DaVinci Connection – August 11, 2023

The DaVinci students and staff began the school year this morning with our annual flag-raising ceremony.  All 1,000  students gathered at the flag pole to witness fifth-grade Boy Scout Owen Waa raise the flag. “I want to raise it slowly to be respectful of the flag,” said Owen. And, he did a beautiful job.

 We all said the Pledge of Allegiance, and then former DaVinci student Anita Simmons (class of 2023) sang a beautiful a capella rendition of the National Anthem.

We ended the gathering with the DaVinci Cheer. Do you know it? Your students do. If you are curious about the DaVinci cheer, here is a video that was created by former DaVinci student and Animator Grace Swearingen (class of 2015) *Hint the words are at the bottom so that you can repeat after Sophia Mannella who is voicing the cheer.

We’ve got SPARK, Yes we do!  We’ve got SPARK, how ‘bout you?

The PTO Committee would like to thank everyone who came out for Open House and participated in the very successful Food Truck event!  It was great to see so many people out and about and reconnecting after Summer break! 

We would LOVE for parents, teachers, and staff to join us at our first public meeting on Monday, August 28th at 4:30 in room 304, as we work together to gather ideas and plan for a fun-filled school year. 

Watch for our agenda to be posted on the DVA PTO homepage.  Note: We need a CPA!  If you are one or know of one who would be interested in helping out the PTO, please email us at: davincimnpto@gmail.com.

Hello DaVinci Families! 

The school social worker needs your support. Please consider donating backpacks, notebooks, tennis shoes, and non-perishable food items. Also, if your student has outgrown their uniform pants, we need khaki/black pants for grades 5-8. If you are donating, I ask that you check the expiration date on food.

Donations can be dropped off in the front office.

Thank you in advance for all your support!

Dom Jefferson

School Social Worker

djefferson@davincicharterschool.org

DaVinci Academy is using an online platform for late-start Sunrise Program registration. 

To access this, you will log into your Infinite Campus parent portal and shop for the late start Sunrise Program care dates you need in the School Store. 

• Cost: $10 per child, per Monday (eligible for educational benefits, applied in the school store) (Open to students in grades K-8)
• Note: If the cost of this program is a hardship for you, please complete this  23-24 Late Start Sunrise Program Fee Reduction Form
• Hours of operation: 7:30-8:40 am (students arriving after 8:00 am will be able to enter the school building at 8:30 am for the school day)

There will be 150 available spots for students each Monday morning. Additional spots may be added if additional staff members become available. Staff will be scheduled based on student registrations. Once the deadline has passed, we will not be able to accommodate any further registrations. We are also not able to accommodate any refunds or credits due to absences, inclement weather, etc.

Once you are logged into the parent portal, you will scroll down the left-hand side to find the School Store option. 

• Select the Late Start Sunrise Program option, next choose the date(s) you’d like your student(s) to attend the Late Start Sunrise Program, then choose the student(s) you are signing up for and add to your cart. 
• Continue adding options to your cart until you are ready to check out. 
• Check out using a credit card (5% fee applied) or checking account number (no fee). If you enter your email address, a receipt will be sent. 

Note: Once care on a particular date is full, it will no longer be available for purchase.

Contact Cassandra Anderson with any questions.

Why Support DaVinci?

DaVinci isn’t a private school, why does it ask for money? DaVinci is a public school that provides students with an exceptional private-school caliber education. But, as a charter school, DaVinci has a disadvantage compared to traditional neighboring school districts. While we both receive state funding, traditional public schools can supplement state funding with levy dollars. These dollars are not available to DaVinci. 

So what’s the difference? The big difference is levy dollars.  

Unlike traditional public schools, DaVinci Academy (and other charter schools) do not receive any funds from local, voter-approved levy dollars. Property tax levies make a huge impact on school funding. In fact – DaVinci receives about $2,650 LESS per pupil. THAT’S OVER $2 MILLION PER YEAR!

Impact on Staff Compensation

Compared to neighboring districts, the DaVinci Academy employee pay gap is 10%-40% less.

Imagine what we could do if we had access to the same level of funding as public schools. One of the goals of the School Development Committee is to make up this gap through fundraising so that we can pay our amazing teachers, educational assistants, and staff more!     

2023-2024 School Development Fundraising Events

The School Development Committee will have four primary fundraising events throughout the school year. These fundraising efforts include a combination of events that are supported through contributions from DaVinci families, vendors, local businesses, and community partnerships.    

These events include:

• • BoosterThon Fun Run – October 2-11 (Fun Run on October 11)
  • Give to the Max Day – November 16, 2023
  • Gala – Saturday, March 2, 2024 (New event!)
  • Golf Event – Saturday, June 8, 2024

The BoostherThon Fun Run will be our sole school-wide fundraising event and will combine the excitement of the Fun Run with the challenges, competitiveness, and grade-level incentives of Dollar-for-DaVinci.

If every family donated $200 during the school year, our annual fundraising goal of $250,000 would be met!

Other Options for Donating to DaVinci

Many DaVinci families have asked for the opportunity to give a larger,  one-time donation at the beginning of the school year, instead of contributing to multiple school fundraising events throughout the year. 

We’ve listened to your feedback! Families who wish to donate during the school year can visit our Bridging the Gap donation page. 

Request a matching gift through your employer.

Did you know you can double your support for DaVinci Academy? If your employer offers a matching gifts program, you can increase your gift at no additional cost to you! Many corporations match employee donations to DaVinci Academy. And if you volunteer with us, your employer may also provide us with a grant as a way to recognize your ongoing support.

Thank you in advance for your support!!!

Start practicing those smiles – school picture day is Friday, August 18. Students need to be in their uniforms for picture day. Picture retakes are scheduled for Friday, September 29. 

Students will begin NWEA MAP assessments on Monday, August 14. (The assessments will occur over several weeks to separate the sessions.) MAP assessments are unique because they adjust as the student tests – if a student is doing well, the questions get harder so we can truly determine what a student already knows. Teachers then analyze the information from the MAP assessment and adjust their instruction accordingly. 

Later in the year, students will take the assessment again to track their growth. Families will receive their students’ scores during conferences on October 16 and 17. 

If you have any questions about MAP testing, please contact Amy Erendu, Academic Director, at aerendu@davincicharterschool.org.

Oftentimes our parking lot is extremely full. Please follow these guidelines to help navigate a safe and quick in-and-out process.

• To keep the line moving in the morning use the Main Entrance when directed by a staff member
• Please slow down
• Do not use our neighbors’ driveway to turn around in. Drive around the block to exit the neighborhood.
• A staggered arrival time for dismissal helps immensely!  Families that can make slight schedule adjustments are asked to delay arriving for student pick-up until 3:10. Having 50 fewer cars in the parking lot between 2:50 and 3:00 would significantly help ease congestion and would greatly improve afternoon pick-up.
  • K-5 students are dismissed at 2:55, but our middle school students will not be dismissed until 3:00 to give the littles some time to get to their cars.  If you have a middle school student please consider arriving at the parking lot after 3:05.  
• Please always remember to set good examples for our students by showing SPARK during pick-up (and drop-off). Please respect the rules and guidance DaVinci has set forth for student pick-up and drop-off.

Thank you for your cooperation.

DaVinci Academy of Arts and Science offers a variety of after-school activities, most of which take place from 3:15-4:30 p.m. on school days. Some are taught by teachers and staff members employed by the school and some are offered by outside vendors. 

There will be three after-school activity sessions offered this year, and most activities will follow this schedule. For the 2023-24 school year, the dates for the sessions are as follows:

• Session 1 (Fall): Sept 6 – Nov 17 (family registration Aug. 15-25)
• Session 2 (Winter): Nov 28 – Feb 7 (family registration Nov. 1-10)
• Session 3 (Spring): Feb 19 – May 10 (family registration Jan. 30-Feb. 7)

For more information about after-school activities, check our website here.