Da Vinci Design

Seasons Greetings Designers and Design Families!

From our staff to your families, we wish all of you a happy holiday season. We hope you travel safely, eat well, and get lots of rest!

Semester two officially begins and classes resume on Monday, January 13th. See the calendar below:

Winter Break Front Office announcements: 

• All DVD offices will be closed for the break starting Monday, Dec. 23th until Friday, Jan. 3rd. If you need to reach us, please reach out via email and we are happy to assist.
  • For attendance and student records: reach out to Admin. Support Manager Leslie Alonso at lalonso@davincischools.org .
  • For all other questions or concerns, reach out to Principal Russell Stoll at rstoll@davincischools.org .
• Report cards will be mailed to arrive the week of Dec. 23rd. 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.
• The Da Vinci Schools reception will be open during the break on select days. Please call us at 310-725-5800 between 9am-2pm to speak to someone on campus.

Collaborative Research Partnership 2024-2025 with UCLA

This year, Da Vinci Design is conducting two collaborative research projects with school partners. One research project is in partnership with University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) about how schools inform students’ social and academic development. The other 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”.

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 UCLA from 1/13-1/17. Students will participate in a 25-minute survey during one class in collaboration with teachers. This study seeks to expand our understanding of how Da Vinci Design’s design-based learning framework and curriculum shapes students’ social and academic outcomes. Participation is voluntary.

OPT-OUT: If you would like your student to opt-out of participating in this survey, or if you would like more information before they participate, please send an email to Principal Russell Stoll (rstoll@davincischools.org) by Thursday, 1/9/25 at 4pm. You may also call or visit the DVD Front Office to request and sign an opt-out form.

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

Wishing all of you a safe, restful and fun holiday break!