DaVinci Connection – February 3, 2023

What a great Spirit Week at DaVinci Academy!

We started out the week with Jersey and Hat day. It was fun to see some local sports teams represented, from Blaine Soccer, Moore than Dance, and Andover Basketball to the Vikings, Wild, and Twins. Tuesday students came dressed in tutus, tiaras, ties, and tie-dye. Some students and staff even came with an article of clothing to fit each of the categories. Wednesday brought Wacky Wednesday!! There were lots of giggles that day. Students and staff had their clothing on backward, mix-matched socks and shoes, crazy headbands, and we even had a dinosaur roaming the hallways! Idiom day was Thursday. This really showed off some creativity. There were copycats everywhere, a few couch potatoes, some pigs in blankets, and some people were under the weather or holding their horses. There was even a blessing in disguise. Friday brought Super Hero Day. When I look across the DaVinci community, there are superheroes everywhere. Each and every one of our students and staff fit this category just as they are. 

Besides the fun dress days, there were some great community-building activities taking place as well. The older students joined the younger students as reading buddies. Some of them even made crafts with their buddies which are hung up in our cafeteria. Classroom teachers had their students create a self-portrait and also hung them in the hall for everyone to see. There was Staff Trivia, Name that Book, medallion hunts, and BINGO throughout the week as well.

When all was said and done, it was a fun week for everyone. The teamwork, laughter, and memories that were made were all worth it. Thank you to the adults at home for helping your students gather what they needed for the fun dress days – we know that isn’t easy. Rest assured that next week we are back to uniforms!!

DaVinci Academy is using an online platform for late-start Sunrise Program registration. Registration will open for all ten (10) care dates on February 1. Registration for each late start Monday will close on the preceding school day Wednesday. Please review this information about the program and contact Julie Kresh with any questions.

For students not registered for Sunrise care, please note that they will be allowed into the building at 8:30 AM and education wing doors will open at 8:40 AM. This mirrors the drop-off procedure on a regular school day.

Registration for spring after-school activities is open from February 1-15. View activity options on our school website here. 

Session 3: February 27 – May 5 from 3:15 – 4:30 pm on school days. Some activities will begin earlier and/or end later than these dates. Take note of these differences for activities that you register for and plan accordingly.

Register for activities offered by DaVinci Academy faculty and staff using the school store in Infinite Campus. Activities offered by external vendors will need to be registered for and paid for through them. Contact Julie Kresh with any questions.

DaVinci Academy school board meetings are open to the public and parents are highly encouraged to participate in those meetings – either in person or via YouTube – to keep informed about what is being discussed at the board level. Information about our monthly school board meetings can be located on our school website on the Governance page. We also link the meeting agenda and a link to live stream the meeting to the calendar event and that agenda is posted to the public at least 72 hours before the meeting.

Minutes from the meetings are posted AFTER they have been approved by the board. This means that the December meeting minutes (view December minutes) are now available on the website because they were approved at the January meeting.  For your reference, here was the agenda from the January board meeting, and here is the YouTube link to watch the meeting.

This is a fun and instructional league emphasizing basic skills such as passing, setting, and serving as well as game concepts and strategies. Students learn through games and drills used to develop skills, increase knowledge of strategy, and a love of the game. Whether you are new to volleyball or you’ve played before, come give us a try. Wear comfortable clothes, dry athletic shoes, and bring a water bottle.

Season: March 6-April 18.The program will be a combination of practices on Mondays and games on Tuesdays; however for the first few weeks, both Mondays and Tuesdays will be practice nights. We may add a second practice night after the Tuesday games begin. All practices will be at DaVinci, and times will be based upon the coaches availability. Games will take place at Centennial Middle School starting Tuesday, March 28. Games are generally held between 6 and 8:30 pm. Season ends April 18. We will not have practice during the DaVinci Spring Break. Please register here. The 4th and 5th grade students are in one league and the middle school students are in another league. The number of teams we have will be determined by the number of students that sign up. 

Register by February 23 for $89 (discount applied at checkout). No refunds after Feb 23. Registrations accepted after Feb 23 if space permits at regular price of $99. We are looking for volunteer coaches. Coaches will receive free registration for 1 child.  If you are interested in coaching, please indicate on the registration. 

Please contact Jack Shields with questions.

Hi DaVinci Community!

February 6-10, 2023 is NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELOR WEEK! This year’s theme is “Helping Students Dream Big,” sponsored by the American School Counselor Association. We want to let you know, in more detail, what we do and how we help our school community. Phoenix Hathaway serves as the school counselor for kindergarten through fourth grade, Diana Muske is the school counselor for fifth through eighth grade, and our school counselor intern, Amy Key, serves students in K-8.

Many people assume school counselors operate as traditional mental health therapists. However, this is untrue. A school counselor meets with many students for a shorter period (usually 20-30 minutes per session, for a limited number of sessions), and supports students in three domains: social-emotional learning, academic success, and career readiness. We provide solution-focused counseling to help young people process their emotions and strengthen the skills needed to manage their feelings and self-regulate. In addition, we assist with crisis response, facilitate small groups, and collaborate with stakeholders to create a caring, positive, and supportive school community.

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

If your student may benefit from additional mental health support from our counseling team, please reach out to your student’s teacher or grade-level counselor, and we’ll connect with you soon.

Mindfully Yours,

DaVinci Academy Mental Health Team

 – Phoenix Hathaway, K-4 Counselor, phathaway@davincicharterschool.org

 – Diana Muske, 5-8 Counselor, dmuske@davincicharterschool.org

 – Amy Key, School Counselor Inter, akey@davincicharterschool.org

 – Dom Jefferson, K-8 School Social Worker, djefferson@davincicharterschool.org 

Come help out at DaVinci!

Volunteer needs include, but are not limited to:

• Classroom/Grade Level Help
• Lunchroom Supervision
• Office work and projects
• Fundraising Help
• And SO MUCH more!

View current volunteer needs: 

Reach out to Lindsey Gable-Volunteer Coordinator with further questions

Email: lgable@davincicharterschool.org

Phone= 763-754-6577 Ext. 1114