Da Vinci Design

Greetings Designers and Design Families!

From all of the faculty and staff at Da Vinci Design, we wish you a wonderful summer break! Monday, August 18th is the first day of school for students in the 2025-26 school year. We will see you in August!

Class of 2025 Graduation Photos

Congratulations to the graduating Class of 2025! It was an honor and pleasure watching you walk the stage yesterday. Graduation photos from yesterday have been uploaded for families here – you may access and download them for FREE thanks to our incredible photographer Stacee:

• Da Vinci Design Graduation Ceremony – Class of 2025

New Families Welcome Webinar Today (June 18th)!

Hello incoming DVD families! Please attend the New Families Welcome webinar via Zoom at 6pm using this link:

• DVD New Families Welcome Webinar

This webinar will be recorded and made available after on the blog here. The webinar will cover “what to expect” as a DVD student, signature programs and practices, student life, and more! In-person orientation dates for new families will be available in August before the first day of school. Stay tuned for more info to come!

Summer Break Front Office announcements: 

• The Da Vinci Schools reception desk will be open for summer hours during the break. Please call us at 310-725-5800 between 8am-12pm to speak to someone on campus.
  • For attendance, student records requests, and work permits: reach out to Office Manager Maria Beltran at mbeltran@davincischools.org 
  • For all other questions or concerns, reach out to Asst. Principal Korina Pailin at kbarefield@davincischools.org 
• All Da Vinci Schools offices will be closed June 30th – July 4th. If you need to reach us, please reach out via email.
• Report cards have been mailed to arrive the week of June 16th. If you have questions about final grades, please reach out to teachers directly via email. Grade appeals must be initiated via email within 30 days of the end of the semester. For more information about final grades, see the DVD Student and Family Handbook

Please stay tuned over the summer! We will be making announcements for new families AND returning families here on the blog. See you in August!

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Happy Friday! Thanks for a great week of POLs. It has been great fun to learn so much this week from students and their presentations: from debates in English 10 and dissections in Biology, to insightful presentations about historical events and mathematical functions. Keep up the great work, Designers!

This week, a group of Da Vinci Design Seniors made the news in the Daily Breeze! A group of DVD 12th graders designed and published an activity book in collaboration with the Roundhouse Aquarium on the Manhattan Beach Pier, and were recognized for their impact on the local community. Click here to read the article “Da Vinci high schoolers create kids activity book for Roundhouse Aquarium – Daily Breeze“.

Tomorrow, students from our Fine Arts pathway and Honors Fundamentals of Design 2 will be presenting their work at a special art show at Indivisible Arts. Please join us on Saturday, June 7th from 4pm to 7pm to celebrate our student artists! More info in the flyer below.

Here is the Bell Schedule for Weeks 38 at Da Vinci Design:

End of Semester Announcements:

• PowerSchool and Canvas access for students/parents has been blocked starting 6/3 to finalize semester grades. The last day for students to check grades before seeing a final grade on report cards was on Monday, June 2nd.
• Report cards are mailed home on Friday, June 13th.
• POLs give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills and are an opportunity for students to reflect publicly on their learning. Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear professional attire. Any student with questions or needs regarding professional attire should speak to their counselor ASAP.
• A letter home regarding POL expectations and reminders will be sent to families within the next few days. Click here for the “POL Letter to DVD Families” for important information regarding POLs.

POL Treats for Teachers: Sign Up Here

Thank you so much to all of you who have celebrated our educators this week! If you would like to donate snacks like breakfast treats and coffee to our teachers, please use the sign-up below to tell us what you will be dropping off.

10th Grade Design Pathways Selection Resources

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

• Mon, 6/3 – Tues, 6/10: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – MINIMUM DAYS
• Wed, June 11th: Last Day of Semester 2 – MINIMUM DAY
• Thurs, June 12th: DVD Graduation Ceremony at 5pm

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Happy Friday! We are in the final stretch of the school year, and POLs are around the corner.

DVD will follow minimum day schedules Tues, June 3rd – Tues, June 10th. School begins at 8:40am and school ends at 1:45pm every day (INCLUDING FRIDAY JUNE 6th). It is important for students to come to school every day during POLs!

A letter home regarding POL expectations and reminders will be sent to families within the next few days. Click here for the “POL Letter to DVD Families” for important information regarding POLs.

POL Treats for Teachers: Sign Up Here

• While our students are preparing and presenting the learning they’ve achieved over the semester, our teachers are hard at work viewing and scoring those presentations. For teachers, this also means long days being a part of panels and giving meaningful feedback to students.
• One way that we show appreciation for our teachers during these long days is keeping them fed and caffeinated. And we would love your help!
• If you would like to donate snacks like breakfast treats and coffee to our teachers, please use the sign-up below to tell us what you will be dropping off.
• *Click here to sign up to bring a treat for teachers* during POL week! Thanks!

Here is the Bell Schedule for Weeks 37 & 38 at Da Vinci Design:

End of Semester Announcements:

• PowerSchool and Canvas access for students/parents will be blocked starting 6/3 to finalize semester grades. The last day for students to check grades before seeing a final grade on report cards will be Monday, June 2nd.
• Report cards are mailed home on Friday, June 13th.
• POLs give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills and are an opportunity for students to reflect publicly on their learning. Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear professional attire. Any student with questions or needs regarding professional attire should speak to their counselor ASAP.

10th Grade Design Pathways Selection Resources

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

• Mon, 6/3 – Tues, 6/10: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – MINIMUM DAYS
• Wed, June 11th: Last Day of Semester 2 – MINIMUM DAY
• Thurs, June 12th: DVD Graduation Ceremony at 5pm

Greeting Designers and Design Families,

This week, we celebrated our Seniors in their final Exhibition: Senior Showcase! Congratulations to our Seniors and the Senior Team on a successful Senior Showcase last this week. We are so proud of their hard work and some of the positive impact our student had on the community. We also ended our week with a special Community Dialogue hosted by our QSU in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month coming up in June. The club shared fun student lip-sync performances and a game, along with special messages from student leaders and staff.

In two weeks, students from our Fine Arts pathway and Honors Fundamentals of Design 2 will be presenting their work at a special art show at Indivisible Arts. Please join us on Saturday, June 7th from 4pm to 7pm to celebrate our student artists! More info in the flyer below.

The bell schedule for Week 36 at DVD is here:

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

• Mon, May 26th: NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day Holiday
• Mon, 6/3 – Tues, 6/10: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – MINIMUM DAYS
• Wed, June 11th: Last Day of Semester 2 – MINIMUM DAY
• Thurs, June 12th: DVD Graduation Ceremony at 5pm

Week 35 Highlight: 6/7 Art Show and QSU Pride Month CD

Greeting Designers and Design Families,

As we near the end of the school year, that means it is time to celebrate our graduating Class of 2025! This week, we celebrated students at Senior Awards Night for their academic and service achievements. Next week, we are celebrating our Class of 2025 for their Senior Project accomplishments at the annual Senior Showcase! Senior Showcase is a special off-campus Exhibition where Seniors display the hard work they have been doing for the last several weeks to use their design skills to have a positive impact on the community. Please join us for Senior Showcase on Wednesday, May 21st from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at WWOO Concrete Outdoor Kitchen. This event is open to the public and all are welcome!

NOTE: Please excuse a typo on the letter sent home to families with progress reports stating that Senior Showcase is a morning event; the correct time is 5:30pm-7:30pm.

The Bell Schedule for Week 35 is here:

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

• Mon, May 19th: Last week of Seminar Classes (P7 & P8)
• Tues, May 20th: Parent Advisory Committee #7
  • 5pm via Zoom
  • Agenda: 1) Welcome, Introductions and Public Comment, 2) LCAP Annual Feedback Review, 3) 25-26 PAC Preview
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
• Wed, May 21st: Senior Showcase @ WWOO Concrete Outdoor Kitchen
• Mon, May 26th: NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day Holiday
• Mon, 6/3 – Tues, 6/10: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – MINIMUM DAYS
• Wed, June 11th: Last Day of Semester 2 – MINIMUM DAY
• Thurs, June 12th: DVD Graduation Ceremony at 5pm

Week 34 Highlight: Senior Awards Night

Greeting Designers and Design Families,

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! On behalf of the teaching staff from Da Vinci Design, THANK YOU to our students and families for making this such a great week for our amazing staff. Teachers were feeling the love all week via notes, gifts, and SO many treats! We are so lucky to have such a caring community of families and students.

This week we celebrated Asian American Pacific Islander heritage month by ending with a special CD hosted by our AAPI student union. The whole CD was themed after the show “Squad Games”, and student leaders sported special outfits and 3d printed accessories as we hosted a series of games. See photos below!

Today we are mailing home the final round of Progress Reports. Families can expect a progress report in the mail by next week. The purpose of progress reports is to give families the opportunity to have a snapshot of student progress, and to be able to have a conversation at home with students about how to stay successful in school. This information will also be used by teachers and counselors in their plans to support all students. Please follow up with your child’s teachers directly with any questions about assignments or grades.

Yesterday and today, messaging is being sent to all Da Vinci Schools families informing you of a concerning and dangerous trend called the “Chromebook Challenge”. It is currently circulating on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, and has recently impacted schools across the country—including Da Vinci. Please review these messages, and help us keep our campus safe by talking openly with your child about the dangers of participating in harmful online trends.

Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 34 at Da Vinci Design:

Thank you to the families who joined us on Wednesday for our last “Coffee with Admin” meeting of the year! It is great getting the chance to meet with families, hear what is on your mind, and share the great things happening at DVD. If you did not get a chance to meet with us this week, click here for the Coffee with DVD Admin slides from May 2025.

We Want to Hear From You – Take the Da Vinci Family Survey! Look for an email or a text from “Kelvin”. Your voice matters. Your feedback plays a vital role in shaping the learning environment at your child’s school and across our entire organization. The spring survey includes questions about school culture, teaching and learning, student experiences, and overall satisfaction—including how likely you are to recommend Da Vinci to others. Your honest input helps us celebrate what’s working and identify areas where we can improve. Please take the survey by Friday May 21.

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

• Fri, May 9th: Progress Reports Mailed Home
• Wed, May 14th: Senior Awards Night
• Mon, May 19th: Last week of Seminar Classes (P7 & P8)
• Wed, May 21st: Senior Showcase
• Monday, May 26th: NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day Holiday

Week 33 Highlight: AAPISU Community Dialogue

Good Morning DVD Parents and Guardians,

Today, Wednesday May 7th (at 8am and 5pm) join the DVD admin team for our final “Coffee with Admin” chat of the year. Simply log on via Zoom and bring any school-related questions, or just sit back, relax, and hear about school updates. Hope to see you there!

Wed, May 7th: Coffee w/ Admin

• All DVD parents and guardians welcome! Join for brief school updates and open Q&A with the DVD admin team.
• 8am or 5pm, via Zoom
• Agenda: 1) Campus Updates & Highlights, 2) Upcoming Calendar Events, 3) Summer and 25-26 Updates, 4) Q&A
• Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069