Dragon Tales
December 15th, 2023
Principal's Message
Just one more week to go until we all get to enjoy some time off and a bit of rest and relaxation. We had another great week here at da Vinci. It started with last week's PTSA run Arts Fair. In classrooms, projects and assessments were in full swing. The Arts Fair and Music Concert put a spotlight on the amazing work our students do. The weather was dry, allowing our students to play outside during lunch. Lastly, our new single door entrance plan allowed us to welcome students in with music and fun. It was a great week and I'm excited we get one more week with your amazing kids!
As of right now, our attendance numbers indicate that we'll have roughly 10% of our students out next week, which means we will continue to plan to operate as normal. I've reminded our teachers that next week is a regular week of school and that students who miss school may be asked by their teachers to make up that work. We have a few teachers out each day next week, but as of now we have all classes covered and are not anticipating having to combine classes or run any type of special schedule.
If your student will be out for more than two days, we ask two things of you. First, please update their attendance through ParentVue or by calling the main office. Secondly, please have them take this pre-arranged absence form around to their teachers (we also have hard copies located across from the main office). This form helps ensure that your student has communicated with their teachers and helps your student learn the valuable lessons of planning ahead.
Lastly, I want to take a moment to thank our PTSA, our para educator Michelle Chachka and all the volunteers who helped put on an amazing Art Fair last week. It was great to have all the professional vendors and our students' art was amazing as always. I feel truly blessed to serve a school community with such family support.
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask.
Best,
Mr. Roosevelt
Weekly Updates
Winter Music Concert
What an amazing group of student performers we have here at da Vinci. I am so proud of our students for all the hard work they did getting ready to perform after missing a month of school. Mr. Gerolami deserves some serious kuddos for all his hard work organizing the event and getting his students ready to perform. His ability to coordinate the performances of so many different classes is remarkable. His Beginning and Advanced Bands, the Choir and Trogdor students kept the audience on the edge of their seats all night. Mr. Hakim does as well. His African Drumming classes brought a thunderous beat to our auditorium that was exciting to hear. Thank you to all the families who were able to attend. For those who missed it, the district will be sending us a youtube link so you can go back and watch the performance. Stay tuned.
Winter Arts and Creative Writing Showcase
This past Wednesday's showcase was another example of how creative our students are. I loved hearing our students read excerpts from their creative writing stories and the artwork that is still up in our Connie Cheifetz Gallery was the highlight of my Wednesday.
Spirit Week is Next Week!
Next week will be our Winter Spirit Week! We encourage your students to participate in as many of the themes as you'd like. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!
- Monday - Pajama Day
- Tuesday - Athletes vs. Mathletes
- Wednesday - Wacky Wednesday
- Thursday - Dress like a Teacher (Teachers dress like Students!)
- Friday - Winter Themed Day
Update on Family Conferences
As you may have seen in district communicated news, family-teacher conferences are being rescheduled due to the strike in November. In following the district guidelines and working closely with our teachers, we have our dates and format finalized for conferences. Unfortunately, we will have fewer total hours of conferences (from 18 to 12 total hours), so we have had to make some adjustments to our format. As such, we ask that families prioritize visiting teachers in classes where their student needs the most support or where you have the most questions.
January 10th and 11th:
- Time = 4-7pm
- Format = Virtual
- Sign Up = Look for links in next week's newsletter
- Conference Length = 10-minutes
January 24th and 25th:
- Time = 4-7pm
- Format = In Person (teachers will be in their rooms)
- Sign Up = There is no sign up. Just visit the teacher's rooms you'd like to meet with
- Conference Length = 5-minutes
We recognize that the length of conferences on the 24th and 25th will not provide the same amount of time for in depth conversations with your student's teachers, but this is the best way to ensure that as many families as possible have the opportunity for a check in with them.
Poster Design Contest for Newsies
The Drama Department is looking for your student's original art for the poster and program of our spring musical. Please grab an info sheet from any visual arts teacher or from outside the drama or drama tech rooms for all the info!
Designs are due to Heidi by January 5th.
Newsies Update
Important update: Next week's Tuesday auditions have been CANCELED. If you signed up to sing on Tuesday, you must reschedule for next Monday after school.
Newsies audition schedule:
MONDAY: Singing auditions from 3:30-5:30pm in the drama room
TUESDAY: Callbacks will be posted in the the Newsie’s JR Canvas page. If you auditioned MAKE SURE YOU ARE A PART OF THE CANVAS. If you are not in canvas, email Ms. Accuardi from your school email so we can add you.
WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY: Call backs from 3:30-5:30 as needed.
FRIDAY: Cast list will be posted to canvas.
Winter Dance Showcase
We are SO EXCITED to present our first dance showcase of the 2023-24 school year! The 2024 da Vinci Winter Dance Showcase will be FRIDAY, JANUARY 19th at 7:00 pm, and classes have already begun working on choreography.
ALL Semester and Year-long dance classes will be showcasing their work in a high quality, professional environment with the help of their teachers and our professional design team. In order to create our highest quality work, it is crucial that all semester and year-long dance families carefully review this packet at this link Winter Dance Showcase. Please do not hesitate to email Sara (smartins@pps.net) with questions.
OBOB Morning Meeting
We are having an informal OBOB Meeting in the Library on Tuesday, December 19th, at 8:30am. This meeting is for anyone who is interested in OBOB, already formed a team, needs a team or just general information about OBOB.
We would like to make sure that we have everyone with a team who would like to compete and that everyone has the information to be successful. For more information, please reach out to our librarian, Heather Swinford (hswinford@pps.net)
Indian Education Updates
Please click here for updates from the Indian Education Department.
Healthcare Open Enrollment Through January 15th
Individuals and families have the opportunity to enroll in, renew, or change their health insurance plan for 2024 during the current Marketplace health insurance open enrollment period, which goes until Jan. 15, 2024. Open enrollment is the only time when anyone who is not offered coverage from a job or a public program like the Oregon Health Plan or Medicare can enroll in health coverage through OregonHealthCare.gov, often with financial help. For more information, please click here.
Varsity Tutors Offers Free Personalized Support
Portland Public Schools has partnered with Varsity Tutors to provide unlimited, 24 hour live support from highly qualified tutors, self-study resources, and engaging extracurricular classes. For more information, please click here.
Family Advisory Council on Education - Updates and Recruitment
The district held their second district-wide Family Advisory Council on Education on Wednesday, December 6th, which was a robust discussion about the impact of our school interruption on student learning, as well as input about math instruction and programming. The goal is to have representatives from each PPS school/program (we have 30 represented so far) to ensure as many school communities as possible are represented in the conversation. A wide range of diverse perspectives will support well-rounded discussions and ensure we are keeping Educational Equity for Black and Native students at the center of our conversations. For more information, please click here.