about the PVUSD Budget and what it means to our students followed by Q &A.  Mrs. Lee will also do a mini-presentation on the "Make Your Day Program!" We hope to see you!
6th GRADE PARENTS----Explorer Middle Schools' Parent Orientation has moved from the spring to the fall. Mark your calendars for November 9th, and look for more information to come.
!!Happy New Year to those celebrating Rosh Hashana!! 

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Community Legislative Network

The Community Legislative Network, or CLN, was formed 6 years ago as a Superintendent’s Committee. Members of the committee represent all stakeholder groups in the district including parents, teachers, principals, education support professionals, central office administrators, governing board members and community representatives. Each fall, the committee develops a legislative agenda for the PVUSD that is approved by the Governing Board. Committee members track legislation and meet with state legislators to inform and educate them about the district’s positions.

The CLN utilizes an e-mail network and sends legislative updates to individual stakeholders with the goal of activating them to communicate with their legislators. If you would like to be added to the CLN e-mail network, please email your name and personal email address to mailto:community.legislative.network@gmail.com. For questions about CLN, please contact Julie Bacon, CLN Chair at mailto:jwbacon@cox.net.