Greetings Connect K8 Families,

We are getting so excited to welcome you onto campus for 1:1 meetings, Whole School Orientation PEC, social gatherings, and our Welcome Back Party! Your first week of homeschooling is quickly approaching and you might be feeling a mixture of emotions. All feelings are welcome! This journey ebbs and flows like parenting--some days will feel blissful, and some days will feel really hard. Our best advice is to be gentle with yourself and your child(ren). Give yourselves grace, pivot when necessary, and celebrate when it feels good!

If your child is feeling anxious about the school year beginning--lead with curiosity! Ask them questions they can wonder about aloud with you. Validate any feelings that come up and make plans for how you might support them. You might also model self-talk (ie "I remember that I felt really scared to start a new school in 2nd grade. I was worried about...and then it turns out I felt...it ended up being A-OK!"). You can also help prep your child with information about what to expect by reading back to school themed children's books, make your plan for what drop off will look like, etc. More info on prepping for back to school will be shared during our Parent Educator Conference detailed below!

As you may have heard from your child's teacher, we are shifting our Learning Log practices (new and improved format for families!) and using Canvas as a schoolwide learning platform! All Da Vinci Schools now use Canvas as a learning platform for students and families. This is a replacement to google classroom and will be used as a family dashboard. Families will log in to their student’s Canvas account using their student’s Da Vinci e-mail address and password. In Canvas there will be resources for BOTH parents and students, a schoolwide calendar, Learning Logs, and much more! Soon, we will also be migrating our weekly e-mails to Canvas Announcements within the Canvas dashboard. Please use the attached Tech User Guide for more info. We also recommend accessing Canvas via the app on your smart phone. This dashboard is something we expect families to check regularly for updates and important information. To learn more about these changes, please consider attending our Welcome Parent Educator Conference on Wednesday!

Additionally, we would like to note our expectations for how we are in community at Da Vinci Connect as the school year begins. We are an inclusive space that aims to ensure everyone feels safe, heard, and valued as their unique selves. Come as you are! If you have questions about what this means or looks like in action, you can refer to our Family Handbook (also linked at the bottom of every newsletter), or reach out to Kaitlin directly.

We look forward to connecting with you next week and welcoming you to our community for the 23-24 school year!

Kaitlin (she/her) and Robin (she/her)

Welcome Back Parent Educator Conference!

Wednesday August 16th @ 9:00 AM-12:00pm on Campus

*Recordings available afterward*

Workshops include FAN + Curriculum with Theresa and Jahmal, DV Connect Overview + Social Emotional Learning with Kaitlin and Nydia, and Canvas + Learning Logs with Robin and Nancy! All three workshops will run each session, so you can build your own schedule!

8:15-9:00 Mix and Mingle in the Learning Center

9:00-9:50 workshops

10:00-10:50 workshops

11:00-11:50 workshops

We hope to see you there!

Care and Comfort Kits!

Each year we ask families to provide a Care and Comfort Kit for their student(s) in the case of an emergency on campus. Please see (and print!) this form for directions on how to build your child's care and comfort kit.

Please drop off Care and Comfort Kits to the front office starting next week!

Chrome Book Request Form

If you are a family who needs to borrow a chromebook or wifi hotspot for your student for the 23-24 school year, you can complete this Request Form. When a chromebook becomes available to you, Kaitlin or Robin will reach out with next steps. Please know that we have a limited supply of chromebooks available for distribution, so only complete this form if it's a true need. Thank you!

Join Our Family Directory!

We want to make it easy for families to connect with one another! If you would like to be added to our family directory, please complete this google form. The directory will be available to Connect families within Canvas, which is a secure and private platform that only enrolled families can access. Feel free to share as much or as little information as you feel comfortable sharing!

1:1 Meetings with Classroom Teachers

August 14th-18th

The first week of school is meant to be a time to ease into your homeschool routine and explore how you want this journey to feel for you and your child! You will also have a 1:1 meeting with your child's teacher! More info, including links to sign up for your 1:1 meeting, has been sent by classroom teachers!

**If you have not received a welcome e-mail from your teacher, please reach out to the office at connect@davincischools.org

Welcome Back Party!

Friday August 18th from 11:00am-1:00pm

Connect Campus: 12520 Isis Ave. Hawthorne, CA 90250

Join us as we welcome our community back to campus for the 2023 school year! Meet other families and re-connect with friends and staff! There will be lots of activities for all, and we are happy to share that @Buddhaboytacos and @bumble_v_pastry will be serving up delicious Mexican and Filipino food (with vegetarian and vegan options!) for everyone to purchase and enjoy! Families can also bring their own lunches and picnic!