DaVinci Connection-February 17, 2022
Bed
School Links
Important Dates
Subject to change-see online calendar
February 18-22, No School
February 28, Board Meeting
March 4th, 2nd Grade Olympics (More info. to follow)
March 10, End of Trimester 2
March 11, No School Grading Day
Attendance
If your student will be late or absent please call the attendance line 763-252-6130 before 9:00 a.m. Please include:
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
An Extended Absence Form is needed for more than five consecutive absences and is due four to six weeks in advance of the absence.
Recess Attire
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.
School Board Elections
The deadline for voting in the 2022 School Board elections is February 28 at 5:00 p.m.
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. The Student Council will be gifting all of our drivers these sweet cookies and a hot chocolate for the road. Is there a way your student can show gratitude?
Student Council
1st Floor – 697 books
2nd floor – 832 books
3rd floor – 159 books
Books will continue to be collected through February 28th, so if you haven’t had a chance to donate you still have time. The floor that brings in the most books, will earn a pajama/comfy clothes day as a prize so keep those books coming.
STEM Builders
Join STEM Builders of Blaine for school release day FUN!
Spring break camp: March 14-18
$269, 9am-4pm, extended care available. Open for grades K-8. Click here to register: Spring Break Information
Summer camp: June 15- August 29. Options for grades K-8. Click here: Summer Camp Information
History Day
Congrats to all 7th grade students who competed in the History Day school competition this last week! The judges reviewed the projects virtually and were very impressed.
History Day is a nation-wide competition with over 500,000 students participating every year. Students select their own historical topic related to a yearly theme; this year’s theme is Debate & Diplomacy. Students become “experts” on their topics as they research and analyze information; they then assemble their projects in their chosen format and prepare for the competitions. DaVinci students will compete in the Regional Competition against area schools in March!
Knowledge Bowl
Congratulations to 8th graders Seno O., Ruchira P., and Daniel K., who competed on a team in the Minnesota Service Cooperatives’ Regional Knowledge Bowl competition on Tuesday, February 8. They received a trophy for getting the most science questions correct in the written and oral rounds of competition.
Three DaVinci teams competed in regionals. A total of 44 teams were present and DaVinci’s top team finished in sixth place. The other two teams had fun and found they just weren’t as fast on the buzzer as the other teams.
DaVinci hopes to take two teams to the state level competition on February 26. The team is coached by middle school teacher, Stephanie Severson.
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 Corner
What?! We are having an arts event again at the school? YES! Let’s show up for the Jazz Band, Show Choir and Academy Kids who have been working so hard on this performance. We’ll see you on Thursday, February 24th at 6:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center.
COVID-19 Updates
For updated vaccination stats for students and staff at DaVinci Academy click HERE
‘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.
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.
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:
- 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:
For more on the COVID Vaccine click here:
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
Find out more about vaccine availability in Anoka County by visiting the county website: https://www.anokacounty.us/4047/COVID-19-Vaccination
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
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
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.
Employment
Unlicensed Positions for 21-22 School Year
- Food Service Coordinator
- Lunch/Recess Monitor
- Development & Communications Coordinator
- Behavior Support Specialist
- Special Education Paraprofessional – On Call Substitute
Licensed Positions for 21-22 School Year
- Speech/Language Pathologist (0.7-1.0 FTE)
- Special Education Teacher – DCD and/or ASD
- Special Education Teacher – ABS, ASD, or SLD
- School Counselor, Middle School – Long-Term Substitute
- On Call Substitute Teacher
Visit DaVinci Academy’s Employment Portal to learn more about open positions and apply online.
