Desert Willow Elementary School

We had a great week this week! In some of our kindergarten classes the kids did some science explorations of gummy worms and earth worms. We also had our January Buddy day! Through out campus classes at different grade levels met to make connections with kids they might not interact with normally during the school day. Today we had our Diamondbuck Store that was rescheduled from last week after it got rained out. A big thank you to Mrs. Coleman who puts together the store and all the parent volunteers who help her run it every month.

There is so much in store for us next week Diamondbacks! We will be celebrating Love of Reading week with a spirit week, guest readers on the broadcast everyday, and so much more!

In conjunction with Love of Reading Week the DWE Media Center will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair! You can set up and e-Wallet for your student and find tons of other book fair information here: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/desertwillowelementarysch2 and Book Fair hours are listed on our weekly calendar below!

Our PTA Read-a-Thon will also continue next week! We have had such a strong start so keep up the great work Diamondbacks! (More Read-a-Thon information here: https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/FYFKVG/1?utm=email)

Next week we will also be having our Spring Parent Teacher Conferences. Both Thursday and Friday next week will be half days for conferences. School will dismiss at 12 pm (noon) both days.

Looking for a meaningful career in education? 🌟 Desert Willow is hiring for next school year (2026-2027) — we’re seeking a passionate 3rd Grade Teacher to join our family!

Have questions? Reach out to Kendra Forgacs at forgacsk@vailschooldistrict.org or Lauren Owens at owensla@vailschooldistrict.org. Ready to apply? Visit: https://www.vailschooldistrict.org/page/employment-human-resources

Know someone who’d be perfect? Share this post or tag them below! 🍎✨

Tomorrow is a half day Diamondbacks!! Our incredible PTA will be out front at dismissal selling DWE shirts and other swag! See the flyer below for more info.

We had a whole week's worth of fun and learning in our four day week! Our second graders practiced for their musical rain or shine this week and in our some of our classes stamped license plates on watercolor painted back drops. Stay dry this weekend Diamondbacks and we will see you Monday!

Next week is sure to be a busy one! Our Read-a-Thon starts Monday (register your reader here: https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/FYFKVG/1?utm=email). Second Grade will be having their annual concert on Tuesday at 6:30 PM at Mica Mountain High School. Wednesday will be a half day and school will dismiss at 12 pm (noon). Spring Pictures will be on Thursday and Friday; check the calendar below to seen when your child's class is signed up for pictures.

We had so much fun with our attendance spirit week this week! From seeing double to all the school spirit it was a fun way to celebrate coming to school! We alos had our Caught in the ACT breakfast to further celebrate our student's acts of kindness from Quarter 2. We would like to thank Mrs. Barela and Mrs. Bramhall who run the Caught in the ACT program and our incredible PTA who help provide the breakfast and prizes for our students. We also hand our January Free Book Friday today for all of our students who have a birthday in January, thanks again to our wonderful PTA for their support of this program!

Even though it is going to be a short week, next week is sure to be a fun one! We have our Peter Piper Pizza Night, you will be getting a ton more info about our annual Read-A-Thon, and Diamondbuck Store will be on Friday!

If you would like to sign up to donate to the TSAC Soup Luncheon for our amazing teachers and staff you can do so here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4CADA82BA6F85-61541091-dweteacher#/

Ready for kindergarten? 🌟

Desert Willow Elementary is NOW REGISTERING students for the 2026–27 school year! Come by our front office any weekday between 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM to complete registration. 📚👧👦

Need help or have questions? Contact our Office Manager, Amanda Moore, at (520)879-2305 or mooreama@vailschooldistrict.org.

Even though our first week back from break was chilly and rainy our hearts were warmed by all the amazing things that were happening on campus!

We had our Caught in the ACT Assemblies and celebrated so many amazing students and their kindness. At the assemblies the winners of our PTA Reflections Art Contest were announced, there was a wide variety of incredible submissions by so many creative and talented students at Desert Willow!

This week our K-3rd COIL classes talked about the exciting potential of a new year!

We are so excited to see everyone back at school on Monday! Check out what is coming in the week ahead!

Our last week before break was full of fun! We had our 3rd-5th Grade Spelling Bees and there was lots of holiday and winter activities across campus!

Diamondbacks, we hope you have a safe and fun winter break and we will see you back at school on Monday January 5th!

If you need to get in contact with the school over break please email our office manager Amanda Moore at mooreama@vailschooldistrict.org

With the end of the year coming up we would love for you to consider making a tax deductible donation to Desert Willow with your Tax Credit!

Please see the flyer below and visit http://vailtaxcredits.org for more information.

This week our incredible musicians that are a part of the Rita Ranch Performing Arts put on a fantastic Winter Concert. Our Friday COIL classes started this year's Jolabokaflod and all COIL classes next week will continue with this fun Desert Willow Tradition! Speaking of books, we also had our December Free Book Friday this week, there were so many amazing books to choose from and our students with December birthdays couldn't wait to start reading their new books! Also, Mrs. Alpeche and her students made some snowmen the only way we can in Tucson!

Next week may be the last week of Quarter 2 but that doesn't mean that it won't be chock full of learning and fun! Student Council is hosting a holiday themed spirit week and a fundraiser at MOD Pizza. The library's Jolabokaflod continues with the classes that have COIL this week.

Friday will also be a half day and school will dismiss at 12 pm, noon.

Families, if you haven't completed your Federal Impact Aid form. Please take a few minutes to fill out this 2 question form that greatly helps our school! https://ps.vail.k12.az.us/public/

Federal Impact Aid begins today! This quick 2 question form takes less than a minute to complete in PowerSchool (https://ps.vail.k12.az.us/public/). Desert Willow receives federal funds from these forms. If you need support with your PowerSchool account please call the from office at (520)879-2302. Thank you!

We had another amazing week at Desert Willow! Dr. D and the 2nd graders enjoyed the cooler windy weather at recess. First grade started learning about Holidays Around the World and practiced writing letters by writing letters to Santa. First grade also had their sweet musical performance this week and it was truly spectacular! In the media center this week kids in all grade levels checked out books that are recommended by our incredible teachers and staff!

Next week will be jam packed with fun activities both at Desert Willow and across the district! See all the flyer below for more information about these activities including: Computer Science Night, the Rita Ranch Performing Arts Concert, PTA Cookies with Santa! Also starting Friday all students are invited to participate the the Media Center's annual Jolabokaflod during their COIL class, please check with your child's teacher when they are coming to COIL for the last time this quarter.