The Flores Flyer
October 7, 2021 Volume 5, Issue 2
Principal's Post
Dear Davis Ducks,
NMUSD announced that starting soon, the district will progressively allow approved volunteers on school campuses. At this time, sites continue to be closed to volunteers and visitors.
All volunteers are required to apply through the Raptor system. Our district’s goal is to remain open for in-person instruction for the entire school year and therefore, all volunteers at this time are required to be fully vaccinated.* If you have been approved as a volunteer in the past, you will need to reapply through the Raptor system. All levels of volunteers will be required to provide proof of vaccination in addition to the other requirements such as a TB-test** within the last 60 days. Volunteers on campuses are expected to follow all COVID-19 safety protocols, which includes wearing masks while indoors. Once an application has been approved, volunteers will receive an email indicating they have been approved.
This initial approval process is the first step in volunteering on campus. The volunteer approval does not equate to an immediate volunteer opportunity during the school day. A multi-phase process will occur as we welcome volunteers onto campus. Additional details are forthcoming regarding available volunteer opportunities. While we recognize that many parents are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to get back onto campus, we also understand that inviting more adults onto campus increases the risk of exposure and the subsequent need for students or staff to quarantine. We value the contributions and involvement of our volunteers, yet at the same time, we need to be thoughtful and will use a phased approach. Thank you for your continued patience as we work to ensure that your children are able to remain on campus and learning all day.
Before coming on campus we will ask volunteers/visitors to agree to the following:
“I am not experiencing any of the following symptoms associated with COVID-19: temperature of 100.4 (feeling feverish) or with chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.”
“In the past two weeks, I have not had close contact with a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19? This could include a person that has been tested for COVID-19 (because of possible infection) and is waiting for test results.”
Our goal is to keep our students and staff in school. Thank you for your continued patience, grace, and understanding as we work through this next transition.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Flores,
Principal
#ShareJoy
#davisduckspride
If you are interested in serving as a volunteer, please go to the following link to apply:
Raptor District Volunteer Application
*Fully vaccinated:
Pfizer and Moderna: two weeks after second dose, Johnson and Johnson: two weeks after dose
**TB-Test:
The following locations for TB skin testing throughout the year are suggested:
1. Private physician, health insurance provider, or local walk-in clinic.
2. HOPE Clinic, BESST Center, 2045 Meyer Place, Costa Mesa – free TB skin tests for NMUSD classroom volunteers. Appointments are a must. Call (949) 515- 6725 for an appointment. Please note that if the Tuberculosis skin test is positive, it is the volunteer’s responsibility to seek follow-up care with a medical provider who will order a chest x-ray and will deem if other treatment is necessary. It is not the responsibility of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to manage follow-up after receiving a positive Tuberculosis skin test from NMUSD or cover costs for any follow-up care.
Davis Magnet School's Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
One of our school’s main priorities is to continually improve our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). MTSS is defined by the California Department of Education as “an integrated comprehensive framework that focuses on the Common Core Standards (CCSS), core instruction, differentiated learning, student-centered learning, individualized student needs, and the alignment of systems necessary for all students’ academic, behavioral, and social success.” We are almost eight weeks into the school year and I am proud to share updates about the systems we have established to support our students academically, behaviorally, and socially.
Academics:
Beginning of the year assessments have concluded and our team including classroom teachers, Hourly Support Teachers, Instructional Assistants, and various Specialists have been collaborating to provide differentiated instruction to support our students’ current needs. This includes whole class, small group, and 1:1 instruction while using a range of instructional strategies and resources.
Behaviors:
Our implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has consistently been recognized as one of the best over the years. This year we have welcomed students who are brand new, returning from the Cloud Campus, and returning to Davis. We have observed numerous areas of need as our students have adjusted to full-time school days. Our team including Classroom Teachers, School Psychologist, Behavior Specialist, Counselor, Special Education team, and Administration have already been busy at work to provide clear expectations, positive reinforcements, restorative practices, and reteaching opportunities that lead to positive behaviors by our students.
Social-Emotional Learning
We are fortunate to have a couple of new team members at Davis who have been instrumental in supporting our students’ social-emotional learning. Gabriela Quezada, Behavior Specialist, Heather Orzug, School Counselor, Maria Barragan, Social Worker, and Dr. Anthony Mercado, Assistant Principal, have been wonderful additions to our team. These new members have been collaborating with two teacher representatives, Mrs. Dormitorio and Mrs. Matthews, our school psychologist, and me as a part of our new Davis Wellness Team. As a Wellness Team, we currently meet every two weeks to discuss students’ needs. The follow-up to those meetings include counseling, social groups, 1:1 mentoring, family counseling referrals, and more. Teachers have been participating in multiple professional development opportunities focusing on our district’s adopted Social-Emotional Curriculum, RULER. RULER is an evidenced-based approach to Social and Emotional Learning developed at the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence. RULER supports the entire school community in
Understanding the value of emotions
Building the skills of emotional intelligence
Creating and maintaining a positive school culture.
I encourage you to visit the RULER Family Website that contains two short videos or read through this Parent Tip Sheet that provides strategies to help families feel better and to build stronger relationships.I hope you will spend a few minutes reviewing the many, many resources included within this month's NMUSD Monthly Mental Health and Wellness Digest. Additional resources may be found at NMUSD Student Services Mental Health & Wellness Community Resources website.
I am optimistic about the growth that we will witness as we continue to work together to support our students academically, behaviorally, and socially. This is truly a team effort and your ongoing support at home makes a difference.
If you have questions, concerns, or would like resources in a particular topic please email me at cflores@nmusd.us. If you want to #ShareJoy about the positive impact our teachers/staff are making on your child’s life you may email me or complete this quick and easy form to give a Davis staff member a "Shout Out" Award.
Congratulations September Shout Out Award Winners!
Kinder Shout Out Award Winners
1st Grade Shout Out Award Winners
2nd Grade Shout Out Award Winners
3rd Grade Shout Out Award Winners
4th Grade Shout Out Award Winners
5th Grade Shout Out Award Winners
6th Grade Shout Out Award Winners
Health and Safety
We are grateful that our students and staff are on campus following the typical school day schedule. Our goal is to keep students and staff in school, while maintaining a safe learning and working environment. You may learn more about NMUSD’s response to COVID-19 through the district’s website.
While social-distancing is no longer a requirement under the CDC K-12 School Guidance, it is still relevant when conducting close-contact tracing. A close contact is someone who has been within 6 feet of a COVID-19 infected individual for a period of 15 minutes or more during a 24 hour period. In the event a student or staff member tests positive, our health office staff will conduct close-contact tracing and notify those affected.
Davis Band and Choir
PAL Student Leadership
We are thrilled to announce that 36 students were selected to join our Peer Assistance Leadership Program. This year we received the most applications, ever, and were excited to welcome the highest number of student leaders into this wonderful program. The PAL team had their first meeting on October 6 and have hit the ground running by organizing their first event, "Soctober." More information may be found here. We appreciate your support and look forward to the positive difference our PAL Student Leaders will make across our campus and the community.
Any updates specific for PAL students may be found within the PAL Google Classroom. Any questions may be directed towards Mrs. Holman, Mrs. Danahy, or Mrs. Galen.
Recycling Updates
Recycling has returned to Davis. Yay! Thank you Ms. Keller and Mrs. Gordon for leading the charge! You may learn more about our current programs by watching this short video.
If you recycle at home and take the recyclable materials to the OCC recycling center please consider donating the proceeds to Davis by telling a worker that you are Davis family.
The Costa Mesa Sanitary District Alkaline Battery Recycling contest is ongoing through March 18th. Please send used batteries to school with your child to be deposited into our collection bins. This is a great way to earn money for our school while helping the environment. We have been the top collecting school for several years running!
Go Ducks!
Grade Level of the Month: Kindergarten
Reading, writing, and arithmetic… Kindergarten is so fantastic! In September, we focused on phonemic awareness, number sense, friendship, apple science, and community building. We began P.E. Rotations, where each class plays a P.E. game with each teacher. Teachers really valued our goal setting conference time to speak with parents. October will be exciting month. Pumpkin Palooza week will be 10/25 – 10/29. Each kindergartener is asked to bring in a small pumpkin for science, math, and literacy activities. We will also have a Kindergarten Halloween Parade on the morning of 10/29. Happy Fall, Y’All!
The PTA Trunk-Or-Treat is Back! Read Below for More Details!
We Need Your Help!
Parent Organizations Update
We are grateful for the strong, positive support from our parent community. If you are not already involved, I encourage you to find a way that meets your availability to connect with one, or all, of our parent organizations. Thank you SO much to the parent leaders who are already involved and contributing to our community.
Our PTA and Foundation recently co-hosted a Davis Family Beach Party. Thank you so much to the parents who spent time and money to host this awesome event and thanks to everyone who showed up to connect and support our school.
PTA:
Our PTA brings us SO much JOY in everything that they do to support our students, teachers, and community.
PTA Membership Drive Contest: Thank you to everyone that already joined the PTA! Our PTA Membership Drive Contest is over, but anyone can still join! Link here. Congrats to our top 3 classrooms for winning our PTA Membership Drive Classroom Contest! 1st Place – Mr. Hurley’s 6th graders with 118; 2nd Place – Ms. Ramos Kinders with 83; 3rd Place – Mrs. Almeida’s 2nd graders with 64! Their prizes are coming soon! Join now!
PTA’s Book Fair: Shop our virtual Book Fair with Scholastic now through this Sunday Oct 10th. FREE shipping on book orders over $25. With every Davis purchase, Scholastic will give rewards directly to our Davis Library. Books make great gifts for birthdays and upcoming holidays. All purchases will be shipped to your home address. Click here to shop at our Davis Book Fair. Shop now before this Sunday!
Box Tops for Education: Box Tops are digital now, upload the App, select Davis Magnet School as your school and scan receipts. Have any old clipable Box Tops? Clip them out and send them to the office in a ziplock bag, label the bag with student name/teacher/grade to win prizes! Need clipable box tops turned into the office by Friday October 22.
Charleston Wrap: Shop virtually Friday Oct 8 through Friday Oct 22 and Davis Magnet gets all the profits! All items will be shipped to your home. Catalogs and a flyer with info will come home this Thursday.
PTA’s Red Ribbon Week! Oct 18-Oct 22, this year’s RRW theme is: Davis Ducks are Healthy and Joyful! Flyers with info and dressing-up days coming soon!
PTA’s Trunk or Treat event: Save The Date!!! The Davis Family Trunk or Treat is back! Friday Oct 29th, 5pm-7pm. Check out the following for more information:
Foundation:
The Davis Magnet School Education Foundation provides important financial support for our students and staff. We have lofty goals for the 2021-22 school year. If you are in a position to contribute to their efforts, please visit their website to learn how you can make a difference or donate through the QR code found on this flyer.
School Site Council:
We have a wonderful group of parents, teachers, and staff who serve on our School Site Council. We recently had our first meeting that included a long list of updates on how we are supporting our students. I appreciate our SSC members' time and ongoing support. I look forward to collaborating with them this year.
English Language Advisory Council (ELAC)
Our ELAC meets throughout the year to discuss supports and resources for our English Language Learners. More information will follow with exact meeting times.
Daily Flag Deck Videos are available here.
Davis Magnet School
Instagram @davis_magnet_school
Facebook @facebook.com/DavisMagnetSchoolDucks
Twitter @DavisMagnet
Email: cflores@nmusd.us
Website: http://davismagnet.nmusd.us/
Location: 1050 Arlington Drive, Costa Mesa, CA, USA
Phone: (714)424-7930
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavisMagnetSchoolDucks/
Twitter: @DavisMagnet