DaVinci Connection-August 28, 2020

20-21 Bus Routes

Please check your Parent Campus account to make sure the bus choice you have made for the year is accurate.  If it does not reflect the choice you made, please call or email the office 763.754.6577.

Final bus routes and times will be published on September 1, based on the information that parents submitted previously.  There are a few bus stops that have been eliminated and many routes that have been combined, so you will want to check to make sure that you know your child’s new bus color before school starts.  Please note that we will not be allowing families to choose more than 1 bus stop as we have in the past.   We will need to be mindful of limiting student exposure to different cohorts of children.  If you have specific concerns about this, please contact Holly Fischer.  Thank you.

**Update Sept 3** Bus routes are now listed on the password protected bus stop page of our website. Please call the office if you need the password.

Optional Chromebook Protection Plan

Did you indicate on the technology form you are interested in the Chromebook Protection Plan? If yes, please read and take the steps below to activate the plan.

The participation cost for those enrolling in the Chromebook Protection Plan is $35 per Chromebook. There is a family maximum cap based on the enrollment of two students for families with multiple students. When you purchase the plan for two of your students, all your students will be covered.

The Plan becomes active when you choose to purchase it from the School Store in your Infinite Campus parent portal.  This program will also be available for the 3-8 students who will be receiving one to one Chromebooks in the next month.  It will be free for those families that qualify for free and reduced lunch prices, however, you still need to “purchase” the plan from the school store and your fee will automatically be adjusted to 0.00 in your cart.

The Chromebook Protection Plan provides coverage for non-warranty repair, accidental damage (drops/spills), cracked screens, power surges, theft (with filed police report), vandalism by others, fire, flood, and other natural disasters. The $35 fee payment is non-refundable. This annual coverage begins upon receipt of the payment and ends at the conclusion of the regular school year. The plan does not cover lost Chromebooks, intentional damage or stolen, lost or damaged charging cords.

Chromebook Protection Plan Repair/Replacement Fee Deductible Schedule:

• 1^{s t} damage /repair claim: $0.00
• 2^nd damage/repair claim: $150.00
• Additional damage/repair claims: full cost of Chromebook or replacement cord up to $300.00. All claims must be reported to the DaVinci Academy school office.

Support Space

Hey DaVinci Academy Community!

We have heard many students are experiencing anxiety with distance learning, specifically about being on video. If your child is having anxiety with video calls, let’s talk about ways to help them manage, rather than avoid their camera all together.

• Try to identify where the anxiety is coming from

  • Is your child concerned about their appearance or background?

  • Do they dislike seeing themselves on the screen?

• Make any changes to increase comfort

  • Find a good background in your house such as a blank wall behind them or use Background Blur for Google Meet Extension which allows you to blur out your background as long as it’s not a distraction in class. You may want to allow them some time to play around with it before they are on an important call- we tried it, it’s fun! 🙂

  • Have your child choose an outfit that makes them feel confident

  • If you are using google meet grid view and your child does not want to see themselves on screen, there is an option to uncheck “Include yourself in grid view” Often people are more engaged and less anxious if they don’t see themselves as prominently

• Make small goals to build up video time slowly

  • Start with a length of time on video that they’re comfortable with and slowly increase the on-video time with the goal of staying on video for the entirety of classes.

• Make sure to communicate with the teacher about video expectations such as when is a good time to be off video for a break

• Before the video call, do some deep breathing exercises

• Practice doing calls with someone they’re comfortable speaking to

  • Ask your child’s teacher if they will do a one-on-one or reach out to one of us to try a low stress call

• Help your child understand why being on video is important

  • It’s respectful to the teacher and other students

  • It will help you stay focused and engaged

  • It keeps students accountable to attendance

  • Teachers can see facial expressions and better gauge understanding

• Use Positive Rehearsal

  • Have your child imagine a video call going well prior to the call. Use all their senses to walk through the imagination- what does sound, smell, feel like, etc.

Please reach out if you have questions or concerns. You can also set up a meeting with a member of our team to brainstorm more ideas!

Phoenix Hathaway (K-4 School Counselor) www.calendly.com/phathaway (763) 200-1338

Melissa Derby (5-8 School Counselor) www.calendly.com/msderby (763) 200-1281

Courtney Rowe (K-8 School Social Worker) www.calendly.com/msrowe (763) 200- 6081

Counselor’s Corner

DaVinci Color Fun Run Registration Ends August 31

When: September 19, 2020 @ 10:00 am

School Supplies

A number of generous families have donated school supplies for DaVinci families in need.  Some items include crayons, markers, glue sticks, scissors, and folders.

Please reach out to the office if you would benefit from that gift.

COVID-19-Community Testing

The Minnesota Department of Health works in partnership with communities to provide safe and free on-site COVID-19 testing in areas with outbreaks, increasing cases, or other barriers to access existing test sites.

Visit COVID-19 Community Testing to sign up for an appointment or learn more.

Save Receipts for School Supplies!

Minnesota Revenue offers two valuable tax benefits for parents who purchase school supplies for their K-12 students, the K-12 Education Credit and Subtraction. These benefits can reduce parents’ taxes to increase their refund, but is only available for those who keep their receipts. Purchases for most school supplies, field trips, and musical instruments for school band are eligible.

Most Minnesota parents qualify for the K-12 subtraction, which reduces their taxable income. Parents under certain income limits may also qualify for the K-12 credit, which can refund up to 75% of their costs – even for parents who don’t owe any taxes. Visit the Minnesota Revenue website for details.

Essential Workers Child Care & Lunch/Recess Monitors Needed

We are looking for people to join the team who will be working with our day care kids and people to monitor our students in the lunch room and on the playground.   For more information about these positions, please see the Employment page of our website.

Bus Drivers Needed

There is a state wide bus driver shortage and Kottke’s is looking for people who are interested in transporting our students.   Please call 763-755-3100 if you are interested in learning more about a bus driver position.