9th Grade Orientation
9th Grade Orientation will be Monday, July 29th from 8:00-10:30 am. 9th grade students will be able to get their tentative schedules, tour campus and begin to settle into their 9th grade year.  9th Grade Orientation is a student only event. Parents are welcome to join us at Open House on August 5th. 

Open House
Open House will be Monday, August 5th from 5:30-7:00 pm.  Parents and students can pick up schedules, visit classrooms and meet teachers. Parents can also pay fees, purchase a yearbook or buy a parking permit. 

Dysart High School HOSA received the Outstanding Chapter Award, as well as National Service Project Recognition at the conference. Three students received the Barbara James Service Award for their commitment to community service in health. Mackenzie Mitchell received Gold, and Katelyn Marr and Luis Figueroa received Bronze. In addition, Lane Vazquez-Luna received mastery level recognition in Healthcare Issues Exam, and Mario Hernandez was an event finalist in Physical Therapy. 

Dysart Parents and Guardians,

As we near the end of the school year, I am writing to ask you to partner with us to keep our Dysart students and campuses safe and secure. Historically, as students eagerly anticipate the approach of summer, the number of school threats increases. Dysart is hoping to stem this issue with your help.

As a fellow community member, I ask you to please:

1. Have a discussion with your child(ren) about the importance of immediately sharing information that could be considered threatening to our community with a responsible adult. This could be a parent, teacher or school staff member.
2. Make it clear to your child(ren) that online threats and rumors should not be forwarded or shared, because doing so impedes police investigations.
3. Discuss with your child(ren) the seriousness of making threats toward schools, and remind them that there are a number of charges that can be filed against students – including felony offenses.

If you become aware of an immediate threat, please call 911.  Otherwise, call law enforcement non-emergency lines to report potential threats towards our schools or the community in Surprise (623-222-4000), El Mirage (623-933-1341) or Maricopa County (602-876-1602).

Another option for reporting school safety issues or concerns is through our Safe Schools Hotline (623-876-7009) or online via Dysart Safe Report at Dysart.org/SafeReport. Additional information, resources, and school safety tips can be found on our website at Dysart.org/Safety.

Dysart is proud of our relationships with local law enforcement agencies, and works collaboratively with them to ensure the safety of our students and staff.  We all have a responsibility to be vigilant and should strive to prioritize the well-being of our community. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure our campuses are always a safe place for our students.

Respectfully,

Quinn R. Kellis, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Dysart Unified School District

AzMERIT and AIMS testing start the Week of April 1st

DHS is getting ready to start spring testing. We are proud of the work the students have done this year and can't wait for them to demonstrate all they have learned. 


AzMERIT Testing Dates: 

April 3rd: AzMERIT Writing (all students in any 9th, 10th, or 11th grade English Course)

April 10th: AzMERIT Reading (all students in any 9th, 10th, or 11th grade English Course)

April 17th: AzMERIT Math (all students in any Algebra 1-2, Geometry, or Algebra 3-4 or their equivalents)  


Testing Schedule
7:15-10:30         Testing Session
10:30-11:00      Lunch
11:00-11:28 (28 min) 1st Period
11:33-12:01 (28 min) 2nd Period
12:06-12:36 (30min) 3rd Period 
12:41-1:09 (28 min) 4th/5th Period
1:14-1:42 (28 min) 6th Period
1:47-2:15 (28 min) 7th Period

April 3rd, 10th and 17th will be a late start day for seniors who are not testing. Any senior who is taking a course that is testing must report for testing. 

AIMS Science 
April 4th: All 9th graders in biology and any 10th graders who have not taken AIMS Science 
There will not be a modified schedule this day. Students will test from 7:15-10:30 then attend their classes. 

As an incentive for students to do well this year, the district has added a grade incentive for students who earn proficient (meets) and highly proficient (exceeds) on the exams. Students who earn a proficient will earn a 1 letter grade increase on their transcript for both semesters. Students who earn a highly proficient will earn an A on their transcript for both semesters.



 

Each year, Midwestern University in Glendale, offers two options for students in healthcare education programs to visit their campus and get hands-on experience of a variety of health professions programs offered by MWU.  This year, Dysart’s HOSA Chapter and Sports Medicine students were lucky enough to participate in their Annual Health Science Career Day, and got some of the best pictures of what those fields include. Our students attended an opening/welcome session given by current medical students.  They then got to travel to four workshops and learn and participate in hands-on skills within that career field. Starting in the physical therapy teaching clinic, our students learned more about testing reflexes, using orthotics and prosthetics, and walking with assistive devices, such as walkers and canes.  They then got to go to a Surgical Skills workshop that included putting on and removing personal protective equipment used in operating rooms, and learning how to do basic internal suturing techniques!

The second half of the day included time spent in their human cadaver lab.  Yes, that meant our DHS students were able to hold a human heart! They had an hour to touch and evaluate different organs from different species, comparing them, and looking for evidence of disease.  Our final session was optometry, and students got to evaluate each other to look for signs of color blindness, decreased visual acuity, and other conditions of the eye itself.

Overall, the day was extremely engaging, very educational, and mostly, so much fun!!!  Our students are already looking forward to returning next year. Thank you Midwestern University!



 

UPDATE: The city has temporarily fixed the main water line serving Dysart High School. Water service has been fully restored. The city will work on a permanent solution to fix the line this evening.

A city water main was broken, so most of the school does not have running water. However, some of the campus receives water from another water line, so there are functioning restrooms available near the football field, which will be available for students in the meantime. Classes will continue as usual. We will work closely with the city to continue evaluating the situation, and will keep you posted with updates if anything changes. Dysart Elementary School is on another water line and is not affected.

 

Dysart Road will be closed for Northbound traffic from Varney Road to Laurel Lane from January 22nd-January 25th. 

Access to campus will only be from the north entrance at the light on Dysart Road. 

See  the map linked below for details. 

Dysart Road Closure Map [PDF]

Current DHS 9th, 10th and 11th grade students are in the process of selecting courses for the 2019-2020 school year. 

Students have received their course selection sheets and should be bringing them home for parent signature.  They are due back to their math teacher by this Friday, January 18th.

Please use the presentations below to review the courses available to students in each grade level. 
 

• Course Selection Class 2022 for Sophomores
• Course Selection Class 2021 for Juniors
• Course Selection Class 2020 for Seniors

Incoming DHS 9th graders will select their courses with the DHS guidance counselors the Week of January 21st. 

Please use the presentation below to review the courses available to the incoming 9th grade students. 
 

• DHS Class of 2023 Feeder School Presentation

 

Dysart High School held their second annual Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Alumni panel. At this event, former Dysart High School AVID graduates came to speak with current freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior Dysart High School students about their college experience and how AVID guided them to be successful.

The panel consisted of nine Dysart High School alumni from both the class of 2017 and 2018, representing eight different colleges including: University of Hawaii, Regis University, Embry Riddle University, University of New Mexico, Estrella Mountain Community College, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and Grand Canyon University.

The high school students prepared questions for the panel and heard how the alumni carried the tools they learned in AVID through their first years of college. “With AVID I learned how to hold myself to a higher standard academically,” said ASU student Jada Thurston.

AVID, an international program to increase student performance, is a four-year program for students who are capable of completing the most rigorous curriculum but are falling short of achieving their academic potential. The AVID elective provides academic instruction and support to prepare students for eligibility and success at a four-year college or university. AVID topics include: note-taking, study skills, test taking, time management, college exam preparation, critical reading skills, inquiry and collaboration. The AVID program is only offered to those students who meet specific criteria and who are selected through an application and interview process.
 

Attention Seniors! Dysart High School will host the Tri-University Fair on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at 6:00PM to 8:00PM. Representatives from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona are coming together to ensure you and your family are well informed about the opportunities and resources available to you. Topics include college admissions, scholarships, financial aid, opportunities at each in state university.  Seniors from all Dysart Unified School District high schools are welcome to attend and explore.