DaVinci Connection – March 24, 2023

Our DaVinci students and staff were informed this morning that the son of our beloved custodians Patrick and Veena died in his sleep last night.  He was 15 years old, his name was Ryan, and he came to clean with his parents on days when he didn’t have school.   Our community is heartbroken for this family and students have been working together today to find ways to wrap our arms around them during this difficult time.  If your child comes home and speaks with you about making cards and taking more ownership of classroom garbage and vacuuming you will know what this is all about.  We were very proud of the way the students showed concern when hearing this news.

We would like to encourage the DaVinci community to consider helping this family with funeral expenses for Ryan.  If you would like to give some money in support, they have set up a Venmo account @Brian-Lawrence-92. The last 4 numbers in the account to confirm is 8327.

Thank you,

Holly Fischer

On Monday, March 21, we celebrated World Down Syndrome Day. We were lucky to have the students in 3rd through 8th grade be a part of a presentation given by one of our DaVinci moms, Sana Soussi. Mrs. Soussi shared her journey as a mom of a child with Down Syndrome. She helped students understand that Down Syndrome is nothing to be scared of and that people with Down Syndrome make amazing friends. She invited Dr. Sakkal to speak as well. He taught the students about the medical side of Down Syndrome. The uniqueness of the triplication of the 21st chromosome, which produces Down syndrome, is symbolized by the choice of the 21st day of March.

The President and CEO of the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota, Sara Curfman shared some amazing facts about the Down Syndrome community right here in Minnesota. She spoke of the book called, Just Ask by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. It encourages the reader to ask questions of people with disabilities and conditions instead of assuming. 

 The Kindergarteners through 2nd graders were included in this celebration with a bag of goodies with included bracelets, stickers, necklaces, and a couple of books for their classrooms about inclusion. 

It was wonderful to see our student body come together to celebrate and honor World Down Syndrome Day. There were a variety of media sources that joined in our celebration. 

Here is the news story from WCCO news.

I’m happy to report that our very first late-start day was an overwhelming success.  The feedback from the teachers was so positive and Monday morning began with all teachers actively engaged in working with each other for the benefit of the students. Grade-level teams met with the specialists, special education, support staff, and leadership for productive planning, and collaboration about student concerns.

We thank you for your willingness to adjust your Monday morning routines to make this happen for our staff.  We are blessed to have a wonderfully supportive community that was able to respond to the needs of the school.

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) for math, reading, and science will be administered to students starting next week. The MCAs are not the only tool used in schools to measure learning, however, they are very important to teachers and administrators in gauging the progress of students and schools from year to year. We want all students to perform to the best of their ability and we encourage parents and guardians to use the following information to support their child and prepare them for their exam(s).

The 2022-23 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments will be given in areas of:

• Reading – Grades 3 – 8
• Math – Grades 3 – 8
• Science – Grades 5 and 8 only

For security reasons, students are not allowed to have cell phones or smartwatches in the testing environment. Cell phones must be turned off and remain in student lockers or at home, if possible. 

Some things you can do to help your child prepare prior to, and on the day of the exam: 

• Ensure they get a good night’s sleep
• Offer your encouragement and support 
• Limit the number of days they are absent from school and avoid scheduling appointments during testing times

Results from these assessments will be available in the fall of 2023.

Additional testing information can be found on our assessments page.

If you have questions about testing, please contact Academic Director/District Assessment Coordinator Andrea Halverson.

Join us for a night of board games, concessions, and community!

Thursday, March 30th – 6:00-7:30 pm

Some board games will be provided, and families are welcome to bring games to share!

Ben Harkins from Floodgate Games will be joining us for the fun. Floodgate Games is a tabletop games publisher that loves creating Everlasting Experience Through Gaming. From their award-winning modern-classics like Sagrada where players puzzle out crafting stained glass windows with dice, and Fog of Love where you navigate the celebrations and challenges of a romantic comedy relationship, to their latest hit Kites that has players working together playing cards and flipping sand timers to never let a kite crash… they love when your gaming table is overflowing with joy!

Check out this flyer for complete details.

*** Parent supervision is required ***

DaVinci Academy intersession week is right around the corner… 

DaVinci Academy’s intersession program offers students in all grades additional opportunities to grow and learn. One optional, fee-based intersession is offered per school year and, while not required, the school strongly encourages all students to take advantage of it.

Regular classes are suspended during intersession so that students may focus on and develop a deeper understanding of a particular subject area.

Busing is not available during intersession and school lunch is not served either, as these days are not regular school days.

Registration for intersession will be open from April 5 to April 19. Check out this page to read more about intersession week, and this one to find the program handbook and preview the options we will offer this year. 

The bill (SF920) was amended in Committee to clarify that all charter schools are included in funding!!!

SF920 (HF562)  would establish due process revenue for special education teachers to complete due process forms and procedures for schools. Charter schools would receive $116 per pupil APU FY2024 and $65 per pupil APU for FY 2025 and later. The bill still has a ways to go, but it now includes charter schools as it moves on in the process.

We thank the parents and community members who sent messages to their representatives on our behalf because not only does that make a difference, but it is another way that we are celebrating our DaVinci mission and vision.  Parent involvement comes in all forms, and this certainly qualifies, so thank you.

The PTO is happy to bring the CEAP Community Challenge to DaVinci again this year! The barrels will be at the school until April 3.

Did you know that CEAP shares about 500,000 meals with our community each month through our Food Market, Meals on Wheels, senior grocery delivery, and other food assistance programs?

The CEAP Community Challenge: March of a Million Meals is our way of putting a fun and competitive spin on March FoodShare, a tradition for food shelves throughout Minnesota. This “March of a Million Meals”, lend a hand of support to share those meals this month while funding them for the next!

CEAP’s goal is to raise $200,000 and 150,000 pounds of food, which will support one month of the CEAP food assistance program. From February 27-April 9, Minnesota FoodShare provides a proportional match for every pound of food or dollar donated to CEAP as part of the March FoodShare campaign.

Come cheer on our DaVinci boys and girls basketball teams during our March Madness event on Saturday, March 25. We will celebrate our students who played basketball for DaVinci this year.

Teams will be announced over the gym speakers followed by a 20-minute scrimmage. You’ll see the team times below, but feel free to come for as many of the games as you’d like.

• 10:00-10:30 2nd Grade Boys and 3rd Grade Girls
• 10:30-11:00 3rd Grade Boys
• 11:15-12:00 4th Grade Girls and 4th Grade Boys
• 12:30-1:15 5th Grade Boys
• 1:15-1:45 6th Grade Girls and 6th Grade Boys
• 2:00-2:30 7th Grade Rec and Travel Boys
• 2:30-3:00 7th/8th Grade Girls vs DaVinci Teachers and Coaches
• 3:00-3:30 8th Grade Rec and Travel Boys vs DaVinci Teachers and Coaches

Hope to see you there!

Spring Conferences are April 6, from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.

Classroom teachers will be sending information regarding conference sign-ups this week and next. 

Conferences are available in person, virtually, or by phone. Families select their preference when signing up.

If you have questions regarding spring conference, please contact your student’s homeroom/advisory teacher.

*** NO SCHOOL – April 6-11 ***

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides eligible households a discount of up to $30 per month off their internet bills (or up to $75 per month for households living on Tribal lands), as well as a one-time discount of up to $100 off an eligible connected device like a laptop, desktop computer or tablet. In many cases, households can get high-speed internet without paying a dime by choosing a fully covered internet plan.

This announcement serves as a reminder that a household is eligible to participate in the ACP if a child in the household receives free or reduced-price school meals. Therefore, under the ACP rules, every household with a child attending a school participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program is eligible for ACP benefits.

Households can learn more and apply for the ACP at GetInternet.gov

While this reminder is specific to schools that are participating in CEP, additional information about eligibility for CEP discount benefits can be found in the  School Outreach Toolkit PDF (English  an  School Outreach Toolkit PDF (Spanish). The toolkit provides information about ways households can qualify for the ACP, including through an individual student’s participation in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program providing free or reduced-price meals; through a household member’s participation in a wide range of other federal assistance programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and many others; or based on the household’s income (up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level).

If your family has plans to move on from DaVinci at the end of this school year, please reach out to enrollment@davincicharterschool.org to let us know.  Filling vacancies is easier if we are aware of these in advance of the summer.

We understand that life happens, and moves are sometimes unpredictable, and we appreciate you sharing any enrollment change detail as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Pam Carlson

DaVinci Academy Enrollment Coordinator