Greetings Connect K8 Families,

It's almost time! Classes begin on campus next week on 8/22 for the M/T cohort and on 8/25 for the TH/F cohort. We can't wait to begin this school year with all of you! If you missed our orientations this week, please review the slide deck and zoom recording. These meetings included important information that will help the first day(s) of classes run more smoothly for our community! 

If you would like resources on how to support your students in transitioning to the school year, we share some specific strategies in the above 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!

Speaking of family, we wanted to share an update on our Executive Director, Michelle Rainey, and her daughter, Emily. As many of you might know, Emily was diagnosed with cancer in Fall of 2020. This recent article in the Daily Breeze gives a touching update on their journey. The Rainey family has been a beautiful and integral part of the Da Vinci Connect Family since our inception, and Emily's journey has had profound impacts on our staff and community. We are thrilled to share this update after a very difficult two years. If you are interested in supporting Team Emily, you can find more info HERE. Emily, Michelle, Hannah and Rob--you are loved!

Enjoy the weekend, and we can't wait to see you next week!

Kaitlin (she/her) and Sage (he/him)

Drop Off and Pick Up!

Along with the start of the year comes new Drop off and Pick up routines! Please review our zoom orientation meeting 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.

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 visit pages 29-31 of 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). 

Chromebook Checkout

If your family does not have access to a device at home and is in need of one to support your student's homeschooling, you can request to borrow a school Chromebook for the year HERE. Please know that we have a limited supply of loaner Chromebooks for distribution. Once you complete the form above, Kaitlin or Sage will reach out when one becomes available to you.

Meals at Connect

We are so excited that the state of CA is the first in the country to announce that school meals (breakfast and lunch) will continue to be FREE for all students! You can drop your student off at Connect on their school day for breakfast as early as 8:55 am. You can browse meal menus HERE.

If your child has a dietary restriction, please complete this form and submit to our front office.

While meals are free for all students regardless of income, we need all families to complete their household income forms (recently sent to you via schoolmint)--this data has substantial effects on our funding! Thank you!

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 next week!