elliot da vinci’s update is designed to help keep our
TRANSCRIPT
In the spring the school held the “Hats for History” fundraiser, supporting our student Ally Perlich in the 2019 National History Day competition at the University of Maryland over the summer.
Doral Academy of
Northern Nevada
August Newsletter
Elliot da Vinci’s Update
K-8 | August 30, 2019 | No. 10
Back to School! We are so excited to welcome our new families and returning dragons! Here is this month’s edition of Elliot da Vinci’s Update. Our newsletter is designed to help keep our families informed about current happenings at Doral Academy. We want to hear from you! If you have a story or individual that has made an impact that we should highlight, please email us. Thank you for playing an important part in the success of our amazing Arts-Integration school in South Reno!
New School Year Updates
The start of the school year brings exciting changes to Doral Academy, from the welcome addition of many new teachers to the Doral family, to the expansion of eighth grade classes, to our brand new Literacy Lounge, and much more! Make sure you have the code from your child(ren)’s teachers for
Bloomz, our regular app for communication.
Letter from the Principal Oprah Winfrey has time and again credited the following advice to the greatly esteemed Dr. Maya Angelou: “When you know better, you do better.” As an educator, a parent, and as a friend, this simple statement guides my own practice. I explained early on to my colleagues at Doral Academy that never a year goes by in which I do not wish I could return to my previous students and alter the way I taught or provide different, more robust opportunities for my students. Based upon newly ascertained knowledge and lived experiences I realize that I could have done better and wish, of course, that I had “known then what I know now.” But I have to remind myself that I am learning and growing alongside my students and my peers and make a solemn promise that when I know better, I will do better. In my five months at our wonderful school, I have witnessed teachers act upon this proverbial sentiment. For instance, when confronted with shifting towards a new math curriculum, teachers did not respond with angst or resentment. They uniformly acknowledged the research base and determined that despite extra preparation on their end, what was best for student learning should ultimately guide our practice. When challenged with decades of research on literacy practices that either directly contradicted or partially dismantled what they had learned in their university programs, they took deep breaths and asked, “What else do we need to learn to ensure that every single student learns to read?” And embracing new found knowledge did not end with math and literacy, as our team sought out learning across the disciplines and used their summer break to grow professionally. They have investigated and grappled with their new learning in inspiring ways. Even as master practitioners, they are ready to do better now that they know better. I could not be prouder to be a member of this team of educators that embraces new
knowledge to positively impact instruction and learning for all students. Every day at Doral Academy of Northern Nevada, students, teachers, parents and administrators have the awesome opportunity to learn and grow to become better and wiser versions of ourselves. Our school and our community provide a lush and rich environment for this type of development. At the very core, our school is a learning community, and we are incredibly excited to partner with you to do better as we know better and, most importantly, to model for our students that the journey towards wisdom is long, winding, and full of necessary challenges. Our students will grow from their mistakes and be asked to think about big ideas in new ways. They will be confronted with opportunities disguised as problems and need help navigating murky and nuanced social and academic situations. This is all a part of growing up and doing better, and we all feel lucky to have earned your trust as we embark on this learning journey together this year. Angela Orr - Principal [email protected]
Join the PTO What is the PTO? PTO stands for Parent-Teacher Organization, it consists of parents, staff, and teachers working together to support and enrich all students. Our objective is to provide our school with funds, programs, resources and services that will maximize the education of every child and benefit the school. Who can be a member? Every DANN parent, staff member and teacher is eligible to sign up as a PTO member! How do I sign up? You can sign up on the DANN website The cost is $10 per family. You can also choose to donate an additional $2 and in return get a new and improved waterproof Doral Dragon decal for your car or water bottle! What does PTO Support? Doral PTO supports a variety of activities including teacher appreciation week, school
pass, staff appreciation lunches, the PTO Jog-A-Thon, and support for all programs including music, art, literacy, SPED, athletics and so much more! Please join us for our first PTO meeting! When: Monday, September 9th @ 6:30pm Where: Doral Academy of Northern Nevada Questions or comments? Please email us anytime at [email protected] We look forward to an amazing year!
Athletics Updates Mrs. Confer and Mr. Smith
We are proud to announce Doral Academy of Northern Nevada is now a part of Tah-Neva League! As co-Athletic Directors at DANN, we would like to express our appreciation to all of the Doral families who attended our first Tah-Neva Doral Athletics meeting, July 30th! This meeting informed our families and student-athletes of Doral’s Athletics expectations, filling out proper participation paperwork and provided the opportunity to sign up for cross country and girls’ basketball. We look forward to a great turnout and participation from our Doral 5-8th grade student-athletes! Let’s fill our trophy case!
Staying Connected to Campus
Important Dates Sep 3 First Girls Hoops Home Game 4:00pm
Sep 9 First PTO Meeting 6:30pm
Friday Sep 13th Early Release Day
GT Teacher Sue Gonyou
My name is Sue Gonyou and I am thrilled to be joining the staff at Doral Academy, working with identified gifted and talented students. I spent 43 years in the classroom with 15 of those years in direct education with gifted and talented students. I am on staff at University of Nevada as a part time instructor, focusing on Gifted Education certification development. I am retired from Washoe County School District and my focus at this stage is UNR, Doral and travel! I look forward to supporting the work that is done in the classroom and extending learning via enrichment and interdisciplinary projects. I will meet with each grade level an hour a week and will include regular updates and evaluations at the end of each term. I will also coordinate with the classroom teachers to create connections between what is being taught and where enrichment is most needed. I can be reached by email at the following address: [email protected]. Let the discovery begin!
Counselor’s Corner Anni Chedwick
I hope everyone has had a fabulous Summer! My name is Anni Chedwick and I am honored to be the School Counselor at Doral Academy. I cannot wait to spend time with all of our returning students and families, as well as welcome our new Dragons and their families to our wonderful school. I know we are going to have a great year! This Summer I have been working to develop Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons for all of our fantastic Dragons. At Doral Academy we implement the 8 Habits of Happy Kids/Highly Effective Teens by Stephen and Sean Covey.
The Habits are incorporated school wide K-8. The Habits are utilized in SEL lessons as well throughout the day in the classroom, in the hallways, at lunch/recess and in our community. Throughout the year we will discuss the Habits/SEL in the newsletters and share what our wonderful students are working on regarding the 8 Habits/SEL. Please email me at [email protected] Have a great Month!
Curriculum-Insights
The 8 Habits
Put First Things First Sharpen The Saw
Think Win-Win
Janelle Mousel
I am so excited to be here at Doral and to join this wonderful family. I am the Instructional Coach, supporting teachers to achieve their best so they in turn can give their best to their students—your children. I have been teaching for 11 years, for two of which having served as a coach and learning strategist, where my job revolved around making sure students could read. My favorite part of teaching is working with students and watching them grow. I am so looking forward to meeting all of you and to learning about your children as we work together as a team so they achieve all they can!
School Lunch Paperwork Doral Academy is asking families to complete the Household Income Verification form. Although the school is not participating in the National School Lunch Program for the 2019-2020 school year, completion of this form will help the school better assess our students’ need for Free and Reduced-price meals as well as compete for state grants and federal programs.
Volunteering at Doral The school community thrives on our parent volunteers' helping hands. Each year, we encourage parents to volunteer their time to support their children. This can be done in the classroom, on the playground, through donations, at PTO events and school committees, on field trips, and much more! Click here to sign up to volunteer at Doral.
Pick-up and Drop-off We have changed procedures for picking up and dropping off students. Both morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up are now split into separate times for upper school (Grade 5-8) and lower school (k-4). Detailed procedures for the new arrival and dismissal system can be found on the school website as well as the waiver for off-campus walkers.
National History Day Ally Perlich
Dear Doral Family, I would like to share some moments from my NHD trip and also to express my sincere gratitude for the support you have shown me! I didn’t win any additional awards, but nothing will top all of my unforgettable memories that I made. The wealth of knowledge that I obtained during the competition will stay with me throughout schooling and into my future profession! The awards ceremony was in the gym at the University of Maryland. All the contestants began the ceremony with a huge parade showcasing their state flags. This was my first time roaming around a college campus. It had such a neat atmosphere! There were about thirty Nevada contestants. We had pizza and had a chance to trade pins with other contestants. Some of the most memorable locations that competed are: China, South Korea, Alaska, and Hawaii. The NHD theme this year was “Triumph and Tragedy”, and for my project I chose to do an individual website titled: “The Creation of the Federal Reserve”.
All Nevada NHD contestants enjoyed a BattleBorn breakfast with our Senators: Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto. From the Senate office building we started our Capitol tour and took an underground tunnel there. Fun fact: each state has two statues in the Capitol. After the tour we received gallery tickets to see the Senate. It was so interesting to watch our U.S. Senators vote. This year’s NHD theme is breaking barriers in history and I’m already thinking through which topic I will tackle. I hope to see
some fellow Dragons showcase and compete their awesome NHD projects next year. Wishing you all the best school year ever, Ally