Wishing you all a safe, fun and restful holiday weekend ahead! School will not be in session on Monday, February 19th in honor of President’s Day Holiday; school will resume on Tuesday, February 20th with an all periods schedule day.
This week was spirit week! We wore pink on Wednesday (Valentine’s Day) and handed out valentine’s grams, got comfy on Thursday, and wrapped up with Twins Day. See some of our favorite twins in the pics below!
Next week, we are looking forward to lots of fun activities! Our 11th grade students are going on college field trips on Tuesday, our 10th graders are going on a field trip to the “Great Wall of LA” mural also on Tuesday, and then we have a our Spring Dance on Friday!
Here is the Week 24 Bell Schedule for DVD:
Upcoming Events and Other Key Dates:
Mon, Feb. 19th: NO SCHOOL – PRESIDENTS DAY HOLIDAY
Tues, Feb. 20th: 11th grade College Field Trip / 10th grade field trip to SPARC
Da Vinci Design’s Feminism Club is hosting a clothing and supply drive in partnership with the Downtown’s Women’s Center. The drive will run until Feb. 23rd. See more details on the flyer here:
This week at DVD, we celebrated National School Counseling Week! The purpose of National School Counseling Week is to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by ASCA, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. We are so grateful to our amazing team of school counselors at DVD and recognize them for all they do! Thank you to Ms. Pam Baker, Ms. Nicole Tafoya, and Mr. Omar Sanchez!
On February 7th, we had our February edition of “Coffee with Admin”, our monthly check-in for parents/guardians with the DVD admin team. If you’d like to see the updates shared during our meeting, click here or see the “DVD Parent Info Sessions & Coffee with Admin Slides” link on the right side of our blog.
Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 23:
Upcoming Events and Other Key Dates:
Mon, Feb. 12th: Blood Drive (DVC + American Red Cross)
On Monday, February 12th, the DVC National Honor Society is proud to pay it forward and strengthen our community by helping to save lives. We are partnering with the American Red Cross to hold a blood drive, and we need your help to make it a success.
We invite you to join us. If you can help, please visit the link below:
What an exciting and fun end to our week! Today, we celebrated the start of Black History Month with our annual community dialogue celebration hosted by the DVD Black Student Union (BSU). The whole school community shared in the joy as students did a series of fantastic celebrity impersonations during the assembly today: we had dance performances from everyone from Drake to Nicki Minaj, from Rihanna to Ciara, and we even had a round of Family Feud hosted by Steve Harvey. See pictures below!
We started our morning today recognizing a stellar group of students at our first ever POL Excellence Awards Breakfast in the Black Box Theater. At this event, students who were nominated for exceptional performances on their Fall 2023 Presentations of Learning got to do a “victory lap” presentation in a TedTalk-style format for families, friends and staff. Students presented websites, architectural designs, stories, and so much more. Congrats again to our POL Excellence Awards Winners! Kinnon Palmer (9), Sarah Arambula (9), Sophia Julin (9), Ethan Dupree (10), Allison Campbell (10), Adan Barbosa (11), Isabelle Ibarra & Sandra Medina (11), Kylie Charfen-Horvath (11), Michael Garcia (12), Sophia Quintanilla (12), and Adan Victoria (12). See more pictures below!
Here is the Week 22 Bell Schedule:
Senior Activities 2024: Prom, Grad Nite, and Graduation
Seniors and Senior Families: This week in English class, DVD Dean Ms. B presented important information for the Class of 2024. See the link here for important dates and ticket regarding Senior Activities!
Thursday, Feb. 8th: Senior Project Meeting for Families
Fri, Feb. 9th: NO SCHOOL – STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Fri, Feb. 9th 6pm-9pm: Spring Dance!
Mon, Feb. 12th: Blood Drive (DVC + American Red Cross)
On Monday, February 12th, the DVC National Honor Society is proud to pay it forward and strengthen our community by helping to save lives. We are partnering with the American Red Cross to hold a blood drive, and we need your help to make it a success.
We invite you to join us. If you can help, please visit the link below:
This week, students began their new seminars classes for semester two, and there was truly something for everybody this semester: we dusted off our knitting needles for Knitting and Crochet, rolled out our mats for Yoga, got ready to pump some iron in Weightlifting, and studied our gambits in Wizard’s Chess. Seminars are a great way for students to try out new hobbies, learn a new life skill, get academic support, or unwind and move their bodies at the end of a long day of learning.
Another great way for students to mix, mingle, and learn about something new is to attend a student-led club! With the start of a new semester, its a great time to try joining a new club. Clubs meet all throughout the week during lunch and after school, and students can find a full list of clubs offered at DVD here: DVD Student Club List (2023-2024). You can also find this link in the “Resources” bar on the right side of the blog page.
See the Week 21 Bell Schedule here, as well as important upcoming events and key dates below:
Mon, Feb. 12th: Blood Drive (DVC + American Red Cross)
On Monday, February 12th, the DVC National Honor Society is proud to pay it forward and strengthen our community by helping to save lives. We are partnering with the American Red Cross to hold a blood drive, and we need your help to make it a success.
We invite you to join us. If you can help, please visit the link below:
We off and running for semester two! This week, students signed up for seminar classes and will begin attending seminar classes next week. See schedule below.
Absence / Tardy Notices: DV Design is now sending both absence/tardy calls and e-mails to parents/guardians whenever your student is not in class or arrives late to a class throughout the entire day. Parent/Guardians should be receiving a call/e-mail at 11 am and again at 4 pm for morning and afternoon classes.
Please make sure that if your student will be absent for the day or is arriving late, that you notify the school by using our new online link here:
If you receive a call/e-mail indicating your child was either absent or tardy and you know your child is present at school, please make sure to either call the school at (310) 725-5800 option 4 for Design or e-mail Ms. Vannessa Ramos @ vramos@davincischools.org to verify your student is present in class. Please reach out to Vannessa Ramos if you have any further questions or concerns regarding your student’s attendance.
Students will sign up for second semester seminars Wednesday, 1/17 – Friday, 1/19:
Wed, 1/17 during Advisory (8:40am-9:25am): 12th grade Seminar Sign-Ups
Thurs, 1/18 during Flex Block (8:40am-9:25am): 11th then 10th grade Seminar Sign-Ups
Fri, 1/19 during English 9 (P1 + P3): 9th grade Seminar Sign-Ups
IMPORTANT: Listings will be updated at the end of each day as classes fill up. Students should come prepared with three choices in mind in the event that their first choice class is full. Students should also be aware that some seminars require an application to be enrolled, and students may be pre-enrolled in some seminars that may not be listed here.
We are looking forward to seeing you all back on campus this week! Second semester at Da Vinci Design starts on Tuesday, January 16th. Today on Monday, January 15th, our campus is closed in observance of the legacy and birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
As we begin a new semester, we encourage all of our families to remind students of the importance of being at school everyday. Research shows that the #1 indicator of success in school is attendance! The more students show up, the more successful they will be.
In the event that a parent/guardian knows their student will be absent for any reason, we encourage all parents/guardians to alert our front office team of a student’s absence via a new, easy-to-use form: Click Here for the Da Vinci Design Online Absence Reporting Form
The new online absence reporting form can also be found on the “Resources” sidebar on our blog – right under the box that says “Subscribe Now”.
Next week, we have a special schedule while we return from the holiday break. See our Week 19 Bell Schedule below:
Semester 2 Seminar Sign-Ups:
Check the blog on Tuesday, Jan. 16th for the full list of seminar offerings for this semester. We will be signing students up for second semester seminars Wednesday, 1/17 – Friday, 1/19:
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 Tuesday, January 16th. See the calendar below!
Winter Break Front Office announcements:
All DVD offices will be closed for the break starting Monday, Dec. 25th until Friday, Jan. 5th. If you need to reach us, please reach out via email and we are happy to assist.
For records requests (including work permits): reach out to Office Manager Maria Beltran at mbeltran@davincischools.org .
For attendance and student information: reach out to Admin. Support Manager Vannessa Ramos at vramos@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. 25th. 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 8am-2pm to speak to someone on campus.
Wishing all of you a safe, restful and fun holiday break!
Next week is the last week of the Fall semester! This means that we are only one week away from Winter Break! Next week, to get into the holiday spirit before break, we hope all of our staff and students will participate in a Holiday-themed spirit week! See the dress up days listed below!
Special 9th Grade Exhibition: Wednesday, December 20th 5:30pm-6:30pm
On Wednesday, December 20, 2023 from 5:30 – 6:30 our 9th grade students and teachers will be hosting a special Exhibition on-campus at 201 N. Douglas! Students will display and present their lamp projects, narratives, and artwork that they have been working hard on for their first semester POLs. The theme of this project is to develop and share a deeper understanding of the experience of people who are migrants and refugees. See the flyer below – and hope to see you there!
Report Cards Mailed Next Week and PowerSchool Access Locked: PowerSchool access is locked for end of semester report card preparation, and in order to prepare schedules for the Spring 2024 semester. If you have questions regarding Fall 2023 report cards or grades, reach out to your counselor via email. Once report cards are completed, if you have questions about a grade for a specific class or wish to contest a grade, please reach out directly via email to the teacher of that course.
Presentations of Learning (POLs) are here! POLs are performance based assessments which give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills, and they give students space to reflect publicly on their learning. Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear formal attire. Any student in need of formal attire, please contact the front office and we will be happy to accommodate.
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 to tell us what you will be dropping off.
