Tomorrow, Wednesday February 1st, please join us for our monthly Coffee with Admin meeting! These monthly check-ins are to share important school updates and to hear from our DVD parent/guardian community. These meetings are held via Zoom so that you can attend from anywhere.
Two Sessions: 8am & 5pm, via Zoom – all parents welcome!
Agenda: 1) School Updates, 2) Survey Results/Information, 3) Community Schools Grant Ideas, 4) Parent Q&A
As previously mentioned, Da Vinci Communications, Da Vinci Design, and Da Vinci Science will be conducting a Critical Incident drill on Thursday, February 2, 2023. This drill is a normal part of our continued efforts each year to maintain a safe and peaceful school environment. The drill will take place at 10:30 a.m. and will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Teachers have been working with students during Advisory classes to prepare for this drill.
As part of our safety and emergency procedures, Da Vinci Schools has adopted elements of the “Run-Hide-Fight” program designed to provide various options to our students and staff. Our drill will focus on the “HIDE” component which is also referred to as “shelter in place”. Other components will be practiced during our Fire Drills planned for next month. During the drill, students will have a chance to practice the proper response if a critical incident were to occur such as an intruder on campus or any other incident requiring a lockdown of the school. Please help us by reminding them to:
Listen and follow the instructions of their teacher or staff member in the room at the time of the drill
Stay quiet during the duration of the drill
Silence/turn off their cell phones and to remain off of them during the duration of the drill
Wait for the “All Clear” announcement to indicate the drill has concluded
Our School Resource Officer, Officer Josh Gilberts will be joined by other officers from the El Segundo Police Department as well as members of the El Segundo Fire Department who will be joining our site administrators in observing the drill and providing feedback on our processes and procedures. Staff and students will debrief this week regarding the drill to get their input and recommendations in order to continue to improve our response efforts.
Please keep in mind that in order for the schools to remain informed and responsive, parents and students are encouraged to report any concerns or potential threats to the school. If you have any questions regarding this drill or any of our other safety procedures, please do not hesitate to contact the administration or front office of your child’s school. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support in maintaining the safety and welfare of our students and staff.
Para obtener este anuncio en español por favor mande un correo electrónico con su solicitud a info@davincischools.org. Gracias!
This week, we got back to our new normal for this semester as students started attending their new seminars for the Spring semester. Students this semester will engage in a whole range of fun, fitness and academic seminars: from puppet making and ceramics in the Fab Lab, to weightlifting in the CrossFit box, and even using fondant and icing to craft food sculptures in a student-led seminar called “Fakery”!
Speaking of great opportunities for students, we wanted to shout out the great internship and scholarship opportunities announced regularly by our Director of Real World Learning. Keep you eyes open for regular posts to the DVD blog here for our Real World Learning updates and announcements. On this week’s blog post, there is mention of so much great stuff, including a internship-scholarship opportunities through Warner Bros., summer programs at FIDM, and opportunities for students interested it STEM.
See below for the Week 21 bell schedule:
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Wednesday, February 1st: Coffee w/ Admin Parent Session (Two Sessions: 8am & 5pm, via Zoom – all parents welcome!)
Friday, February 3rd: NO SCHOOL – Staff Development Day
Monday, February 20th: NO SCHOOL – President’s Day Holiday
El Camino College is presenting a Free Scholarship Workshop on Zoom.
This workshop is open to Junior & Senior High School Students, College Students, U.S. Residents and Non-Residents, Undocumented Students, International Students, counselors, parents, and teachers and etc.
The workshop will:
Introduce you to the Sallie Mae Scholarship website
Provide key tips on Applying for Scholarships
Learn how to create a winning scholarship essay, and more
Beach Cities Partnership for Youth Coalition is hosting an in-person community forum that will include a film screening of Dead on Arrival, a fentanyl documentary by Dominic Tierno and Christine Wood, followed by a panel discussion.
For students interested in arts, media, & entertainment:
Warner Bros. Discovery awards Honorships, internship-scholarship packages, to graduating high school seniors passionate about the business of media and entertainment. Honorship recipients should have an interest in careers within the corporate and studio side of the entertainment industry ranging from traditional business functions, such as finance, human resources, operations, marketing and communications, to more technical or creative roles such as content development, post-production, sound editing, and games. Must be a graduating senior to apply. The deadline is Wednesday, March 1. To learn more, click here.
For students interested in internship and volunteer opportunities:
The Child Development Early Learning Center connects students to internships and volunteer opportunities that use individual skills and interests to support young children and serve families in a variety of ways. You will help young children and families discover the magic of play to support school readiness. All types of work experiences are welcome. Locations are found in Reseda, Canoga Park, and Tarzana. For more information, click here.
The California Science Center is seeking volunteers in a number of areas including educational floor presenters and gallery hosts. To see the requirements, please click here.
The Aquarium of the Pacific offers a number of volunteer opportunities for teens 13-18 years old. To learn more, click here.
For students interested in STEM:
Avantus Cleantech Career Academy offers opportunities for youth to succeed in California’s green energy future through education, job-readiness, and paid-work-based learning. Youth earn $16.04 an hour while building their knowledge of opportunities in the cleantech sector. The Academy will take place virtually over a 12-week period on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6:30 pm. Must be 16 years old. The deadline to apply is January 30. Apply here.
The Samuels Family LA-HIP (Latino and African American High School Internship Program) provides students from underrepresented minorities an opportunity to work in the STEM field. Participants are able to experience hands-on laboratory research and gain exposure to professional positions in science and medicine. The internship begins in June and ends with a Science Symposium in early August. The application is due February 3, 2023. To learn more, click here.
Girls Make Games is offering a virtual summer camp where you can learn how to design and program your own video game in just 3 weeks! You will receive live gilded instruction, and each participant can submit their game to industry judges to win prizes. You will also get the opportunity to meet industry role experts and learn about careers and pathways in the video games industry. You must be 13-18 years old to participate. No prior coding game development experience needed! Program dates are July 11-29 Monday through Friday. There is 100% need-based financial aid to make the camp accessible to all. To learn more, click here.
Hidden Genius is offering a FREE, 15- month, cohort-based training program provides Black males in high school with upwards of 800 hours of holistic, trauma/healing-informed, high-touch mentorship and intensive training that seeks to develop youth into strong and responsible leaders equipped with coding and entrepreneurial skills, who can identify and develop tech-enabled solutions to address society’s most compelling challenges. The deadline is February 19. To apply click here.
LA-Tech offers students paid opportunities to kickstart their tech journeys at a high level. They offer opportunities in technical, creative, business, and marketing pathways. students interested in a tech career? LA-Tech offers students paid opportunities to kickstart their tech journeys at a high level. To learn more, please sign up for an information session here.
Girls Who Code offers two FREE programs in the summer: the Summer Immersion Program and the Self-Paced Program. Applicants can apply for BOTH programs, if eligible, using this application. However, students can only participate in one Summer Program. Apply Here
For students interested in fashion and interior design:
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising is offering two unique summer programs for high school and college students: a five-day intensive FIDM Summer Program (for one college credit) and a three-day Pre-College Summer Program For High School Students. Scholarships may be available through the admissions office.
The five-day college credit program is designed for high school juniors and seniors, recent high school graduates, and college students looking to experience FIDM as a student. With a focus on sustainability, the lectures and workshops mirror actual college-level discussions and coursework.
The three-day program for high school students of any grade has a power-packed lineup of hands-on workshops, engaging presentations, guest speaker panels, campus tours, and more—all structured to offer insight and foster passion for the creative industries.
For more information, please contact Crissel Rodriguez, Director of Real World Learning, at crodriguez@davincischools.org.
We hope you had a great week as we get back into the swing of Semester 2! Next week, things get back to normal as we start seminars back up again. Students had a chance to sign up for seminars this last week and are ready to go!
Now that second semester schedules are finalized, PowerSchool access is open again for students and families. For easy access, look for the “PowerSchool” link in the Resources section on the right hand side of the DVD Blog home page.
See the bell schedule for Week 20 here:
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Monday & Tuesday (1/23 & 1/24): Seminars begin!
Wednesday, February 1st: Coffee w/ Admin Parent Session (Two Sessions: 8am & 5pm, via Zoom – all parents welcome!)
Friday, February 3rd: NO SCHOOL – Staff Development Day
Are you looking to improve your vocals or to learn how to sing?
There are still a few spots available to join Da Vinci’s new Vocal Music/Choir class that meets on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4:00-6:00PM in the Black Box Theater.
If interested in participating, please complete the Interest Form here. The next class meets again on Monday, January 23, 2023 at 4:00PM.
This class is open to ALL Da Vinci high school students and there is no prior vocal music/choir experience required. Students are expected to attend both days each week throughout the semester.
Leading the class is Alexi Paraschos, the schools’ new choir teacher. Alexi has more than 14 years of experience as a music teacher and choir director.
Code Ninjas in El Segundo is offering an information session on their upcoming Python Club (ages 13-18) program for students interested in practical applications of Computer Science. Python is an essential building block for many data science applications (i.e., Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, etc). More information will be shared on cost and start dates on Thursday, 1/19 at 7 pm via Zoom.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like being an intern at Pixar Animation Studios? Learn the inside scoop from former interns and their mentors in this panel series taking place on Sunday, January 29 at 3 pm. Panelists include former interns Asha Farmer, Gina Beneduci, and Sadie Shipton. The panel also includes their mentor and current art director working at Pixar, Carlos León. Learn what the day is like as an intern at Pixar, how to make your portfolio stand out to recruiters, gain advice from industry professionals, and more. The panel will be followed by a 15-minute Q+A at the end. To register, click here.
For more information, please contact Crissel Rodriguez, Director of Real World Learning, at crodriguez@davincischools.org.
