Da Vinci Design

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Happy Friday! We are in the final stretch of the semester, and POLs are around the corner. POL Schedules means that we follow minimum day schedules Dec. 8th-15th. School begins at 8:40am and school ends at 1:45pm every day (INCLUDING FRIDAY 12/9).

POL Treats for Teachers: Sign Up Here

• While our students are preparing and presenting the learning they’ve achieved over the semester, our teachers are hard at work viewing and scoring those presentations. For teachers, this also means long, 8 hour days being a part of panels.
• One way that we show appreciation for our teachers during these long days is keeping them fed and caffeinated. And we would love your help!
• If you would like to donate snacks, treats, and coffee to our teachers, please use the sign-up below to tell us what you will be dropping off.
• Click here to sign up to bring a treat for teachers during POL week! Thanks!

End of Semester Announcements:

• PowerSchool and Canvas access for students/parents will be blocked starting 12/8/22 to finalize semester grades. The last day for students to check grades before seeing a final grade on report cards will be Wednesday, 12/7.
• POLs give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills and are an opportunity for students to reflect publicly on their learning.
• Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear formal attire. Any student with questions or needs regarding formal attire should speak to their counselor ASAP.

Key Upcoming Dates & Events:

• 12/8-12/15: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – Minimum Day Schedule
• Thursday, 12/15: Last Day of Semester One
• 12/16/22 – 1/6/23: NO SCHOOL (Winter Break)
• 1/9/23: Day One of Second Semester

Greetings Designers and Design Families!

What a great week at Design! Congratulations to our 10th and 12th grade for a fantastic Fall Exhibition on Tuesday night. We are so proud of our students and teachers for displaying such amazing work. And thank you to all of our families, friends, alumni and community members for showing up in support – it is the presence of our school community members that make these Exhibitions so special! See below for pictures from Exhibition Night!

Friday 11/18 was packed full of fun activities before break! Shout out to our Alumni Coordinator Pam Baker for coordinating our first ever Alumni Sibling day. It was such a pleasure welcoming graduates back to be on campus and to share their post-secondary experiences with DVD students. Also, our 12^th graders went on the annual Downtown LA field trip, and had a chance to bond as a class while getting to explore the culture of downtown. And finally, our 9^th grade Fundamentals of Design honors students got a chance to go on a Real World Learning field trip to local architecture firm RIOS with their teacher Mrs. Ryan! See photos from the 9^th grade field trip below!

Last but not certainly not least: I want extend a BIG THANK YOU to all of the DVD families who made contributions to our DVD staff gratitude baskets; thanks to all of you for donating time, treats, and messages of gratitude to our staff to help send them off on a much deserved break with a little something to let them know how appreciated they are. We love our DVD families! And, we wish all of you a restful, safe, and fun holiday break!

When we return from the November break, we will have three weeks left of the Fall 2022 semester. Please remember that POLs start on 12/8, and these are minimum days: students will be released early at 1:45pm on POL days. See the Week 15-17 schedules here:

Key Upcoming Dates & Events:

• 11/21-11/25: Thanksgiving Break – NO SCHOOL
• Monday, 11/28: School Resumes
• 12/1 & 12/2: Last Days for Seminars
• 12/8-12/15: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – Minimum Day Schedule
• Friday, 12/15: Last Day of Semester One

Week 14 Highlights: Exhibition Fall 2022 (11/15)

Week 14 Highlights: 9th Grade Art Honors RIOS Field Trip (11/18)

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Next week is our Fall Exhibition Night! Our Sophomores and Seniors have been hard at work preparing projects that demonstrate their skills and knowledge. We are excited to invite all parents, families, friends, and community members to DVD Exhibition Night Tues, Nov. 15th from 5:30pm – 7:30pm.

This week, a group of DVD students from all grade levels had the exciting opportunity to go the LAX Aviation Career Day fair. From piloting and TSA to fire department and construction trades, students had an opportunity to learn all about what careers look like in the setting of a huge and local economic driving force: LAX airport. The event was hosted on the LAX tarmac, where students not only engaged with employers in a range of fields, but got to tour different aircraft and even sit in first class. See photos from the event below!

In honor of Veteran’s Day, tomorrow (11/11) is a school and national holiday in recognition of those who dedicated their time and lives to military service. To our veterans and to our military families: thank you for your service.

See the Week 14 bell schedule here:

Key Upcoming Dates & Events:

• Friday, 11/11: Veteran’s Holiday – NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday, 11/15: Exhibition Night (10th & 12th grades)
  • All families, friends, alumni, and community members welcome!
  • Location: Da Vinci Design, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
• Friday, 11/18: Alumni Sibling Day
  Are you a DVD graduate? Come visit us! Contact Pam Baker at pbaker@davincischools.org for more details.
• 11/21-11/25: Thanksgiving Break – NO SCHOOL
• 12/8-12/15: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – Minimum Day Schedule

Week 13 Highlight: LAX Aviation Career Day Field Trip

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

So many exciting things to look forward to in the next week! DVD’s annual costume contest in honor of Halloween, a whole week full of spirit, our second Coffee with Admin Zoom session for parents/guardians, and our first school dance of the school year!

A big shout out goes to our 10th grade students and teachers today for the amazing cardboard boat races that happened today! It was SO much fun to watch students find out if their boats would sink or swim. Thank you to our friends at the El Segundo Aquatics Center for all of your help and coordination with this activity! We can’t wait to share all of the fun and photos from this exciting event during Exhibition Night on November 15th!

See the Week 12 bell schedule below:

Upcoming Events and Key Updates

• 10/31-11/4: Spirit Week! See flier below.
  • Please remind students that full-face masks and fake weapons will not be allowed in classrooms on Halloween, 10/31
• Monday, October 31st: Deadline to complete federal meal application:
  We need every family to complete a federal Meal Application by October 31st to maximize funding for ALL Da Vinci students.
• Blood Drive on Monday, 10/31: Our National Honor Society has partnered with the Red Cross to host a blood drive at Da Vinci Schools on Halloween! Please sign up here: Da Vinci Blood Drive Sign Up (Red Cross)
• Wednesday, November 2nd: Coffee w/ Admin (Two Sessions: 8am & 5pm)
  • All parents/guardians are welcome!
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/94873043049
  • Agenda: 1) School Updates, 2) Fentanyl/Drug Crisis and Student Health, 3) Q&A
• Wednesday, November 2nd @4:30pm: School Site Council Meeting #2
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92499542576
  • Agenda: 1) Affirm Bylaws, 2) School Safety Plan Review, 3) LCAP Goals Review
• Saturday, November 5th: Semi-Formal Dance!
  • 6pm – 9pm @ the DV Schools Campus (201 N. Douglas)
• Friday, 11/11: Veteran’s Holiday – NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday, 11/15: Exhibition Night (10th & 12th grades)
  • All families, friends, alumni, and community members welcome!
  • Location: Da Vinci Design, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

College Visits (Week 12): (Seniors can sign up via Naviance)

• UCLA – Tues November 1, 2022
• Scripps College – Thurs November 3, 2022
• Hawaii Pacific University – Fri November 4, 2022

Greetings Designers and Design Families!

It was so wonderful meeting you, parents and families, this week for Student Led Conferences! We appreciate your time and investment in the learning success of your children. We are here to support your students aspirations and goals – and expect each and every one of our students to do and be their best!

Next week, we will resume full days including seminars – and we will end the week with a spooky / spirit week themed Community Dialogue! See the Week 11 schedule AND a flier for spirit week (10/31-11/4) below!

It is time for us to do our bi-annual parent/guardian survey! Your positive feedback and participation is important to us. Please help us learn about our successes and about where we need to grow. If you did not get a chance to participate during SLCs, please do so today!

• Parent/Guardian Survey Fall 2022:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/dv_parent_survey_fall22

Upcoming Dates and Events:

• Friday, 10/28: Community Dialogue Assembly
• 10/31-11/4: Spirit Week!
• Friday, 11/11: Veteran’s Holiday – NO SCHOOL

College Visits (Week 11 & 12): Seniors can sign up via Naviance

• Loyola Marymount University – Mon October 24, 2022
• UCLA – Tues November 1, 2022
• Scripps College – Thurs November 3, 2022
• Hawaii Pacific University – Fri November 4, 2022

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Happy Monday! This week, we have SLCs starting today. Please use the links below to access resources for each grade level.

Reminder: We have minimum days Mon-Thurs (10/17-10/20) this week. Students will be released at 1:45pm. Friday (10/21) will have normal start and end times.

The Week 10 DVD bell schedule is here:

Student Led Conferences (SLCs): Grade Level Resources

Click links below to access SLC materials!

• 9th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Sign-Up Link (via Sign Up Genuis)
• 10th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Sign-Up Link (via Sign Up Genius)
• 11th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Schedule Link
• 12th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Sign-Up Link (via Calendly)

It is time for us to do our bi-annual parent/guardian survey! Your positive feedback and participation is important to us. Please help us learn about our successes and about where we need to grow.

• Parent/Guardian Survey Fall 2022: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/dv_parent_survey_fall22

Upcoming Dates and Events:

• 10/17-10/21*: Student-Led Conferences (SLCs)
      *SLC days are early release days: classes end at 1:45pm
• Friday, 10/28: Community Dialogue Assembly
• 10/31-11/4: Spirit Week!

Greetings Designers and Design Families!

This week, we are looking forward to a short but impactful week! We are preparing for the PSAT Test Day on Wed, 10/12. Thursday and Friday there is no school due to staff professional development. And, we are getting ready for Student Led Conferences (aka: SLCs) next week! Every student is expected to participate in SLCs this semester. SLCs will happen on campus unless a Zoom meeting is requested. See below for SLC schedules and details.

Last week, we wrapped up with a very special Community Dialogue in honor of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month! We celebrated with banda music, dancing, student performances, and games. A special shout out goes to our Latinx Student Union, Leadership team and advisor teachers for helping to coordinate this special celebration. See photos below!

Here is special schedule for Week 9 (10/10-10/14):

Student Led Conferences (SLCs): Grade Level Resources

Click links below to access SLC materials!

• 9th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Sign-Up Link (via Sign Up Genuis)
• 10th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Sign-Up Link (via Sign Up Genius)
• 11th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Schedule Link
• 12th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Sign-Up Link (via Calendly)

It is time for us to do our bi-annual parent/guardian survey! Your positive feedback and participation is important to us. Please help us learn about our successes and about where we need to grow.

• Parent/Guardian Survey Fall 2022: https://tinyurl.com/DVDParentSurvey

Upcoming Dates and Events:

• 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)
      *SLC days are early release days: classes end at 1:45pm
• Friday, 10/28: Community Dialogue Assembly
• 10/31-11/4: Spirit Week!

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

• University of California-San Diego – Tue October 11, 2022
• Soka University of America – Wed October 12, 2022

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)
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/97675511102
• 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

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.

• https://staceelianna.smugmug.com/DaVinciSchools/DVD-Picture-Day-2022

Upcoming Key Dates & Reminders

• Wednesday, 9/28 @4:30pm: School Site Council Meeting #1
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/95944827183
  • Agenda: 1) Review Bylaws, 2) Elect Officers, 3) LCAP Review, 4) Review Proposed Agendas for 2022-23
• 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)