Archive for September 6, 2024

Week 4 Preview: Back to School Night on Tues, 9/10

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Next week is Back to School Night! Back to School Night is a great opportunity to hear about classes, make connections with your students teachers, and tour classrooms at DVD. Each grade level will begin with an assembly in the Blackbox theater from their grade-level teams, and then will head up to the fourth floor to meet and greet teachers in classrooms. Please note that the presentation for 9th and 10th grade families is at 5:30pm and the presentation for 11th and 12th grade families is at 6pm. See the schedule for Back to School Night here:

Thank you to the families who joined us for our first Coffee with Admin meeting of the school 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 Sept 2024..

Coffee with DVD Admin happens at 8am and 5pm via Zoom on the first Wednesday of every month.

Lastly, the DVD Admin team had an opportunity to push into classrooms with each student this week in order to present on schoolwide expectations. These presentations cover a wide range of topics in order to reiterate key policies and help student be ready for a successful year at Design. Click here to see the slides for the DVD Admin Class Visits (2024-2025) on Schoolwide Expectations.

Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 4 at DVD:

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

  • Tues, Sept. 10th: Back to School Night @ 5:30pm
  • Fri, Sept. 13th: No School – Professional Development Day
  • Friday, 9/20: Progress Reports Mailed Home
  • Thurs, Sept. 26th: *NEW DATE* DV Club & Service Learning Fair

First Community Learning Day – October 11th

Dear Da Vinci Families,

We recently shared with you information about an exciting new initiative this school year known as Community Learning Days (CLDs) in response to our community’s desire to provide more opportunities to bring students together across our five high schools. CLDs are all about options and designed to offer students the flexibility to explore their interests and build community with students and staff attending Communications, Connect High, Design, RISE and Science.

With our first CLD approaching on Friday, October 11th, we want to provide you with some important updates:

  • This week in Advisory, students learned more about CLDs and took a Student Survey to express their interest in learning experiences/activities for the first two CLDs (Oct. 11 and Nov. 8).
  • All students – whether they participate in on-campus or off-campus learning – will have access to free breakfast and lunch.
  • On-campus programming will run from 8:30am-12:30pm. We have some exciting on-campus options planned such as college and career workshops, financial literacy, Real World Learning experiences, hands-on learning in the Ceramics Studio, performing arts experiences, athletics activities, community service, and more.
  • Students requesting to learn off-campus must have a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian. Permission slips will be provided to students by Sept. 13th.
  • During the week of Sept. 23, students will receive notice of enrollment for one of their selected workshops (on-campus) OR receive approval to engage in off-campus learning (permission slip required).
  • Oct. 11 is Da Vinci’s first CLD Day!
  • During the week of Oct. 21, we will send out a Feedback Survey to hear what you think so we can continue to improve!

As a reminder, there are four CLDs scheduled this school year (Oct. 11, Nov. 8, Feb. 10, Apr. 21). We can’t wait to embark on this exciting new journey together.

Gratefully,

Dr. Matthew Wunder
CEO/Superintendent
Da Vinci Schools

Heatwave Alert & Recommendations

Good Morning Designers & Design Families,

Da Vinci Schools is aware that high temperatures have been forecasted for the next few days, with temperatures reaching above the 90s. Here are some ways that we as a school community can support our students:

  • Students will be invited to stay indoors for lunch today and tomorrow when temperatures are at their peak.
  • Students are encouraged to stay indoors as soon as they arrive before school and until they are picked up after school.
  • We encourage students who normally walk or bike to school to ensure they travel safely and bring water, or to consider arranging to be dropped off/picked up or to carpool this week.

Please reach out to the DVD front office with any questions: 310-725-5800.

DVD Atlas Is Going To Greece In Spring 2026

Dear DVD Students and Families,
Atlas@Design is our school’s travel program that has been traveling for over 12 years all around the world. We are excited to open up enrollment for our next adventure, GREECE, which will take place during Spring Break of 2026. If your student is interested, please join us on Thursday, September 12 at 6:30pm for a Zoom info meeting. You can register for the meeting using the QR code on the flyer or by going to this page: https://bit.ly/3LZPG8O.
Reach out to Frank Solis at fsolis@davincischools.org if you have any questions. 

“Coffee with Admin” Zoom for DVD Families Tomorrow at 8am and 5pm

Good Evening DVD Parents and Guardians,

Tomorrow, Wednesday Sept. 4th, at 8am and 5pm join the DVD admin team for our monthly “Coffee with Admin” chat. Simply log on via Zoom and bring any school-related questions, or just sit back, relax, and hear about school updates. This will be our first Coffee with Admin of the 2024-25 school year. Hope to see you there!

Wed, Sept. 4th: 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 & CCSA Recognition 2) Upcoming Calendar Events, 3) Classroom Expectations, 4) Q&A
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069

Save the Date! Virtual 12th Grade College and Career Family Planning Meeting Monday 9/9

Who: DVD 12th Grade Students and Parents/Guardians

What: Senior Family College & Career Planning Presentation (before Senior 1:1 meetings starting next week)

Where: Zoom: https://davincischools-org.zoom.us/j/98908042996

When: Monday 9/9/24 at 5:00 p.m.

The information covered is necessary to have prior to attending the 12th grade 1:1 individual planning meeting. 1:1 meetings will begin after the zoom presentation. Students received sign up links in their College and Career Classes.

Please contact your counselor for questions.

Pam Baker: A-GL pbaker@davincischools.org

Nicole Tafoya: Go-O ntafoya@davincischools.org

Omar Sanchez: P-Z osanchez@davincischools.org

Da Vinci Swag Store Opening Soon!

Get ready to snag Da Vinci Schools swag beginning next Monday, September 9th! You’ll have the chance to pre-order hoodies, sweatshirts, and track jackets to show off your Da Vinci Schools spirit all year long.
You can choose from different styles and colors, all with a silk-screened Da Vinci Schools logo. The pre-order window will be open for two weeks from Monday, September 9th – Sunday, September 22nd at 11:59pm. Youth – adult sizes are available. Orders will be distributed to school sites for pick-up in October.
 We’ll share the link as soon as it goes live! Stay tuned!