DaVinci Connection-April 23, 2021

DaVinci Academy

Staff Directory

Food Service

School Calendar

School Supplies

Volunteer Information

Anti-Bullying Policy

(subject to change-see online calendar)

4/26  Board Meeting, 6 p.m.

5/10-5/13  Intersession

5/12  Student Development Committee Meeting, 3:30 p.m.

5/14  No School

5/24  Board Meeting, 6 p.m.

5/31  No School, Memorial Day

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.

Attendance Update

Please review the latest Attendance Update along with the details outlined below for using the attendance line. This update is for both distance and in-person learners.

You may view your child’s attendance record in your Campus Parent account.

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

Dear DaVinci Families,

I hope this message finds you well! 

Thank you so much for your continued support as we near the final stretch of the school year. I greatly appreciate the time you have taken over the last year to navigate all the information I’ve shared with you. One of our goals going into this school year was to prioritize information sharing with families, to ensure, even when we had to make hard decisions that you understood our decision-making process and had opportunities to share feedback. You have been extraordinary partners in this process and we are grateful to you!

On a personal note, we celebrated a milestone this week as my daughter who was along for the ride during my first year at DaVinci just turned one year old! I hope her smile brings you some joy on this Friday afternoon.

My best,

Nice to Know

CEAP Food Drive Total

DaVinci Academy raised a total of 205 pounds of food during our CEAP food drive! Thank you to everyone who donated! Along with the non-perishable food items collected, the PTO is also donating $500 which will provide 10 pallets of fresh produce.

Fundraising

Join us for a golf event at Topgolf to support DaVinci Academy! Reserve your spot now for this fun twist on our traditional golf tournament. Teams can include up to 6 people and smaller groups will be combined with others so each of the 15 bays that we have reserved are full. Space is limited!

Click here to to learn more and to register!

Update

After two weeks, our community has raised over $10,000! Thank you students and families for your excitement with raising funds! A reminder that we will be collecting donations through Monday, May 3.

Want to make your donation more impactful? Many employers will match charitable donations made by their employees. This means that your gift to DaVinci Academy could do even more to help raise funds for expanding and improving our outdoor spaces. Ask your employer if they have a charitable donation match program.

Thank you,

School Development Committee

Special Happenings

Book Fair—Onsite & Online! 

Our onsite book fair will be held at school April 26-30 and will be available for students only. Students will be able to bring money and shop the fair those days during regular school hours (Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. & Friday, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m.). Cash should be brought in an envelope labeled with the child’s name. Please remember that all sales will include tax. 

Families can also shop the fair online by following this link. Items purchased online will be shipped to the school and passed out to students 7-10 days after Friday, April 30 when our onsite fair closes. Distance learning families should be able to pick up their items on Monday, May 24 which is our last scheduled packet pick up day. Check it out!

DaVinci Online Talent Show—There’s Still Time to Participate! 

Attention 4th-8th Grade Families!

The DaVinci Online Talent Show is back for one more year! As we continue to avoid meeting in large groups, we still want to see the amazing talent this school has to offer.

For those interested, please record yourself doing something amazing. These videos will be compiled into our Online Talent Show playlist and shared with the DaVinci community.

Please send your videos to Anders Lundahl at alundahl@davincicharterschool.org by Monday, April 26. Watch for future messages about how to watch the Talent Show premiere on May 6.

Reminders for submitting videos:

• These will be shared with the DaVinci community, so please don’t submit anything you don’t want teachers/students/families to be able to see.
• Make sure your clothing, background, and language are all appropriate for a school event.
• If you are performing a song, dance, etc. – please include what the name of the song/artist/etc. is so we can give credit where credit is due.

Excited to see all of your amazingness! Get practicing!

Support Space

Autism Awareness & Acceptance Month

Hello DaVinci Community!

April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month! According to the Centers for Disease Control, Autism affects an estimated 1 in 54 children in the United States today. Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that each person with Autism has distinct strengths and challenges unique to them. 

Our team wanted to share some video clips provided by Joy Fehring, our Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) specialist. The videos may help broaden our understanding and acceptance of ASD.  

For adults or older grades 6th-12th:

• Ask an Autistic #23 – What is Autism? 
• Autism: See the Potential 
• A Teen’s Guide to Autism 
• Just Like You: Autism 

For middle grades 2nd-5th: 

• A is for Autism, F is for Friend book preview 
• Understanding Autism-Jumo Health comic 

For younger grades 1st-4th:

• What’s up with Nick 

For younger grades preK-2nd: 

• Nasaiah’s Day 

Happy Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month! -Joy Fehring, Licensed Autism Spectrum Disorders Teacher/Specialist

We hope you take some time this month to learn more about Autism and celebrate all of the unique and wonderful attributes of individuals in this community!

Please reach out if you have questions or concerns. If your family is faced with new or ongoing needs and challenges throughout this time, please let us know by filling out this survey and someone from our team will reach out to further assist your family!

Phoenix Hathaway (K-4 School Counselor) www.calendly.com/mshathaway (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

Nutritional Services

Ongoing

Please remember that if your child OR anyone in your household has one of the more common symptoms consistent with COVID, or two or more of the less common symptoms, all members of the household must remain at home until a negative COVID test or an alternate doctor’s diagnosis is received. This does not include baseline allergies but may include the same symptoms as a cold or other viruses. Please reach out to Nurse Julie if you have any questions or are unsure if your child(ren) should stay home.

More common symptoms: fever ≥ 100.4°F, new or worsening cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste and smell.

Less common symptoms: sore throat, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, extreme fatigue, new severe headache, or new congestion/runny nose.

Thanks for keeping our school safe!

COVID-19 Updates:

Minnesota News and Outreach—April 22, 2021 Bulletin

Vaccine Provider Weekly Update

Community Testing

• Testing is free, you do not need insurance or identification.
• You can get tested even if you don’t have symptoms of COVID-19.
• To avoid long lines, people are encouraged to pre-register for a time slot, using the registration link listed for each location.

Vaccine Tracking

Minnesota has launched a public vaccine data dashboard to detail the progress of COVID-19 vaccine allocation, distribution and administration across Minnesota. The dashboard provides a visual and user-friendly way to view key vaccination data. The dashboard includes information on the number of doses promised (allocated) to the state by the federal government; shipped to Minnesota providers; and administered to Minnesotans. Information is updated daily at 11 a.m.

View Minnesota’s dashboard for vaccine tracking

COVID-19 Testing Resource for Families

MDH recommends all school-age youth returning to school, youth sports, or extracurricular activities, and their families, get tested every two weeks through the end of the school year. While it is not a requirement, regular testing complements other safety measures already in place, such as masking and social distancing. 

For more information, please visit COVID-19 Testing for Kids and Families. Getting tested every two weeks from now until the end of the school year can help keep schools open and sports operating, and ensure we are limiting the spread of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Vaccine Connector

The MN Department of Education has asked us once again to share this letter, outlining who is currently eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine as well as how to get registered using the Vaccine Connector. This letter is now available Hmong, Somali and Spanish, too. 

State Fair FEMA Site

Check out this State Fair FEMA vaccination site flyer to learn more about getting vaccinated through the Minnesota Community Vaccination Program.

Help Wanted