Dragon Tales

It was great seeing so many families, and students, show up for in-person conferences this week. As a parent of two PPS middle school students I know how valuable it is to have time to meet with our student's teachers. We are also so grateful for the generosity the PTSA showed for our educators who were here for some long days. The snacks, soups, refreshments and desserts were a huge hit!

In regards to conferences, we know that some families prefer virtual conferences and some prefer in-person conferences. It would be great if you could take a moment to complete this short survey to help us reflect on our model.

It's hard to believe that December will be upon us when we return from Fall Break. We have three full weeks of school prior to Winter Break. Many teachers will try to squeeze in two or more units into this time period, which means lots of unit assessments/projects. I encourage you to regularly check in with your student and look at their Canvas page to see what work they have and what grades they currently have in their classes.

As a reminder, we have a late start on Tuesday, December 3rd. School will start 15-minutes later than usual. Students may enter the building for breakfast at 9:15am. The main doors will open at 9:23am. School gets out at the regular time this day.

The fair will be held from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, December 7th, 2024. To make this amazing event happen, we need family support. While there are needs for support the day of the event, there are also needs Thursday evening and Friday afternoon/evening.

**There are many opportunities for volunteers!

We ask that parent(s) of student artists take at least one shift helping out. You'll probably be in the building anyway. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Try to arrive a few minutes before the start of your shift so you can learn from the previous volunteer.

To sign up for a shift, please click here.

Students who want to access their online learning platforms from home can do so by going to my.pps.net. This takes them to their PPS homepage that has all their school apps, including Canvas, StudentVue, gmail, and all content for ELA, Math and Social Studies classes.

da Vinci is looking for your feedback through the Successful Schools Survey. Your input helps guide both da Vinci, and the district, in regards to the types of supports and systems families deem important. We hope you can take this survey before December 6th.

Next week, da Vinci students will be taking the Successful Schools Survey in their Social Studies classes. This survey provides our school with valuable information about instruction and school climate.

One of our schoolwide goals is to increase the sense of belonging for students at da Vinci. We use the feedback from this survey to help us measure our progress towards this goal. We encourage you to talk with your students about their sense of belonging at da Vinci and why surveys like this are valuable.

Our School Climate Coach, Ms. Heather, and a few of our Leo Leaders held an ARTS assembly Friday afternoon to celebrate students who exemplify the characteristics of being Accountable, Respectful, Thoughtful and Safe.

During these 30-minute quarterly assemblies we take time to honor students who were nominated by their teachers and hold some random drawings for students who have won ARTS awards. You can see these awards on the wall as you come up our main staircase by the front doors. Check out a few photos from the event below.

We are excited to have a schoolwide canned food drive starting the week after Fall Break. Collections will be brought to 1st Period classes and then donated to the Oregon Food Bank. The 1st period class that collects the most items will win a donut party.

If we meet our schoolwide goal, we will have a special one lunch that is longer than normal.

We have been running the following announcement in our daily bulletin about the types of food the Food Bank needs most:

"Normally canned soup, vegetables, fruit, and tuna/meat are the most needed. Food banks also prefer “pop-top” ones that don’t require a can-opener. Other non-perishable items like peanut butter, ramen, honey, pasta, etc. are awesome, too!"

da Vinci's artistic expression was on full display Tuesday afternoon at our Fall Arts & Creative Writing Showcase. Families who missed the event can still see our students' works of art in our gallery through most of December. Stop by and check it out next time you're in the building.

Hey Dragonfamilies!

Shannon Foxley, one of our school counselors, runs a lunchtime club for students who enjoy knitting and crocheting. She would love to receive any yarn remnants or crochet hooks you may have, so that more students can participate! She's out of all her extra hooks & needles.

Thank you!

Students in Ms. Conner's 7th & 8th grade AVID class made posters to help their peers think about how to help themselves and their peers as we shifted away from our 1:1 chromebook model.

da Vinci's new student and family information night is scheduled for December 4th from 6-7:30pm. We have shared this flier with PPS elementary schools and have information on our website as well. We would appreciate our current families passing along this information to family and friends as well.

We encourage our 8th grade families to visit this website to learn about the different information nights high schools across PPS are holding in the coming month.

LifeTouch asked us to pass along this special offer they have running through December 1st.

Dear Parents,

As a token of appreciation, Lifetouch is offering discounts on school photography!

• 50% off a purchase of $50+ with code USNOV50
• 40% off a purchase of $40+ with code USNOV40
• 30% off a purchase of $30+ with code USNOV30

Valid through 12/1/24

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an online account. Don't forget to order your FREE Digital SmileSafe card!

Check out these fliers from PPS and community partners

• Portland Parks & Rec: Teen Force at SW Community Center

• VIBE of Portland: No-School Day Camps (Nov. 25-27 & Dec. 23)

• VIBE of Portland: Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids