Dragon Tales
November 17th, 2023
Principal's Update
I hope this newsletter finds our students, families and staff well. I miss the energy and excitement that normally fills the halls of da Vinci, but I am encouraged to hear that there has been some progress made with negotiations. I will be closely monitoring for news from the district this weekend and will send any information to families that is pertinent to da Vinci.
I want to take a moment to thank our amazing PTSA for organizing our Pie Sale. It was so great to see some students, families and staff at pick up last Wednesday. I'm always amazed at the amount of community support here at da Vinci and I am so grateful for it.
Lastly, we want students and families to know that we have been developing plans to welcome students and staff back into our building. The return will be a challenge for everyone. I will be encouraging staff to take some time to do community building activities with their classes and spend some time revisiting academic content they were last covering. Everyone will be tired and it will be important for us to focus on the importance of self care and community building. da Vinci is a special place and it is students and staff that make it such. I have complete confidence that we will get back to a sense of normalcy, even if it takes a little time.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Mr. Roosevelt
Update on Family-Teacher Conferences
Recent district communication informed families that conferences, originally scheduled for next week, are cancelled. If you missed that message, you can read it here. Family-Teacher conferences are so valuable and I will be advocating for them to happen later in the school year. We will be working on our end to cancel any conferences through MyConferenceTime that have already been scheduled. Thank you all for your flexibility and understanding as we navigate through these challenging times.
MS/HS Transfer Applications
MS/HS transfer applications will be available beginning Nov 15 at www.pps.net/schoolchoice. The submission deadline has been extended to Dec 22.
Once schools are back in session, individual transition letters for 5th and 8th grade students will be sent to families via email and made available to counselors.
Transition lists are available on the ETC dashboard (see link below) Please refer families with transfer questions to Enrollment & Transfer: 503-916-3205 or enrollment-office@pps.net.
da Vinci High School Information Nights - Postponed
Due to the uncertainty of what next week will look like, we have to postpone the High School Information Nights our awesome counselors were planning on hosting on the 20th and 21st. Upon their return we will work together to update families on when we might be able to hold this event for families. Please be on the lookout for updated information and visit their website for more information.
In the meantime, please visit the website of any school your 8th grader might be interested in. All PPS high schools will be holding some type of 8th grade information night or will have information posted about their school if the event has already passed.
Keep Those Chromebooks Charged
I'm not certain there will be a newsletter next week. Please reminder your student to keep their chromebook charged and ready to go for when we return to school.
Summer Reading Skills Program
The district has asked that we share this information with families who may be interested in summer reading opportunities. For more information, please click here.
Vibe Art Camps and Classes
Vibe of Portland is offering various arts camps during non-school days. For more information please click here.