Happy day, da Vinci Families!

We seem to be officially entering fall sweater weather, so please make sure students are dressed appropriately for the elements.

Speaking of fall, Halloween is right around the corner! If your students are like me, they love dressing up for Halloween. As a reminder, Halloween costumes need to align to the PPS Dress Code; this means, no weapons or replica weapons, no masks, no drug culture type costumes, etc. In addition, it is important to make sure costumes are culturally sensitive and respectful (check out this PBS article on cultural appropriated costumes).

As families begin planning their Halloween activities, our Counseling Department has included information to help families experience Halloween with safety. Check out the Counseling Department newsletter (here).

TikTok challenges are on the rise again. This time it is the, "One Chip Challenge". This challenge is where students try to eat a flaming hot chip. The chip is dangerously spicy. Students are not allowed to bring these chips to school. Please read the Poison Control article on the challenge.

We would love to enter the Winter Season with having met our short-term goal of $25,000. We can meet this goal with your help!

Have a splendid week!

Principal Davis

PS

Read through the letter, there are few important updates and resources to be aware of.

Ms. Bennett, our Textiles teacher is looking for donations for a project - you can review the list further down in our newsletter.

Our da Vinci Foundation operates under the umbrella of The Fund for Portland Public Schools. Please consider a gift to a help us maintain our staffing next year. Fall is a great time to set up a recurring donation of any amount that will add up by next spring when these funds are critical.

Three ways to donate:

1) Donate directly through The Fund for Portland Public Schools. Use the QR Code or go HERE and select “da Vinci Arts MS";

2) Become a MONTHLY donor ($10, $20, $50 a month);

3) Make a one time donation by mail, write a check to The da Vinci Foundation and mail to:

The da Vinci Foundation (Attention: Shakyla Mosley), 2508 NE Everett St., Portland, OR 97232

To celebrate the end of the quarter, we will be having our first Spirit Week next week. Please remember this regarding Halloween: Costumes may not include weapons of any sort. Please, no masks covering the head and face; we need to be able to recognize students. Keep it Safe, Fair, and Friendly.

10/31- Monday - Halloween Costumes (and the Spooky Talent Show at the end of the day).

11/1- Tuesday - Pajama Day

11/2- Wednesday - Wear Pink (October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!)

11/3- Thursday - Throwback Thursday10/31 (and last day of Quarter 1)

11/4- Friday- No School- planning and grading day for teachers.

• 10/28- Picture retakes with LifeTouch
• 10/31- Spooky Talent Show, special schedule
• 10/31 - 11/4- Spirit Week
• 11/ 9 & 10, 17 & 18- Fall Festival of Shakespeare shows at 6:30 PM
• 11/18- Fun for the Arts, Fundraiser/Dance Party
• 11/19- Fall Festival of Shakespear with da Vinci and BES students at da Vinci, 2:00 PM Matinee
• 11/21 & 22- Conferences, no classes for students, signup info coming soon
• 11/23 - 25- Thanksgiving Holiday Vacation, no school

The form link is available to families on our da Vinci website. The referral guidance and form are available there.

The referral window is open through November 29th. Forms must be complete and submitted by November 29th.

Please feel free to reach out to our TAG Coordinator, Kayci Murray-Balto at kbalto@pps.net with any questions.

Every day, students should bring basic supplies including a pencil and their charged computer. We have gone through boxes of donations and our supply that was purchased to start the year already. Check the backpacks and binders and make sure your student has these essentials. If you need help with providing these supplies, please check in with your student's counselor and we are happy to help them out.

Did you know you can see your student's attendance on ParentVue? Take a look at the Attendance tab on ParentVue and see if your student is getting marked Tardy for class during the day. We are working to improve on-time attendance to classes throughout the day so that instruction can start without interruption and also, to decrease some of the behaviors in the halls and restrooms that are unconducive to a Safe, Fair and Friendly school climate. Please have a conversation with your student if you see a pattern of Tardy marks.

Additionally, our Student Intervention Team will be reviewing attendance data weekly and contacting families of students who are having a tricky time arriving to classes late.

Conferences occur on November 21 - 22nd. This year da Vinci will have a hybrid conference schedule and offer both in person and virtual conferences. Monday conference offerings will be in person; while Tuesday's conference schedule will be mostly virtual.

*conference schedule coming soon.

**please be sure to check individual teacher schedules and plan accordingly.

Textiles class is beginning a wet felting unit and then will be learning to crochet and knit. We are looking for donations of items you may have around the house and don't mind sharing.

Need:

• Bubble wrap or bubble wrap mailers (at least 8x10 or larger)

• Pool noodles (10 or more)

• Nylons or tights (new please)

• Clean Hand towels or wash clothes (can be used- just clean!) (30 or more)

• Balloons

• Crochet hooks of any size

• Knitting needles of any size

• styrofoam balls

If you have any of these items and can spare them please send them to school - if your student is able to drop them at the Textile Portable that is best, otherwise please leave them in the office for me. THANK YOU so much- Ms. Bennett

Hey da Vinci families, let's use our collective power and support those who are in need. Da Vinci is participating in Socktober this next week. We are asking people to donate new teen & adult socks to be donated to New Avenues for Youth - one of Portland's oldest houseless outreach programs. As the weather is changing, socks are one of the items that shelters need the most. Helps us reach our goal of 200 pairs!

Christmas trees...I know it seems early to talk about this, but some things need to start earlier than later. We have the opportunity to connect da Vinci families who need some extra support this holiday season, with an organization providing free Christmas trees (as well as a stand, lights, and ornaments). If your family will need some assistance this upcoming holiday season, please reach out to your student's school counselor about this opportunity. Deadline is October 31st for referrals.

Please complete the Yearly Verification in ParentVue for your student by October 28th. Ensure your address, phone numbers and emergency contacts are correct. For students in 8th grade, living in two households, the primary address listed for the student will determine high school forecasting. If your address has changed, please submit two forms of proof of current address to the main office. If you do not complete the verification by the deadline, you will not have access to ParentVue until you do so. If you need assistance gaining access to your account or need a paper verification form, please contact the main office at 503-916-5356 or email sbryan@pps.net.

The LifeTouch pictures and proof packets were sent home last week and ID cards will be delivered to students this week. If you did not yet order pictures, there will be unique code for your student and options for ordering in the proof package. If you are not satisfied with the photos, you can return them and have your student try again on retake day.

If your student was absent or needs to get their photo taken again on October 28th, please add their name on this Google Form.

Thank you to everyone who attended our PTSA meeting last Wednesday! We really appreciate everyone’s time and encourage any feedback and suggestions for our next meeting by emailing davinciptsa.president@gmail.com. Our next meeting is on November 16th at 6 pm and we will again have two options available to attend; in person (dinner included!) and on zoom. We hope to see you there!

Fundraising!

Pie Sales deadline is November 2nd!: Be sure and order a delicious pie for a rainy upcoming day! Each 9 inch pie is $20 and is available in pumpkin, apple, cherry and marionberry and come frozen so they are ready for you anytime! Ordering is available HERE or in person at da Vinci 11/1 and 11/2 from 3:00-4:00. Pie pick up will be on November 16th and 17th from 3:00-4:00.

The da Vinci Arts Fair is Saturday, December 3rd from 10-2!

We need our da Vinci student artists for the Arts Fair! The student applications to be a vendor for the Arts Fair are available so sign up today! This is a great opportunity for our student artists to showcase their talent, manage their sales, earn money from their art (70%) and donate a portion to the PTSA (30%). This year is a student artist Arts Fair and we encourage current da Vinci students and da Vinci Alumni that are in high school to participate in this event too, so spread the word!

VOLUNTEERS are needed in many ways for the Arts Fair.

Here is a list of ways that we need help. Please click HERE to sign up.

- Student Liaison
- Logistics
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Publicity
- Concessions
- Swag Sales
- Set up (Friday and Saturday) and breakdown (Saturday)

Membership

Don't forget! The PTSA is open for membership and we hope that families consider joining to help strengthen our school and support our children's education. If you are ready to sign up, please click HERE to register!

The PTSA is sponsoring scholarships for memberships. If paying for PTSA membership is a hardship at this time, request a scholarship HERE. All information will remain anonymous.

Our online plege page will be up next week. Our goal is $10,000, which is about $23 per student. We know some can give more and some cannot give at this time, but all students will participate in this fun dance party with multiple options to dance, run laps or play games.

Please review this flier from the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education for guidance on when to keep your student home. We want your students present, unless they are sick.

PPS is once again partnering with OHSU for weekly Covid screening tests. If you register, test kits will be sent directly to your home and our collection date at da Vinci is on Thursdays. Samples should be dropped off in the red bucket by the main office.

Registration info: Parents/guardians can start enrolling their students through OHSU’s NEW Online Portal. If you are unable to enroll for any reason, please call OHSU Support at (503) 418-8500.​

Visit OHSU's K-12 Screening Program website at http://www.ohsu.edu/k12testing, contact the OHSU support team at k12covidtesting@ohsu.edu,​ or call (503) 418-8500 for more information.

On site testing for symptomatic students

If your student should develop symptoms at school, a current consent form is required for Covid testing. The consent forms collected last year are no longer vaild. Here is the current form.

Please see the following instructions for setting up your own account to track assignments and monitor progress. If you have multiple children in PPS, you can set up one account and then add additional students with a separate code for each student.

The following fliers are approved by PPS Communications for distribution:

• Oregon State University Summer Reading Program 2023

• Multnomah Early Child Program Preschool Classes

• Kaiser Permanente CASCADIA COVID-19 screening study (English) (Spanish) (Russian) (Amharic) (Chinese) (Vietnamese)

• PSU Sonic Arts and Music Production Academy, sessions starting Oct. 19 (updated)

• Tech Youth Soccer 2022-23 (English) (Spanish)

• Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment, Nov. 1 - Jan. 15 (contact Enedina Lopez Paz if you’d like hard copies for your school)

• Vibe of Portland Fall Classes

• Vibe of Portland 2022-23 Art Camps & Classes

• Multnomah Early Childhood Program 2022-23 (English) (Spanish)

• Portland Parks & Recreation Preschool 2022-2023 Registration