Gecko Gazette

It is time to schedule your child’s fall parent/teacher conference. Below is a link to our scheduling program you will use to make your conference appointment. Conferences are being held the week of October 13 through October 17. Evening conference appointments are being provided on Wednesday, October 15. All conferences will be held in-person at Desert Sage in teachers' classrooms. Once you have scheduled your conference appointment you will receive confirmation that includes the meeting room number for your specific conference date and time.

Conference appointment scheduling link: CLICK HERE

6th grade parents: please click here for additional instructions for scheduling your 6th grade conference.

Tips for a successful parent/teacher conference:

It is important to be timely to your child’s conference as teachers will have conferences scheduled back-to-back.
Prior to the conference, write down any questions you may have about your child’s academics, behavior, classroom routines, expectations, etc.
If more time is needed at the end of the conference, ask the teacher to schedule an additional conference time.

Thursday, October 16 and Friday, October 17 will be 12:05 p.m. dismissal for all students. The early release is to allow additional time for parent/teacher conferences.

Please be sure to make appropriate arrangements for your child's early pickup on these days.

Join us in celebrating National School Lunch Week! This special week highlights the importance of healthy school meals and the hardworking staff who prepare them every day.

🎨 Student Contest:
Complete the coloring sheet sent home this week or pick one up from the cafeteria, complete it, and turn it back in for a chance to win a fun prize! (Coloring Sheet Link)

Let’s celebrate nutritious lunches, creativity, and school spirit all week long!

If your child will be absent from school, please report the absence as soon as possible by calling our 24-hour Attendance Line. You may call any day of the week, at any time.

When leaving a message, please speak slowly and clearly, and include the following information:

Your name
Your child’s first and last name
Grade level
Reason for the absence

Important: Absence calls should only be made to the Attendance Line. Please save this number in your phone for easy access.

📞 24-hour Attendance Line: 623-445-4790

Get ready, readers—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Desert Sage! Build your child’s home library and support our school.

📅 Dates: October 13–17, 2025

📍 Location: Library

🕒 Times:

Oct. 13–14 & 16: 8:15 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Oct. 15: 8:15 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Oct. 17: 8:15 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Set up an eWallet for easy, cash-free shopping and consider donating to Share the Fair to help every student bring home a book.

Visit our Book Fair homepage for details and to create your eWallet:
👉 scholastic.com/bf/desertsageelementaryschool

P.S. Don’t miss Scholastic’s new sweepstakes for a chance to win books and a dream vacation!

Halloween is Friday, October 31, and with it comes our fun Fall/Autumn classroom parties! Teachers and students are looking forward to celebrating together.

As a reminder, students may not wear costumes to school. Instead, we encourage everyone to show their holiday spirit by wearing Fall/Autumn colors or seasonal shirts.

If you are a parent or guardian joining your child’s class party, we appreciate your participation! Please remember to check in at the front office upon arrival. You will need to show identification and wear a visitor badge while on campus. When you leave, please sign out and return your badge to the office.

We’re looking forward to a wonderful Fall celebration and to welcoming our visitors on campus! 🍂

We are starting our new curriculum, The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, starting off with our study all about balls! We will be asking questions like do all balls bounce, what’s inside a ball, what balls do people use for work, what balls can you eat? It will be a study of exploration!

Also, can’t forget about FWe will also learn about what animals are nocturnal as we go on a little scavenger hunt with flashlights!

Happy fall, kindergarten families! October is an exciting month full of learning and exploration. Starting with ELA, Module 3 of our curriculum explores communities; children will understand the many communities they belong to, and what people and places may be found within them. Students will engage in read-alouds of nonfiction texts, understanding their topics and features, and learn to express information in their own written sentences. Daily foundational skills lessons will dive into new sight words as well as CVC words that can be made with taught letters m, s, t, b, a, n, d, c, p, r, f, and i. In math, students will use their developed knowledge of numbers 0-10 to compare using words like greater than, less than, or equal to; basic addition will also be introduced using stories, manipulatives, and games. Social studies content will build upon the ELA focus of communities by introducing students to maps, globes, and mapping technology! Science lessons will have students looking up to the sky to understand the movements of the sun and moon as well as constellations. Please keep an eye on your inbox this month regarding a November field trip to Tolmachoff Farms as well as a fun, craft-filled Fall Party on October 31st!

First Grade has another great month planned!

Reading: We are finishing our review of short vowel sounds, ending with /e/. We are continuing to practice retelling stories and the events in order. We are also introducing what point of view is and how to identify it in different texts.

Math: We are exploring place value and using that understanding to help us add double digit numbers to single digit numbers.

Writing: We are writing their very first research essay! They will be choosing an animal and researching it. They will use that information to write an informational essay about their animal!

Social Studies: We are learning about the basic structure of our United States government and some of its holidays.

Science: Over this month we will be exploring balance and motion! We will look at gravity, push, pull, and friction. We will see how those different forces affect objects in motion!

October is an exciting month in 2nd grade as we begin our 2nd quarter of learning! In math, we will dive into double-digit addition and subtraction, practicing both with and without regrouping to build strong problem-solving skills. In science, we’ll explore how water and wind cause erosion and shape the land around us. In social studies, we’ll discover how geography helps us better understand our world and the places we live. We are also looking forward to our field trip on October 23rd, which will be a fun and meaningful way to connect our learning outside the classroom. In Mandarin, students will continue learning how to build their vocabulary and write complete sentences.

We are so excited to continue our learning journey in October, and our 3rd graders are doing an amazing job taking accountability for their learning each day. In Social Studies, we’ll keep exploring Native American tribes in Arizona, dive into statehood timelines, and create at-home dwelling projects to showcase in the library. In Reading, our focus will be on informational texts—covering Point of View, Retelling, Text Structure, and Author’s Purpose—before moving into Plays later this month. In Writing, we’ll practice Opinion Writing to prepare for the first district assessment, while in Math students are strengthening multiplication strategies through models, breaking apart factors, and grouping. In Science, we’ll wrap up our Sound unit and begin exploring Earth Systems. In Mandarin, students will continue building vocabulary and reading skills with growing confidence. We’re also looking forward to parent-teacher conferences to celebrate each student’s progress. October will be full of growth, creativity, and exciting learning opportunities—we can’t wait!

We are quickly approaching the end of the first quarter! Please be sure to sign up for conferences so we can work together to support and encourage your child’s growth.

In reading, we are moving into Module 3, which will focus on stories where characters “rise to the occasion.” Students will be developing their skills in plot, theme, and point of view as they read and discuss these texts. In writing, we are beginning a new unit on informative writing. Students will learn how to craft an organized, detailed informational essay, and their project will be to write an essay about an amazing animal of their choice. In social studies for Quarter 2, we will be learning about the explorers who came to the “New World” seeking wealth but discovered something very different instead.

In Math, we will model and solve multi-step problems involving all 4 operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). Then, we will begin multiplying two-, three-, and four-digit numbers by one-digit numbers. In Science, we’ll wrap up our Earth unit and begin exploring Earth Systems. The students will be able to construct and support arguments about the availability of water and its impact on life. In Mandarin, students will continue building vocabulary and reading skills with growing confidence.

This month, our 5th graders are diving into a variety of exciting topics! In Reading, they are practicing strategies to uncover the meaning of words and phrases, using context clues, and identifying main ideas with supporting details. In Writing, students are sharpening their persuasive skills through essays, letters, and editorials. Social Studies brings exploration of the Constitution and Westward Expansion, while in Science, students are learning about force, motion, and friction. In Math, they’re mastering decimals and fractions through place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Meanwhile, in Mandarin, students are identifying main ideas in stories, understanding character motivations, and expanding their knowledge of conjunction words. October is full of discovery and growth!

6th Graders Head to the Homecoming Parade!

On October 22, our 6th graders will take a trip to Sandra Day O’Connor High School to watch the Homecoming Parade. Students are excited to cheer on the floats, the band, and all the Eagle spirit. It’s a fun way for them to connect with the community and experience a tradition they’ll one day be part of!

We can’t believe that it’s almost the end of the first quarter. As such, the deadline for turning in work is Oct 8, 2025. Any projects or make up work must be turned in by the end of day on October 8. On October 10 there will be a Gecko Gathering where the choir will perform.

October: National Principal Appreciation Month
Monday, 10/6: Custodian Appreciation Day
Monday, 10/6: Mid-Autumn Festival Day
Wednesday, 10/8: Fall Picture Day
Wednesday, 10/8: Last day for 1st quarter work turn in
Thursday, 10/9: PTO Meeting Zoom 5:00 p.m.
Friday, 10/10: 1st quarter ends
Friday, 10/10: Gecko Gathering 8:30 a.m.
Friday, 10/10: Early release 2:00 p.m.
10/-13-10/17: Scholastic Book Fair Week
10/13-10/17: Parent Teacher Conferences Week
10/14-10/15: PTO Gecko Gold Store
Wednesday, 10/15: PTO Someburros Fundraiser Day
Thursday, 10/16: Half-day 12:05 p.m.
Friday, 10/17: Half-day 12:05 p.m.
Friday, 10/24: Early release 2:00 p.m.
Monday, 10/27: Occupational Therapist Appreciation Day
Friday, 10/31: Early release 2:00 p.m.
11/3-11/7: School Psychologist Appreciation Week
Wednesday, 11/5: Kona Ice Fundraiser after school
Thursday, 11/6: PTO Meeting Zoom 5:00 p.m.
Friday, 11/7: Gecko Gathering 8:30 a.m.
Friday, 11/7: Early release 2:00 p.m.
Monday, 11/10: Kindergarten Field Trip Tolmachoff Farms
Tuesday, 11/11: Veterans Day, no school
Wednesday, 11/12: 3rd grade Field Trip AZ Capitol
Wednesday, 11/12: PTO Sonic Night Fundraiser
Thursday, 11/13: Retake & Club Photos
Friday, 11/14: Early release 2:00 p.m.
Friday, 11/21: Substitute Appreciation Day
Friday, 11/21: Early release 2:00 p.m.
11/24-11/28: Thanksgiving Break, no school

Nominate a R.A.D. staff member here!

AZ School Tax Credit for Desert Sage

Your school tax credit donations can provide Desert Sage students with opportunities to after school and summer programs, field trips, music and athletic programs or any other extracurricular activity.

The Arizona tax credit program (A.R.S. 43-1089.01) allows a tax credit of up to $200 for individuals and up to $400 for married couples, filing jointly, in support of extracurricular activities.
The tax credit reduces your tax burden to the state of Arizona, dollar for dollar.

Make your tax credit donation to Desert Sage at: https://az-deervalley.intouchreceipting.com/.

Click here for past Gecko Gazette editions.

Desert Sage Elementary

We are an A school in the Deer Valley Unified District. We educate children pre-k through grade 6 & offer Mandarin Language Immersion. We are the home of the geckos. Kristy M. Gill is the proud principal and Lindsay Race is the proud assistant principal.

Website: dvusd.org/desertsage
Location: 4035 West Alameda Road, Glendale, AZ, USA
Phone: (623) 445-4700
Twitter: @DesertSageElem
Instagram: dvusd_desertsage
Facebook: DVUSD Desert Sage

Tour Desert Sage Elementary

School tours are available by appointment only on the first Friday of each month through June. Appointments can be scheduled between 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

To arrange a tour of Desert Sage, please email our School Secretary, Elisa Anderson, at elisa.anderson@dvusd.org.

Time to Schedule Your Parent Teacher Conference Time to Schedule Your Parent Teacher Conference

⏰ 12:05 PM Early Release Days ⏰ 12:05 PM Early Release Days

🍎 National School Lunch Week – October 13–17 🍽️ 🍎 National School Lunch Week – October 13–17 🍽️

📞 Reporting a Student Absence 📞 Reporting a Student Absence

📚 Scholastic Book Fair is Coming! 📚 Scholastic Book Fair is Coming!

🍂 Fall Class Parties 🍁 🍂 Fall Class Parties 🍁

✅ Your Vote Counts! - DVUSD Override Information ✅ Your Vote Counts! - DVUSD Override Information

🌮 PTO Someburros Fundraiser 🌯 🌮 PTO Someburros Fundraiser 🌯

What's Happening this Month! What's Happening this Month!

Parent Support Group Parent Support Group

🔖 Order a Yearbook Today! 🔖 Order a Yearbook Today!

Follow Us on Social Media Follow Us on Social Media

📆 Mark Your Calendar - Important Dates 📆 Mark Your Calendar - Important Dates

AZ School Tax Credit for Desert Sage

Desert Sage Elementary