Archive for Author Russell Stoll

Week 8 Preview: Coffee w/ Admin Zoom on Wednesday

Happy Friday Designers and Design Families,

Hard to believe that it is already October! We are looking forward to lots of great events in the coming month – including SLCs and Spirit Week. We are excited to end our week next week with a community dialogue focused on celebrating Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month!

Next week, parents/guardians are encouraged to join DVD Administrators Stoll and Tak for an informal “Coffee with Admin” meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, October 5th. There will be time for important DV updates, site specific news, and Q&A with you DVD site leaders. Hope to see you there for either our morning session (at 8am) or our afternoon session (at 5pm) via Zoom. See Zoom link below.

Here is the bell schedule for Week 8 at DVD:

Upcoming DVD Dates and Events:

  • October 5th: Coffee w/ Admin (Two Sessions: 8am & 5pm)
  • Wednesday, 10/12: PSAT/SAT Testing Day
  • Thursday, 10/13 & Friday, 10/14: No School – Staff Development
  • 10/17-10/21: Student-Led Conferences (SLCs)

College Visits (Week 8 & 9): Seniors can sign up via Naviance

  • University of Southern California – Mon October 3, 2022
  • Chapman University – Thu October 6, 2022
  • University of La Verne – Fri October 7, 2022
  • University of California-San Diego – Tue October 11, 2022
  • Soka University of America – Wed October 12, 2022

Blog Post Error (Week 8 Preview)

Good Morning – Please disregard the blog post published a few moments ago titled “Week 8 Preview” – this post was published as a draft before being completed. The full blog post will be published tomorrow. Thank you and have a great day!

Week 7 Preview

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Happy Friday! This week was another exciting week at DVD. Seniors had a chance to hear from visiting college reps like from LMU, Junior architecture students went on a field trip to Sci Arc college, and 9th Graders completed a window design project in their English class. Next week, our Sophomores are going on a field trip to LACMA and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures!

See the Week 7 bell schedule here:

School Site Council Elections: Voting Open until Monday, 9/26 at 4pm

Thank you to the parents/guardians who expressed interest in joining our School Site Council! Now, it is time for all of you to vote. Please use this link to vote for up to four candidates to be a part of our Da Vinci Design School Site Council. Only parents/guardians of students at Da Vinci Design may vote, and may submit the voting form one time. Voting will close at 4pm on Monday, 9/26.

School photos from DVD Picture Day have been uploaded for families to purchase here:
Students are sorted by Advisory so families can navigate to their child’s Advisory and make any purchases they’d like through the gallery.

Upcoming Key Dates & Reminders

  • Wednesday, 9/28 @4:30pm: School Site Council Meeting #1
  • Wednesday, 10/12: PSAT/SAT Testing Day
  • Thursday, 10/13 & Friday, 10/14: No School – Staff Development
  • 10/17-10/21: Student-Led Conferences (SLCs)

Week 6 Preview

Greetings Designers & Design Families!

This week, Da Vinci Design ended the week in celebration of the beginning of Latinx History Month! Shout out to our Latinx Student Union for decorating our campus (see below) and for preparing for our Latinx Heritage Month Community Dialogue which will happen on October 7th.

We also had our annual DVD Club Fair on Thursday! Thank you to all of our club leaders and club advisors for continuing to make our school a space where students can come together around such a wide variety of interests, hobbies and identities. See below for some photos from our Club Fair!

The Week 6 Bell Schedule can be found here:

School photos from DVD Picture Day have been uploaded for families to purchase here: 
Students are sorted by Advisory so families can navigate to their Advisory and make any purchases they’d like through the gallery. There will be one final make-up day for school photos on Tuesday, September 20th.

DVD School Site Council is looking for new members! School Site Council is an opportunity for parents/guardians, students, & staff to work collaboratively to review the school program, review data and identify needs, make recommendations for the Local Control and Accountability Plan, and approve the Single/School Plan for Student Achievement.

All submissions will be added to a voting form that will go out to the DVD parent community on September 22nd. School Site Council members will be notified prior to the first School Site Council meeting will be held after school (via Zoom) on Wednesday, September 28. If you have any questions, feel free to send them to me at rstoll@davincischools.org.

Upcoming Key Dates & Reminders

  • Tuesday, 9/20: Final Make-Up Picture Day
  • Wednesday, 9/28 @4:30pm: School Site Council Meeting #1 (via Zoom)
  • Wednesday, 10/12: PSAT/SAT Testing Day
  • Thursday, 10/13 & Friday, 10/14: No School – Staff Development
  • 10/17-10/21: Student-Led Conferences (SLCs)

After-School Tutoring Starts Today!

Greetings Designers and Design Families!

I’m happy to announce that DVD will be working again this year with our tutor Jay Mitsch of Gravity Assist tutors! Jay will be available after-school once again this year, in the 4th floor atrium conference (aka: the “Wooden Room”) after school for homework help and tutoring. See a message below from Jay!

Dear DVD Families,

My name is Jay Mitsch, an educator of 20+ years and owner of Gravity Assist, a customized education company. I’m absolutely excited to work with your Da Vinci students and staff providing academic support for your children. 
Da Vinci Design High School is now offering Individualized Tutoring and After School Support to help students reach their potential. This program is open to all students.  Individualized tutoring will occur during seminar and will require a reservation, or a recommendation from a teacher. The After School Drop-In Support will happen in the Wooden Room at the top of the stairs. No appointment needed… If you have a question or don’t understand what is going on in class, just swing by.   
My specialty is in Math and Science, but I can also help across many other subjects. My goal for every student that I work with is to help the student find their success. Being a tutor gives me insight on many things: how the individual students learn; how the teacher structures the curriculum and class; the measures of success for the students, teachers, and school.
In partnership, 
Jay Mitsch
jmitsch@davincischools.org

Week 5 Preview: After School Tutoring & School Site Council Interest

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

What an exciting week! Our first CD, a Cultural Food Fest in 12th grade, and we had a lovely Back to School Night event. It was so great to have parents, families, and lots of alumni siblings back on campus. If you were not able to join us on campus Thursday night, not to worry – you can find the Back to School Night presentations given from each grade level by clicking on the links here:

Next week, we have a short week due to a scheduled Professional Development Day – there is no school on Friday, 9/16. See the bell schedule for the coming week here:

Please take a moment to review our updated School Year Calendar (also linked in the “Resources Section”) as we have made a few changes and additions including our first School Site Council meeting after school (via Zoom) on Wednesday 9/28.

Da Vinci Design is once again offering Individualized Tutoring and After School Support, Monday-Thursday until 5pm, starting next week! This program is open to all students. The After School Drop-In Support will happen in the Wooden Room at the top of the stairs. No appointment needed! Students: If you have a question or don’t understand what is going on in class, just swing by. For more information, stay tuned for more information coming to the blog, or reach out to tutor Jay Mitsch at jmitsch@davincischools.org for more info.

The School Site Council is looking for new members! School Site Council is an opportunity for parents/guardians, students, & staff to work collaboratively to review the school program, review data and identify needs, make recommendations for the Local Control and Accountability Plan, and approve the Single/School Plan for Student Achievement.

All submissions will be added to a voting form that will go out to the DVD parent community on September 19. School Site Council members will be notified on Friday September 23, and the first School Site Council meeting will be held after school (via Zoom) on Wednesday, September 28. If you have any questions, feel free to send them to me at rstoll@davincischools.org.

Upcoming Key Dates & Reminders

  • Thursday, 9/15: DV Club Fair
  • Friday, 9/16: No School – Staff Development
  • Wednesday, 9/28 @4:30pm: School Site Council Meeting #1 (via Zoom)
  • Wednesday, 10/12: PSAT/SAT Testing Day
  • Thursday, 10/13 – Friday, 10/14: No School – Staff Development
  • 10/17-10/21: Student-Led Conferences (SLCs)

Week 4 Preview: Back To School Night September 8th

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Happy Friday! We made it to the end of Week 3 – and a three day weekend is just around the corner. See the Week 4 schedule below. And, speaking of “just around the corner”, Back to School Night is Thursday night next week on September 8th!

Back to School Night Information (Sept. 8th, 2022):

Take a look at the times below to see what time you should attend Back to School Night. Each grade will get a special time to meet staff via a presentation in the BlackBox theater, and then will get time to explore classrooms and get one-on-one introductions with teachers.

  • 9th Grade: 5:30pm start time
  • 10th Grade: 6:00pm start time
  • 11th & 12th Grade: 6:30pm start time

NOTE: Back to School Night is a public event that will take place indoors. Our DV Health Team reminds us all that masking is highly recommended, and if you feel any COVID symptoms, please self monitor and stay home.

Week 4 Bell Schedule (9/5-9/9):

Upcoming Key Events (Sept 2022)

  • Monday, 9/5: No School – Labor Day
  • Thursday, 9/8: Back to School Night @ 5:30pm
  • Friday, 9/9: First Community Dialogue in the gym!
  • Thursday, 9/15: DV Club Fair
  • Friday, 9/16: No School – Professional Development Day

Club Leader Info Meeting Friday (Club Applications Open!)

Good Morning Designers!

Would you like to start a club this year? Then use this Google Form to apply to be a club leader!

Please also attend a Club Leader information session during lunch at 12:15pm this Friday, 9/2, in Mr. White’s Room (4205). During this meeting, we will cover information about starting a club, the requirements to be a club leader, and what to do to prepare for our DVD Club Fair on September 15th.

Questions? Send an email to Asst. Principal Kirk Takeyama: ktakeyama@davincischools.org

Week 3 Preview: Flex Block and Seminars Begin!

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Welcome back for Week 3! Last week, our 9th graders participated in our annual Freshmen Overnighter Camp, and what a great time it was! 9th grade students, student leaders and staff got to connect with each other in the great outdoors. Everyone participated in fun activities, team building games, and important discussions that help prepare our 9th graders to make new friends and to transition into high school. See some pictures from the 2022 Overnighter Camp below!

This week, we have a regular bell schedule, which means that we will participate in two classes for the first time this week: Seminars and Flex Block. For these class periods, students are enrolled based off their preferences and selections. Seminar classes happen at the end of the day on Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs, and offer students an opportunity to get active, get support, or to connect with other students in a non-academic and fun setting. Flex Block is a class that allows students to get targeted support in a class of their choosing; think of it like focused office hours/study hall time. See the Week 3 bell schedule below for more details.

Upcoming Key Events

  • Week of Monday, 8/29: Seminars and Flex Block Begin
  • Monday, 9/5: No School – Labor Day
  • Thursday, 9/8: Back to School Night @ 5:30pm
  • Thursday, 9/15: DV Club Fair
  • Friday, 9/16: No School – Professional Development Day
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