From Your Administrative Team |
Greetings Connect K-8 Families!
A Message From Michelle: While serving as your principal for the past 8 years, my commitment remained fixed on providing students with an excellent educational community, supporting a positive and collaborative school culture, exploring and promoting innovation in education and advocating for a family’s right to choose educational pathways that honor the unique needs of each student. I want to assure you that in my new role as Connect and Extension’s Executive Director, and in collaboration with Kaitlin, Marc (Connect HS/DVX Assistant Principal) and the entire Connect/Extension staff, I remain committed to all the above. I am also abundantly confident and excited to introduce and congratulate your new principal, Kaitlin Toon, who I have had the honor of working with for the past decade. Please read below for Kaitlin’s first message as your new principal.
A Message From Kaitlin: It is the honor of my lifetime to continue to serve our community in this new capacity. I have had the great fortune of spending the last 5 years learning from and collaborating with Michelle as your Assistant Principal/Dean of Students, and in Da Vinci Connect classrooms before that as a founding teacher when we first opened our doors in 2011. When not engaging with the Da Vinci community, I am spending time exploring, playing, and dancing with my husband and our 4 yr old daughter, Lylah. As I step into this new role, I am thrilled to continue serving our staff, families, and students with integrity, equity, and a whole lot of love.
We look forward to seeing some of you at a special Fireside Chat THIS Friday from 4:00pm-4:30pm. You can join us HERE.
With Gratitude,
Michelle, Marc, and Kaitlin
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Please note that Veteran's Day will be observed tomorrow on Wednesday, November 11.
This is a non-school day. Thank you, Veterans!
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DV Connect FAN’s Kindness Movement: Thanks(giving) Opportunity! 🍁
You can make a difference in your community this Thanksgiving! Please join Hooper’s Helpers this coming Saturday, 11/14 for their 3rd annual Thanksgiving drive-by food drive at: 525 Earle Lane in Redondo Beach, CA 90278.
Our goal is to feed 500 families through the Hoopers Helping Food Drive-Thru!
Here is a list of much needed and in-demand items you can bring through the drive-thru:
*Canned vegetables, beans and fruit
*Whole turkeys
*Canned fish and meat: tuna, chicken, ham, etc.
*Cereal and breakfast foods
*Peanut butter
*Boxed and canned meals: soup, spaghettio’s, mac & cheese, hamburger helper, tuna helper, etc.
*Bagged egg noodles
*2 lb. bags of rice or pinto beans
*Bread
*Potatoes
-Please, no glass
Thank you for participating and spreading the spirit of giving and gratitude this season!
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Student Board Member Application Open!
Recently, student advocates at the high school level pushed forward a proposal to include student board members, and it has passed!
There is ONE open student board member seat available to 7th/8th grade DV Connect students! If your student is interested, please make a copy of THIS APPLICATION and submit to Kaitlin by Friday, 11/20/20. Please not that part of the application requires prior approval from a teacher/counselor at Connect.
Students who are appointed a board member seat will serve the remainder of this year and the entirety of next school year. If the seat is filled by an 8th grader, their seat will be re-appointed upon their graduation. Student applicants will be notified by 12/4/2020
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Art with Mr. Mason!
There will be NO live art classes this week in observance of the Veteran's Day holiday. If you are missing that art lesson goodness, don't forget that Mr. Mason has over 45 pre-recorded art lessons available in his google classroom (join code: 3vs27ai) that you can access at any time! Don't forget to check them out and schedule some art into your week!
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For K-8 Parents: The Parent Center at Da Vinci Connect
Google Classroom (Code = w3yytj2)
- There is so much useful content for families in the GC. Please share the code again! Sections include:
- Supplemental Curriculum offerings + links and login credentials
- Curriculum resources like webinar/workshop recordings, quick start guides and lesson planning tools
- Workshop dates/times and sign-up links
- Podcasts
- Links to articles and webinars + so much more!
Office Hours for 1:1 Meetings with Theresa
Workshops
- The following workshops have been held in September & October. Recordings have been posted in The Parent Center Google Classroom:
- Science 4 Us (K-2)
- ThinkCERCA Onboarding + Benchmark Assessments (6-8)
- ThinkCERCA Middle School Parent + Student Jam (weekly meeting on Thursdays from 1-2) hosted by parent educator ThinkCERCA “Champions” Laura Caputo, Lena Garcia & Jahmal Durham.
- Reflex Math (2-6)
- Gizmos Science & Math Simulations (3-8) - I am waiting to receive the recording from ExploreLearning
- Beast Academy Online + Data (Grades 3-5)
- MAP Scores 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Your Child’s MAP Scores
- Guided Reading Demystified (Grades 3-5)
What’s Coming Up on the Calendar?
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ThinkCERCA Middle School Parent + Student Jam (weekly meeting on Thursdays from 1-2) hosted by parent educator ThinkCERCA “Champions” Laura Caputo, Lena Garcia & Jahmal Durham. This will be an on-going space for parents and students to collaborate on writing using the CERCA Framework and the ThinkCERCA platform
- Use this link to attend the next meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87917820269?pwd=dmhIT3FpOWVjR0JLM1I2VEJwU3V5UT09
- Meeting ID: 879 1782 0269 and Passcode: thinkcerca
- Check out the Middle School Collaboration Padlet for details https://padlet.com/tleone8/gbrx4b6k32awqfcb
- How to Create a Calming Plan: A tool from Happily Family
- This one-hour workshop will present Happily Family's tool to create a calming plan for the entire family. As they say, when counting to ten isn't enough we all need to have a protocol in place. The key is to work together when everyone is already calm to put a plan in place.
- Participants will have the opportunity to create a Calming Plan for their entire family, as well as learn strategies to implement it to support every member of the family in the just-right and just-in-time way!
- Use this link to sign up https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044ba8af2ea0f85-howtocreate
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Student photos ready!
E-mails with the links to student galleries were sent last week. Please consider purchasing your student's photos! They make great holiday gifts ;)
If you did not receive an e-mail with the link to your child's photo gallery, make sure you check your spam folder and also the secondary e-mail contact in your family. If you still cannot locate them, please e-mail the front office at connect@davincischools.org
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Free E-book and Resources!
DV Connect Parent, Jessica Collaco, is generously sharing her newest children's book with our community, and it is perfect timing to support the upcoming feelings that might come up as our families navigate the holiday season during this pandemic! See details below:
"CHRISTMAS IS CANCELED!!...So is Halloween, Thanksgiving....ALL THE HOLIDAYS are CANCELED!!!
That won't stop Tick and Legs from trying to celebrate, just the two of them. But what happens when they realize that, despite their antics and fun, it's just not the same?
This hilarious duo will have young readers laughing as they aim to make the best of a challenging situation, all while showing perseverance, creativity, compassion and kindness. Christmas is Canceled also acknowledges that sometimes despite our best efforts, we feel disappointed about the results. Parents and Educators will find this to be a great book to support kids through their feelings as they navigate the holiday season.
Perfect for reading aloud, shared story time, independent reading and classroom sharing. Tick and Legs: Christmas is Canceled is great for kids ages 3-8 and grade K-3"
Bonus: You can download the E-book for free HERE, and utilize the accompanying free printables HERE!
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Wellness Wednesdays!
In celebration of Wellness Wednesdays we have two Dare to Share challenges for parents and kiddos!
Share your favorite Exercise!
Physical activities are an important part of having a healthy brain..
Show us how YOU stay healthy!
~Challenge~
Create a 90-second workout routine!
~also~
Join us on our Dare to Share 'Padlet' and ‘Flipgrid’ video link to post something special about YOU! Take an opportunity today to break away from the madness and share a personal inspiration. This is the perfect time to be kind to yourself, by sharing something special about you!
Padlet:
Flipgrid:
password:
Dare2020
*Please Join our Google Classroom for upcoming Connect activities: z4vwsju
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Receiving our Blog?
We've entered parent email addresses to our K-8 and High School blog so you should now receive blog emails periodically (we've sent out 2 to each group so far). They arrive in your inbox like an email from "Da Vinci Connect" and the subject line is "Da Vinci Connect Updates" (K-8) and "Da VInci Connect High School Updates" (HS).
If you aren't receiving them, check your spam/clutter/junkmail box and if there's nothing there, try subscribing directly on our blog site (you can check back here periodically as well). Connect HS Blog found HERE and Connect K-8 Blog found HERE. |
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