Dragon Tales

Greetings da Vinci Families,

It's hard for me to believe that we've reached the middle of February. Normally, I'm pretty excited to reach the mid-point in February as it means we have a 3-day weekend ahead of us. However, due to the rescheduling of school days, I want to remind everyone that THERE IS SCHOOL ON MONDAY.

We are also far enough into Quarter 3 that I would advise all families to spend some time checking out their student's Canvas account to look at grades and missing assignments. It is also a good idea for all families to hop onto ParentVue to check their student's attendance. We are seeing a slight uptick in the number of students who are late to class and we would appreciate your support in reminding students of the importance of being on time to class.

Speaking of tardies and attendance, our attendance team has identified students with an excessive number of tardies. Assistant Principal Ms. Wilson will be meeting with these students to set some attendance goals, talk through incentives, as well as possible consequences. After meeting with each student, Ms. Wilson will email families to keep them in the loop about those conversations.

Lastly, this past week I received our staffing allocations for the 2024-2025 school year. As you may have seen in last week's message from the district, PPS is facing a significant budget shortfall over the next two years. Unfortunately, there will be cuts at da Vinci. However, at this point in time I cannot say exactly how many or what those will look like. I do want to share with families the staffing priorities I shared with our staff during our meeting last Tuesday.

• Preserve Access to the Arts at da Vinci
• Meet New PE/Dance Requirements and PPS Core Programing Expectations
• Continue to focus on our school improvement goals around improving math and reading scores as well as a sense of belonging for all students
• Honor student forecasting requests as best as possible

The decisions that lie ahead will not be easy. However, until state funding improves, I am confident that these priorities will help everyone understand the reasoning behind those decisions.

As a reminder, we have school on Monday, February 19th. It will be a regular school day.

Our staff climate team would appreciate it if families could take time to fill out this survey to help us learn how best to support you. Please take a minute to fill out the survey, linked below:

English Version

Spanish Version

We are excited to present the 2024 da Vinci Spring Musical, Newsies Jr!

Please join us for this wonderful musical extravaganza on March 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th or 15th, with performances beginning at 7:00pm.

The final performance is a matinee on March 16th, beginning at 2:00pm. A $10.00 donation per ticket is suggested.

You can make your donation at the door, or to speed up the process, you can purchase your tickets through school pay.

The video from the Dance Showcase is finally ready. As I rewatched it, I was reminded of how special these events are for our students and families. We truly have some amazing students and teachers at da Vinci! You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIdyw-eJH4g

Grant High School presents the classic musical, GREASE! Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 16th. Don't miss this popular show and this incredible cast. We will have some general admission in designated sections at the door, but we encourage you to get your reserved seats at https://our.show/grant/grease

Check out these cool upcoming camps with an arts twist!

• VIBE of Portland Spring Break Camp (Mar 25-29)

• VIBE of Portland East Winds Band Camp (July 22-26)
  (Spanish) (Russian)

• VIBE of Portland Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids

• Cognizart 360 Arts Camp (July 8-12, 15-19, & 22-26)

Grant HS is hosting a viewing of Screenagers under the influence. We would like to extend the invitation to all feeder schools. The event will be on March 12th at 5:30 pm. Food will be provided before the show starts.

Grant HS has provided this information on the film: Screenagers Under The Influence: Addressing Vaping, Drugs, and Alcohol in the Digital Age, the third feature documentary in the Screenagers trilogy, delves into how the tech revolution has reshaped adolescence and its effects on substance use. The film debunks myths and shares strategies parents and schools can use to encourage healthy decision-making, support teen mental health, set limits, and create healthy home environments. The film also includes many ways young people are using their wisdom, strength and voice to help each other and themselves through this complicated terrain around substance use.