Coyote Chronicle

Dear Diamond Canyon Families,

I am so excited to welcome you to some incredible events at Diamond Canyon this month! Please join us for our school musical, Willy Wonka Jr., this Thursday through Saturday. I look forward to celebrating our talented students and enjoying their performances with you!

We also warmly invite Veterans and families to attend our Veterans Day assembly on Monday, November 9, at 2:00 p.m. It is always a beautiful assembly and when families, community members, and honored Veterans show up, it makes it even more special.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I want you to know how grateful I am for our incredible Coyote community. I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and time together!

With gratitude,
Mrs. LeCount, Principal

Tuesday, November 3rd: Musical Dress Rehearsal (Full Cast - Mandatory); Young Rembrandts @ 3:30pm; DC Baseball @ Mountain Ridge (playing Hillcrest) 4:15pm; DC Softball @ DC (playing Hillcrest) 4:15pm

Wednesday, November 4th: Student Council Leadership Mtg. @ 7:45am; 8th Grade Field Trip; Softball Championship Game @ Mountain Ridge 3:30pm; DC Delivers Mtg. @ 3:30pm; Cross Country Meet @ Desert Mountain @ 4:30pm; DC Kinder Night @ 5pm

Thursday, November 5th: Chess Emporium @ 3:30pm; Diamond Dance Works @ 3:30pm; Willy Wonka Jr. Performance 6pm (Doors open at 5:30pm)

Friday, November 6th NEHS Mtg. @ 8am; Early Release Day - Students Dismissed at 2pm; Willy Wonka Jr. Performance 6pm (Doors open at 5:30pm)

Saturday, November 7th: Willy Wonka Jr. Performance 4pm (Doors open at 3:30pm)

Monday, November 9th: DC Veterans Day Assembly @ 2pm - Veterans please join us! (be sure to check in at our Front Office and please bring your ID for check in - Thank you)

Tuesday, November 10th: Boosterthon Coyote Fun Run Digital Kick-Off; MS District Band Assessment @ 9:15am; Boys Basketball Open Gym @ 3:30pm; Young Rembrandts @ 3:30pm

Wednesday, November 11th: VETERANS DAY HOLIDAY - NO SCHOOL

Thursday, November 12th: Volleyball Pre Season Camp (Boys & Girls) @ 7am; 3rd grade fieldtrip; Diamond Dance Works (Jazz/Hip Hop class) @ 3:30pm; Cross Country Meet @ Sierra Verde @ 4:30pm

Friday, November 13th: Volleyball Pre Season Camp (Boys & Girls) @ 2pm; Early Release Day - Students Dismissed at 2pm

Monday, November 16th: Volleyball - Girls Tryouts @ 3:30pm; Volleyball - Boys Tryouts @ 5:00pm

Tuesday, November 17th: Volleyball - Girls Tryouts @ 3:30pm; Volleyball - Boys Tryouts @ 5:00pm; Young Rembrandts @ 3:30pm

Wednesday, November 18th: School Picture Retakes; Student Council General Mtg. @ 7:45am; Kinder Friendship Feast/Performance @ 12:30pm; Volleyball - Girls Tryouts @ 3:30pm; Volleyball - Boys Tryouts @ 5:00pm; DC Delivers Mtg. @ 3:30pm; Cross Country Meet @ Diamond Canyon @ 4:30pm

Thursday, November 19th: 1st Grade Thanksgiving Program @ 2:45pm; Chess Emporium @ 3:30pm; Diamond Dance Works (Jazz/Hip Hop Class) @ 3:30pm

Friday, November 20th: Boosterthon Coyote Fun Run Day! (more information to come); Substitute Educators Appreciation Day!; Early Release Day - Students dismissed @ 2:00pm

November 23rd - 27th THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO SCHOOL

Monday, November 30th Volleyball Practice (Boys & Girls) @ 6am; Holiday Scholastic Book Fair 8:30am-4:pm

• November 6th
• November 13th
• November 20th

This month during early release Fridays, staff will engage in professional learning community work with their grade level teams and with multi-school teams from across the district. Teachers will be analyzing beginning of the year student data and creating common formative assessments to align to the essential standards. Additionally, our staff will be focused on student engagement and data binders that students create and set goals to assist in meeting proficiency.

Calling all 7th, and 8th grade volleyball players.

ALL athletes must be cleared on Register My Athlete at

https://www.registermyathlete.com/ by Coach Sneed.

NO athlete is eligible to participate in the

preseason camp or tryouts if not cleared before.

Preseason Camp-$30 (pay on DC website): BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS TOGETHER

11/12 7:00 AM-8:30 AM

11/13 2:00 PM-3:30 PM

Tryouts GIRLS 1ST, THEN BOYS

11/16 GIRLS 3:30-5:00 PM THEN BOYS 5:00-6:30 PM

11/17 GIRLS 3:30-5:00 PM THEN BOYS 5:00-6:30 PM

11/18 GIRLS 3:30-5:00 PM THEN BOYS 5:00-6:30 PM

The second quarter is moving quickly! We are looking forward to our Universal 1st Grade testing on November 17-19 and December 1-3. If you have any questions about the gifted program, testing, or services we offer at Diamond Canyon, please feel free to contact us.

Anna Kramer: anna.kramer@dvusd.org

Sherri Shereshovech: sherri.shereshovech@dvusd.org

What’s Coming Up?

FIRST GRADE UNIVERSAL GIFTED TESTING COMING SOON

First-grade gifted testing will take place November 17–19 and December 1–3. All first-grade students will participate unless a parent or guardian opted them out by the October 30, 2026, deadline. Your child’s teacher will send home information about your child’s specific testing dates to help them feel confident and prepared.

SECOND GRADE UNIVERSAL GIFTED TESTING - COMING SOON

This year, all second-grade students will have the opportunity to participate in Gifted Universal Testing during January 5–15. All students will participate unless a parent or guardian opts their child out during the December 7–18 opt-out window. Students who have not been opted out by December 18 will be required to participate.

Students will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), a multiple-choice assessment that measures reasoning and problem-solving abilities and helps identify students for gifted services. Testing will take place over four days, with one 30-minute session each day.

Second-grade teachers will send home additional information as the testing window approaches to help students feel prepared and confident.

SPRING GIFTED TESTING

The final gifted testing window for this school year will be January 18–February 19 for students in kindergarten, first grade, and third through eighth grades. Registration opened on October 1 and will close on January 8. The district does not accept late registrations, so please register by the deadline.

Students will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), a multiple-choice assessment that measures reasoning and problem-solving abilities and helps identify students for gifted services. Testing will take place over three days and includes verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal sections.

If your child is retesting, their highest score will be retained. A lower score will not replace a higher score.

GIFTED PARENT EVENTS:

DVUSD Gifted Services invites you to upcoming parent and family events! These events offer opportunities for parents, families, and community members to learn more about the unique needs of gifted and advanced learners and explore ways to support them.

For event details, visit the Deer Valley Unified School District website and select Departments → Gifted Services. Check back often, as the event list is updated regularly!

Thank you,

Anna Kramer & Sherri Shereshovech

Gifted Specialists

Hours: 7:45am - 4:15pm

Main Phone: 623-445-8000

Attendance Line

The DC Attendance number is 623-445-8090, this line is accessible 24/7. Please leave your students name, their teacher or grade level, your name and relationship to them and the reason for the absence in your message. Please do not leave attendance messages on the main school number.

Signing Your Student In or Out of School

Our instructional day starts at 8:45 am. If your student(s) arrive late to campus, they must be signed in through our office using the provided Student QR code. Remember, the adult bringing them to campus must enter the front office to sign them in and help communicate the reason for their late arrival.

If you will be signing out your student before the end of the school day, you are required to bring your ID and will use our Student QR code provided by our front office. Remember, students leaving early must be signed out at least 20 minutes before dismissal.

• On a full day, 3:10pm at the latest
• On an early release day, 1:40pm at the latest
• On a half day, 11:45am at the latest

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

1. Please be mindful of your appointment time/time needed to arrive at your destination when signing out your student as it may take time to call your student up to the Front Office: For example your student may be in specials or other areas of campus at that time and need to stop by their classroom to retrieve their personal belongings before being released.
2. We cannot call your student out of class until the parent/guardian are present in the Front Office requesting their early release in person - this is school policy and for the safety of students.
3. Please remember to bring your Driver's License or State-Issued Photo ID and your phone to sign in or sign out your students.
   

School tax credits are a win-win for students and taxpayers! Making a donation is easy: Donate using the link below, keep your receipt and claim your tax credit when you file! Every dollar reduces your tax liability dollar for dollar. Taxpayers can donate up to $200 for an individual and $400 for a married couple.

Diamond Canyon students are blessed to participate in a few out of state field trips in 2024-2025. This year our 6th grade students are heading to Camp Surf in California for science learning and our Choir is heading to Disneyland to compete in a national competition. Your tax credit donations help make the trip more affordable for all and also help our school offer scholarships for those that need it to attend.

https://az-deervalley.intouchreceipting.com/ Please choose: Diamond Canyon School. If you would like to fund a student scholarship for out of state travel please choose either Choir, Camp Surf or General Tax Credit. We also have athletics, leadership groups, etc. you can donate to as well.

Thank you for donating to Diamond Canyon! We greatly appreciate your support!

BOOSTERTHON!

BIG NEWS - Sign ups are now OPEN for our DC COYOTE RUN!

We need your help in reaching our goal to raise $25,000 for a sound system/upgraded technology and teacher grants! When you sign up at MyBooster.com, your pack has the chance to head to @GreatWolfLodge!

We have some fun in store for our families while we fundraise to reach out goal, but you must be registered on MyBooster.com to qualify. Plus, students earn their wolf ears just for getting their first donation.

Sign Up Online at MyBooster.com - TODAY!

Fundraiser Kickoff In School - 11/10/2026

Event Day – 11/20/2026

Save the date and stay tuned for the exciting adventure to come!

Diamond Canyon Scholastic Holiday Book Fair

Dashing Through The Books!

November 30th-December 4th

8:30am - 4:00pm

*PTA will provide donuts on Friday, December 4th for the Rise and Shine parent reindeer donuts at 7:30am. Come and enjoy a sweet treat and shop the amazing book fair!

Spirit Wear

Grab your DC spirit wear today! Clearance items are $5 while supplies last. Click the link to order.

https://diamondcanyonpta.givebacks.com/shop

We know we have the BEST teachers and staff! We love to appreciate what they are doing.

Please share an awesome experience or just a kind note to pass along to kick off the school year!

These messages from our DC families mean so much to us.

💜

Make sure to follow our school Facebook Page. We love sharing out all the fun and excellence that happens across campus!

Please also text the following number below to receive text messages from our school and district. This is one of the most important communication tools we use for contacting you for good stuff and safety news if we were to have a lockdown. In addition, monthly we put out a Smore with school details. We do our best to make sure the three minutes it takes for you to read it is worth it and helps you stay informed. We want our community to be part of all the wonderful things at DC.

DVUSD uses Blackboard for mass communication to students and families. In order to be sure you are receiving e-mails, texts and phone messages from us, please be sure you have not opted out of our communications.

To Start or Opt Back in to DVUSD & School Communications:

• Text (SMS) messages: Reply START to "60680" from the phone line that has been opted out for non-emergency messages. Reply START to "54968" for emergency messages.
• Email: Contact your student(s) school and inform the staff you would like to opt back into receiving email.
• Phone calls: Call the Blackboard Phone Hotline at "855-502-STOP (855-502-7867)" from the phone line that has been opted out.