Archive for Author Russell Stoll

Week 14 Preview

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Greetings Designers and Design Families,

We are just one week away from Fall Break and from our Thanksgiving Holiday! In the spirit of the season, please see the reminder below about opportunities to support and show gratitude for Da Vinci Design and our staff. Next week is a short week: students will only be on campus Monday-Thursday next week.

Also, please don’t forget to fill-out the Fall 2021 Parent Survey:
Fall 2021 Da Vinci Parent/Guardian Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RBRSKZG

Staff Thanksgiving Baskets

To show our appreciation, we are organizing Thanksgiving baskets to deliver to our school staff on Thursday, November 18th. The idea is that each staff member will receive one basket containing treats and words of appreciation from students and parents/guardians.

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 : pop corn, gummies, trail mix, chips, hot chocolate, pretzels, candy, cookies, gift cards ($5) to target, Starbucks, coffee, sparkling water, tea, and any non-perishable snacks.

We need donated items collected by: Tuesday November 16th. 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 Tuesday November 16.

End of Semester Calendar:

Lastly, a note about Exhibition: One of Da Vinci’s Signature Practices is Exhibition Night, an evening event for our community to come together to witness and celebrate how much our students have learned and grown in the project-based environment. Though we originally planned to hold an Exhibition Night this semester, we have decided to allow our teachers and students additional time to prepare for this important showcase. As a result, we will be rescheduling our Exhibition Night for second semester (January – June). We look forward to showcasing our students’ terrific projects in the new year, and we will let you know as soon as we decide on our new dates. See our updated calendar for first semester in the Resources bar, and below.

Posted in Grade 12

DVD Week 9 Preview: SLCs

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Hello Designers and Design Families,

Happy Friday! We wrapped up Week 8 with an amazing Community Dialogue in honor of Latinx Heritage Month! Things for spicy during a hot sauce challenge, and we had a special performance from a troupe that displayed traditional Aztec dance (see photo below). Many thanks goes out to our Latinx Student Union and their advisor Sr. Villanueva for putting together this special event.

The coming week is Week 9 and SLCs are from 10/11-10/14. SLCs are happening via Zoom this semester. Check the DVD Grade Level Google Sites and refer to the post from earlier in the week for SLC schedules and documents for your grade level.

Please remember that during SLCs, we have a minimum day schedule. This means that drop-off times stay the same, however school pick-up from school will happen at 1:55pm for Da Vinci Design Mon-Thurs this week, unless your student is staying for their SLC. See the schedule below:

Week 9 DVD

Week 9 Announcements & Key Dates:
  • Student Led Conferences (SLCs): October 11th-October 14th
    • Schedules and grade level documents coming soon.
  • PSAT test day (11th Grade): October 13th
    • 12th Grade: If you are interested in taking the SAT on this day, please contact your counselor for more information.
  • Next Professional Day: October 15th
  • Upcoming college visits:
    • Dominican University of California: 10/20 @ 12:35pm
    • Pacific Northwest College of Art: 10/21 @ 12:35pm
    • Syracuse University: 10/22 @ 1:20pm

Week 9 Classroom Highlight: Latinx Heritage Month CD!

IMG_6989

Posted in 09 Grade, 10 Grade, 11 Grade, 12 Grade

Student Led Conferences: Grade Level Information

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Good Morning DVD Families,

Next week, we are hosting Student Led Conferences via Zoom. This means that we will have an early release schedule next week, where students will be released at 1:55pm each day, so that from 2pm-4pm teachers can meet with families over Zoom. The schedule for the next two weeks is posted below.

Please see the attached SLC letters for parents/guardians from each grade level team for more information:

Please contact grade level teachers with any questions regarding SLCs.

Week 8 & 9 DVD

Posted in Grade 12

DVD Week 8 Preview

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Good Afternoon Designers and Design Families,

Happy October! Next week, we will be having our second CD of the year to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month! A special thanks goes out to our Latinx Student Union for putting together this special event. See the Week 8 schedule below.

Also – SLCs are the following week from 10/11-10/14. SLCs are happening via Zoom this semester. Check the DVD Grade Level Google Sites and stay tuned for SLC schedules and overviews from the grade level teachers.

Week 8 & 9 DVD

Week 8 Announcements & Key Dates:
  • This week’s college visits:
    • California Aeronautical University: 10/4 @ 12:45pm
    • Art Center College of Design: 10/5 @ 12:45pm
    • University of San Francisco: 10/6 @ 12:35pm
    • University of New Mexico: 10/8 @ 1:20pm
  • Student Led Conferences (SLCs): October 11th-October 14th
    • Schedules and grade level documents coming soon.
  • PSAT test day (11th Grade): October 13th
    • 12th Grade: If you are interested in taking the SAT on this day, please contact your counselor for more information.
  • Next Professional Day: October 15th
Posted in Grade 12

School Pictures Available and Make Up Day 9/30 & 10/1

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DVD School Photos:

You can purchase your student’s school photo by visiting this link and checking in the folder of your student’s advisory teacher. Proceeds from the purchase of your student’s photo support DVD. See pricing information below.

Make-Up Picture Days: 

For students who missed the photo day, makeup photos are scheduled for the mornings of Thursday, 9/30 and Friday, 10/1. Students will be notified ahead of time which day they will be taking their photo.

To request a make-up picture, please fill out this short Google Form:
Students must use their Da Vinci email to fill out this form.
DVD Make Up Picture Day Form

Da Vinci Picture Day (1)

 

Posted in Grade 12

DVD Week 7 Preview

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Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Happy Friday! This week, our classrooms were buzzing with great learning as we are fully getting into the swing of the school year. From drafting and peer reviewing personal memoirs, to travelling the world via music in Spanish 2’s “Musica en Español” (see picture below), so much good stuff was happening this week!

Also: Thank you to our students and staff for participating in our critical incident drill this week. We are grateful to our school community and ESPD for these efforts to ensure the safety of our schools.

This week, DVD started hosting virtual College Visits! Seniors: please check the list of upcoming college visits happening in the center quad. Upcoming college visits are also listed below.

Next week is a regular bell schedule week. See the Week 7 DVD Bell Schedule here, and other important upcoming dates.

Week 7 DVD

Week 7 Announcements & Key Dates:
  • This week’s college visits:
    • UC Irvine: Wed, 9/29 @ 12:35pm
    • UC Santa Cruz: Thurs, 9/30 @ 12:35pm
    • UC Irvine: Fri, 10/1 @ 1:20pm
  • Student Led Conferences (SLCs): October 11th-October 14th
    • Schedules and grade level documents coming soon.
  • PSAT test day (11th Grade): October 13th
  • Next Professional Day: October 15th

Week 7 Classroom Highlight: “Musica en Español” from Ms. Wood’s Spanish 2

Musica en Espanol

Posted in 09 Grade, 10 Grade, 11 Grade, 12 Grade

Important Message about Emergency Drill Planned for Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021

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As previously mentioned, Da Vinci Communications, Da Vinci Design, Da Vinci Science, and Da Vinci Connect High School will be conducting a Critical Incident Drill on Thursday, September 23, 2021. This drill is an important part of our continued efforts each year to maintain a safe and secure school environment. The drill will take place at 10:10 a.m. and will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Teachers have been working with students during Advisory classes to prepare for this drill.
As part of our safety and emergency procedures, Da Vinci Schools has adopted elements of the “Run-Hide-Fight” program designed to provide various options to our students and staff. Our drill will focus on the “HIDE” component which is also referred to as “shelter in place”. Other components will be practiced during our Fire Drills planned for next month. During tomorrow’s drill, students will have a chance to practice the proper response if a critical incident were to occur such as an intruder on campus or any other incident requiring a lockdown of the school. Please help us by reminding students to:
  • Listen and Follow the instructions of their teacher or staff member in the room at the time of the drill
  • Stay quiet during the duration of the drill
  • Silence/turn off their cell phones and stay off their phone during the duration of the drill
  • Wait for the “All Clear” announcement to indicate the drill has concluded
Our School Resource Officer, Officer Josh Gilberts will be joined by other officers from the El Segundo Police Department, members of the El Segundo Fire Department, and our site administrators in observing the drill and providing feedback on our emergency processes and procedures. Staff and students will also debrief after the drill to provide additional input and recommendations in order to continue to improve our response efforts.
Please keep in mind that in order for our schools to remain informed and responsive, parents/guardians and students are always encouraged to report any concerns or potential threats. If you have any questions regarding this drill or any of our other safety procedures, please reply to this email or contact the administration of your child’s school. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support in maintaining the safety and welfare of our students and staff.
Para obtener este anuncio en español por favor mande un correo electrónico con su solicitud a info@davincischools.org. Gracias!
Posted in 09 Grade, 10 Grade, 11 Grade, 12 Grade

DVD Week 6 Preview

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Greetings DVD Families,

This week came to an exciting and fun conclusion with our annual Club Fair! Students presented colorful booth displays and got lots of new members to join during this special event in Advisory. Thank you to all of our hard working club leaders for adding space on campus for students connect over their passions, their academic growth, and pride in their cultures and identities.

Next week, parents/guardians can expect to begin receiving automated calls home regarding attendance and absences. If a student is marked absent in any class, automated calls will be going home at two different times of the day in order to update parents/guardians. If you feel that you receive a call in error, please follow up with DVD’s Attendance Manager Irma Rodriguez by calling the DVD front office or sending her an email at irodriguez@davincischools.org .

Next week, we are having a regular bell schedule week. See below.

Have a lovely and restful weekend!

Week 6 DVD

Posted in 09 Grade, 10 Grade, 11 Grade, 12 Grade

Week 4 Wrap Up & Week 5 Preview

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Greetings Designers and Design Families,

What an AMAZING first CD today! The signs, the swag, the spirit – some of the greatest in DVD history! A big shout out to Mr. Itow, Ms. Stone, and the Leadership team for bringing so much positive energy to our school this morning. What a fantastic way to end the week!
Next week, our schedule will be a block schedule with the DVD Club Fair happening during a special Thursday afternoon Advisory instead of P8 Seminar. Friday, 9/17 is a professional development day which means that students do not attend school. See here:
 
Club leaders will be notified on Monday that their clubs are approved and to prepare for the club fair.
Thank you to all of you who attended the Coffee with Admin sessions this week. It was a pleasure to meet some of our awesome parent community, and to get your feedback. If you did not get to attend, you can click here to see the slides shared:

Our next Coffee with Admin Session will be on Thursday, 10/7.

Our first School Site Council meeting will be on Wednesday, Sept. 15th via Zoom at 4:30pm. Meetings are open to the public.

DVD SSC #1 Agenda Items: Introductions, reviewing goals, and preparing feedback for the Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund deadline.

Posted in Grade 12

Coffee w/ Admin #1 Link & SSC Voting Open

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Hello DVD Parents and Family Members,

Coffee with Admin #1: Tomorrow, 9/9/21 at 8am and 5pm via Zoom.

Ms. Acuña and I would like to invite you to join us for virtual coffee tomorrow, Thursday Sept. 9th! This will be the first “Coffee with Admin” session for the 2021-2022 school year. There will be two sessions held: one at 8am and one at 5pm. Both sessions will be held via zoom using this link:

This month, we will be talking about: a) Introductions, b) Emergency Procedures and Preparedness, and c) Resources on DVD Website. ALL members of the DVD learning community are welcome, but these meetings are specifically dedicated to parents and guardians.

School Site Council: Voting Open

Voting for our School Site Council is open and will remain open until 4pm on Friday, 9/10. Click here to vote on parent representatives for the School Site Council.

Posted in Grade 12
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