Ducks Update
Back to School Edition
September 6, 2024
Note from Ms. de Boom-Howard
Dear Students and Families,
Thank you all for attending Back to School Night! It was such a pleasure to meet so many of you, discuss the exciting opportunities and experiences your child will have this school year. Your involvement and support are incredibly important to your child’s success, and we are thrilled to partner with you on their educational journey.
I’d like to take a moment to stress the importance of regular school attendance. Consistent attendance plays a critical role in your child’s academic progress, social development, and overall school experience. When students are in class every day, they can fully engage in lessons, participate in discussions, and benefit from collaborative activities that help them grow both academically and socially. Every day of instruction builds upon the previous one, and missing days can make it difficult for students to keep up with the pace of learning.
That being said, I understand that things pop up throughout the year. If you know that your child will be absent for three or more consecutive days you may contact me ahead of time to arrange an Independent Study Contract. This allows your child to receive assignments and materials that can be completed while they are away, ensuring they don’t fall behind in their work and counts them in attendance if they complete the work when they return.
Once again, thank you for coming to Back to School Night and for your continued support!
Go Ducks!
Stacy de Boom-Howard
Principal
Davis Magnet School
#WeFitTogether
Important Information
Drive-thru loop pick-up Reminders:
Please have your car sign visible on the window/dashboard.
Let’s work together to ensure that your child(ren) gathers their belongings and heads to the loop area immediately when a staff member calls their name. This helps keep the car lines flowing smoothly.
Please pull into the parking lot and park your car if:
You feel your child(ren) forgot something or they want to double-check their personal items.
Your child has not come out of the waiting area longer than 3 minutes.
Gate 3 Reminders
Please stay in your car as you drive through the drop-off line.
Make sure students are crossing at crosswalks not across the traffic lanes.
If you walk your child please don’t wait at the fence as it is filling up the sidewalk for students to pass safely to the entrance gate.
Let’s Be Kind Order Forms
We are excited to participate with our local schools in Let’s Be Kind Week, November 4th-8th! Please make sure you found the LBK T-shirt order form in your Thursday Folder. The goal is for ALL students to have a Let’s Be Kind shirt to celebrate during the week and wear throughout the year. You can donate the $5 via the QR code or send in $5 cash with your child’s form. Please note even if you donate with the QR code we need you to turn in the form so we can mark your child’s t-shirt size. We look forward to a great week focusing on Kindness!
School Site Council Interest
The School Site Council is a group of school staff members, parents and (secondary) students who serve as a decision-making body to annually review, evaluate, update and approve the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). The SSC monitors student achievement and oversees budget decisions. Members are elected for a term of two years. Members who participate on the council have the opportunity to review school test results, review plans for new and continuing programs, and discuss and adopt categorical budgets.
For the school year 2024 - 2025, we will need 5 parents to serve on the School Site Council. Meetings will be held quarterly after school from 3:15-4:00. We would like to have your involvement in our school. If you are interested in serving on the SSC please submit your intertest by September 13, 2024.
Attendance
The importance of attendance. Please click here for more information on the Attendance Letter (A2A) Launch. Starting this week our attendance letters will be sent for students who have excessive excused absences, chronic absenteeism, and truancy. For your reference, chronic absence means that your student has missed 10% or more of the total number of days enrolled during the school year for any reason. Truancy means your student was absent without a valid excused reason and/or tardy for 30 minutes or more.
Breakfast and Lunch Menus
Breakfast and lunch continue to be free for all students. Please review the menus with your children for days they want to get lunch from our cafeteria. You can also set up an automatic email to have them emailed to you each week!!
We Appreciate our Volunteers!
At Davis, we love our parent and community volunteers! It is a perfect opportunity to become more familiar with our school and support your child’s teacher. Davis volunteers are required to complete a volunteer application through the NMUSD website and check in at the office each time on campus. Once your application is approved you will receive notification. Please note field trip volunteers need to go through the volunteer process before attending a field trip. Individuals who have not been cleared to volunteer will not be permitted on campus or to attend field trips.
All volunteers must do the following:
Band and Choir Information
Hello Davis Families!
I’m Paul Garcia, the new music teacher at Davis. I’m thrilled to join this amazing school and meet so many wonderful students, parents, and staff.
Starting the Week of September 16th-20th:
Our Davis Duck Band and Choir will begin meeting! I’m excited to continue the tradition of excellence in these groups. Personally, large ensemble groups such as bands and choirs have always been an incredible source of community and growth. I started my musical journey in my elementary school’s 5th grade band as a clarinet player; and ever since then, I have had a lifelong passion for music. I have also made several lifelong friendships by being a musician. In Band and Choir, you will make friends, you will learn something new, and you will get to discover the joy of making music.
Who Can Join?
4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Students
When?
The band and Choir will rehearse in the mornings before school. Please check your contracts for dates and times.
You can join both, as they are on different days.
What’s Next?
Find enrollment information, scheduling, and my contact details attached.
Looking forward to a fantastic year of growth, new friendships, and beautiful music!
Thank you,
Paul Garcia
These forms need to be saved as pdf.
Davis Band Contract 2024-2025.docx
Foundation Information
The Davis Magnet School Education Foundation accepts donations from company matching programs. A few of our community sponsors include:
Price Waterhouse
Penn Mutual
AbbieVie
Samsung
Capital Group
Bank of America
Boeing
Novo Norodisk
Edwards Lifesciences
Pimco
Pacific Life
Autodesk
Johnson and Johnson
In previous years, corporate donations have contributed as much as $21,000 to Big Bucks for Ducks.
You can help support the Davis Magnet School Education Foundation by sharing the donation link below with businesses willing to donate to the Big Bucks for Ducks fundraising campaign. Like all donations, every dollar donated to the Foundation will go directly back to the students, teachers, and staff at Davis Magnet School.
We also encourage you to send the information below to friends, family, and neighbors who are interested in supporting your child’s education and helping us to meet our goal of raising $120,000 this year.
There are 3 easy ways to make a donation to Big Bucks for Ducks:
1) Click: https://givebutter.com/BBFD24
2) Scan the QR Code below
3) Text: Text "BBFD24" to 53-555 to receive a link
Davis Magnet School Education Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, Tax ID #: 47-1819303. All donations are tax-deductible!!
PTA Information
Happy Friday, Davis Ducks! We enjoyed seeing so many of you at Back to School Night this week. We just love this community! September’s PTA Updates Flyer came home in yesterday’s Thursday folders – hope it found its way to your fridge or pinboard. 📌
Highlights for next week:
TOMORROW! Davis Annual Beach Party
This heat promises one thing: great weather for our beach party! Join the PTA and Foundation tomorrow, Saturday 9/6 from 3-5pm at Huntington State Beach (near lifeguard tower 9 – Magnolia street entrance – look for our flags). Sunscreen, hats, shade (and shades 😎) recommended.
Volunteer Information Meeting – Next Friday 9/13
Stay after Flag Deck to learn more about volunteering at Davis and with the PTA. We’ll share upcoming opportunities and answer your questions. (Oh, did we mention coffee ☕ and snacks?) If you haven’t already, fill out the Volunteer Interest Form, too.
🎶 Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SPONGEBOB (The Musical) 🧽👙
ICYMI at today’s flag deck, The Spongebob Musical is coming to Bikini Bottom Davis!
Is your 4th-6th grader interested in auditioning? Plan to attend the mandatory parent meeting September 17th at 6:30pm in the MPR. Applications are due October 28th, and auditions are October 30th. More details to come!
After-School Enrichments are coming!
The Fall After-School Enrichments session runs from September 30th – November 22nd. Program and registration information will come home in next week’s Thursday folders. 👀
USAgain Battle of the Schools Challenge
Clean out those closets to help us at a chance to win a $5k donation from USAgain. Bag gently used clothes, shoes, and linens, and drop them in our TreeMachine bin by gate 1.
Join the PTA
Help us deliver on our mission to enhance the lives of the children and families at Davis. Our Membership Drive is happening now. Join today! Don’t forget to include your teacher’s name for each membership to be included in the class competition.
Find us in all the places
If you haven’t already, bookmark our website, follow us on instagram and facebook, and subscribe to our calendar. Want to reach us? Email info@davismagnetpta.org.
Have a great weekend!