What an amazing first week. Your students are truly amazing! The energy in the building this week was palpable and the excitement on students’ faces is a memory I will always remember. A huge thank you to our teachers, para educators, custodial staff, cook and office staff who worked so hard to prepare for a successful start to the school year. I also want to send a shoutout to Ms. Blair for all their hard work preparing our new student jump start day. That first day for our new students is invaluable. Most went home as tired as did I, but every student I talked to said they had a great day.

On Wednesday, I asked all teachers to play this welcome back video 1st period during our morning announcements. Here are some of the key points from our morning bulletin, which I hope you all will take time to read and review with your kiddos.

• There is a slight change to lunch expectations this year. We ask all students to eat in the cafeteria before heading outside for recess. This will help ensure that all students get the chance to eat and throw away garbage before heading outside.
• We have an updated hall pass system this year. There is a station in each room and students need to sign out and use a hall pass when they are out of class. Hall passes must be worn around your neck and be visible. Our new Campus Safety Agent and the admin team are monitoring this.
• All phones, earbuds/headphones, Apple watches, and other electronics must be turned off and be put away in lockers all day.

Once students have a locker, they are expected to use them to keep their belongings safely secured during the day. They should only bring what they need for class with them through the day. Most students will need a combination lock. Be sure to check with your student to see if they need a lock and get one over the weekend if so. We have some available if this is a hardship.

Regarding schedules, Ms. Wilson has met with many students this week and was able to change schedules to accommodate many of the requests. Some changes are simply not possible due to class size numbers and when certain classes are offered. Starting Tuesday, we will be not be accepting more change requests.

I hope everyone has a restful labor day and returns on Tuesday ready to hit the ground running!

Sincerely,

Mr. Roosevelt

Remember, no school on Monday for the Labor Day Holiday- see you on Tuesday, 9/5

9/4/23- Labor Day Holiday, no school

9/15/23- Picture Day with Lifetouch

9/21/23- Back to School Night

The 2023-24 PPS Calendar is HERE so you can plan ahead.

Students are welcome to join our first Latinx SOL Club meeting Tuesday, Sept 5th during lunch in room 102. Lunch will be provided for the first meeting. Please RSVP for food numbers on this form.

On Thursday students were assigned Chromebooks and a charging cord during their advisory class. They should also bring home this Agreement Form for you to review, sign, and return to the 4th period teacher. Students will need to charge devices at home and bring them to school each day for school use. Please assist them in developing a routine for charging and packing up supplies each day. There were quite a few charging cords missing at the end of last year so our supply is quite low. If you happen to have one at home, please return it! We have a supply of cases available and encourage students to use these for device protection. Please stress the importance of caring for this technology and following the agreements as written.

Please remember to drop off at various locations so that Everett St. is safe for our students and families.

6th -Everett St. students walk to the center front door entrance.

7th - 24th St. (at Davis St. or where you are able) students walk to the west front door entrance.

8th - Couch St. (Coca Cola building street) students walk to the east front door entrance.

* Note: Students wanting breakfast can enter through the side gates, by the playground, at 8:30am and head to the cafeteria. Otherwise, all students will be allowed into the building at 8:38am.

Students are not to have their phones/earbuds/headphones on them during the day. We expect them to keep them in their locker and turned off. Cell phones are incredibly distracting to the learning environment. If your student has a cell phone, please remind them of this expectation. Here is a link to our Cell Phone Policy. Please do not text your student during the day. If you need to get a message to them, call the main office and we can deliver the message or call your student to the office to use the phone. If a student needs to reach you during the day, they should get permission and a hall pass to use the phone in the office.

​​We are excited to announce that da Vinci students will receive one free breakfast and lunch every school day. This is a provisional status so we do need all eligible families to submit the application for meal benefits. The application can currently be found online and will be available in printed copies at the school office or kitchen as the school year begins.

Students received their lockers this past week based on their advisory class. We are no longer assigning lockers by floor or grade level as we believe it is important to have mixed grade blending throughout the building.

Some of our lockers have built in combination locks and others require a purchased combo lock. We asked all families to purchase a combo lock, but recognize some won’t need them. If your student purchased a lock and doesn’t need it we ask that they hold onto it for next year or consider donating it to the office as we have some families who are unable to purchase a lock. If you are unable to purchase a lock, please have your student come to the main office and speak with Ms. Howard or Ms. Bryan.

In regards to backpacks, we ask all students to leave their backpacks in their lockers. This is largely to ensure that we have space in our classrooms, but it also helps develop students’ executive functioning skills as they have to plan out when, and what to get, from their lockers throughout the day. If a student has their backpack on, we will ask them to go put it in their locker.

This year, da Vinci Drama is once again participating in the Fall Festival of Shakespeare, which is hosted annually by Portland Playhouse. This year, da Vinci will be doing Shakespeare's timeless tragic love story Romeo & Juliet, as well as Twelfth Night, his comedic tale of cross-dressing mistaken identity. For the first time since the pandemic, the Fall Festival will feature multiple schools working on Shakespeare shows, and will culminate in all the schools performing their pieces in the Winningstad Theater in downtown Portland.

For students interested in acting in the shows, auditions will be held next week in the auditorium from 3.30 - 5.30 on Tuesday - Friday. Students should come to as many audition days as they can. Students must fill out an Audition Packet and submit it to be considered for casting. Audition Packets are available outside the drama room (Room 305/306). If you or your student has questions about acting, please email Drama Teacher Nicole Accuardi at Naccuardi@pps.net.

For students interested in doing tech for the shows, interviews will be held next week on Tuesday and Friday in the Drama Tech room (Room 106). Students will sign up outside room 106 for a twenty minute slot on one of those two days and be part of a group interview. Students must also fill out a Tech Interview packet and submit it to be considered for Tech Crew. If you or your student has questions about after-school tech, please email Drama Tech Teacher Heidi Sprecher at HSprecher@pps.net.

On Monday September 11th, there will be a meeting about the schedule for the fall plays for parents and families of students involved in the shows. The meeting will be in the auditorium from 5.45 - 6.30, and we highly encourage all parents and families who can to attend.

The comprehensive planning process for the modernization of historic Cleveland High School is getting underway. PPS is seeking a diverse range of engaged citizens who can positively contribute to the process of creating a next generation high school through the Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC). View the Cleveland CPC flyer here |Español |Tiếng Việt | Русский | Soomaali | 中文

Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee Mission
The goal of the Cleveland CPC is to develop an equitable and integrated comprehensive plan for a modernized Cleveland High School through authentic community engagement. It will include students, parents, teachers, alumni, administrators, PPS staff, partners, community representatives and a school board member. While CPC members are not tasked with making final decisions, their input is crucial in creating a plan that the entire community can be proud of.

Join the Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC)
To apply please visit the Cleveland modernization website at https://www.pps.net/ClevelandBond Applications are available in all PPS supported languages. Paper applications will also be available upon request. Interested candidates should plan on meeting about once a month in the evenings for about 5 to 6 months. The CPC application process will remain open until mid-September. The first meeting will take place in early October.

Get involved and stay informed
The Cleveland modernization website will keep you updated on the latest developments and provide a list of upcoming engagement opportunities. You can also join the Cleveland Modernization project mailing list at CHSBond@pps.net.

Thank you for helping us create a modernized Cleveland High School for the 21st century.

Hello families and welcome back! As we enter a new school school, you are bound to ask yourself at some point "my kid is sick, so when should I keep my student home?". There has been so many changes lately, so I hope this newsletter helps answers all your questions you may have!

COVID: Is no longer considered a reportable illness and no longer requires isolation or exclusion from school. You can be excluded if you show excludable symptoms from the illness. Read the latest about what to do if you test positive for COVID from the Multnomah County Health Department.

COVID Testing: We will continue to offer BinaxNOW testing at school for any student that presents with illness symptoms. If you would like to opt your student into this testing option, a new consent form needs to be completed and turned into the health room/main office at your school. English Consent. Spanish Consent.

If your student has COVID or any other illness, please keep them home if they present with any excludable symptom. Please reference this "When Should I Keep My Student Home" for guidance.

Please continue to call your school's attendance line for absences due to illness.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

-Nurse Cam

clam@mesd.k12.or.us

Click here for information on school-based health centers located around the metro area.

Hello families!

Welcome to a new school year!

I am excited to continue this year as the PTSA President, and I feel very fortunate to be able to work along with a strong group of folks. Next week, we will have more detailed information about our PTSA, but I wanted to remind you of a few things happening in the next two weeks.

1. This coming Wednesday, September 6th, the PTSA is hosting a Back to School Social at Migration Brewing on NE Glisan from 5:30-7:30. We will provide light appetizers. Join us to build community and learn about our volunteer opportunities this year!

2. Last year, the da Vinci Arts Fair returned after a COVID hiatus. IF WE WANT TO CONTINUE THIS TRADITION, WE NEED TO FORM A PLANNING COMMITTEE ASAP! The da Vinci Arts Fair is scheduled for the first Saturday of December. PLEASE EMAIL CLAUDIA AT davinciptsa.president@gmail.com if you are interested or need more information.

3. Our first Dine for da Vinci is on Wednesday, September 13th, 2-8 pm at Dairy Hill Ice Cream on Hawthorne. You may wonder what Dine for da Vinci is? Dine for da Vinci is an opportunity to go out for dinner, dessert, etc., and a % of sales from a restaurant goes towards our school. As usual, if you are unable to attend and would still like to support our school, you can always make a donation by scanning the QR code on the flyer.

We will be posting a Volunteer Interest Form soon, and we will have descriptions for all our volunteer opportunities next week and at our Back to School Social.

Have a wonderful long weekend!

Claudia

BOT and other area bike advocacy groups are supporting a bike fair and bike swap for students and families at the Ellington Apartments around 66th Av & Halsey St next Thursday (9/7) from 4pm-7pm. It could be a great way for folks to connect with the local school community!

Volunteers can sign up and select their role here.