Desert Sky COVID Mitigation 2022-2023
Parents are allowed on campus for festivals and assemblies OUTDOORS, for parent meetings in the Butterfly Garden, and at teacher discretion, indoors or outdoors, for birthdays, classroom volunteers, and class meetings. DSCS will continue to take temperatures upon arrival, and make masks available to students and staff. Masking is optional. COVID test kits are available in the front office.
Illness Policy
Children and adults must be free of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea for 24 hours before they may return to school. A temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or 38 degrees Celsius is a fever. The complete policy is here.
The healthy social life is found
When in the mirror of each human soul
The whole community finds its reflection
And when in the community
The virtue of each one is living
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Rudolf Steiner
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Arizona Parental Rights Handbook, from the Arizona Department of Education
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Desert Sky is a safe and supportive school. Our policies for conduct and disciplinary consequences are intended to foster conditions suitable for student learning and healthy development and well-being. Our teachers use an approach called ‘Conscious Discipline’ — see https://consciousdiscipline.com/ for more information, or ask your teacher!
Student safety — physical, social, and emotional — is the first priority of teachers and administration. Please bring any safety concerns to your teacher or administration. Contact Director Shelly Adrian for more information.
Desert Sky is committed to providing a caring, friendly, and safe learning environment for all our students. Bullying or retaliation of any kind, including harassment or intimidation on the basis of sex, race/color/national origin or disability, is unacceptable at our school. We are a vigilant, informed school community. This means that anyone who knows that bullying or retaliation is happening is expected to report it. Incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively.
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Drop Off & Pick Up at Desert Sky Community School
In efforts to improve the flow of traffic, the timeliness of drop off and pick up, and to keep everyone safe, please cooperate with these drop off and pick up expectations. Please observe the speed limit of 15 miles/hour around the school.
MORNING DROP OFF
The entrance to the school is on Fairmount. All students enter the school at the front gate on Fairmount.
Drop off begins at 7:55am with a ‘drop off zone’ at the front gate and front yard.
Kindergarteners take the sidewalk to the right and see their teacher at the Kindergarten gate.
All grades students take the sidewalk to the left and see their teacher at the Grades gate.
We ask that you either watch until your child lines up at their gate then you may drive off. OR park at the curb of Pinecrest Park, cross at the corner, and walk your student to the front yard. Teachers will be meeting the students at their gate, and there is no teacher supervision in the front yard.
To keep the traffic flowing, please stay in your car. If you need to park and come inside to speak with the office or to walk your child to their gate, please pull forward and park east of the parking lot entrance, or across the street.
The teacher will take your child’s temperature on their wrist at the gate. If they have a temperature over 100.4 F, the student will not be permitted to enter the gate, they will go to the office and the office will call you to pick up your child if they have a fever.
BREAKFAST DROP OFF
If you have ordered breakfast for your child or children, you may drop them off as early as 7:30a at the front gate, and the breakfast server will meet them in the Butterfly Garden, inside the front yard to the right. Only students who are signed up for Breakfast may be dropped off before 7:55am.
AFTERNOON PICK UP
School dismisses at 2:45pm. For all students (both Kindergarten and grades), please meet the teachers along Arcadia Ave at the door near the mailbox. the students will be inside the play yard until a teacher identifies the parent, and calls the student over to the parent. The pick up zone is along Arcadia Ave. Please stay in your car and drive forward once your student has loaded into your car. Or leave your car curbside at Pinecrest Park, cross at the corner, and meet your student on foot at the dismissal gate. If you need to speak with the office or the teacher or have a delivery, please pull around to the front entrance on Fairmount.
EARLY PICK UP
Students that leave before the 2:45 dismissal, will be released at the front gate. Parents may park briefly at the curb and come into the office to sign the early release sheet and pick up their child. Parents may call or text the office on arrival if they cannot leave their car (injury, small child , etc) and the office person will bring the student and the early release sign out sheet to the curb. The Kindergarten teacher or assistant will meet the 12:30 dismissal parents at the front gate.
Thank you for your cooperation in smooth and safe transitions!
The DSCS Staff
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NOTIFICATION to parents of Special Education students:
Pursuant to A.R.S. 41-1351 and the General Records Retention Schedule for School districts and Charter Schools (GS-1074) established by the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records (LAPR), Special Education Records (including placement records, referrals, evaluations, testing data, and other related records) will be retained 4 years after the final year of enrollment in our program.
Desert Sky Community School will destroy all Special Education records for students who left Desert Sky May 2016 or before. Before these records are destroyed, parents and/or eligible students have the right to review the records and obtain copies of any information needed. To schedule an appointment, please contact the records manager at (520) 745-3888 or zgonzalez@desertskycommunityschool.org prior to May 11, 2020. Destruction will take place May 18, 2020.
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Parent Handbook revised June 2023— please review the handbook for changes to attendance, breakfast, lunch, and arrival gate.
Parents Right to Know – Teacher Qualifications
“The resume of each teacher is available for parents to view at the school office. Each main lesson and lead Kindergarten teacher has a Bachelor’s degree and meets the Highly Qualified criteria for No Child Left Behind requirements. Qualifications of assistants, support specialists, and specialty teachers are also available to view.” (pg. 49 of the Parent Handbook).
Participation
Desert Sky maintains that our school is only successful to the extent that parents and teachers work together as active partners – albeit with different roles – in providing an education for our children. There are many meaningful ways for parents to be involved in their child’s school experience, including educational evenings, community festivals, and classroom support. Parental involvement is not only an opportunity but also a necessary component of Desert Sky’s success.
Parents must be actively involved in the fund raising needed to supplement the per child contribution provided by the state of Arizona. Both gifts of time and gifts of money are critical aspects of this partnership, and will be encouraged. It is our experience that gifts of time bind individuals together as a community in a warm and social way, and help create a shared ownership of the school. We also find that gifts of money demonstrate and support trust and valuing of the school.
It is also important that we seek out opportunities for Desert Sky to contribute to worthwhile projects in the greater community. We welcome your ideas and enthusiasm for this work.
Room Parent
A parent volunteer in each classroom supports the teacher, keeps parents ‘in the know’, and stays connected by attending the parent association meetings. See this Room Parent Guide to learn more about the role of Room Parent. See your student’s teacher if you would like to take up this important role!
Parent Association
The Parent Association represents all parents or legal guardians of children who attend Desert Sky Community School. The Parent Association consists of parent representatives from each classroom. The Parent Association’s mission is to build a strong community for families, to inspire volunteerism and active involvement in the life of the school. The Association organizes various committees of parents to serve the school in areas such as volunteer coordination, fundraising, gardening, and hospitality.
Parent Association meets the THIRD Wednesday of the month, after school, during the school year.
Volunteering
Our school is enriched by the many people who serve the children and faculty, providing a wide range of skills and wisdom.
Your support makes things happen!
Keep track of all your time and money donations and log your volunteer hours and donations in the volunteer book located in the front office.
Reminders:
Please check in with your child’s teacher to see how you can be of help in the classroom. Cups need to be washed, laundry done (look for laundry in the break-room), and water bottles filled on a weekly basis.