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da Vinci Arts Middle School
Creative minds
for challenging times.

2508 NE Everett Street•Portland, OR 97232•Ph (503) 916-5356•Fx (503) 916-2721

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da Vinci News

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  • The PTSA Online Auction is LIVE!!!!

    5/9/2025

    We need your help! Please support the students of da Vinci by visiting our online auction now: davinci.schoolauction.net/2025 Bid on fantastic items, enter raffles, and donate directly to KEEP THE ARTS ALIVE at da Vinci! 

    ALL da Vinci classrooms and programs rely on PTSA funding, and with budget cuts coming, da Vinci's programs are at risk. To fund classrooms and departments at current levels, we need to raise $100,000 from this event, which averages out to about $250 per da Vinci family. Any amount helps, anyone can donate or bid (friends, family, neighbors!), and all proceeds go to essential supplies, materials, and programming. Let's invest in education, the arts, and the students of da Vinci middle school!
     
    EXTEND OUR REACH: Share the auction link with friends and family!

  • 8th Grade End of Year Activities 2025

    5/15/2025

    This link contains info about the following 8th grade events:

    The 8th grade Promotion will be at Benson High School on June 11th beginning at 6:30pm, for yearbook purchasing, the Oaks Park Field Trip, the last day of school and yearbook distribution.

  • Spring Dance Concert Videos

    5/22/2025
    Greetings da Vinci Dance Families ~
    Here are the videos of both the A & B shows from our Spring Dance Concerts last week. Please enjoy and share!
    With gratitude,
    Sara Martins

  • Mark Your Calendars

    4/1/2025

    Thursday, May 29th ~ PTSA End of Year Gathering at Migration Brewery

    Thursday & Friday, May 29th-30th ~ Spring Masters Drama Showcase 6pm

    Wednesday, June 4th ~ Creative Writing & Visual Arts Capstone Showcase (5-6:30pm)

    Thursday, June 5th ~ Oaks Park for 8th Grade

    Wednesday, June 11th ~ 8th Grade Promotion @ Benson HS (6-8pm)

  • da Vinci Travels 2026

    3/20/2025
    In Summer 2026, we're going to Japan!
    Every summer, drama tech teacher Heidi Sprecher, and social studies teacher Chelsea Blair lead trips around the world for students. 
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    We are so excited to go on this trip, which starts in Kyoto and then travels up to Tokyo while seeing some of the most amazing and iconic sights in the country. If you have questions about upcoming or recently passed info sessions for this trip, please reach out to Heidi at HSprecher@pps.net.
     

Dragon Tales, Weekly Newsletter

District News

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  • Student Filmmakers Showcase Their Monster Talent

    5/22/2025

    The assignment their teacher gave them was simple – make a short film that begins with a phone call and ends with someone hanging up. Benson first-year students Dylan Martinez-Torres and Dariel Soriano Zamora ran it all the way to a small city populated by two very big and rather iconic monsters – Godzilla and Hedora.

    The result, Sorry, Wrong Number, is one of the more than 90 films entered into the annual Best of PPS Film Festival. The festival is a celebration of exceptional student filmmaking that includes a showcase at the historic Hollywood Theatre. 

    The fourth annual installment of the festival took place on May 21 and included a screening of 13 standout films. The films came from all over PPS and ran the gamut from Dylan and Dariel’s monster short to documentaries, film noir, and broadcast journalism. 

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  • Join the Climate Crisis Response Committee

    5/19/2025

    If you are a passionate student or community member that wants to make a difference at PPS, apply to join the Climate Crisis Response Committee! This is a committee that reports to the PPS Board of Education.

    On the committee you will learn about how PPS is making progress towards our climate justice and sustainability policies, provide input and recommendations to the PPS Board on how to better support PPS staff as we advance these policy goals, and connect with other passionate members of our PPS community from diverse backgrounds, knowledge areas, and lived experiences.

    No previous professional experience in climate change or sustainability required! Students can apply via this form. Community members can apply here.

    Deadline to apply: June 6. 

  • Students Dance Their Hearts Out at This Year's Earthstock

    5/19/2025

    Earthstock 2025 was a huge success!

    Each year, special education students from across the region gather at Portland's Crystal Ballroom for a truly unique and uniquely joyful high school dance. 

    Earthstock began in 1992 at the request of a young student who was confined to a wheelchair and was disappointed he couldn’t attend the high school dances because of transportation issues. There were 60 kids at the first event. Earthstock now entertains more than 700 students, staff and volunteers, and is rapidly becoming one the largest events of its kind in the country. 

  • Author and Former PPS Teacher Visits Skyline

    5/19/2025

    Students at Skyline school were recently treated to a visit from PPS teacher-turned-graphic novelist Aron Nels Steinke. 

    Steinke is the award-winning author and illustrator behind the popular Mr. Wolf's Class series. He also taught at Skyline during the 2015-16 school year.

    During his visit to Skyline, he opened up to a group of third, fourth, and fifth graders about how he got started as an author despite struggling to read and write in school. He also read a short excerpt from his newest book, Speechless. 

    Speechless tells the story of Mira, a sixth grader who spends her first year of middle school finding herself and her voice. Skyline students were some of the book's first readers. We can't wait to see what Mr. Steinke writes next!

     

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