Hello Da Vinci Connect Families,

Happy February and Black History Month! We will highlight a new resource in each weekly newsletter this month that allows you, your family, and your learners the opportunity to expand our understanding of Black History and celebrate Black community members past and present. Our first resource comes from Facing History and Ourselves, which has curated a collection of poets, athletes and activists to explore further! This feels timely as we gear up for our Speaker's Jam this week! Maybe your student will be inspired to read one of the linked poems for our community on Wednesday! We also want to share this list of children's books from PBS to help our youngest learners celebrate Black History Month!

We also want to wish everyone who celebrates a beautiful Lunar New Year! If you would like to celebrate and learn more, The South Coast Botanical Garden is celebrating every weekend in February!

The month of February also brings the opportunity to practice kindness and share our gratitude for those we love--we encourage you to approach Valentine's Day through this lens, and The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has SO many resources to help! If your family would like to celebrate Valentine's Day at school with gratitude/kindness notes for friends, please look to your child's teacher for guidance on how their class might celebrate. In any celebration, we ask that you leave the candy/treats at home. Thank You!

Finally, you may notice that each classroom has a new corkboard by the door. These are for YOU! Families deserve a space to connect with each other on campus, and we wanted to provide a tangible space for you to share your birthday invites, field trip ideas, social opportunities, and more! We hope this brings more connection to your classroom community amongst families, and that you choose to spend time after school on campus with each other when picking up your kiddos <3

Stay Warm and Dry!

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

Professional Development Day

Friday February 9th

No school or homeschool

Parent Educator Conference #3!

Wednesday 2/7 9:00am-12:00pm + lunch options after

LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP + RESERVE LUNCH ORDER!

We are excited to welcome you to campus on February 7^th for our Parent Educator Conference (PEC): Engaging Mathematicians.

PEC is a half-day conference with three full sessions of workshops led by members of the DV Connect staff and community.

• There will be coffee and pastries served from 8:15-9am. Come early to network with other parent educators and chat with staff!
• Workshop Sessions are 55 minutes in length and will be offered at 9am, 10am & 11am.

We are using the Sched App for event registration and workshop sign-up. Please use this link to access the event schedule and create your personalized plan for the day.

YOU MUST LOG IN VIA WEBSITE OR THE SCHED APP TO VIEW THE SCHEDULE, SIGN UP FOR WORKSHOPS, AND ACCESS RESOURCES.

*See below for details on how to download the app*

Don’t Forget to Pre-Order Your Lunch from MRKT El Segundo

MRKT El Segundo will be on campus with yummy sandwiches, bowls, salads, and wraps—as well as chips, cookies, drinks!

Use this link to reserve your lunch. You can pay when you pick it up on the day. Just remember, they use a CASHLESS payment system. Credit & debit cards, Apply Pay, and Google Pay are all accepted.

Important Logistics For a Smooth Conference Day

Parking & Street Sweeping Information

• Please remember that the front parking lot is for the Wiseburn Preschool families only.
• Connect TK8 families are welcome to park in the back lot (near the field), or at Del Aire park (next door), or in the neighborhood.
• Also, keep in mind that there is street cleaning on Isis Avenue, on Wednesdays, on our side of the street.

Childcare/Study Hall

• If you pre-registered and reserved a spot for your child, please send quiet homeschool work that can be done independently, as well as a book (or, two!).
• Remember to send snacks and water, as well.

PEC is one of the most valuable things you can do to build your skills as a home educator. You will leave PEC with strategies and tools to engage your children in meaningful and robust mathematics instruction, at home, the very next day! You will also benefit greatly from the opportunity to build social connections by meeting and collaborating with other parent educators.

If you have questions, or wonderings, please email Theresa, our Parent Educator Support Specialist.

WE HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU ON FEBRUARY 7^TH!

FAN Annual Rhythm Event: Speaker's Jam!

Wednesday, February 7 | Time: 1-3pm | Location: Connect K8 Campus

THIS WEDNESDAY! SEE YOU THERE!



The next Annual Rhythm Event "Speaker's Jam" is happening on the afternoon of February 7, 2024. This is a wonderful community building event and opportunity for families to come together and be inspired by our young poets, spoken word artists, storytellers, songwriters, and literary giants. This event is Connect's Signature 'Open Mic' celebration where both students and parents are encouraged to SPEAK and be heard! Families can participate by reading a poem, an ode, a sonnet, an inspiring passage, sharing a creative writing, or demonstrating the oral tradition of spoken word! Sign-Up to participate HERE!

Attention Core 1 | Student's and Parents

If you are interested in helping to plan this event-

please contact: Activities Coordinator Jahmal Durham 

jdurham@davincischools.org 

Learn more about our Connect K8 Activities HERE!