DaVinci Connection-May 1, 2020
School Links
Important Dates
(subject to change-see online calendar)
All in-person spring events at DaVinci Academy have been canceled. Select events have been moved to virtual platforms. Check the calendar for specific details on how to participate in those events remotely.
5/1 No School
5/4 No School
5/13 Locker/Desk Content Pickup, A-L
5/14 Locker/Desk Content Pickup, M-Z
5/14 Kindergarten Round Up, 6:00 pm
5/26 Board Meeting, 6:00 pm
5/29 Last Day of School
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 = $0.00;
- 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.
Attendance Line: 763-252-6130
Parents should call the attendance line at 763-252-6130 before 9:00 a.m. of the day your child will be absent. This phone number is available 24 hours a day to leave a message. Please leave the following information on the recording:
- Date your child will be absent
- First and last name of your child
- Reason for the absence
- Name of the parent/guardian who is calling
If you know your child(ren) will be gone more than three consecutive days, you will need to fill out an extended absence form four to six weeks in advance. Please send the Extended Absence Form to Ms. Moffatt.
Greetings!
To the left, you will find helpful links to important pages on our website.
NEED TO KNOW
Ending the Year With Distance Learning
With the Governor’s announcement of extended distance learning through the end of the school year, we wanted to send out a few updates, requests, and thoughts.
Recognizing that everyone is in a different place with this online learning format and that the Governor has created an opportunity for us to re-think the end of the school year, the Board debated the merits of condensing the rest of the school year and ending the year earlier than previously scheduled. You can reference the conversation by clicking this Zoom recording of the meeting. As DaVinci Academy has always offered more learning time than the minimum recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Education; and, we are not able to run our Intersession week at the end of May, the Board voted to make the following adjustments to the 19-20 school year:
- Per the Governor’s order May 1 and May 4, will be professional development and planning days for staff. There will be no lessons on these days.
- School will be in session May 18-22, which was previously an optional Intersession learning week. By holding school during this week we will also be able to provide uninterrupted child-care coverage for children of emergency workers.
- There will still be no school on Monday, May 25, to observe Memorial Day
- The last day of school for students will be Friday, May 29.
- With these changes, our total student instructional days will be reduced by 6 days from 175 days to 169 days.
- June 1-5 will be used for teachers and staff to make plans for the start of the 20-21 school year.
We are still waiting for guidance regarding providing-child care for emergency workers and meals to our families after May 29.
Review the revised calendar with truncated 19-20 school year here.
#DaVinciStrong T-Shirts Available
Support Space
Hey families!
We know that the announcement of school closure for the rest of the year has brought up a lot of anxiety for kids, not to mention the anxiety they may have already been dealing with throughout this time. Because this is new for all of us and many families are learning how to navigate conversations with their children, we have a quick handout to help you deal with your child’s anxiety during this crisis. Please click here or check out the image to learn more.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions, concerns or need further support.
Ms. Rowe (School Social Worker) www.calendly.com/msrowe
Ms. Derby (School Counselor) www.calendly.com/msderby
Courtney Rowe + Melissa Derby
Food Service During Distance Learning – Facebook Rumor Clarified
Procedure for Breakfast/Lunch Pickup
DaVinci Grab and Go Meals
Included in the box is a five day breakfast and lunch frozen meal accommodations. Here’s a sample of the Grab and Go Meals:
- Froot Loops, graham crackers, applesauce cup & milk
- Blueberry Muffin, Mozzarella cheese stick & blended fruit juice
- Cinnamon Toast soft filled bar & diced pears
- Pancakes & diced Peaches
- Cinnamon Flakes, maple breakfast square & Pineapple tidbits
- Mini corn dogs with potato rounds & diced peaches
- Macaroni & Cheese, broccoli & orange juice
- Pizza Dippers with marinara dipping sauce, corn & grape juice
- Breaded Chicken tenders, potato wedges & applesauce cup
- Spaghetti with meatballs, green beans & pear cup
Grab and Go Meal pickup is available on Mondays 10:30 am-12:30 pm.
So our food orders are accurate, please fill out this form.
YMCAs are now a food pickup site as well. Click this link for more information. Loaves and Fishes Food Distribution
Wednesday, May 6 Parking Lot Repairs
Food pick up and gift drop off will be re-routed to the FRONT door of the school so that the parking lot cracks in the east lot can be repaired. Thank you for using the Bunker entrance on Wednesday.
Desk/Locker Contents Pick Up
Teachers will be packing up the contents of lockers and desks to be returned to families during the week of May 11. Families will pull up to the east door and give their names to the staff stationed outside during specific times and items will be brought out to the sidewalk. Any medication that is being returned will need a parent’s signature.
Wednesday, May 13 & Thursday, May 14, will be days parents can come to the school and pick materials up at the east door based on the first letter of your family’s last name.
| Wednesday, May 13 | Thursday, May 14 |
| Letters A-C: 12:00-1:00 | Letters M-O: 12:00-1:00 |
| Letters D-F: 1:00-2:00 | Letters P-R:1:00-2:00 |
| Letters G-I: 2:00-3:00 | Letters S-U: 2:00-3:00 |
| Letters J-l: 3:00-4:00 | Letters V-Z: 3:00-4:00 |
*Basketball uniforms and library books that you are finished with can be returned to the school at this time. Chromebooks will not be due until the end of the school year.
**If your child has a lock on his or her locker it will need to be cut off unless the child can send the combination to their classroom teacher ASAP.NICE TO KNOW
DaVinci’s Got Talent
Teacher Appreciation Week May 4-8
Many families have expressed the desire to show teachers how much their work to engage and educate the students during this unique school year has been appreciated. So, we would like to extend an invitation to you. If you have a gift or note that you would like delivered to your teacher during Teacher Appreciation Week next week, staff members will deliver them for you on Friday, May 8. Please clearly label the item with your teacher’s name, and bring it to the school Monday, May 4, through Wednesday, May 6, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Items can be dropped off at the front door and we will make sure that the teachers receive your gift.
We are reinventing Kindergarten Round Up this year as students are still not allowed into the building during the pandemic. Kindergarten Round Up will take place on the platform Zoom. Incoming Kindergarten students are invited with their parents to join us on Thursday, May 14, at 6:00 pm. An invitation email was sent directly to all incoming Kindergarten families. If you did not receive that email, please contact Nicole Hartfield.Students will get to see the Kindergarten teachers, learn about the typical Kindergarten day, take a virtual tour of the school, and get questions answered. Please note, we are making plans for the school year to start in a variety of different ways depending on the state of the world in August. Because we don’t have the answers to all of those concerns yet, we will address the questions that regard a typical Kindergarten experience at DaVinci Academy.
We hope to see you there; but, if you won’t be able to make it live, the evening will be recorded.
Boom Appetit 
Help Wanted
The Bowser family could really use some love and support right now. Carmen passed away on March 17, after a six year battle with cancer. A meal train has been set up for the family. Please do what you can to help the family and share the link with family and friends. Thank you in advance. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Employment Opportunities 
- Physical Education Teacher (K-3)
- Elementary Teacher (K-5)
- Elementary Gifted and Talented Teacher
- Elementary School Counselor
- Middle School Math Teacher
- Middle School Science Teacher
- Middle School Social Studies Teacher
- Special Education Teacher
Volunteer Opportunity
Looking for a social distancing project that gets your family outside? The school needs to update mulch this year, and we are looking for help digging out the old mulch to make way for a fresh batch. Because of the amount of mulch beds we have on site, we could use quite a bit of help. It also could be done at your convenience instead of as a weekend project (which would, of course, be much more fun but less pandemic approved). So, if you would be interested in helping out, please let me know and I will contact you once restrictions get lifted and the world feels a bit more normal.PTO News
PTO Meeting
Thursday, May 26, at 6:30 pm is our next PTO meeting. Please join us via Zoom. New families for the 2020-21 school year are welcome to join us as well.
- Board elections – Vice President and Treasurer seats are open
- Meeting and event dates for next year
- Finance update
- Teacher fund requests
PTO Board Elections
The Executive Board shall meet monthly to review financials per insurance guidelines.
Article
a. Aid the president.
b. Perform the duties of the president in the event of that officer's absence or inability to serve.
c. Act as liaison between committee and project chairs with the Executive Board.
d. Deliver to the successor in office, all records in his/her possession by fiscal year end.
e. Submit a written report detailing responsibility and recommendations to the future board by fiscal year end.
a. Be custodian of all organization funds, and shall be authorized to disburse funds on behalf of the DVA PTO.
b. Give written monthly financial reports for approval at General Membership meetings.
c. Provide a monthly cash-flow report at Executive Board Meetings.
d. Prepare a year-end financial report by fiscal year end.
e. Deliver to the successor in office, all records in his/her possession by fiscal year end.
f. Submit a written report detailing responsibility and recommendations to the future board by fiscal year end.
Contact the current board at davincimnpto@gmail.com for more information. Check out the PTO website.
