Dear da Vinci Families,

Welcome back (or welcome to da Vinci)! The summer seems to have flown by. Nonetheless, I hope the summer has been refreshing, peaceful, and good to you and your family. Our team has been planning for the arrival of our students and we are very excited to be back together soon. As we transition into our 2022-2023 school year, I would like to share important information to help your family plan for a successful start to our school year.

This year we have carved out a full-day Jumpstart (new student orientation) for our incoming 6th-grade students on August 30th. New 7th and 8th graders are invited for the morning so they are welcome to attend through lunchtime, 11:30.

Returning 7th and 8th-grade students start Wednesday, August 31, 2022.

S'more Communication to Families

Newsletters are sent via email each week. Our newsletters will always include a "Spoiler Alert", which is a preview of the information covered in each weekly edition. Please know our newsletter often contains important information and dates to help keep families informed. We ask that you take a few minutes each week to review our newsletter. If you miss a week, no worries, newsletters are also posted on the da Vinci School website. You are welcome to use the headers of each section to skip around to parts of the newsletter that feel relevant to you and your family.

Please continue to read on, as this letter includes important information about the start of school.

Sincerely,

Principal Davis

Jumpstart happens on August 30th, 2022 (see invitation below)

Jumpstart is an opportunity for our incoming 6th grade students (and new-to-da Vinci 7th and 8th graders) to come on campus a day ahead of the rest of the school and learn the lay of the land. New students will attend a full-day orientation, lead by our student leadership group, Leo Leaders, and staff. New 7th and 8th graders will attend for half of the day.

*All returning 7th and 8th graders will start on Wednesday, August 31st.

Student Class Schedules -The news you've been waiting for ...

Student schedules will be available on ParentVue/StudentVue starting at 4:30 pm on Tuesday the 23rd. If you need help with access to your account, contact sbryan@pps.net or call the main office at 503-916-5365 between 8 am and 4:30 pm.

We have balanced classes to the best of our ability with much thought and time.

While forecasting helps initially place students in their preferred classes, as we balance there may be a class that your child did not get. We are not changing classes for students because they want to be with their friends or to meet a specific-teacher request. If there is an extraordinary safety or health issue with a certain class, you may email the concern to our Assistant Principal, Ms. Wilson, mwilson5@pps.net. She will prioritize Special Education students and students on a 504. She will do her best to meet all our students' needs. Though you can see the schedule for all four quarters, we will only be making adjustments to the first semester for now. There will be an opportunity to make requests for the second semester later on. Know that the team will prioritize these issues:

• Students without a full 7-period schedule
• Students without core classes scheduled (Math, ELA, Social Studies, Science, Heath/Dance quarters)
• Incorrect math placement
• Special Education requirements

Below is the daily schedule for most days. Students can enter the building starting at 8:40 to go to their lockers and start heading to class. They should be in class and ready to go by the 8:45 bell. Students arriving after that bell need to stop by the office for a tardy slip for attendance purposes. Every Tuesday we will have a special schedule and occasionally for assemblies, there are different schedules. If you are picking up your student early, please let us know in advance and try to time your pickup during a passing period to minimize classroom disruption. Students leaving early need to be signed out through the office. Lunch is determined by 4th-period classes. We generally cannot change the lunch period for a student as it is balanced out.

Attendance Reporting and Tardies

If your student will be absent from school for any reason, please notify sbryan@pps.net with their name and the reason for the absence. You can also call the main office at 503-916-5356 but we receive a high volume of calls and email is preferred. If your student arrives after the tardy bell at 8:45, they will need to check in at the main office for a tardy slip.

Breakfast times, and Entrance/Exit Routines

Breakfast will now be available from 8:20 to 8:40 in the morning. Students should enter from the SE corner/playground gate through the garden courtyard.

At 8:35, student can enter through the front doors:

• 6th grade enters the building through the east doors, closest to the playground.

• 7th grade enters the building through the center/main doors.

• 8th grade enters through the west doors, closest to the driveway from the parking lot.

After lunch, students return to the building through these same doors.

After school, students should exit through the closest exit to their classroom.

Cell Phone Policy

Phones and all personal electronic devices should be turned OFF and put AWAY during school hours. We do not want to see earbuds or headphones. The school is not responsible for these items if they are lost or stolen. They should be locked up in the locker. Please do not try to text your student during school hours. If you need to reach them or deliver a message, call the main office and we will give them a message or call them to the office to call you.

The doorbell at the main front door

For security purposes, the building is locked during school hours. If a student arrives outside of normal arrival hours, or you need to visit, the doorbell rings the main office phone line. We can answer on an intercom and release the door. There is a camera so we can see who is at the door. However, if we are on the phone or attending to a student, we may not be able to answer immediately. Please keep trying if we do not answer immediately.

Lockers

Students will be assigned a locker and should use it for their personal belongings during the day. Lockers need to be kept securely locked and students should not share the combinations. The office does maintain a list of combinations. We are not responsible for valuables brought to school. If students bring phones or other electronic devices, they need to be powered off and remain in their lockers for the entire day (including lunch periods).

Traffic Pattern Highlights

We strongly encourage you to work with your community and arrange carpools to reduce congestion and help our environment. Additionally, please follow this guide if possible to help with the traffic flow in front of the school:

Everett St. in front of the school is for 6th graders. Travel EAST, from 24th toward 28th Ave. Pull to the curb for your student(s) to get out of the car. Carefully enter the line of traffic.

7th graders can be dropped off and picked up from 24th Ave. Please be careful at the intersection of 24th and Everett and yield to pedestrians.

8th graders can be dropped off on Couch (a one-way headed east) and walk through the park beside the Coco-Cola building.

There is also a driveway entering from 24th and Davis that will exit onto Everett for buses and those with special needs. Parking in the neighborhood and behind the school is very limited.

Please be courteous of our neighbors at all times and do not idle as you are parked.

Please join us on Thursday, August 25th for an opportunity to meet each other and enjoy ice cream on our playground. We'll have an activity to help you get to know one another. Please RSVP HERE so we know how much ice cream to get and your dietary needs.

Join us on Saturday, August 27th, from 9 AM to 12 noon for our annual grounds cleanup. We will be spreading mulch, weeding, and working in our water garden. This is a great chance to meet other community folks and work together to get the school garden areas ready for students. Bring gloves and garden tools (if you have them). Send any questions to sbryan@pps.net. All are welcome!