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About Desert Trails

At Desert Trails, our experienced, dedicated staff offers a wide range of opportunities for diverse learners from Pre-K through 6th grade, including self-contained gifted, as well as self-contained special needs classes. We also have staff who specialize in PE, STEM, Art, Music, Band and Strings. Our students eagerly welcome newcomers to our school community as they put into practice our school-wide Be Kind program, which is the basis of our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Our 5th and 6th grade team is departmentalized, so students receive instruction from teachers focused on a specific subject area or two. We partner with parents and the community in many ways, including our active, supportive PTO members, who collaborate with us to provide specialized classroom materials and sponsor events enjoyed by all. The result of everyone working together – teachers, support staff, parents, students, and the surrounding community – is a positive, safe school environment where our students excel at mastering Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards, as evidenced by our school consistency ranking among the top 50 schools in the state of Arizona.

Social Emotional Support Information

Social Emotional Support Referral Form

Desert Trails Brag Board

School Supply Lists and Other Student Resources

DTES Parent-Student Handbook 2021-2022

View the Most Recent Hawk Happenings Newsletter

School Tour

Want to learn more about DTES? Please click the link below to schedule your tour date.

Click here to schedule a tour of DTES

What time does the school day begin?

The school day begins at 8:45 AM at Desert Tails. Students are welcome to arrive anytime after 8:25 AM, and head to their designated area to line up with their class.

1st-6th grade car riders - left lane/exit the vehicle from the driver's side only and line up with your class on the field
Kinder and siblings car riders - right lane/exit the vehicle from the passenger's side only and line up with your class behind the gates. Kindergarten will go to the Kinder playground.
1st-6th walkers, bus and bike riders, and those with Kinder siblings inside bus lane gates
Kindergarten on Kinder playground
The 1st bell rings at 8:40 AM, teachers will come out to greet students and bring them to the classroom. The students are to be in their seats and ready to learn by 8:45 AM

Can my child ride their bike to school?

3rd-6th graders are permitted to ride their bikes to school
Students will walk their bike through the Kindergarten playground gate back to the bike rack, and join their class
The bike rack area will be locked up at 8:45 AM

What are the hours of the Before and After School Mascot program?

Students registered into the Mascot Program can arrive as early as 6:30 AM, with the staff releasing those students to their designated area at 8:30 AM. After school the program runs as late as 6:30 PM.

Will volunteers be working with students in the classroom this year?

Volunteers play an important role in supporting our education programs. We are excited to be welcoming visitors and volunteers onto campus this year, in a limited capacity, to support the educational programs at Desert Trails. These volunteer opportunities will support social distancing and will follow our current COVID-19 mitigation practices. With that being said, we realize that introducing additional adults into the classroom may cause concern. Teachers will inform guardians in advance, and if you prefer that your student not work directly with a volunteer, you can let them know. All volunteers are required to wear masks.

After School Clubs being offered during the Fall semester?

As of now, the Community Education Department will be offering the following classes at Desert Trails this semester: Science Matters, Young Rembrandts, Chess, Dance Sequins Dance Fusion, and Athletes in Training.

Will my child have to wear a mask to school? Can I choose to have my children wear masks?

Cloth face masks, covering the nose and mouth, are required to be worn by all vaccinated and unvaccinated persons, including, but not limited to, staff, students, vendors, visitors, and volunteers while indoors and at any school site. A limited opt-out option for students and staff is available, by contacting the school office and requesting the appropriate form.
All vaccinated and unvaccinated persons, including, but not limited to, staff, students, vendors, visitors, and volunteers, are required to wear a cloth face mask, covering the nose and mouth, while in any district vehicle, including district buses or vehicles rented or leased by the district.
Face masks are not required during rigorous physical exertion.

Can I come in and have lunch with my child?

For the 1st quarter of the school year, PV elementary schools will not be allowing parents to come in and have lunch with their students. Thank you for your understanding and support. We will be reassessing this as we move through the school year.

Office Hours 8 am - 4 pm

Regular Bell Schedule 8:45 am - 3:15 pm (Early Release 8:45 am - 12:30 pm)

Kindergarten 8:45 am-3:00 pm/Early Release 8:45 am - 12:15 pm

1st-6th grade: 8:45 am - 3:15 pm/Early Release 8:45 am - 12:30 pm

Pre-K schedule: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Pre-K SunKids AM 8:45-11:15 / PM 12:45-3:15

All gates are locked until 8:25 am each morning. Any adult entering campus at any time must sign in at the front office.
Parents of students who arrive too early on a regular basis will be contacted to resolve the situation.
Please carefully review our drop off and pick up procedures.

View UPDATED Desert Trails' Drop-off and Dismissal Procedures

Open Enrollment

Continue your child's journey of excellence by open enrolling. Open Enrollment is a process allowing parents or guardians to apply for admission to any public school, as long as there is classroom space available. Parents and guardians often choose to open enroll their children in PVSchools for various reasons, including the unique and innovative award-winning programs, teaching philosophy, extracurricular activities, and more.

For more information on the open enrollment process, to include early bird open enrollment information, visit the PVSchools Open Enrollment webpage.

Grade Level	Capacity	Open Enrollment
01	75	Open
02	78	Open
03	108	Open
04	87	Open
05	75	Open
06	60	Closed
KG	92	Open
SPED Resource	37	Closed
LFI 2/3 SC	24	Closed

*The chart above reflects the capacity for the current school year. For the following school year, all grade levels are accepting open enrollment applications unless otherwise stated.
**A specialized program that is designated closed for the current school year will remain closed for the following school year unless otherwise stated. Students interested in being put on the waitlist should complete an Open Enrollment application.

In-Person and Online Options for 2021-22

Find out more about our learning options by visiting the Choose Your Journey page.

COVID-19 Mitigation Plan

For a complete review of our mitigation plan, visit the PVSchools Prepared webpage. PVSchools, in partnership with In Office Diagnostics (DX), will continue to offer a free, robust drive-through testing program. More information is available on the COVID Testing webpage.

What are the school's quarantine procedures?

Beginning January 3, elementary schools will begin new quarantining practices. Regardless of whether the COVID-19 positive case is wearing a mask or not, the close contact student wearing a mask no longer needs to be quarantined, provided they remain symptom-free. In short, if a student is wearing a mask and becomes a close contact, there is no need to quarantine if that student remains symptom-free.

Additionally, we will introduce a test to stay option beginning January 3. A close contact student not wearing a mask may test and return with a negative result provided they wear a mask for an eight-day period following exposure. Students who test to stay must remain symptom-free. This strategy will be available regardless of whether the COVID-19 positive case is wearing a mask or not. Simply put, students not wearing a mask who become a close contact can avoid quarantine, provided they first obtain a COVID-19 test, present negative results, and wear a mask for an eight-day period following exposure.

Please remember to do home health screenings and keep students home if they have symptoms.

Please refer to Dr. Bales' message from November 18th for more information.

What do I do if my child is sick, absent, exposed, or positive for COVID?

If your child is ill/exhibiting COVID like symptoms:

Please keep your child at home.
Call the attendance line.
- Describe your child's symptoms, temperature, and date the symptoms began.
You will receive a call back on the same school day.

If your child has been exposed to COVID outside of school:

Please keep your child at home.
Call the attendance line.
- Indicate if your child has symptoms.
- Indicate the date of exposure.
You will receive a call back on the same school day.

If your child has tested positive for COVID-19:

Please keep your child at home.
Call the attendance line.
- Indicate the date of the positive test.
- Indicate if your child is symptomatic.
- If your child is symptomatic, please indicate the date the symptoms began.
You will receive a call back on the same school day.
Send proof of the COVID positive to estarkel@pvschools.net, cwalter@pvschools.net, and ncallies@pvschools.net.

How do I get my child's schoolwork if my child is absent due to COVID symptoms, exposure, or a positive test?

If your child is absent due to COVID symptoms, exposure, or a positive test:

You will be contacted by the school to walk through procedures and timelines.
Student Chromebook and a charger will be available for you to pick up by the end of the school day.
Materials will be available for you to pick up within 24-48 hours.
Work will be posted to Google Classroom (primary grade levels may receive packets in lieu of Google classroom work).
During the quarantine period, the school SEL specialist will call you to check in on your child.
Contact the front office with questions.
During the quarantine period, a teacher will reach out to schedule a virtual learning session with your child to provide academic support. (still in development)