Happy day, da Vinci Families!

I hope you and your family enjoyed the 3-day weekend, especially with the extension of summer-like weather. As we bring Latinx Heritage Month to a close, I am reminded of the importance of not waiting to enter specific months or days to celebrate the many different cultures which make up our diverse and colorful world. While there is work to do at da Vinci when it comes to ensuring true and genuine inclusion, each day, we are making progress in the right direction.

Our students learn about representation in one of the most organic ways, which is through the arts. Our staff are engaging in peer book studies through weekly Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Each content level has selected a book that will support us while we work through our biases and start to move towards anti-racist education. Soon we will be digging into monthly racial equity professional development. This work will help us look at our academic and discipline outcomes through a different lens and will help us actualize what success looks like and who gets to experience success at da Vinci.

...speaking of success, our Latinx Heritage Month assembly was a success! Ms. Wilson, our Latinx Affinity Group and a few staff teamed up to bring a festive, engaging and informative assembly to our students. Check out the photos below!

We would love to enter the Winter Season with having met our short-term goal of $25,000. We can meet this goal with your help!

Our overall Foundation Gifting Season; our goal is to raise $75,000!

Please review the dV Foundation section of this newsletter for more information on how to support staff and programs at da Vinci.

Sincerely,

Principal Davis

Our da Vinci Foundation operates under the umbrella of The Fund for Portland Public Schools. Please consider a gift to a help us maintain our staffing next year. Fall is a great time to set up a recurring donation of any amount that will add up by next spring when these funds are critical.

Three ways to donate:

1) Donate directly through The Fund for Portland Public Schools. Use the QR Code or go HERE and select “da Vinci Arts MS";

2) Become a MONTHLY donor ($10, $20, $50 a month);

3) Make a one time donation by mail, write a check to The da Vinci Foundation and mail to:

The da Vinci Foundation (Attention: Shakyla Mosley), 2508 NE Everett St., Portland, OR 97232

• 10/19- PTSA Meeting, 6 PM Cafeteria, all welcome, RSVP below for dinner
• 10/28- Picture retakes with LifeTouch
• 10/31- Spooky Talent Show, special schedule
• 10/31 - 11/4- Spirit Week
• 11/ 9 & 10, 17 & 18- Fall Festival of Shakespeare shows at 6:30 PM
• 11/18- Fun for the Arts, Fundraiser/Dance Party, pledge info coming next week
• 11/19- Fall Festival of Shakespear with da Vinci and BES students at da Vinci, 2:00 PM Matinee
• 11/21 & 22- Conferences, no classes for students, signup info coming soon
• 11/23 - 25- Thanksgiving Holiday Vacation, no school

Conferences occur on November 21 - 22nd. This year da Vinci will have a hybrid conference schedule and offer both in person and virtual conferences. Monday conference offerings will be in person; while Tuesday's conference schedule will be mostly virtual.

*conference schedule coming soon.

**please be sure to check individual teacher schedules and plan accordingly.

Please complete the Yearly Verification in ParentVue for your student by October 28th. Ensure your address, phone numbers and emergency contacts are correct. For students in 8th grade, living in two households, the primary address listed for the student will determine high school forecasting. If your address has changed, please submit two forms of proof of current address to the main office. If you do not complete the verification by the deadline, you will not have access to ParentVue until you do so. If you need assistance gaining access to your account or need a paper verification form, please contact the main office at 503-916-5356 or email sbryan@pps.net.

The LifeTouch pictures and proof packets have finally arrived! They will be sent home on Monday from 7th period classes. ID cards have not yet arrived but should be coming soon. If you did not yet order pictures, there will be unique code for your student and options for ordering in the proof package. If you are not satisfied with the photos, you can return them and have your student try again on retake day.

If your student was absent or needs to get their photo taken again on October 28th, please add their name on this Google Form.

AAPI- NEW- Every 1st and 3rd Monday, from 3:20 - 4:20 PM

BSU- Every 1st and 3rd Friday, from 3:20 - 4:00 PM

QSA- Every 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the month. 3:15 - 4:15 PM

Latinx- Meets every Wednesday If there are any questions, please don’t hesitate to email her at mwilson5@pps.net. Please sign up on this form if you are interested in joining the Latinx Club: Latinx Sign Up Link

The October PTSA Meeting is THIS WEEK!

Please RSVP HERE and join us for our next PTSA meeting this Wednesday, October 19, 2022 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM both in person in the da Vinci Cafeteria or on Zoom* HERE.

This year dinner is provided for the in-person meeting, so please don’t forget to RSVP HERE and join us so we can build our community and support our teachers and students.
*Zoom start will be 6:15 to allow in-person attendees to get dinner.

The PTSA is open for membership and we hope that families consider joining to help strengthen our school and support our children's education. If you are ready to sign up, please click HERE to register!

Fundraising and Volunteers Needed

EXTENDED!!! The Arts Fair logo contest for our da Vinci student artists has been extended. Please encourage your da Vinci student artist to create and submit a new Arts Fair logo for this year. We look forward to seeing what the da Vinci students come up with and what the student body chooses. New Arts Fair logo reveal is October 20th.

Poinsettia Sales: It's back and you won’t want to miss ordering these beautiful poinsettias. We are selling Poinsettias again this year and they are truly gorgeous! There are two sizes to choose from (6” and 8”) and available in red, pink or white. Order now HERE or in person at da Vinci 11/1-11/2 from 3:00-4:00.

Pie Sales: This year we are selling delicious pies as a fundraiser for the PTSA. Each 9 inch pie is $20 and is available in pumpkin, apple, cherry and marionberry and come frozen so they are ready for you anytime! Ordering is available HERE or in person at da Vinci 11/1-11/2 from 3:00-4:00.

We need VOLUNTEERS! There are many opportunities to volunteer for PTSA events and fundraisers this year. Poinsettias and Pie Sales and the da Vinci Arts Fair are ones we need immediately so please click HERE to sign up or scan the QR code below!

Please review this flier from the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education for guidance on when to keep your student home. We want your students present, unless they are sick.

PPS is once again partnering with OHSU for weekly Covid screening tests. If you register, test kits will be sent directly to your home and our collection date at da Vinci is on Thursdays. Samples should be dropped off in the red bucket by the main office.

Registration info: Parents/guardians can start enrolling their students through OHSU’s NEW Online Portal. If you are unable to enroll for any reason, please call OHSU Support at (503) 418-8500.​

Visit OHSU's K-12 Screening Program website at http://www.ohsu.edu/k12testing, contact the OHSU support team at k12covidtesting@ohsu.edu,​ or call (503) 418-8500 for more information.

On site testing for symptomatic students

If your student should develop symptoms at school, a current consent form is required for Covid testing. The consent forms collected last year are no longer vaild. Here is the current form.

Please see the following instructions for setting up your own account to track assignments and monitor progress. If you have multiple children in PPS, you can set up one account and then add additional students with a separate code for each student.

The following fliers are approved by PPS Communications for distribution:

• Oregon State University Summer Reading Program 2023

• Multnomah Early Child Program Preschool Classes

• Kaiser Permanente CASCADIA COVID-19 screening study (English) (Spanish) (Russian) (Amharic) (Chinese) (Vietnamese)

• PSU Sonic Arts and Music Production Academy, sessions starting Oct. 19 (updated)

• Tech Youth Soccer 2022-23 (English) (Spanish)

• Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment, Nov. 1 - Jan. 15 (contact Enedina Lopez Paz if you’d like hard copies for your school)

• Vibe of Portland Fall Classes

• Vibe of Portland 2022-23 Art Camps & Classes

• Multnomah Early Childhood Program 2022-23 (English) (Spanish)

• Portland Parks & Recreation Preschool 2022-2023 Registration