DaVinci Connection-July 23, 2021
School Links
Important Dates
Subject to change-see online calendar
7/26 Board Meeting
8/5 Open House 3:00-7:00 PM
8/10 School Starts 1-8
8/12 Kindergarten Starts
Greetings!
To the left, you will find helpful links to important pages on our website.
Back to School
We are excited to welcome new and returning families to DaVinci for the 2021-2022 school year next month! All families should visit our back-to-school page for information regarding:
- Important dates
- Supply lists
- Food service
- Student immunization forms
- Bussing
Each year it is important for families to review School Policies as these are updated by the School Board frequently. This page will be updated throughout the summer so check back often.
Open House – All Students
We are very excited to welcome families back in to the building on Thursday, August 5th for our Back to School Open House. You will meet the teachers and get your child’s schedule, get information about lunch, after school offerings, and sports, get help with Silent Dismissal and Infinite Campus, pick up your school calendar magnet, drop off school supplies, and most importantly connect with everyone face to face again. Come any time from 3:00-7:00 PM!
Uniforms
For detailed information regarding our uniform policy please review the Uniform Policy and Guidelines (Policy 504) prior to completing your back to school shopping.
Uniform attire can be purchased at any major retail store. If you would like to purchase uniform shirts that include the school logo (which is completely optional) you may shop at Lands’ End. Just search for DaVinci Academy in the school section.
**If you have gently used uniform items that your child has outgrown, bring them to school before the open house in August and we will include them in the uniform swap.**
Bussing
Next week routes will be posted and sent to families who signed up for bussing for the 21-22 school year. New bus tags will be included in your back to school packet which will be mailed to your home before the open house.
If you forgot to register for the bus, there will be a $25.00 late fee assessed per child and you are not guaranteed that a seat will be available at the start of the school year. Please reach out to the office if you have questions or concerns about this.
Carpooling
If you are interested in carpooling with another family we can get you connected. Just fill out this form and you will be able to share your information with other families who would like to carpool as well.
Media Release – Opt Out Option
We no longer require families to do the Back-to-School Registration each year. However, if you do NOT give your permission for your child’s image to be used in the different media, both internally and externally, you will need to complete the Media Release form to opt out. This includes, but is not limited to, articles and photographs in a school newsletter, video of a student program shown in school or published to families via an online program, a news story by local media, or something on our web site. Click here for the Media Release Form.
5th Grade Music
Do you have a student in 5th grade this fall? Are they interested in music?
Nutritional Services
The United States Department of Agriculture is allowing schools to provide meals for the 2021-22 school year through a provision of the National School Lunch Program called the Seamless Summer Option (SSO). A waiver has been issued in order to support access to nutritious meals while minimizing potential exposure to COVD-19.
Our school has chosen to use this waiver and operate the SSO which enables us to provide meals free of charge for all students. No application is required to receive this free meal benefit.
However, your child(ren) may qualify additional benefits such as reduced fees or the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) which is a federal temporary emergency nutrition benefit that is loaded onto electronic cards for families to purchase food. At public schools, your application also helps the school qualify for education funds and discounts.
To apply, complete the Application for Educational Benefits link following the instructions. You may also log into your Infinite Campus account to complete an electronic form.
We are excited to be offering Uncrustables (PB&J’s) again for a meal choice at lunch. Breakfast and Lunch will be free of charge however, if your student needs an additional milk or a milk with their meal from home their account will be charged $.50
All students will be using their 4 digit pin during breakfast and lunch services. This will help families know what their children are eating throughout the school day.
To get great tips and ideas for healthy school snacks, click the link below.
https://cspinet.org/protecting-our-health/nutrition/healthy-school-snacks
Kindergarten Family Conferences
Our amazing Kindergarten teachers will be contacting all families to schedule in-person conferences which will take place August 10th & 11th. Families and students will have a chance to see the classroom, drop off school supplies and meet with their teacher to discuss the upcoming year.
Calling All Volunteers!
We are looking for volunteers next week to help us with some projects before school starts. We need help stuffing back-to-school packets, replacing locker tags, bringing items to a donation center, putting together IKEA furniture, and updating bulletin boards. If you are interested in volunteering please reach out to kfalkowski@davincicharterschool.org.
Fall COVID Guidance
DaVinci will be releasing community-wide fall Covid guidance next week. Watch your email for an important message from our Executive Director Ahava Silkey-Jones.
New Campus Portal Payment Processing Vendor
On March 8, 2021, Infinite Campus (our parent portal) announced it was switching payment processors for all online payment functions in the Campus Portal. We chose to make the switch on 6/25/2021. This change has minimal impact to you; however, any payment methods you’ve set up for your credit cards or eCheck accounts were deleted to ensure the security and confidentiality of your data. Due to this switch, you will be asked to enter your payment methods into the Parent Portal.
Any recurring payments you may have set up (if you intend to continue making payments this way), will also need to be updated to use the new payment methods you create. There are no other changes in the way you will experience online payments. The instructions below will walk you through the process of setting up your payment methods and updating you recurring payments.
This change will improve financial reporting efficiency for the district, as well as the support experienced by district staff when researching reported issues.
Add Payment Methods
If you need assistance adding payment methods, please follow these instructions
Add Recurring Payments
If you need assistance with recurring payments, please view these instructions.
Make a payment
If you need assistance making a payment, please follow these instructions:
STEM Builders
STEM Builders of Blaine provides after school options for your student with 3x and 5x a week options and convenient bussing from DaVinci Academy. Additionally, a portion of your enrollment funds come back to the school.
Pricing for K-4 is $399 for 3x a week, $499 for 5x a week, 3:30-530pm. Pricing for the 5-8th grade program is $449 for 3x a week, $549 for 5x a week, to cover materials and registration fees of the competition.
Silent Dismissal – Bus Tracking Feature
DaVinci Academy office staff have been piloting a GPS tracking system in Silent Dismissal for some time now to determine if it is ready for parent use. We are now happy to report that it is! Families who use the Silent Dismissal app can view the map by tapping the drop down menu and selecting “Locate”. Displayed will be a map of all of the buses and where they are located. The app updates every 30 seconds so refreshing the screen is important.
If you are interested in getting the Silent Dismissal app it will need to be activated by the school office so that there is no charge to you. Here are the steps:
Using the app store on your phone, download the Silent Dismissal app. Make sure that it is the most current version. Then, email the school at office@davincicharterschool.org and request access to the app. Please include the type of phone you have (Android or iPhone). The app allows you to locate busses, make changes to your child’s dismissal schedule, and dismiss your child when you enter the line for pickup. Please call the office with any questions.
Dismissal Protocol – New This Year
This year students will be dismissed from class at 3:00 PM. For those families who will be picking up students, we will be asking you to stagger your arrival to the parking lot so that we can avoid, as much as possible, lines of cars waiting to get into the lot.
If your last name begins with the letters A-L your time in the parking lot will be from 3:00-3:10. (Yes, you may still begin entering the lot and parking at 2:30, as parents have done in the past.)
If your last name begins with the letters M-Z your time in the parking lot will be from 3:10-3:20. Please do not enter the lot before then so that the first group of parents can exit.
Also new this year, parents may exit the lot through the bus lane to take a right onto Bunker in the afternoon as well as the morning. Staff will be waving cars through. So, the procedure will be for you to pick up your child then loop back around to enter the bus lane when buses are not moving through. Fewer cars driving through the neighborhood across the street will definitely be welcomed by our neighbors!
School Board Meetings Back In-Person
School board meetings will be held back at the school now that the Pandemic related Emergency Orders from the Governor have been lifted.