A publication of Desert Sky Middle School

“Building a Community of Learners” November 2018 9850 E. Rankin Loop

Dates to Remember

November 1-16 NJHS Canned Food Drive 1 Girls’ Soccer vs. VAHS – home – 3:45pm 1 Boys’ Basketball vs. VAHS @ CFMS – 3:45pm 2 Picture Retakes

5 Girls’ Soccer/Boys’ Basketball @ CFMS - 3:45pm 6 Election Day – Voting in Gym Lobby 7 Writing Benchmark #2 7 Early Dismissal - 12:00pm

9 Progress Reports Available 12 No School – Veterans Day 14 Girls’ Soccer/Boys’ Basketball @ OVMS - 3:45pm

16, 17 Drama “Our Fifth Annual Night of Theater” - MPR – 7:00pm 19 Girls’ Soccer vs. CFMS - home - 3:45pm 19 Boys’ Basketball @ CFMS – 3:45pm 20 School Wide Spelling Bee 21-23 No School – Thanksgiving 26 Girls’ Soccer vs. ES – home - 3:45pm 26 Boys’ Basketball vs. ES @ RVMS - 3:45pm 28 Girls’ Soccer/Boys’ Basketball @ RVMS - 3:45pm December 3-14 Benchmark #2 – Math and Reading 3 Girls’ Soccer vs. OVMS – home - 3:45pm 3 Boys’ Basketball @ OVMS – 3:45pm 5 Girls’ Soccer @ VAHS – 3:45pm 5 Boys’ Basketball vs. VAHS @ OVMS – 3:45pm 6 Winter Concert – Choir, Band, Steel, Orchestra – 6:00pm

10-20 Science Benchmark #2 (Date TBD) 10 Girls’ Soccer vs. VAHS – home – 3:45pm 10 Boys’ Basketball vs. VAHS @ RVMS – 3:45pm 13 PTA Meeting – Media Center – 4:30pm 17-21 Holiday Spirit Week 17-19 DVL Soccer and Basketball Tournaments

21 Report Cards Mailed Home 21 Early Dismissal - 12:00pm 24 Winter Break Begins - School Resumes 1/7/19

Principal, Katie Dabney E-mail:

dabneyk@vailschooldistrict.org

Assistant Principal, Rebecca Marsh

E-mail: marshr@vailschooldistrict.org

Office: (520) 879-2702

Fax: (520) 879-2701

Website:

http://dsms.vail.k12.az.us

Desert Sky Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Site Council

Jon Carlyon

(Parent/Community)

Amanda Jensen (Parent/Community)

Kiki Ngo

(Parent/Community)

Karleene Talley (Parent/Community)

Sheri Aken

(Certified Staff)

Ming Chen (Support Staff)

Abby Jackson (Certified Staff)

A+ School of Excellence 2011, 2018

From the Principal.. Dear Parents and Families, As you are well aware, school labels have now been released. School labels are based on our AzMERIT results. The AzMERIT assessment is given in April of each school year. I am proud to share that Desert Sky has earned an “A” grade/label (the highest possible grade) from the Arizona Department of Education! Any school that received 86% of the possible points available was named an A school. Points are awarded for students’ proficiency and growth on the AzMERIT, attendance rate, accelerated programing such as Advanced Math, and Special Education programing. Not only did DSMS earn an A grade/label, but we have also been recognized as the highest rated middle school in the entire State of Arizona (this includes all charter schools). Desert Sky earned 99.17% of the points available. Congratulations DSMS! School labels and test scores are just one of the many indicators of success here at Desert Sky. In addition to a strong academic program, our students can participate in a variety of extra-curricular activities. DSMS offers 22 after school clubs, 13 team sports, and dynamite performing arts programs. When students are connected to their school it has a positive impact on their student achievement. Connected students + involved parents + highly effective teachers/staff = a successful school! Thank you for the part that you have played in Desert Sky’s success! On another note, I encourage you as parents to model responsible citizenship for your child by getting informed and voting in the upcoming election. Election day is next Tuesday, November 6th. Please know that I do not want to, nor can I encourage you how to vote, but please - simply VOTE. Our children watch what we do and our actions set the example for them. As always, thank you for your partnership as we provide our students with a positive and rewarding experience at Desert Sky Middle School. It’s a good day to be a Desert Sky Cougar!!! Sincerely, Katie Dabney, Principal

Benchmark #2 Testing

Benchmark #2 testing for math and reading begins Monday, December 3rd and continues through Friday, December 14th. Please make sure that your child gets plenty of rest the night before the Benchmark tests and a nutritional breakfast in the morning. This will help your child be more successful and perform his or her best. Writing Benchmark #2 will be on Wednesday, November 7th. Remediation According to Vail’s Raising Expectation document found on our website at: http://dsms.vail.k12.az.us/raising-expectations/ Students who fail a core class, a benchmark test, or have nine or more absences in the first semester will earn 12 hours of remediation. These remediation classes are offered after school Monday-Thursday, and the schedules for each team can be found in their classrooms. It is very important that your child make up any hours of remediation that he or she earns in order to be promoted at the end of the school year. If you have any questions about any of this information, please contact: Stacey Couzens, Student Achievement Teacher 879-2709 or couzenss@vailschooldistrict.org

Raising Expectations and Remediation Hours

Frequently Asked Questions How did my child receive his or her hours of remediation? According to the Vail School District’s Raising Expectations document found on our website, there are three ways a student can receive 12 hours of remediation: 1) a student fails a core class (math, science, language arts, or social studies) in a quarter 2) a student fails the reading or math benchmark 3) a student has nine or more absences within a semester What is the purpose of these 12 hours of remediation? The goal of remediation is to make sure your child gets the help he or she needs in the content area in which he or she is struggling. Or, in the case of having nine or more absences, it enables the child to make up academic learning and time that was missed during the absences. What does my child have to do to make up the hours? Your child will need to attend remediation in the core subject area that he or she failed, with any of the teachers that are doing remedial teaching in that content area. The length of time that your child attends remediation after school each day will be credited toward his or her remediation hours. For example, if your child attends remediation for 45 minutes, he or she will be credited for 45 minutes of attendance. If a student is eligible to attend math or reading reteach, he or she may also receive credit for hours attending the reteach class. Whose responsibility is it to remind my child to make up his or her hours owed? Each student is aware of how many remediation hours he or she owes. If a child is uncertain, he or she needs to ask any of his or her teachers. It is up to the parent and student to make sure the remediation hours are completed by the designated date at the end of the school year. What will happen if my child does not make up the hours? According to the Vail School District’s Raising Expectations document, if a child still owes remediation hours at the end of the school year, he or she will be retained. It is important to help your child be successful in serving his or her remediation hours. Set up a schedule with your child to make sure he or she is attending remediation weekly until all hours of remediation have been served.

"Together We Shine: Celebrating 20 Years

of Achievement, Community and Culture!”

Vail Pride Day 2019 We are so excited about Vail Pride Day this year! There have been many people working very hard in preparation for the big day! We look forward to celebrating student achievement and connecting with our amazing community on Saturday, February 16, 2019. If you would like to nominate someone for Teacher of the Year, Support Staff of the Year, Volunteer Ambassador of the Year, or Rookie of the year, please visit our website for the link to fill out the nomination form(s). All nominations are due November 2, 2018.

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As the holiday season approaches, we would like to let you know about the support Desert Sky offers families in need. If your family or a family you know within our DSMS community might benefit from one or both of these programs, please feel free to contact Jenn Wright. All inquiries and/or participation in either program is strictly confidential. Thanksgiving and Christmas Baskets: ▪ Sponsored by St. Rita’s in the Desert. These "baskets" of food help provide families with meals for the holidays. Funds and supplies are limited so if this may be a fit for your family during the holiday season please contact Mrs. Wright as soon as possible. The Angel Tree: ▪ Desert Sky’s Angel Tree program is a need base program that helps to supply clothing and gifts to students over the Christmas holiday. Again, it’s very confidential.

*For more information regarding the above programs, please contact Mrs. Wright at 879.2706 or by emailing wrightj@vailschooldistrict.org by November 8, 2018.

LOST AND FOUND

Items in our Lost and Found Box that have not been claimed by the beginning of our winter break will be donated to a local charity. These items will be laid out during lunch for students to claim from December 3rd – 7th. If you’ve lost a jacket, lunchbox, or other personal item this school year, please come check out our Lost and Found Box before it’s too late. Thank you.

The Desert Sky National Junior Honor Society will be sponsoring the 13th annual Canned Food Drive beginning Monday, October 29th through Friday, November 16th. The food collected during this time benefits the St. Rita Outreach Program and helps families in the Vail community. Our goal this year is to collect 6,000 of the following items: Stuffing Gravy Canned vegetables Canned yams Boxed mashed potatoes Cranberry sauce Biscuit mix/Corn muffin mix Boxed pie or dessert In addition, each advisory will be collecting $25 toward the purchase of a turkey. Our goal is to raise enough money to buy 30 turkeys! If you have any questions, please contact Katie Vera verak@vailschooldistrict.org or 879-2764.

Extracurricular activities are an important component of all Vail schools. Students benefit in many ways. Students who play on an athletic team, participate in after school tutoring or join a club become better connected to their school and usually do better academically.

Much of the funding for these extracurricular or after school activities comes from tax credit money. As per Arizona Law, only activities that involve a fee are eligible to use tax credit funds. As such, we are asking that you please pay a fee of $1.00 for your child’s participation in after school activities.

While this basic $1.00 fee is required for participation in all after school activities, some of the more expensive activities (i.e., athletic and music activities) may charge an additional fee.

Thank you for supporting our schools as we work to provide extracurricular opportunities for your children. Again, we must charge a fee for activities in order for those activities to be eligible to use tax credit money. Please contact the office if you have any questions about this $1.00 fee.

STUDENT RECOGNITIONS

It is no secret that the staff at Desert Sky Middle School truly values and appreciates the efforts of its hard-working students. With this in mind, we would like to take the time to recognize and celebrate the many accomplishments of several of our students in each monthly edition of The Cougar Communiqué. These accomplishments may be school or non-school related. Estevan Sanchez (Beard/Thach) - We would like to recognize Estevan’s amazing hard work in quarter two. Estevan has a funny personality and a great smile. Since returning from fall break he has put forth maximum effort to get assignments completed, to get along with everyone, and to work hard on all assignments. He was even very brave and read aloud in Language Arts. Way to go Estevan! Katherine (Katie) Mell ish (Jeffr ies/Smith-Dryden) - The Jeffries and Smith-Dryden team would like to recognize Katie Mellish for her outstanding work ethic, her wonderful personality, and her kind and considerate nature. Katie is someone that comes into class ready to learn and have fun. She gets along great with all of her peers and is a joy to be around. Katie’s hard-work and dedication is apparent in everything she does. She is a leader who can help other students while still getting her own work accomplished. Katie is charismatic and very thoughtful of others. Ethan Hunt (Golembiewski/Santos) - Mrs. Golembiewski and Ms. Santos would like to recognize Ethan Hunt as the student of the month. Ethan exemplifies an excellent character that is truly admirable and heartfelt. He is very kind, empathetic, and respectful. He goes out of his way to help everybody in need. He consistently uplifts the class by maintaining a positive and caring attitude at all times. He also excels in his academic and extracurricular endeavors. We are very grateful and proud to have Ethan in our 6th grade group; he is Desert Sky’s embodiment of the ACT statement! Ally Compton (Hil l /Buchanan) - Mrs. Hill and Ms. Buchanan would like to recognize Ally Compton as our outstanding student of the month. Ally is always looking for a way to go the extra mile on her work both in and out of class. In addition, she works superbly with her fellow classmates and never shies away from a challenge. Ally is organized, determined and hard-working while maintaining an excellent sense of humor and love of life. There are many times when we catch ourselves chuckling at a witty insight that Ally has shared or beaming about her complex understanding of the material. It is a pleasure to share our day with her! Keep up the great work, Ally! Gerson Cervantes (Team A) - We would like to recognize Gerson Cervantes as our student of the month. Gerson is a serious student who works hard and achieves great success as a result. He is a role model for his peers, helping those around him with kindness. He sets high expectations for himself and should be proud of his effort, because we certainly are! Emmy Jensen (Team B) - Team B is elated to recognize Emmy Jensen for her model approach to academics and campus citizenship. Although Emmy is a soft-spoken student, she is never bashful about asking questions or helping her classmates. Emmy is crucial to the culture in our classrooms, as she is always giving to those around her. Thank you, Emmy, for making us better teachers and our students better learners. Ryan Fulcher (Team C) - Team C would like to recognize Ryan Fulcher as an excellent example to his fellow classmates. Ryan has an excellent work ethic, always striving to do better and making sure he turns in quality work. Ryan always has an amazing attitude in class and serves as a quiet leader for the rest of Team C to emulate. Ryan is a true Cougar and we all applaud him.

Shawn Frank (Team D) - Team D has had the pleasure of getting to know Shawn in 7th grade and having him as student again in 8th grade. We are absolutely blown away by how much he has grown academically. He puts 100% effort into all of his work, asks thoughtful questions in class, and is one of the nicest kids we have ever known. We are so proud of him and his hard work. You’re a Super Star, Shawn! Aisl inn Evans (Team E) - Team E recognizes that academic effort is a great indicator of future success. Aislinn has a can-do attitude which serves her excellently in the academic setting but, life is not all academics. Aislinn is a leader, both in class and on campus. She not only models exemplary behavior, she encourages other students to improve their own citizenship. As a team, we can always count on her to help other students and have witnessed her welcoming new students and helping them adjust to life on campus on numerous occasions. Desert Sky is lucky to have her on campus. Victoria Mackenzie (Specialists) - The Specialists would like to recognize Tori Mackenzie for her outstanding work throughout Desert Sky, with specific attention to her drive and determination in Art class. Tori is always quick to provide insight, knowledge, and humor to the class. She is kind, bright, and always up for a challenge. She continually pushes herself to improve her work and develop her skills. Way to go, Tori! We know your grit and perseverance will take you far!

INACTIVE Special Education Records

The Vail School District Special Education Office is in the process of destroying SPECIAL EDUCATION records for students who withdrew, transferred or graduated from high school four or more years ago. We are required to notify parents or students, if they are 18 years or older, to give them an opportunity to review the records before they are destroyed. If you believe that you or your child might have Special Education records and would like to review them, please contact Cindy Cahill at 879-2051 or email at cahillc@vailschooldistrict.org Otherwise, records are due to be destroyed on May 1, 2019.

Desert Sky Middle School

2018-2019

8th Grade Remediation Schedule

Days subject to change due to special duties/commitments.

Team Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Team A Hoose - Math Galvan - Social Studies

Sherwood - Science

Hill - Language Arts

Team D Vera - Social Studies

Ricciardelli - Science

Jackson - Language Arts

Gremel - Math

Team E Bustamante - Language Arts

Little - Math Jordan - Social Studies

Edwards - Science

Desert Sky Middle School

2018-2019

7th Grade Remediation Schedule

Days subject to change due to special duties/commitments.

Team Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Team B Goldwasser-Sci

Costa -LA Nussmeier-SS

Tanner-Math

Team C Sundquist-SS Willard-Math Isaac-LA Murray-Sci

Team D Vera - SS Ricciardelli-Sci

Jackson - LA Gremel-Math

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