Last week at Deer Park Elementary School, Mrs. Howard’s kindergarten class participated in a meaningful lesson centered around kindness and empathy: The Wrinkled Heart Lesson.
The young learners gathered to talk about the power of their words and actions. Together, they explored what makes hearts feel happy—from sharing kind words to doing thoughtful deeds for a friend. They also discussed things that can make someone’s heart feel sad or hurt, such as using mean words or pushing.
To help visualize the impact of their choices, students watched what happens to a paper heart when unkind actions occur: it gets crumpled and wrinkled! They discovered that even when someone apologizes and tries to smooth the heart back out, the wrinkles never fully go away. This hands-on activity was a powerful way for students to realize that while people can always say "I'm sorry," their words and actions leave lasting impressions.
The class emphasized the classic reminder: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" as a helpful tool to pause before speaking unkindly.
To wrap up the lesson, students reflected on how they can keep hearts happy and drew wonderful pictures showing ways they plan to spread kindness every day. Be sure to ask your kindergartener to share what they drew!
#DeerParkSchools #Elementary #KindWords #WrinkledHeart
The young learners gathered to talk about the power of their words and actions. Together, they explored what makes hearts feel happy—from sharing kind words to doing thoughtful deeds for a friend. They also discussed things that can make someone’s heart feel sad or hurt, such as using mean words or pushing.
To help visualize the impact of their choices, students watched what happens to a paper heart when unkind actions occur: it gets crumpled and wrinkled! They discovered that even when someone apologizes and tries to smooth the heart back out, the wrinkles never fully go away. This hands-on activity was a powerful way for students to realize that while people can always say "I'm sorry," their words and actions leave lasting impressions.
The class emphasized the classic reminder: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" as a helpful tool to pause before speaking unkindly.
To wrap up the lesson, students reflected on how they can keep hearts happy and drew wonderful pictures showing ways they plan to spread kindness every day. Be sure to ask your kindergartener to share what they drew!
#DeerParkSchools #Elementary #KindWords #WrinkledHeart
2nd Place in State for our Deer Park Stags slowpitch team!
Great season from our coaches and players!
Great season from our coaches and players!
With 2 big wins today Deer Park slow pitch softball has advance to the State Championship game tomorrow at 3:00PM!
Deer Park Early Learning Center was filled with stories, creativity, and smiles during its Family Literacy Night! Each classroom featured a special children's book paired with a hands-on craft for families to enjoy together. Families also participated in a book exchange, bringing home a new story to share and enjoy. It was a wonderful evening celebrating the joy of reading, the importance of family engagement, and the connections that make our ECEAP community so special. Thank you to our amazing staff and families for making the evening such a success!
#DeerParkSchools #ECEAP #FamilyLiteracyNight
#DeerParkSchools #ECEAP #FamilyLiteracyNight
Busy slate of home games tonight!
Last week, Home Link families and staff gathered at Siemers Farm on Green Bluff for their annual get-together! It was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and make memories as a school community.
#DeerParkSchools #HomeLink #SiemersFarm
October is National Principals Month, and we’re taking a moment to celebrate our wonderful principals! From supporting our students and staff to keeping our schools safe, welcoming, and ready for learning, they do so much.
Thank you to Mr. Heuett, Mrs. Stansbury, Mr. Olietti, Mr. Bentler, Mrs. Burke, Mrs. Link, Mrs. Vining, Mr. Cromwell, Mrs. Hausman, and Mr. Abrams. All the big and little things you do each day make Deer Park Schools a special place to learn and grow. We appreciate you!
#NationalPrincipalsMonth #ThankAPrincipal #DeerParkSchools
Thank you to Mr. Heuett, Mrs. Stansbury, Mr. Olietti, Mr. Bentler, Mrs. Burke, Mrs. Link, Mrs. Vining, Mr. Cromwell, Mrs. Hausman, and Mr. Abrams. All the big and little things you do each day make Deer Park Schools a special place to learn and grow. We appreciate you!
#NationalPrincipalsMonth #ThankAPrincipal #DeerParkSchools
At Deer Park Elementary School, belonging and kindness can be seen in many ways. From collaborating and working together with the giant parachute in PE, to Mrs. Champoux teaching students about Kelso's Choices, and even learning some jump rope skills with Mrs. Vining. At DPE we work to ensure all students feel a sense of belonging!
Deer Park softball is seeded #3 in the 2A/3A state slow pitch tournament. We will begin play against Columbia River on Friday!
Deer Park slow pitch earned their way to the State Tournament with a big win on Friday! State brackets will be release on Sunday and our State sendoff will be on Thursday. The State tournament takes place in Yakima on Oct 23-24.
As part of our District and School-wide focus on belonging this month, Mrs. Watson’s fourth-grade class explored the power of kindness through the book Each Kindness. After reading the story together, students engaged in a meaningful discussion about how even the smallest acts of kindness can create a ripple effect, helping others feel valued, included, and connected within our school community.
Deer Park slow pitch softball is one win away from the State tournament in only our 3rd year of playing slow pitch! Friday we host Uhigh in a win and advance to state game at Deer Park. The Friday game creates a great Deer Park double header with softball at 4:00 and home football vs North Central at 6:00.
The softball game is a playoff game so tickets will be sold and GSL passes will not be accepted. The price is $10/$5.
The softball game is a playoff game so tickets will be sold and GSL passes will not be accepted. The price is $10/$5.
📰 Profile of a Graduate: From Deer Park to the Front Page! 🏀
Where are DPSD graduates now? We love seeing where our alumni soar! Meet Mathew Callaghan, a Class of 2022 Deer Park graduate who turned his passion for community and storytelling into a thriving career. Today, Mathew is a front-page general assignment reporter for The Spokesman-Review!
"Interested = Interesting." That's the piece of advice The Spokesman-Review reporter and Deer Park Class of 2022 alum Mathew Callaghan carries with him every day.
Whether he was finding lifelong friendships on the DP basketball court or diving into English and science with his educators, Mathew always brought grit and kindness to everything he did. Through hard work and the Running Start program, he fast-tracked his journalism degree at WWU and now writes front-page stories covering the Pacific Northwest!
Mathew’s journey took him from Homelink to Deer Park High School, where he balanced academics, Running Start, and basketball through the challenges of the pandemic. He credits amazing educators like Molly Murphy and Christine Holstock for teaching him critical thinking and a powerful work ethic.
His advice for current students? "Care about your community. Interested = Interesting. You get what you want by caring."
#DeerParkPride #ProfileOfAGraduate #DeerParkAlumni #SpokesmanReview #ClassOf2022 #CommunityFirst
Standing strong, supporting each other, and wearing pink with pride! Last week, Deer Park Middle School came together as one community for Pink Out Day. Beyond raising awareness for breast cancer, our students and staff showed that everyone belongs here and no one fights alone.
#DeerParkSchools #DeerParkMiddleSchool #PinkOutDay #BreastCancerAwareness
#DeerParkSchools #DeerParkMiddleSchool #PinkOutDay #BreastCancerAwareness
📚 When Educators Learn, Students Thrive! 🌟
This past Friday, our Deer Park School District educators, pre-K-12, came together for a Learning Improvement Day dedicated to professional growth, collaboration, and continuous improvement!
Just as we encourage our students to be lifelong learners, our teachers and staff model that same commitment every day. Through meaningful collaboration, reflection, and professional learning, our educators continue to strengthen their practices, share ideas, and find innovative ways to support student success.
These days are an important investment in our students! Every conversation, every new strategy, and every opportunity to learn together helps us create stronger classrooms, more engaging learning experiences, and better outcomes for ALL students.
Learning isn't just for students—it's for ALL of us!
We Belong. We LEARN. We Inspire Excellence.
#DeerParkSchoolDistrict #StagPride #LifelongLearning #LearningImprovement #StrongerTogether #InspiringExcellence
This past Friday, our Deer Park School District educators, pre-K-12, came together for a Learning Improvement Day dedicated to professional growth, collaboration, and continuous improvement!
Just as we encourage our students to be lifelong learners, our teachers and staff model that same commitment every day. Through meaningful collaboration, reflection, and professional learning, our educators continue to strengthen their practices, share ideas, and find innovative ways to support student success.
These days are an important investment in our students! Every conversation, every new strategy, and every opportunity to learn together helps us create stronger classrooms, more engaging learning experiences, and better outcomes for ALL students.
Learning isn't just for students—it's for ALL of us!
We Belong. We LEARN. We Inspire Excellence.
#DeerParkSchoolDistrict #StagPride #LifelongLearning #LearningImprovement #StrongerTogether #InspiringExcellence
First-grade classrooms at Deer Park Elementary are actively building safe, respectful, responsible, and kind learning environments through daily Morning Meetings focused on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). During these structured gatherings, students practice essential social skills and cultivate a positive culture. As part of this routine, 1st graders celebrated "Thankful Thursday" this last week by sharing what they are grateful for. All of this helps in creating a strong sense of belonging and community in the classroom while strengthening peer connections across the grade level.
#RangersCare #ThankfulThursday #WeBelong
#RangersCare #ThankfulThursday #WeBelong
Deer Park slowpitch softball has earned their way into the postseason and will open the playoffs at Sageview HS in Pasco on Monday.
DPSD would like to thank Ms. Tanya Barcellos for her service in Deer Park! Tanya is a Food Services Hero who ensures all students feel a sense of belonging, valued, welcomed, and seen. She always shares her positive energy and smiles with everyone who steps into the kitchen. We wish Tanya the very best of luck in her new role as a manager. Thanks for making our schools a better place! We will miss you, Tanya.
🎉 DEER PARK’S STORY GOES NATIONAL! 🦌💙
We are excited and proud to share that Deer Park School District has been featured nationally by The Education Magazine as one of “The 10 Elite School Districts Shaping Education in 2026.”
There is something special about Deer Park. It’s our students. Our staff. Our families. Our community. It’s the Stag Pride, the small-town spirit, and the way people come together to support our schools and one another.
We don’t do this work for recognition—we do it because we believe deeply in our students and their futures. But when great things are happening, sometimes others take notice!
This national recognition celebrates the work happening throughout our schools and the strong partnership between our district and community. This recognition belongs to all of Deer Park!
We invite you to read the article, share it, and celebrate with us:
🔗 https://www.theeducationmagazine.com/the-10-elite-school-districts-shaping-education-in-2026-4/
We are proud of where we have been, excited about where we are going, and grateful for the community that makes it possible.
Strong schools build a strong community!
We Belong. We Learn. We Inspire Excellence.
We are excited and proud to share that Deer Park School District has been featured nationally by The Education Magazine as one of “The 10 Elite School Districts Shaping Education in 2026.”
There is something special about Deer Park. It’s our students. Our staff. Our families. Our community. It’s the Stag Pride, the small-town spirit, and the way people come together to support our schools and one another.
We don’t do this work for recognition—we do it because we believe deeply in our students and their futures. But when great things are happening, sometimes others take notice!
This national recognition celebrates the work happening throughout our schools and the strong partnership between our district and community. This recognition belongs to all of Deer Park!
We invite you to read the article, share it, and celebrate with us:
🔗 https://www.theeducationmagazine.com/the-10-elite-school-districts-shaping-education-in-2026-4/
We are proud of where we have been, excited about where we are going, and grateful for the community that makes it possible.
Strong schools build a strong community!
We Belong. We Learn. We Inspire Excellence.
At Deer Park Middle School, students in Mrs. Rasmussen's class tie-dyed shirts to all match for Dynamic Duo Day during Homecoming week. Activities like this are a great reminder that belonging isn't about being identical. Watching our students collaborate and support one another during this tie-dye activity was a good reminder of what makes our community so special.
#DeerParkSchools #TieDye #MiddleSchool
#DeerParkSchools #TieDye #MiddleSchool
