Dragon Tales

It was so wonderful seeing all our amazing students and staff back in the building this week. Although it is always hard coming back from a break, it is refreshing to see the smiles on the faces of our students as they reconnect with their peers and teachers.

This week we began our Reading MAP testing and next week our students will engage in their Math MAP tests. While very few students enjoy these tests, and some may even feel anxious about taking them, the results from MAP tests are immediate and can provide our teachers with useful information unlike other required testing such as OSAS. Additionally, Winter Math MAP tests are also one of the main measures used to determine placement in advanced math next year. Please encourage your student to do their best, take their time and show us what they can do!

Lastly, my heart goes out to the families in Las Angeles affected by the wildfires engulfing the area. One particular school, Eliot Arts Magnet Middle School, was damaged and it is unclear at this time if the building is beyond repair. On Tuesday, our Leo Leaders will be meeting and one of their agenda items is to think through ways our arts-focused school could help theirs. Please be on the lookout for communication around this effort to support the students and families impacted by this tragedy.

The dance department will be presenting two shows next week, featuring all our student dancers in Term Dance, Dance 1, and Dance 3-4, who will be performing in multiple dance styles.

Term students will be performing in either the A or B show, and Dance 1 and 3-4 students will be performing pieces in both shows.

Show A will be Wednesday Jan. 15 at 7pm

Show B will be Friday Jan. 17 at 7pm.

Both shows will be presented without an intermission.

Tickets are available on SchoolPay or at the door, $10 suggested donation.

Come support our wonderful student dancers!

We are in need of volunteers for the Dance Showcase next week. If your student is in Show A, consider volunteering for Show B or visa versa.

For individuals who volunteer for one of the nights when their student is performing, we'll make sure you are able to see them perform.

If you can volunteer, please click here to sign up.

During lunch on Monday, Ms. Wilson will be explaining a schoolwide effort to earn rewards for decreasing the number of tardies we have schoolwide from one week to the next. We will start tracking next Monday.

Through the ParentVue App, you can click "Attendance" and see if your student has any tardies. This is a great way to engage in a conversation with your student about the importance of being in class on time.

da Vinci is proud to offer a number of different Affinity Groups to support students and ensure they feel a sense of belonging here at school. Affinity Groups at da Vinci are spaces where students with shared identities or backgrounds can come together to create a space where they can connect, advocate and discuss experiences related to their shared characteristic.

Funds donated to these groups will be used to support various projects and activities that the group feels are needed. This might be field trips, food for meetings, invitations to guest speakers, etc. This year, we have a BSU, LatinX, QSA, AAPI, Native American Club and JAC affinity groups that we are hoping to raise money for. These are groups that, at one point or another, were started by students and are supervised by staff. Here are links to make donations:

Donate to our Black Student Union

Donate to our LatinX Affinity Group

Donate to our Queer Straight Alliance

Donate to Asian American and Pacific Islander Group

Donate to our Native American Club

Donate to our Jewish American Club

After researching, designing and creating their own concert posters, Visual Arts students visited the Portland Art Museum to see the Psychedelic Concert Posters Show. Students were excited to see original artworks and show off their knowledge of poster design. Minds were melted and fun was had!

da Vinci will proudly follow PPS guidance around protecting the safety and rights of our students. Oregon has been a sanctuary state since 1987. In 2021, the laws were updated under Sanctuary Promise Act.

The act reaffirms its commitment to protect and safeguard immigrant communities and to continue the prohibition for state and local law enforcement and public bodies, including educational institutions, to participate directly or indirectly in immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.

Here is a link to frequently asked questions around immigrant rights.

Here is a link to a recent Oregonian article about the protections for students, in Spanish, that does not require a subscription to read.

We want to remind all families of the importance of updating your emergency contacts in Synergy, which can be done through ParentVue or by calling the main office.

PPS is moving to a new Standards-Based Grading System for all 28 middle schools. The purpose is to provide clearer and more meaningful feedback to students. Some of our middle schools are already using this approach, and research supports its benefits. Our K-5 schools have also made progress in this direction with their report cards.

We invite you to visit our middle grades Standards-Based Grading website at pps.net/sbg. There, you can find updates, resources, timelines, materials, and FAQs.

There will be three family and community engagement events in person and virtually at the Prophet Education Center (501 N. Dixon St.) in the PPS Boardroom. We invite all who have current middle grades students or students entering into the middle grades to these presentations where we will provide updates as well as listen to feedback and answer questions.

For more information, please read this district letter by clicking this link.

We donated the food items we collected in December to the Northeast Emergency Food Program. This week, we learned that our school's donation of shelf goods totaled 1,933 pounds and that by Dec. 18th they were able to have all of our goods sorted, boxed and that they were ready to be served back into the community. Thank you to all who were able to donate and support our community.

• Cognizart 31st Annual Young Artists Debut! Concert & Showcase (apply by Jan. 21)

• VIBE of Portland Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids

• Cognizart 360Arts Summer Camps (Jul. 7-11, 14-18, & 21-25, 2

• OSU Summer Reading Program (Jun. 14 - Aug. 16, 2025)

Dear PPS staff, families, and students,

PPS is hosting a series of events that focus on Belonging, Equity & Inclusive Practices where we will screen powerful, award-winning documentaries that will stir, provoke, and challenge each of us about what is possible in the systems we create for our children with disabilities.

Join us for Forget Me Not on Thursday, January 16 at 6:30 PM at Franklin High School.

Forget Me Not is a moving story about 3-year-old Emilio whose family finds itself embroiled in a challenge all too common for children with disabilities: that of securing the right to an inclusive education. Filmmaker Olivier and his wife, Hilda, turn the camera on themselves and their child as they navigate an often frustrating system on their way toward ensuring that their son gets the education he needs and deserves.

Staff, families, community members are all invited. We hope to see you there!

Warmly,

The PPS Office of Student Support Services

Our Roles, Our Work, Our Children!