Week 14 Preview: Exhibition on Thursday Nov. 21st!

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Good Morning Designers and Design Families,

We had a short but sweet week at Design, and ended with fun sports-themed community dialogue to celebrate our student athletes and our upcoming Winter sports season! The highlight was a staff vs student basketball where out students came out on top.

Next week on Thursday, November 21st is Fall Exhibition! Both 10th and 12th grade will be displaying work.

  • 2pm-4:30pm at the El Segundo Aquatic Center, 10th Grade Boat Races:
    Sophomores have used skills and concepts from Math and Chemistry class (like surface area and buoyancy) to design full-scale boats out of reclaimed cardboard in their Fundamentals of Design 2 class. And, on the afternoon of Exhibition, they will be racing each other across the ESAC pool for our 3rd annual Boat Race! We hope you can stop by to see who will be our champion this year.
  • 5:30pm-7:30pm at 201 N. Douglas, 12th Grade Conscious Consumption Project:
    Seniors spent time this semester researching how to be conscious consumers, and are developing products and ad campaigns based off of their research. 12th graders studied companies and organizations committed to sustainability and environmental awareness. Then, they worked on different deliverables related to their CTE pathway classes. In Graphic Design, they handmade screen printed canvas tote bags. In Architecture, they used the laser cutter to design and craft environmentally conscious lamps. In Entrepreneurship, students have created a media ad campaign around the theme. Come stop by and see the hard work of our Seniors in their final Exhibition!

Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 14 at Da Vinci Design:

Collaborative Research Partnerships 2024-2025

This year, Da Vinci Design is conducting two collaborative research projects with school partners. One research project is in partnership with America Succeeds, a non-profit educational advocacy group, which selected Da Vinci Design as a partner school in its efforts to understand how educational institutions teach students “durable skills”. The other research project is in partnership with UCLA about how schools inform students’ social and academic development.

What does a research partnership look like?

  • A great opportunity for a school to work with experts in research to better understand our school practices and how we support students
  • It often means surveys, observations, and/or interviews to collect data
  • Participation is always voluntary, and always confidential; researchers must go through multiple approval processes before conducting research on campus with students

Da Vinci Design will begin its first round of surveys with students in partnership with America Succeeds next week. On Wed, 11/20 and Thurs, 11/21, students will participate in a 10-minute survey during class with the goal of understanding how DVD teaches durable skills to enhance students’ learning experience and engage in career connected learning. Participation is voluntary.

OPT-OUT: If you would like your student opt-out of this survey, or if you would like more information before they participate, please send an email to Principal Russell Stoll (rstoll@davincischools.org) by Tuesday, 11/19 at 4pm. You may also call or visit the DVD Front Office to request an opt-out form.

For more information, you may also see the slides presented at our most recent “Coffee with Admin” meeting on Nov. 6th, 2024. These slides are available to families on the “DVD Parent Info Sessions & Coffee with Admin Slides” document on the DVD blog.

Staff Gratitude Baskets

As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, we are all grateful for the tremendous work of our school staff – from our teachers to counselors to paraeducators to custodians to front office staff. To show our appreciation, we are organizing Thanksgiving baskets to deliver to our school staff on Friday, November 22nd. The idea is that each staff member will receive one basket containing treats and words of appreciation from students and families.

Here is how you can contribute to the baskets of Thanksgiving:

  1. Items: If you are interested and able to purchase something to show your appreciation, please consider non-perishable items such as: individually wrapped items (popcorn, gummies, trail mix, chips, hot chocolate, pretzels, candy, cookies), gift cards ($5 to Target, Starbucks, etc.), coffee drinks, sparkling water, tea, and any other non-perishable snacks. We need donated items collected by: Wednesday, November 20th. All items can be left on the first floor front office.
  2. Words of Appreciation: There is nothing that means more to school staff than words of appreciation or encouragement. Please consider handwriting a note of thanks or typing one digitally here: DVD Staff Appreciation Notes We will be printing these digital messages and including all words of appreciation in the baskets. Handwritten notes can be dropped off by Monday November 14th.

The Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) is having its first meeting of the year next week. PAC is an opportunity for parents, students, & staff to work collaboratively to review the school program, review data and identify needs, & make recommendations regarding the School Safety Plan & the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). And this year it will be more important than ever as we gear up for our six-year WASC accreditation cycle and two exciting research partnerships. If you are interested in joining the Parent Advisory Committee, please email Russell Stoll at rstoll@davincischools.org for more information!

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

  • Tues, Nov. 19th: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting #1
    • *5pm via Zoom*
    • Agenda: 1) Welcome, Introductions and Public Comment, 2) Purpose of Committee, 3) DVD Spotlight: What’s New for 2024-2025, 4) Research Partnerships with UCLA and America Succeeds
    • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
  • Thurs, Nov. 21st: DVD Exhibition! (Grade 10 and 12)
    • 2pm-4:30pm at the El Segundo Aquatic Center, 10th Grade Boat Races
    • 5:30pm-7:30pm at 201 N. Douglas, 12th Grade Conscious Consumption Project
  • Mon, Nov. 25th – Fri, Nov. 29th: NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Break
  • Mon, Dec. 2nd: School Resumes!

 

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