New Parent Guide

For a full list and access to all of the required medical and athletic forms, please visit our Enrollment Forms/Back-To-School page at pcds.org/2020-21 or pcds.org/backtoschool.

You'll receive back-to-school information, including supplies lists, teacher assignments, and student-parent handbook at the beginning of August. In the meantime, please mark the following dates on your calendars:

• Friday, August 21: Parent Connection Day
  • Email invitation will be sent to parents near the beginning of August.
• Monday, August 24: Meet the Teacher Monday
  • All Lower School students and parents visit their new classrooms.
• Tuesday, August 25: First Day of Classes

Please contact Kathryn Bucolo, Lower School Assistant, with any questions.

You'll receive an email regarding textbooks and supplies, and more near the beginning of July. Then, you'll receive information with student schedules, advisor assignments, and access to the student-parent handbook at the beginning of August. Until then, please mark the following dates on your calendars:

• Friday, August 21: Parent Advisor Meetings
  • Email invitation will be sent to parents in late July to schedule these meetings with students' advisors.
• Monday, August 24: Middle School New Student and Parent Orientations
• Tuesday, August 25: First Day of Classes

Please contact Loreta Aguirre, Middle School Assistant, with any questions.

First of all, please plan to attend the Welcome to Upper School Class of 2024  information session on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm in Dorrance Auditorium. Your child and at least one parent are required to attend. At that event, the Upper School administration will provide information about the transition to 9th grade and about course selection. More details will be emailed to you.

Second, you'll receive an email regarding textbooks near the beginning of July. Then, you'll receive additional information, including access to the student-parent handbook at the beginning of August. Upper School students and parents should mark the following dates on their calendars:

• Fall Sports Practices Begin
  • Visit Upper School Athletics after August 1 for more information on practices.
• Friday, August 21: First Advisor Lunch (10:30 am - 12:00 pm)
• Monday, August 24: Upper School Freshman and New Student Orientation
• Tuesday, August 25: First Day of Classes
• Wednesday-Friday, September 9-11: Freshman Class Trip
  • This special bonding class trip to Camp Shadow Pines in Heber, AZ for all freshmen, led by faculty and select members of the senior class.

Please contact Gabi Ragsdale, Upper School Assistant, with any questions.

PCDS has a "green" philosophy and communicates almost entirely online. Every parent, 5th-12th grade student, and faculty/staff member has a myPCDS account that provides access to a variety of information on our website and to other integrated resources, such as FamilyConnect. Account information will be provided to new parents in early July.

In addition, students in grades 3-12 have G Suite for Education (Google) accounts (grades 5-12 with email); students in grades 5-12 have Canvas learning management system accounts. Account information will be provided to new students in grades 5-12 during the summer. Students in grades 3-4 will receive their information after school begins.

Visit Online Accounts for additional details.

Many of your questions will be answered in the appropriate division handbook. The handbooks cover details such as dress code, absences, car pools, PE uniforms, and discipline procedures. Annually updated handbooks are available in early August. Until that time, links to the handbooks will point to the prior year's editions.

• Lower School Handbook
• Middle School Handbook
• Upper School Handbook

During the school year, PCDS is open Monday – Thursday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm and Friday from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm. The main phone line is 602.955.8200. Pre-k parking spaces marked in blue near the Garvin Early Childhood Center are for pre-k parents only. A pre-k parking sign must be placed in the front windshield when using a spot. Please be mindful of the six-minute time limit, which allows for needed parking space turnover as parents do the required check-in and check-out. All other Lower School (kindergarten through fourth grade) and Middle School parents drop off students in front of Shephard Hall (administration building). Upper School students are dropped off in the circular driveway on 40th Street near the Upper School office. Upper School students who drive must park in the student lot, the fenced lot on 40th Street, just south of the tennis courts, and are required to have a visible PCDS parking decal. See the Upper School Handbook for more details. Parking for the athletic fields, gymnasium, and swimming pools is available in the fenced student lot.

Please note that pre-kindergarten students attend school only from 7:50 until noon the first week of school; kindergarten students attend school only from 7:50 until noon on the first day of school. Lunch will not be provided for those students on those days.

Every PCDS parent is a member of the Parents' Association (PA). For more information about how to get involved, please visit Parents’ Association or read the list of parent volunteer opportunities. In addition, we hope each of you will join us for the Parents' Association Back-to-School Kick Off from 7:30 until 9:00 am on the first day of school. After your child has headed to class, please come to the Dining Hall (located west of the Administration building) to learn more about getting involved in the PCDS community.

Lunch for students in grades pre-K-8 is included in the tuition charge.

Lunches for students in grades 9-12 are $5 for each lunch purchased in the dining hall or a la carte in the Upper School café. Families fund the purchases with an online debit account using myKidsSpending (MKS). In late July, families of students new to the Upper School are sent credentials to log in to their MKS accounts. (Please note that families do not create their accounts on the MKS site, even though the option is available.) If neither parent receives an email about MKS by August 1, please email info@pcds.org.

Visit Dining Services for more information.

Extended Day is offered for Lower and Middle School students from 3 PM until 6 PM. The registration form for 2020-21 will be available in early August.

The Lower School After-School Programs provide a variety of offerings including Art, Dance, Swimming, Coding, Yoga, and more. Details and online registration for the new school year will be available in early August.

The Middle and Upper Schools offer a variety of team sports, clubs, and other activities, many of which meet after school. Visit Athletics and the Middle School and Upper School sections of the site for more information.

Most parents drive their children to and from school; some parents coordinate car pools with other families.

PCDS also offers bus transportation, depending upon the geographical location of the student’s residence and the availability of space. Service is not available for pre-kindergarten or kindergarten students. Visit Transportation Services for additional information. Parents who sign up for bus services will receive specific information about pick-up and drop-off times in the week prior to the start of school.

Registration for 2020-21 will be available soon.

Visitors check in through the main office on Stanford Drive for the Lower and Middle Schools and the division office on 40th Street for the Upper School. Security is present on campus seven days a week.

Due to limited space and need, students are not permitted to have rolling backpacks prior to third grade. Though not required, ZUCA rolling bookbags are highly popular among students in fourth through sixth grades. In Middle School, these can be a particularly good organizational tool and they fit in student lockers.