dV Weekly Newsletter, Dragon Tales

Dear da Vinci Families,

Our students and staff had a full and amazing first week back. It has been so good to be in the presence of our multi-faceted/talented students. As I walked down the halls, I heard students singing, laughing, and chatting or reconnecting with their friends, as they made their way to class. For the most part, students appear to be really happy to be back in school.

We are starting this year off strong by helping our students learn da Vinci's school-wide expectations. This week we have started slowly in order to move faster. You may have noticed many of the activities our students engaged in were centered around establishing community and/or learning expectations. Establishing community and expectations will better help our students access their education and navigate the social pieces of middle school.

Speaking of expectations...

Last Thursday and Friday students went through our beginning of the school year, Expectation Rotation. Each day, students visited different shared spaces throughout our school and learned how we conduct ourselves and care for each space at da Vinci.

As of Wednesday, September 7th, all students will be required to leave their backpacks and belongings in their lockers. If your student is a 7th or 8th grader, please make sure to send them with a lock for their locker by Wednesday. If your student is unable to purchase a lock, please email Ms. Sheli Bryan (sbryan@pps.net), and will help your student out.

Moreover, as mentioned in previous newsletters, all electronics (all cellphones, earbuds, headphones, handheld gaming devices, etc.) will need to be stored in lockers. Electronics to need be powered-off throughout the entire school day (8:45 AM - 3:15 PM). Please have a conversation with your student and encourage them to follow the phone policy.

On Wednesday, our phone policy will be fully implemented. This means if your student has their device(s) out, a staff member will confiscate it. All confiscated devices will be turned into our front office and logged. Once a student reaches their third time having their device confiscated, an administrator will connect with families to coordinate an appointment for families to come in person to pick up their student's device. During this time, a contract will be established to support students with managing their devices and following the school-wide phone policy/expectation.

Lastly, please encourage your student to follow the rules; please do not call or text them during school hours. If you need to get ahold of your student or send them a message, our friendly office staff are happy to relay messages or help you connect with your student. Thank you for partnering with us.

Make it a great week!

Principal Davis

PS -

Don't forget to complete:

• Free/Reduced Lunch Application
• Sign your Chromebook Agreement

This week is National Suicide Awareness/Prevention Week. I want to acknowledge that sometimes middle school - life can get hard and it isn't all glitz and glamour. If your middle school is having a difficult time, please talk with them and be sure to reach out to a counselor. Our counselors are great at helping families connect to resources.

Counselors will be sending a monthly counselor newsletter FULL of everything you need to know from them. Please refer to their counseling website if you want information about the school counselors, how to contact them, and any other counseling related information. Their first newsletter will be published the week of September 18.

Labor Day (no school) - 9/5

da Vinci Alumni/Staff Talent Show - 9/9

Picture Day - 9/16

No School for Stuedents- Teacher Planning Day - 9/23

Back to School Night (B2SN) -9/29, 6p - 7:30p (in person at da Vinci)

Mid-terms - 9/30

No School - 10/14

Latinx Sign Up Link

Hello Families. We are starting up our Latinx Affinity Group again this year in partnership with Latino Network. We will be getting a new coordinator this year and will meet them hopefully by October 1st, 2022. There will be a back to School Virtual Meeting with Latino Network on October 13th from 6pm-7pm. More information on this to come. Ms Wilson, our Assistant Principal will be overseeing this partnership. If there are any questions, please don’t hesitate to email her at mwilson5@pps.net

Greetings Families,

BSU is back again this school year! Urban League (a culturally specific community based organization) is partnering with da Vinci and collaborating with Ms. Davis and Mr. Muhammad to group facilitate our students participating in BSU.

BSU will occur every 1st and 3rd Friday, from 3:20 PM - 4:00 PM (in the cafeteria)

If you are interested, please join us for our first meeting on 9/16

Keep an eye out early next week for a special daVinci SAGA/QSA collaboration with the Portland Thorns FC. Information will be on the QSA club website.

Coming soon...

If you are interested in volunteering to support or help to establish a special interest club, please let Ms. Davis (rdavis@pps.net) know. We would be happy to connect with you about starting or supporting the development of a club at da Vinci.

Here are a few club ideas:

Chess Club

Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)

Lego Robotics

Chromebooks:

• Each student should have a school issued chromebook to use throughout the school year. The PPS chromebook assigned to each student is the device they should use while in the building, as personal devices are not allowed unless outlined in a student IEP/504.
• If students did not keep their device over the summer, they will be issued one sometime during the first week of school. Please note that these devices will need an initial charge before use.
• Students will also be issued a charger and have the option to take a chromebook case.
• Students should plan to bring their charged chromebook to and from school every day. Many subjects have new curriculum this year which requires daily technology use while in the classroom.
• Please work to find a good charging spot at home so the chromebook gets plugged in each night (making sure to use the correct port) and brought back to school each morning.
• Students should find some way to "personalize" their chromebook so that they know it's theirs - sticker with their name on it, washi tape, sticker, etc. Please ensure that this personalization is not permanent in any way, as it will need to be removed upon returning the chromebook.

A note about PPS provided chromebook cases:

Since students will not be allowed to bring backpacks into classrooms this year, having a case to transport their chromebook around the building is highly recommended. The PPS provided cases are very protective, but don't easily fit in student backpacks at the end of the day. If students have a safe way to transport their chromebook home (backpack, etc), they can always use the PPS case while at school and then store it in their locker for use the next day.

Parent/Student Technology Agreement:

Students will be given a copy of the district technology agreement during the first week of school. It can also be found here. Please review the guidelines on the form with your student(s), sign, and return one form for each student. If your student kept their chromebook over the summer, a form still needs to be filled out.

Please note that the agreement notes no "defacing" of the district owned technology. This serves as a reminder that any personalization done to the chromebook needs to be removable. No use of sharpie or paint pens, please.

Technology Fee:

You may have read something about a technology fee for this school year. That is not being implemented and there is no fee.

If you have any questions regarding student chromebook/technology use, please reach out to the office.

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). As a reminder, students in 7th and 8th grades will need to get a lock as soon as possible so they can keep their belongings locked up.

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.