Dragon Tales
December 8th, 2023
Principal's Message
We hope to see as many families as possible at tomorrow's Art Fair. The Art Fair runs from 10am to 4pm here at da Vinci. Exhibits will include work from students and local artists and will be located throughout the building. I've been blown away by the creativity of our student artists and look forward to seeing what they bring to sell tomorrow. I want to send a huge thank you out to our PTSA as well as Michelle Chachka, one of our paraeducators here at da Vinci, for all the work that went into planning this event.
Shifting gears, it was great seeing teachers and students back into full academic swing. I observed various classroom projects and activities that highlighted student engagement and rigor in the classroom. I know many classes will have culminating assessments in the weeks ahead, so I encourage you to check your student's Canvas page and ask them what big assignments they have coming up.
We also had a very successful fire drill today. We spent time, prior to the drill, revisiting expectations and I'm proud to share that this was the quietest and fasted drill of the year. Please compliment your students for exiting the building quietly and quickly.
Lastly, at drop off this morning, some of you may have seen me directing traffic. The individual who was hurt was a pedestrian who fell and sustained a head injury. One of our PPS bus drivers and a parent stopped to offer first aid. Once alerted to the situation a few da Vinci staff members assisted with the situation until paramedics arrived. The individual is ok and was able to be connected to a family member who showed up on the scene. Thank you to anyone who had to alter their route.
Weekly Updates
da Vinci Art Fair - Tomorrow 10-4 pm
As a reminder, tomorrow is the da Vinci Art Fair. We are excited to see the work of many of our student vendors and local artists. This is a wonderful opportunity to support our student artists, local artists and help raise funds for our PTSA.
Absences Week of December 18th
We recognize that many families had plans for Winter Break that they cannot change. With the addition of school days the week of December 18th-22nd, we are asking that all families do their best to update their student's attendance through ParentVue or by calling the main office. Knowing how many students will be out that week will help our teachers and kitchen staff plan for the week ahead.
The district sent this messaging out earlier in the week with instructions on how to update your student's attendance, which now includes a temporary vacation code for that week.
These are regular school days and there may be important work your student misses if they are out. To help students organize what work they are missing we ask that students complete this Pre-Arranged Absence Form (available across from the main office) if they are going to miss more than two school days that week.
Although our teachers will be accommodating to any student who misses work that week, this form will help students develop forward thinking and planning skills which will be tremendously important as they transition to high school.
Spring Musical Auditions and Interviews are Starting!
The da Vinci Drama Department is so excited to announce that we are starting acting auditions and tech interviews for our spring musical, Disney's Newsies, Jr.!
If your student is interested in acting in the musical, they should grab an audition packet and an updated Important Dates sheet from outside Ms. Accuardi's room (Rooms 305/306). All auditions and casting are happening before Winter Break. Each student must complete both a singing and a dance audition to be considered for a role in the show.
Singing Auditions are on Thursday 12/14, Monday 12/18, and Tuesday 12/19, in the drama room after school. Actors will sign up on the sheet outside the drama room for a slot to sing a specific song from Newsies on one of those days. Once they complete their singing audition, they are free to go. There will be callbacks for some students on Wednesday, 12/20 and Thursday, 12/21. The list of callbacks will be posted on 12/19. We have a singing workshop to teach students the audition songs after school on Wednesday 12/13 from 3:30 - 5:30 in the drama room.
Dance Auditions are on Tuesday 12/12, in the gym, from 3:30 - 5:30. For dance auditions, they must be there the whole time - our wonderful dance teacher and choreographer Sara Martins will be teaching the actors some of the choreography from the show, and then they will be showing off their moves.
Tech Interviews are on Wednesday 12/13, Thursday 12/14, and Friday 12/15. Interested students should grab an interview packet from outside the drama tech room (room 106) and sign up for an interview slot on the bulletin board outside the room. Interviews are twenty minutes long, and once a student has completed their interview, they are free to go.
All questions about acting should be directed to Ms. Accuardi at NAccuardi@pps.net
All questions about tech should be directed to Heidi at HSprecher@pps.net
The New da Vinci Student Support Center
We are excited to share with families that our new Student Support Center is up and running. This is a place where the support staff that focus on community and school safety have their office. The SSC is located in room 111.
If you have a concern about your child and you don’t know which teacher to contact, the Student Support Center can be a resource for you as well. Below is information on our SSC team:
- Heather Nelson, the students call her Miss Heather, can coordinate with teachers and counselors to get kids the assistance they need. Miss Heather is our Climate Coach. Her email is hnelson1@pps.net.
- LaShea Chatman, our Restorative Justice Coach, is here to help kids having conflicts or needing an advocate to help them communicate with teachers and other students. Her email is lachatman@pps.net
- Austin, our Campus Safety Agent, is here to keep the perimeter of the school secure and the hallways safe.
Winter Arts and Creative Writing Showcase - December 13th
Join us for the Winter Arts and Creative Writing Showcase this upcoming Wednesday, December 13th from 4-5:30 in the da Vinci gallery! Come celebrate our visual artists and creative writing students. Don't miss the incredible art and live student readings!
Yearbook Preferred/Corrected Names Form
DaVinci Families,
Please have your students fill out this YEARBOOK PREFERRED/CORRECTED NAMES FORM. Just to clarify this form SHOULD ONLY be for students whose names in the Yearbook is different than their Synergy name and/or if their name is often misspelled and they want to flag that to ensure it is spelled correctly in the yearbook. Students were given this form in Advisory this week so please check with your student before filling it out to reduce redundancy.
Thank you!
Yearbook Class
Congrats to Fall Festival of Shakespeare Participants
Congratulations to all the actors and techies who participated in our Fall Festival of Shakespeare! If you haven't gotten a souvenir poster yet (all techies and actors get one!) or would like a copy of the program to keep, please visit Heidi's classroom (room 106) after school to grab those.
Thank you for all your hard work!
Jewish Student Affinity Club
The JEWISH AFFINITY CLUB will have its first meeting on Thursday December 14th during LUNCH in room 112. Hope you can join us for a Chanukah snack, dreidel and conversation.
Student Gmail Access Change
In response to Google Workspace security breaches experienced by school districts across the country, OTIS is restricting access to PPS student accounts to US IP addresses. This means that students traveling outside of the United States will be unable to login to or access their PPS Gmail, Google Drive, or any other Google service. Students who are traveling abroad and need to maintain access to Google resources for legitimate educational purposes may request a temporary exemption for the duration of their travel by contacting support@pps.net.
Student Health Services Reminders
The district has asked that we share this information to remind families of the ways in which they can work to help keep our school community healthy and safe for all.
Dominican Republic Trip
Greetings Future Travelers!
Did you know that Heidi Sprecher, the Drama Tech teacher at da Vinci, leads travel groups of students around the world every summer? Did you know these trips aren't just for da Vinci kids, but any middle or high school student who wants an amazing travel experience? Did you know that this summer, our trip is to the Caribbean? Now that you know all these things, I'd love you to learn more about next summer's trip at our info session next week!
Travel has a multitude of benefits for students. It grows their independence, problem solving, empathy, and confidence. This upcoming summer, we're going on an adventurous trip to the Dominican Republic. We'll be taking full advantage of the gorgeous weather and warm water to go snorkeling, surfing, white water rafting, and exploring beautiful natural caves. We'll also learn a lot about the culture, from the dances, to reforestation efforts to keep the island beautiful, to the historical carnival costumes, to the street art of the cities, to a pottery workshop.
Please click here to see some of the activities that your student could be enjoying next summer!
We have our next info session next week on Wednesday the 13th from 6 - 7 PM on Zoom. Please click here to RSVP - even if you can't make that time, RSVP-ing will mean you get sent all the info from the session. Here is a slideshow with more information about the trip.
If you have questions, please email HSprecher@pps.net. I will also have a booth at the Arts Fair on Saturday, so please stop by and chat!
PLEASE NOTE: This is a non-school sponsored event. Portland School District and Da Vinci Arts do not fund, sponsor, or endorse this travel study program. The district and the school are not responsible for conducting or supervising this trip. Students participating in the travel study programs do so at their own risk. In the event of any dispute related to this event, the district, Portland School District and the school, Da Vinci Arts shall not be held liable. In the event of any dispute related to this event, the group leader, Heidi Sprecher, shall not be held liable. Any fees incurred by the traveler while on the trip (hotel phone bills, etc.) are the responsibility of the traveler/the traveler’s family.