DaVinci Connection-February 4, 2022

Temperatures are getting lower and lower. Please send your student with appropriate (clearly labeled) attire including hats and mittens. Students go outside daily unless either the real temperature or the wind chill temperature is below 0 degrees.

GREETINGS!

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

Message from the Executive Director

Dear DaVinci Academy Families:

This message was sent to families via email last week.

Please watch this video to review some important leadership transition updates for the 22-23 school year. After watching the video please review this communication for more details.

It’s been an absolute pleasure to know and serve you,

Ahava Silkey-Jones

2022-23 Enrollment Lottery

The Enrollment Lottery will take place in-person and virtually on Monday, February 7, at 5:00 p.m. The link can be found here and on the website calendar.

School Board Elections

Voting for the 2022 School Board elections will begin on Monday, February 7th. Watch your email that morning for the ballot and information on how to submit it. For reference on the candidates, you may want to review the Voter Guide which was distributed earlier and can be downloaded here.

Wednesday, February 23rd

We are so thankful for the bus drivers we have, and we want to make them feel appreciated. Think about how your family could say “Thank you for driving our bus every day” on Wednesday, February 23rd so we can shower our drivers in love.

Support Space

Hello DaVinci Community!

February 7-11, 2022 is National School Counselor Week! This year’s theme is “Better Together,” sponsored by the American School Counselor Association. We want to let you know, in more detail, how we are “Better Together” for DaVinci Academy! Phoenix Hathaway serves as the school counselor for kindergarten through fourth grade, and Brittany Finley is our school counselor for fifth through eighth grade.

Many people think school counselors operate as traditional mental health therapists. However, this is untrue. A school counselor meets with many students for a shorter time period (usually 20-30 minutes per session, for a limited amount of sessions), supporting student development in three domains: social-emotional learning, academic success, and career readiness. We provide solution-focused counseling in order to process emotions and develop skills to manage feelings and self-regulate. In addition, we provide behavior and crisis response, facilitate small groups, teach monthly character trait lessons and collaborate with others to create a kind and positive community.

“We can’t promise to solve all your problems, but we can promise you won’t have to face them alone.” -Author Unknown

Here is an infographic about the valuable services school counselors provide:

If your student may benefit from additional mental health support, please reach out to your grade level counselor. When we collaborate to reach a goal, we are “better together.”

Mindfully Yours,

DaVinci Academy Mental Health Team

Phoenix Hathaway (K-4 Counselor) www.calendly.com/mshathaway (763)-754-6577 ext. 1204

Courtney Rowe (K-8 School Social Worker) www.calendly.com/msrowe (763)-754-6577 ext. 1215

Brittany Finley (5-8 School Counselor) www.calendly.com/bfinley-4 (763)-754-6577 ext.1310

Student Council

Student council has decided to do a Book Drive for the month of February. Students will donate new or gently used books throughout the entire month. Similar to the Toys for Tots Drive, each floor will have an opportunity to win a prize! Books will be counted each day that they are brought in. The books that we receive will go to classroom libraries throughout the building. More information will come later.

Introducing DYNO-MIGHTY cards!

Our school community is awesome at showing SPARK and we love to reward the kids when we catch them showing SPARK by giving them special SPARK tickets. We’d love to recognize our awesome staff in a similar way.

Here’s how the new DYNO-MIGHTY cards will work:

When a staff member goes above and beyond the call of duty, you can nominate them for a DYNO-MIGHTY card. To do this you can email Kelly Zender at kzender@davincicharterschool.org to let her know who the staff member is and what they have done. You can also write a message you would like to be included. That staff member will then receive a DYNO-MIGHTY ticket! This will come with a $5 gift card (if we have them on hand) that has been donated by parents and staff.

If you would like to donate $5 gift cards, envelopes can be addressed to Kelly Zender and mailed or dropped off at the main office.

We love DaVinci and we want to appreciate our hard working team and show them how much we support them!

March Fundraiser

This March we will be selling butter braids as a school community to raise funds for our school wide mural project and continue to work towards our year goal of $30,000. More information will be sent home with your students.

Dollars for DaVinci and Golf Tournament

Coming Soon:

Dollars for DaVinci will kick off this spring! Students will collect donations from family members, friends and neighbors for completing acts of service. Funds collected will go towards our school wide mural project and year goal. Also, this spring we will have our annual DaVinci Golf Tournament. We will have golfing, food and a silent auction. More details will be announced as we get closer to these exciting community events.

Arts Committee

Our school name tells you that we value the arts. As we continually work to incorporate the arts into all aspects of DaVinci, we do so for the benefit of our students, now and for their futures. Studies show that arts education has a strong relationship with student engagement and achievement. Furthermore, creativity is now a top skill sought by employers. Arts can assist in preparing our students for the present and future.

Source: “Synopsis of Arts Education Research.” Perpich Arts High School

School Performance Auditions

We are excited to announce the auditions for Annie, Jr. for grades 5-8!

Monday, February 7 & Tuesday, February 8: General Auditions

Wednesday, February 9: Callbacks

*Students will know Tuesday evening if they need to come to callbacks on Wednesday. It will be a smaller group of students.

If you are interested in auditioning, please read through all the information on this sheet prior to auditions. Audition materials and sign ups will be posted outside of Ms. Tinawi’s room starting on January 20! Once casting is complete, students who receive a part in either the cast or crew will have the play fee added to their Infinite Campus account. For more information please reach out to Ms. Tinawi at etinawi@davincicharterschool.org.

Food Service

Are you receiving emails saying your student’s food service account is negative?

We are still charging students for “milk only” sales. Please take a moment to log into your Infinite Campus account to make a payment.

Payments in the Office

Parents can pay for their balance with cash or check in the school office.

Payments Using Infinite Campus Online Service
Parents and guardians of DaVinci Academy students can now access even more information online about their student’s child nutrition account. To manage your account, Food Service My Cart Infinite Campus Instructions

View meal account balances.
Sign up for automatic recurring payments.
Receive email notifications of low balances.
Make payments with a credit, debit card or direct bank account withdrawal.
View a student’s purchase history for the preceding 90 days.

Families that need help with their username and/or password can contact our Infinite Campus Coordinator Pam Carlson, pcarlson@davincicharterschool.org.

Recess Attire

At DaVinci, all K-5 students are expected to go outside for recess every day. All students should have a warm coat, a hat, and gloves or mittens. Students should also have boots and snow pants when there is snow on the ground. Students who do not have the proper gear will need to call a parent to bring proper clothing for recess time.

Students only stay inside for recess when either the real temperature or the wind chill temperature is below 0 degrees. Please note that sometimes the temperature fluctuates during the day and we may switch between indoor and outdoor recess during the day as necessary.

If your family is having a difficult time finding winter clothing for your student, please contact your child’s teacher or the front office for assistance.

After School Activities

Registration is now open for session 3 after school activities! Check out the options on our website and use the Infinite Campus parent portal to access the school store to register. Session 3 activity registration is open February 2-16.

*Note: If your child plans to audition for Annie Jr. on February 7 and 8, you may want to wait to register for activities until the cast list comes out.

Did You Lose Your Family Number?

There were a considerable number of drivers in the parking lot today yelling numbers out the window to the safety staff. It is important for the safety of the students to have your family number posted prominently on your car. If you need a new number sheet please contact the office.

You may have noticed the outside staff using walkie talkies instead of phones in the afternoons. That is because it is way too cold for phones to be effective for entering numbers. So, we really appreciate those of you who have downloaded the Silent Dismissal app! If you are using it, please post this sheet in your front window with your family number added so that the outside duty teachers know that they don’t need to put your number in to the system.

For those of you who still need to download the Silent Dismissal app, below are directions to get you started. Please remember: the Silent Dismissal app will not work until you email or call the school and provide your phone information.

SD Settings and App Instructions

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for the generous donations of hand warmers for our outside staff.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are so many of you who have expressed an interest in volunteering again at the school and, believe me, we have been missing you around here. Until our COVID numbers go down and we can move to level 3 or lower on the mitigation matrix, here are your options for safely volunteering at the school.

Recess Coverage
Parking Lot Safety
Take home projects from individual teachers

If either 1 or 2 interest you we would love to have some extra help. Please reach out to Holly Fischer for more information. If number 3 interests you, please reach out to your child’s teacher.

Thank you for your support, and we hope to see more of you soon.

COVID-19 Updates

The school moved into Phase 4 December 1. Please follow our dashboard here.

Vaccine Incentive Programs

‘Kids Deserve a Shot’ Vaccine Incentive Program for Minnesotans 5-11 Years Old

Vaccines are the strongest tool we have to prevent serious disease and death from COVID-19. Vaccines are now available for Minnesotans ages 5 and older at no cost. On January 11, Governor Tim Walz announced the launch of the next phase of the ‘Kids Deserve a Shot’ vaccine incentive program to encourage Minnesota families to get their kids 5- to 11-years-old fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

$200 Visa Gift Cards

Minnesota families who get their 5- to 11-year-old fully vaccinated in January and February can get a $200 Visa gift card. To be eligible, Minnesotans 5-11 must receive their first and second dose between January 1 and February 28. Families can register their 5- to 11-year-old once they have completed their two-dose series.

$100,000 Minnesota College Scholarship Drawings

Later this spring, there will be drawings for five $100,000 Minnesota college scholarship drawings for all Minnesotans 5-11 years old who are fully vaccinated. All Minnesotans 5-11 years old who completed their first and second doses at any point up to the registration deadline will be eligible to be entered for a chance to win a $100,000 college scholarship. Details on the drawings will be announced in the coming months.

How families can find a shot for their child:

Visit gov/vaxforkids to find clinic locations near you.
Check with their pediatrician, family medicine clinic, or local pharmacy about appointments.
Watch for vaccination clinics being offered at schools or other community locations around Minnesota.

Boosters Recommended for People Aged 12 and Older

As a reminder, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced now recommend booster shots for those aged 12 and older five months after the completion of the primary series of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, for some immunocompromised children aged 5-11 years old, CDC also recommends an additional dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to complete the primary series – a total of three doses.

FREE Covid-19 Tests

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days.

Order your tests now so you have them when you need them.

CovidTests

Testing & Vaccine Locations

State of Minnesota Expands Community Testing Sites

On January 6, Governor Tim Walz announced that two new Community Testing Sites will be opening in Anoka and Cottage Grove. The Anoka testing site will be located at 408 East Main St Anoka, MN 55303 and will open on January 7. The Cottage Grove testing site will be located at 8180 Belden Blvd, Cottage Grove, MN 55016 and will open on January 13.
In addition, beginning on January 6, the community testing site at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul will have 50% more testing capacity.
Please share the following information with families:

How Minnesotans can get a COVID-19 test:

Walk in or schedule an appointment for a test at one of the state’s free community testing sites across Minnesota: COVID-19 Community Testing Sites.
Order a test through the state’s free at-home COVID-19 testing program: COVID-19 Test at Home.
Find a testing option near you through the state’s Find Testing Locations map: Find Testing Locations.

Find a COVID Vaccine: The COVID-19 vaccine is widely available. There are many options for places to get a vaccine. Here are some different
ways to find a COVID-19 vaccine:

Top Reasons to Get Your COVID Vaccine

For more on the COVID Vaccine click here:

Find a COVID Vaccine

DaVinci Reporting Form

Families must fill out this form regardless of their or their students’ vaccination status if one of more of the following is true:

1. Student or household member has tested positive for COVID-19
2. Student or household member has symptoms related to COVID-19
3. Student or household member has had close contact with someone who has tested positive for or has symptoms relating to COVID-19

Covid-19 Reporting Form

MDH Decision Tree Update

Anoka County Vaccine Locations

Find out more about vaccine availability in Anoka County by visiting the county website: https://www.anokacounty.us/4047/COVID-19-Vaccination

COVID Vaccine (Ages 5-11)

Kids Deserve a Shot!

Minnesotans 5-11 years old who start and complete their two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series in January and February are eligible to receive a $200 Visa gift card through the ‘Kids Deserve a Shot’ vaccine incentives program.

In order to be eligible, Minnesotans 5-11 must receive their first and second dose between January 1 and February 28.

Minnesotans must be:

at least 5 years old at the time of one or both shots
and 11 or younger at the time of their first shot.

The reward registration form will open at 10:00 a.m. on January 24, 2022. The registration form will stop accepting requests for $200 Visa gift cards at 11:59 p.m. on February 28. Gift card requests will be fulfilled beginning on March 1, 2022 and throughout the month of March 2022.

Please allow up to six weeks after March 1, 2022 to receive your Visa card in the mail.

For more information click here: Kids Deserve a Shot

Minnesotans with questions about the vaccine can also call the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Public Hotline at 1-833-431-2053. The hotline is available Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

For unique ways of talking to your kids visit The ABC’s of the Covid-19 Vaccine hosted by Sesame Street

COVID Vaccine (Ages 12-17)

All Minnesotans age 12 -17 are recommended to get a booster shot at least 5 months after their primary series of vaccine. To find where to get your booster shot, refer to Find Vaccine Locations.

Minnesotans looking to start the vaccination series their child can:

Visit mn.gov/vaxforkids to find clinic locations near you.
Check with their pediatrician, family medicine clinic or pharmacy about appointments.
Go to a community vaccination clinic at Mall of America. For more details and to register click here: Mall of America Community Vaccination

Employment

Unlicensed Positions for 21-22 School Year

Operations Manager (Full Time, Year Round)

Food Service Lead (Full Time, School Year)

Special Education Paraprofessional, Substitute

Lunch / Recess Monitor (Part Time, School Year)

Licensed Positions for 21-22 School Year

Special Education Teacher, ABS, ASD, or SLD

Special Education Teacher, DCD and/or ASD, SLD or ABS

Speech and Language Pathologist (FTE .7 – 1.0)

On-Call Substitute Teacher

In-House (FT) Substitute Teacher

Visit DaVinci Academy’s Employment Portal to learn more about open positions and apply online.