DaVinci Connection-October 30, 2018

DaVinci Connection

School Links

Volunteer Information

Anti-Bullying Policy

Important Dates

(subject to change – see online calendar)

11/1 SEAC Meeting, 4:30 p.m.

11/1 PTO Meeting, 6:00 p.m

11/5 Curriculum/Technology Committee Meeting, 3:30 p.m.

11/7 School Development Committee Meeting, 5:00 p.m.

11/7 Information Night, 6:00 p.m.

11/8 3rd grade Music Concert 5:30 p.m., 4th grade Music/5th Choir Concert, 6:45 p.m.

11/12 Finance Committee Meeting, 6:00 p.m.

11/12 Heggies Pizza Order Forms go Home

11/14 Policy Committee Meeting, 3:30 p.m.

11/15 Give to the Max Day

11/15-11/23 No School

11/26 Heggies Pizza Order Forms Due

11/28 Board Meeting, 6:00 p.m.

Food Service Program

Current Lunch prices – including milk

Hot, Alt. or Emergency Lunch:

Full Pay = $3.50;
Free/Reduced = $0.00

Vegetarian Lunch:

Full-pay = $4.50;
Reduced-price = $0.40;
Free = $0.00

A La Carte Items -charged to ALL students:

Milk-only = $0.50;
Emergency meals = $3.50
Extra Entree (Grade 6-8 only) = $1.50

Current Breakfast Price:

Full-pay = $1.75
Kindergarten = $0.00
Reduced-price = $0.00
Free = $0.00

Go here to apply for free or reduced-price meals or to find out more about the food service program.

Greetings!

To the left, you will find helpful links to important pages on our website (School Links).

NEED TO KNOW

Trimester 1 Ends Soon

Please remember that the last day of the trimester is Wednesday, November 14. We encourage you to check your parent portal on Infinite Campus to ensure all assignments are in. If you are having any problems logging in to your parent portal account, please contact Stephanie Bacigalupo.

Also note, there is no school November 15-23.

SEAC

Do you have a child on an IEP or a child getting evaluated for special education services? If so, we would love for you to attend our semi-annual SEAC meeting for parents.

SEAC (pronounced seek) is an acronym for Special Education Advisory Council, which is a group that provides input on special education issues to its local school district. Its purpose is to advise and advocate, not to decide policy.

DaVinci Academy will hold its first SEAC meeting of the 2018-2019 school year on Thursday, November 1, 4:30-5:30 p.m. The discussion topic at the SEAC this time will be “How to support your child with their executive functioning”. There will be light refreshments served.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by emailing your child’s case manager and letting them know. Feel free to direct any questions about this or future SEAC meetings to your child’s case manager.

High School Plans for 8th Graders

As we are nearing the end of the first trimester, a lot of parents of our eighth graders are starting to think about high school. Very few school districts offer open enrollment, but for those that do, the deadline to submit applications is between December 1 and January 31. This includes the application process for the CEMS program at Blaine High School. If you are interested in continuing at a charter school, there are a few options but most involve some travel time.

If you would like to know more about specific programs or schools or just want to discuss what might be best for your child, please feel free to contact either Terry Moffatt or Melissa Derby.

Conference Meals

During the recent Parent Teacher Conferences, many PTO volunteers provided delicious meals and snacks for our staff. This is always such a treat for everyone who puts in long days with uncertain, if any, time to eat. Thank you for the overwhelming amount of fantastic food!

Heggies Pizza Sale

Order forms for Heggies Pizza will be sent home with your child on Monday, November 12. Order forms are due back Monday, November 26.

This year’s pizza sale funds will be used for art and music upgrades; such as new risers for the music department and new art supplies and tools for the art department.

Uniform Refresher

Please double check the uniform policy and make sure you are sending your student to school in clothing that meets the requirements. Students are allowed black or tan pants, but they need to be a chino/dress pant style. Yoga pants, jeans, leggings and sweatpants are not allowed. Also, while black or tan jumpers are allowed to be worn over a red polo shirt, please note that the red polo-style dresses are not permitted. Each outfit must include a black or tan base/bottom.

Students are asked to tuck-in shirts and remove non-uniform sweatshirts. According to the policy, when a student appears at school out of uniform, they will be required to correct the violation. Parents may be contacted to bring alternative clothing immediately to school. Refusal to comply with this policy may result in a discipline referral. Please help your students comply with the uniform policy.

Also, as the fall and winter weather sets in, please make sure your students have appropriate outdoor clothing. Remember to label everything, including hats, mittens, jackets and boots.

HELP WANTED

Skilled Laborers

Pavilion planning and outdoor space designs are underway and we are looking for DaVinci Academy parents who may have expertise in certain areas. If you are interested in helping with some outdoor projects and have any of these skills, we would love to talk with you.

* Landscaping experience (a bobcat and bobcat operator is needed to help with drainage issues on the playground)

* Chain saw experience (there is a tree that either needs to be trimmed or removed completely in order to accommodate the new pavilion.

Please contact Holly Fischer ASAP if any of this is up your alley.

Landscaping – Going Out For Bids

If you have a landscaping company and would be interested in maintaining our grounds, we are looking for interested vendors. Please email or call Holly Fischer for more details.

Food Service Catering Bid

We will be looking for bids to cater our lunch program for the 2019-2020 school year. If you are interested in getting more information about this process, please contact Cassy Anderson.

NICE TO KNOW

Counselor’s Corner

Hi DaVinci Academy Families!

I often get questions from parents who are concerned about their child’s behaviors, or want to help reinforce their child’s coping skills at home. I am always happy to help parents find answers to their questions, so I’m excited to pass along a couple upcoming free webinars from the National Institute on Mental Health, designed specifically with parents in mind.

Webinar: Coping Strategies for Anxious Kids, What Parents Need to Know

How do you know if your child is anxious? How can you change anxious thinking? On Friday, November 2, Dr. Erin Berman will discuss these questions and more in the webinar. For more information and to register.

Webinar: Are You Concerned About Your Child’s Irritability?

Children pass through many phases of development as they grow up. It can be hard to know if a child is going through normal development or showing signs of something more serious. Occasional outbursts and irritability are a normal outcome of being tired, uncomfortable, or frustrated. In some children, it can be chronic and explosive. The Wednesday, November 7 webinar will cover these topics and more. For more information and to register click here.

– As always, feel free to reach out to me at mderby@davincicharterschool.org if you have any questions.

Applied Labels

The lost and found has grown tremendously since the weather has cooled down. Please remember to label your child’s belongings. Applied labels are a great way to label belongings and 20% goes back to our school.

Please remind your child to check the lost and found for his/her belongings. The lost and found will be donated on Friday, November 16.

Book Fair

Thank you to all of the families who came out and supported the library and granted wishes! We had a great fair and wonderful volunteers.

We raised $4,037 in Scholastic dollars, it will be used to buy books for the library. I did receive the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid pre-ordered books today, and I have handed them out to those who ordered the book.

I could not have done this without the support of DaVinci Academy families, You are the best! – Rachel Brown

Music Performances and Informances

The DaVinci Academy Music Department is excited to share our 2018-2019 school year performance dates. This year, performances fall into two categories: evening concerts and daytime informances, both of which families are invited to watch. An informance gives students the opportunity to demonstrate the foundations of music by covering multiple state standards and showcases how music connects to other subjects. Along with evening concerts, informances will give students a well-rounded and meaningful learning experience.

Kindergarten

Penguin Party – Wednesday, December 19, 2018 time TBA (during the school day)
Graduation – Wednesday, June 19, 2019 time TBA (during the school day)

1st Grade

Winter Concert – Thursday, January 17, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.
Informance at the Fiesta – Tuesday, June 18, 2019 time TBA (during the school day)

2nd Grade

Winter Concert – Thursday, January 17, 2019 at 6:45 p.m.
Olympic Event – more information coming soon (during the school day)

3rd Grade

Fall Concert – Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Spring Concert – Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.

4th Grade (along with 5th Grade Choir)

Fall Concert – Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 6:45 p.m.
Spring Concert – Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 6:4 5 p.m.

Middle School Ensembles – Winter

6-8 Band Winter Concert – Tuesday, December 4, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.
5th Band Informance – Wednesday, December 5, 2018 from 10:27-11:12 a.m.
5th Orchestra Informance – Thursday, December 6, 2018 from 10:27-11:12 a.m.
6-8 Orchestra Winter Concert – Thursday, December 6, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.
6-8 Choir Winter Concert – Thursday, December 13, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.

Sincerely, DaVinci Academy Music Department

Mrs. Ashley Fohrman – afohrman@davincicharterschool.org K-4 General Music
Mr. Ben Hanson – bjhanson@davincicharterschool.org K-8 General and Choir
Mr. Zack Sorenson – zsorenson@davincicharterschool.org 5-8 Instrumental Music

ONGOING

2019-2020 Enrollment is Now Open

We are now accepting applications for the 2019-20 school year for students who would like to attend DaVinci Academy for grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. To complete an application for the next school year click here and click “Online Enrollment”. Sign up through our new online enrollment system to complete and submit the application.

All new students who are interested and not currently enrolled at DaVinci Academy, including siblings, must complete an application. Applications are due by January 31, 2019, to be included in the enrollment lottery for the 2019-2020 school year.

Our next Information Session for prospective families is Wednesday, November 7 at 6:00 p.m. Information Sessions are for those who may be interested in attending DaVinci Academy.

Please feel free to share this information with your family or friends.

BRRR – Do You Have the Silent Dismissal App?

The teachers who assist your children at the end of the day in car line would

be greatly assisted if everyone who picked children up would use the Silent Dismissal app. We often have trouble with phones freezing as teachers are entering numbers on cold days and parents can easily dismiss their children from the warmth of the car using the app. So, if you are able, please contact the office to get set up with the Silent Dismissal app. Thank you!

Outdoor Attire

At this time of year, the temperature outside can really fluctuate making dressing appropriately for recess challenging. Please check the weather before sending your child(ren) to school.

60 degrees or higher-short/long sleeve shirts
46 to 59 degrees-light jacket/hooded sweatshirts
45 degrees or lower-winter coat, hats and gloves
Snow pants and boots required when there is snow

This is also the beginning of the lost and found season. Please label everything your child wears to school – see info about Applied Labels.

Healthy Snacks

Classroom Snacks are a great way for our students to stay energized and full throughout their day. We are starting to see more and more unhealthy snack choices that do not fit our Wellness Policy. Chips, Cookies, Candy, and Takis are examples of snacks that should not be in the classroom.

Please make sure your child is bringing healthy snack options that will fuel not only their bodies, but their minds. To see a list of Healthy snack ideas, please click on the link. Healthy Snack Ideas