Dragon Tales
September 13 -17
Spoiler Alert: Young Audience Winner, What's Happening at da Vinci, Counselor Corner...
Today we held our virtual (prerecorded) Alumni and Staff Talent Show. It was really neat seeing so many da Vinci artists showing off their skills. I hope your student enjoyed the show. Thank you, Ms. Daley for organizing and putting this amazing show together and thank you to all who participated!
As the second week has come to an end, I must say our students are settling in! With the passing of the honeymoon phase, we are starting to notice a few behaviors cropping up and I want to make sure that we are as transparent as possible and that families are reinforcing the rules at home.
Here are a few mentionings and noticings:
- We really need your help with reminding our students of the cellphone policy (see below for details).
- Unfortunately today, we had to close one of our boys' restrooms down, due to vandalism. While I understand the vandalism was done by a few of our youth, the implications impact us all. Please remind students to be appropriate in the restrooms at all times. da Vinci is our space and we need to respect our space and those around us.
- Families, if you can help it, please do not drop your student off too early. We have minimal supervision before and after school.
Over the next few weeks, our community will be working on internalizing the community norms and guidelines. We understand that routines take time and practice. Practice may not make perfect, but it will definitely make things much better!
Have a peaceful weekend,
Ms. Davis
Congratulations to da Vinci 8th-grader, Juno Anthony
Young Audiences Winner!
Juno's winning design will be seen on Young Audiences promotional materials and t-shirts, now, through the next season. We are so proud of Juno!
PS - check out the diversity and individuality displayed in this piece of art.
A Look Inside (and outside) of da Vinci
Welcomed by the Dragon
One of our 8th grade artists, Gigi Bayus, designed the outline of the dragon. Check out the process below! Thank you for Gigi for bringing our dragon to life.
New Paint on an Old Building
Cellphone & Device Policy
1st time: Remind students of the policy and ask them to put their device away.
2nd time: The device will confiscated by staff and taken to the front office. Students will be able to pick up the device after school.
3rd time: If a device is taken for the third time, I will be calling families to schedule a time with me so that we can create a plan to support the student in managing their device(s). During this time, families will be able to pick up their student's device.
Drop-off/Pick-up
Thank you for helping us with discouraging students from crowding, by not having students arrive too early to school.
Updates
Attendance Reporting
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. If your student is ill, please keep them home. We will need to ask questions to screen for specific symptoms. You can also call the main office at 503-916-5356 but we receive a high volume of calls and email is preferred.
Revised Bells, Breakfast times, and Entrance/Exit Routines
To reduce congestion and gathering in the halls, we are making a few adjustments.
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. Nutrition Services is set up right inside the door and students can get breakfast and go back outside.
The first bell for students to enter the building and go to class is now at 8:40 am.
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. We will be having a fire drill next week to practice leaving the building.
Visitors in the Building
Visitors in the building are limited to essential business. If you are dropping off something or need to pick up your student, please ring the doorbell at the front door or call us at 503-916-5356 and we will meet you at the door or send your student out to you.
About that Doorbell
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.
Traffic Pattern Reminder
Please remember to travel headed east on Everett St. in front of the school at drop-off and pick-up times. Drive safely and be courteous of our neighbors. Never block driveways or the fire hydrant zone.
Counselor Corner
Counselor Introductions
Happy end of the 2nd week to all of you! I hope you have had some genuine successes this week and last with your students returning to in person learning. I know we missed them here at daVinci. We’d like to take a moment to introduce ourselves, share a little about what a school counselor does, and how to connect with us. We are here to support your students and help make school the best it can be.
Who or what is a school counselor? This is a question we get asked often. School counselors are certified/licensed educators who improve student success for ALL students by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program. The main role of a school counselor is:
individual student academic planning and goal setting
District sponsored school counseling classroom lessons based on student success standards
short-term counseling to students
referrals for long-term support or counseling services
Collaboration with families/teachers/administrators/community for student success
We are available to talk with you or your student about anything that comes up during the school year. We are here for ALL students' success.
If your students’ last name is A - La - Ms Shannon
My full name is Shannon Foxley but I go by Ms. Shannon with the students (I tell them Ms. Foxley is my mom). I am so excited about all the things this school year is going to bring.
Phone: 503-916-5358
Email: sfoxley@pps.net
Google Voice (call/text): 971-231-5337
If your student's last name is Le - Z - Counselor Heather
My name is Heather Mathewson, but I go by Counselor Heather. I hope everyone had a marvelous summer and is having a smooth transition into this school year.
Phone: 503-916-5356
Email: hmathewson@pps.net
Google Voice (call/text): 971-245-2727
PTSA Corner
PTSA News
A big thank you to everyone who attended the first PTSA meeting on Wednesday. The ideas, energy and feedback is appreciated and exciting. I am confident the 2021-2022 school year will be successful in building up our community of parents and guardians, educators and students!
Each week we are seeing PTSA membership rise, let’s keep that momentum going. Click HERE to become a member.
Notes on membership
The S in PTSA stands for students! We had one or two students join our call but as the year continues we would love to see more student participation! Student voices are welcome and encouraged.
The PTSA will be exploring sponsors, scholarships and additional options for memberships in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for updates.
The proposed PTSA budget has been posted on the da Vinci website and will be up for public viewing and comments until Monday, October 11th. The budget can be found HERE. Questions and comments can go to davinciptsa@gmail.com.
Save the Date
Da Vinci Fall Community Field Day is right around the corner!
Please block your calendar for Saturday October 16 from 2pm - 5pm. The goal of this event is to build community, have some safe fun and raise funds for our school. This event will be completely volunteer organized and executed so if you are looking for ways to get involved NOW IS YOUR CHANCE! Please sign up to volunteer HERE and we’ll reach out with next steps. It’s going to take a village!
Questions? Please reach out to davinciptsa@gmail.com
Picture Day is Coming, September 17, 2021
LifeTouch will be at da Vinci on September 17 to photograph all students and staff. These photos are uploaded into Synergy. Purchase of portrait packages is an option online through LifeTouch. You will be receiving emails directly from LifeTouch to place an order. The retake day will be October 19th for students who school on the 17th.
Back-to-School Night (B2SN)
B2SN will be held on the evening of September 23rd. Due to the fact that we are limiting the amount of people in our building, B2SN will be virtual again this school year. We will send out the link to our program soon.
Dragon Bench Work Party 9-25-21, 10 am to noon
Volunteers are invited to help restore the Dragon Bench on the playground. There are still several areas that need cement patch and texture. We have tools and materials but if you have gloves, please bring them. For questions, contact sbryan@pps.net.
Safety Measures
Covid Testing Consent- NEW FORM LINK
If you have not yet filled out a form giving consent for your student to be tested in the event they show symptoms during the school day, there is a new form. Please fill out this form. When we receive information about the opportunity for weekly testing at home, we will share it with you. This will be starting with elementary schools first.
Feeling Sick?
Families, if you have a child who is feeling ill or reports that they feel sick, we need you to please keep them at home. By keeping your sick child home, you are helping to keep our students as safe as possible and reduce the unfortunate spread of the COVID virus. In the event somehow your student makes it to school and they are displaying COVID-like symptoms, they will be asked to transition to our Symptoms Space, where (if there is a signed permission form) they will be provided with a self - administered rapid covid test. Students who take a rapid covid test will need to go home, even if the results are negative.
Carpool List and Family Directory
Carpool List and Family Directory If you want to be added to the directory, fill out this form. The sheet is only shared with those families that opt-in.
Need a Device?
We are asking that students bring their chromebooks to school each day. Please be sure to send your student to school with a fully charged device each day.
PPS 1:1 Tech Program Family Flyer: English, Spanish, Mandarin, Somali, Russian, Vietnamese