Dragon Tales
January 3rd - January 7th
Spoiler Alert: Locker Use Request, Parking/Drop- off Pilot, SEL Activities, COVID Test to Stay...
Happy New Year da Vinci Families,
I hope Winter Break was good to you and left you feeling revitalized and ready to bring in the new year healthy and strong!
As people begin setting their intentions and/or goals for the 2022 year, at da Vinci we are continuing to provide a nurturing, safe and supportive environment for our students. In doing so, we have a few goals to help us ring in the new year (skip to the Updates section below for more details):
- Grade specific drop -off/Pick-up location trial/pilot
- Stronger connection with our community
- Scaffolding in arts as much as possible
- Continuing to intertwine social emotional learning (SEL) into our instruction and activities. This week our teaching teams will be delivering brief opportunities for connection and SEL.
We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to school on Monday, January 3, 2022.
Best Wishes,
Principal Davis
Updates
Parking /Drop-off Pilot
Parking and drop-off/pick-ups are quite busy, especially as some of our families have opted out of carpooling with others. Being a focus option school, makes traffic a little different, as our students come from all over Portland and we need to get a better plan to support our situation. We do not want to rush morning drop-offs, as mornings are sometimes hard for families; however, once your kiddo is out of the car, please do not idle - please drive off in order to make room for the next family. Also, we cannot block bike lanes, intersections or parking in non-parking zones. In effort to intervene with the congestion, we ask that you try the plan outlined below:
8th grade:
Location: NE 24th and Couch back field road (it is a one way going East)
7th Grade:
Location: NE 24th between Everett and Davis (no turning left onto Everett)
6th grade: Location: NE Everett Street (front of school)
Locker Use Requests
If your student is in need of a locker, please help them complete our locker survey. Once the survey has been completed, we will assess the need and begin delivering locker assignments within the upcoming weeks.
Indoor Breakfast & Rainy Day Entry
On the days where it is raining, we will open up the school so students are not hanging outside in the wet rain and cold. Here's the plan for non-breakfast eaters:
6th graders will enter through the regular 6th grade entrance and remain on the 1st floor (downstairs).
7th graders will enter through the main doors and remain on the main floor, seated in the auditorium.
8th graders will enter through the regular 8th grade entrance and remain on the 2nd floor, seated quietly in the hallway.
Please remind your students, they will not have access to the rest of the building and will remain in the grade specific designated spots.
Test-to-Stay
Covid Testing at School
Calendar Highlights
January 11th, 6p-7p, Black and Brown Virtual Family Night
January 12th, 6p, PTSA Meeting via Zoom
January 17th, MLK Jr. Holiday - no school
January 21, Dance Showcase, 7 pm, limited admission
January 28th, End of the Quarter/Semester 1
January 29th, Teacher Planning Day - no student day
From Nurse Cam about Immunizations
The immunization exclusion date this school year is February 16th, 2022. You should have gotten a letter notifying you if your student's immunization status is not complete. If your Student's immunization status is not up to date by February 16th, 2022, your child will be excluded from school.
The Multnomah County Health Department is holding immunization clinics on Wednesdays and Saturdays. See the fliers for more information.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or email.
Thank you!
-Nurse Cam
971-801-4415 (text friendly)
PTSA Corner
Join the PTSA Today
Thank you to all those who have joined the PTSA, we are now at 62 members and more than halfway to our goal of becoming 100 members strong. Click HERE to join.
Passive Fundraising through Fred Meyer Community Rewards
If you have a Fred Meyer Rewards Card, you may link it to da Vinci PTSA and help raise funds for our school at no additional cost to you. In addition to still keeping your personal Fred Meyer Rewards, Fred Meyer will also donate to the charity of your choice. Learn how HERE.
BottleDrop
Did you know you can help raise money for da Vinci by recycling your bottles and cans without any extra cost to you? Learn how HERE. If you are in need of a blue bag, send your student to the office to pick one up!
Shop on Amazon & Support da Vinci Arts Middle School with Amazon Smile
Every time you purchase something off Amazon using the “smile” page, da Vinci Arts Middle School PTSA gets a 0.5% contribution, at no additional cost to you. Please take a few minutes to sign up using the instructions below and be a proud supporter of the da Vinci Arts Middle School PTSA today. Learn how HERE.
PTSA Meeting, January 12
The PTSA will resume monthly meetings on the second Wednesday on January 12th at 6 pm on Zoom.
Membership
Thank you to all those who have joined the PTSA, we are now at 61 members and more than halfway to our goal of becoming 100 members strong. Click HERE to join.
Follow the PPS COVID-19 dashboard HERE for real-time data.