New Parent Guide 2022-23

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/2022-23 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:

• Thursday-Friday, August 18-19: Parent Connection Day
  • Email invitation will be sent to parents near the beginning of August.
• Monday, August 22: Meet the Teacher
  • All Lower School students and parents visit their new classrooms.
• Tuesday, August 23: First Day of Classes

Please contact Amy Hill, Lower School Assistant, with any questions.

This spring:

• Thursday, April 28, 3:30-4:30pm: Middle School Meet & Greet
  All newly enrolled Middle School students and their parent(s) are invited to campus for a fun "meet and greet"! Led by the Middle School administration and a group of student hosts, the new students will have their first chance to meet each other, make connections with some of their future classmates, learn about the Middle School, see classrooms and facilities, and ask questions. While the students meet in their groups, parents are invited to meet in small grade-level gatherings led by the Parents’ Association and school administration.

This summer:

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 19: Parent/Advisor Meetings
  • Email invitation will be sent to parents in early August to schedule these meetings with students' advisors.
• Monday, August 22: Middle School New Student and Parent Orientations
• Tuesday, August 23: First Day of Classes

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

This spring:

All rising freshmen will be receiving emails about the transition to Upper School and the course selection process.

• Tuesday, April 12, 5:30 – 6:30pm: 
  Welcome Class of 2026! -- Upper School Meet & Greet
  All rising 9th grade students and their parent(s) are invited to campus for a fun "meet and greet.” Led by the Upper School administration and current student leaders, the rising freshman class will have their first chance to meet one another, make connections, learn about the Upper School, and ask questions. While the students meet in their groups, parents will receive information from the Upper School leadership team and have a chance to socialize in group gatherings led by representatives from the Parents' Association.

• Class of 2026 web page
  Visit this page for information about course selection and for additional resources.
  
  This summer, 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.
• Monday, August 22: Upper School Freshman and New Student Orientation
• Tuesday, August 23: First Day of Classes

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 personalized school information. The school is currently transitioning between student information systems and you will see references to the old and the new myPCDS. Since you are a new family, your myPCDS account is the new one.

In addition, all students in grades 5-12 have Canvas learning management system ("Canvas") accounts and students in grades 3-12 have Google Workspace for Education ("Google") accounts (grades 5-12 with email). Account information will be provided to new students in grades 5-12 during the summer. Lower School (PK-4) students will receive their information after school begins.

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 3:30 pm and Friday from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. The main phone line is 602.955.8200. Lower School and Middle School parents should follow the Drop-off & Pick-up Procedures. Upper School students are dropped off and picked up in the Aquatic Center parking lot. Parents are asked to stay in their vehicles and use curbside pick-up. 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 pass. 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) and we encourage all parents to become involved.

In addition, we are hopeful that we will be able to resume our annual Parents' Association Back-to-School Kick Off from 7:30 until 9:00 am on the first day of school. We will share more details once we are able to determine whether or not we will be able to move forward with this event.

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

Lunches for students in grades 9-12 are $6 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 5:30 PM. The registration form for 2022-23 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.

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.

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.