Greetings Connect K8 Families,

As you may have seen earlier today, Da Vinci Schools is communicating with our families regarding updates on Tropical Storm Hilary. For now, we plan to welcome students on campus for the first day of school on Monday 8/21! We will continue to share updates throughout the weekend.

Although safety is our number #1 priority and we have Rainy Day plans for our outdoor campus (don't forget to send them with an umbrella/poncho and maybe a change of clothes!), we understand that some of you might not feel comfortable sending your child to school for their first day during a storm. That is the beauty of Independent Study--you can choose to homeschool on Monday if that feels like the best plan for your family! We promise that Tuesday will feel just as special, and anything students learned on Monday will be shared continuously throughout the first few weeks of school. If you do plan to homeschool, we suggest diving in to some of our curriculum options that are ready to use, like BrainPop and Discovery Education--there are thousands of videos and content related to storms at a variety of grade levels! Remember that you can log in to curriculum by opening chrome>logging in to google using your child's DV email and PW>opening the curriculum folder on the bookmarks bar>clicking clever>clicking the curriculum of your choice.

If you would like resources on how to support your students in transitioning to the school year, we share some specific strategies in the below slide deck and recorded zoom orientation meeting. Thank you for choosing us to be part of this journey with your family, and for trusting us to take great care of your children while they're on campus with us!

It's going to be a beautiful year, and we can't wait to share it with you!

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

Welcome Back Parent Educator Conference!

Thank you to everyone who attended our Welcome Back Parent Educator Conference! Please review THIS SLIDE DECK and THIS ZOOM RECORDING for all necessary back to school info, in case you missed our in-person gathering!

Drop Off and Pick Up!

Along with the start of the year comes new Drop off and Pick up routines! Please review our orientation meeting recording and slide deck for full details regarding drop off and pick up. Crucial updates you need to know:

• Drop of will happen at the front gate each AM. Please prepare to say goodbye at the gate. Campus is closed to parents in the AM
• Pick up will also happen at the front gate. Please see the pickup route in the image below. (Front gate is indicated by red star). Campus is open to parents at pick up and you may either 1) walk in to campus to retrieve your child 2) meet them at the front gate 3) use our valet line or 4) if your child is in Core 4-5, you may sign the independent walker form to allow them to exit campus independently. Email connect@davincischools.org for more info
• When using our valet line, please do not stop or park your vehicle, or exit your vehicle at any time
• Please always enter our parking lot driving Southbound on Isis Ave. Turning left into our parking lot during drop off or pick up causes unsafe traffic conditions for all.
• Please don't cut the valet line. Follow the protocol to ensure safe flow of traffic--this also means no U-turns on Isis Ave.
• Always follow our Good Neighbor Policy, especially when parking in the neighborhood. Do not block driveways, do not walk on neighbor's property, and please ensure that no trash makes its way into the neighborhood.

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!

Dress Code

The purpose of Da Vinci’s dress code policy is to foster a physically and emotionally safe and respectful environment at school where students focus on who each other is, not what they wear. Please review our handbook for more specific information on our dress code. Most importantly, please be aware that we require close toed shoes with backs. Some kiddos will be happy to know that Crocs count as close toed shoes as long as they are in “sport mode” (worn with backstraps). 

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!