Our community partner, South Bay Families Connected, offers our families a variety of youth wellness resources. For Mental Health Awareness Month, we feature their resource pages covering trending youth wellness topics on the minds of parents and caregivers:
As we approach the end of the school year, it is an important time to be able to get the best understanding of our students’ learning and achievement so that we can start planning supports and curriculum for next year. Some important tools for assessing our students are MAP growth testing and CAASPP state testing. We begin testing next week for 9th-11th grades.
National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12th. Stay tuned for more information coming out soon for how to celebrate our teachers! If you are interested in coordinating or helping out with providing breakfast and treats for staff this week, please reach out to Nicole Tafoya know at ntafoya@davincischools.org.
There are just six weeks left of school before POLs (Presentations of Learning) begin. This is a great time to check grades and make plans for improvement (if needed) before the end of the semester. Students can expect mastery grades to be updated by teachers on Monday, 5/8. You can check grades on Canvas or PowerSchool, whichever is easiest for you. If you notice any discrepancies, please let the teacher know.
A message from the Wiseburn Education Foundation (WEF): Wiseburn Education Foundation’s Rock Around the Block is TOMORROW on April 29th at Dana Middle School. Did you know that WEF runs a Rock Around the Block silent auction, which is live right now? You can log on to WEF’s auction website at bit.ly/RABAuction2023 to view and bid on items such as restaurant gift cards, summer camps, museum tickets, and more! You also will not want to miss the “School Packages” category, which has items such as front-row seats for graduations and end-of-the-year concerts, principal for a day, and special experiences with your student’s favorite teachers. Bidding on items in this auction is an easy way to support WEF, because 100% of winning bids will go right back to our schools, teachers, and students. The auction ends on Saturday, April 29th at 9pm, so don’t miss out!
See the Week 33 Bell Schedule here:
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Monday, May 1st: 10th Grade College Field Trip
Mon, May 1st – Tues, May 2nd:
11th Grade CAASPP (ELA)
10th Grade MAP testing (Tuesday Only)
9th Grade MAP testing
Wednesday, May 3rd 5pm-6:30pm: School Site Council #5 / Parent Advisory Council
This week, both 11th and 12th grade students had fun and informative opportunities to be off campus! Our 11th graders go to go on college field trips to local universities like Pepperdine, LMU and OTIS. And, our 12th graders had the chance today to go on the annual Senior Beach Day field trip.
Senior families: Senior Activities are upon us! See the important dates below for Prom, Senior Grad Nite, and Graduation. For more details, look for the Senior Activities 2023 page in the “Resources” bar found on the right side of the blog.
As we approach the end of the school year, it is an important time to be able to get the best understanding of our students’ learning and achievement so that we can start planning supports and curriculum for next year. Some important tools for assessing our students are MAP growth testing and CAASPP state testing. Stay tuned for details on these important assessments, and see dates below. Thank you for helping to ensure that students are in attendance and prepared to do their best for testing on these days.
See the Week 32 Bell Schedule here:
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Monday, May 1st: 10th Grade College Field Trip
Mon, May 1st – Tues, May 2nd:
11th Grade CAASPP (ELA)
10th Grade MAP testing (Tuesday Only)
9th Grade MAP testing
Friday, May 5th: NO SCHOOL (Staff Development) + PROM NIGHT
Wed, May 10th – Thurs, May 11th:
11th Grade CAASPP (Math)
10th Grade MAP testing
9th Grade MAP testing
Thursday, May 25th: Senior Showcase (A DVD Senior Project Exhibition)
Monday, May 29th: NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day Holiday)
Friday, June 2nd: Senior Grad Nite (@ Disneyland)
Tues, May 30th – Tues, June 6th: Presentations of Learning (Minimum Days)
Wednesday, June 7th: Last Day of School! (Minimum Day)
Thursday, June 8th: DVD Graduation Commencement Ceremony
Welcome back from Spring Break! We are headed into the home stretch of the school year and we’ve got lots to look forward to! College field trips for 10th and 11th grade students, Senior Beach day, and Prom!
This week, our campus highlight is our Spring Exhibition! On March 28th, before Spring Break, we had an AWESOME Exhibition Night with work displayed from 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. See photos below!
Week 31 Bell Schedule:
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Thursday, April 20th: 11th Grade College Field Trip
Friday, April 21st: Senior Beach Day
Monday, May 1st: 10th Grade College Field Trip
Friday, May 5th: NO SCHOOL (Staff Development) + PROM NIGHT
Interested in a fun after school activity? The Da Vinci Tennis Club is offering free group tennis lessons with a professional coach to ten students! Lessons will be every Monday from May 1 to June 5 except Memorial Day. We’ll provide tennis racquets and balls, come ready to play. Email dvwolvestennis@gmail.com to sign up!
Tonight is the big night! Exhibition Night will happen at the 201 N. Douglas campus for Da Vinci Design from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Our staff and students have been hard at work: designing food trucks and menus, participating in community service, and planning immersive experiences! Can’t wait to share the great work with all of you.
As a preview for what will be presented at Exhibition, see below for some of the photos from the Entrepreneurship/Biology pitch panels that happened last week! Last week, students pitched environmentally sustainable snacks and foods which they designed themselves! They pitched their ideas and plans to industry experts in the BlackBox theater, and will be presenting tonight to our school community, too!
See the Bell Schedule for Week 29 below, as well as photos from our industry pitch panels from last week!
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Tuesday, March 28th: 5:30pm-7:30pm: Exhibition Night! (9th, 10th and 11th grade)
Friday, March 31st: NO SCHOOL – Cesar Chavez Holiday
Welcome back! Hope you all had a restful and enjoyable three day weekend from school. This week, we are gearing up to get ready for Spring Exhibition Night! On Tuesday, March 28th: 5:30pm-7:30pm our 9th, 10th and 11th grade students will be presenting projects that they have been working hard on for weeks – and all are invited!
Thank you to all of our parents/guardians for joining us during SLC week. It was great to have you on campus! And, thank you for taking the time to fill out our biannual survey while you were here.
If you have not yet filled out the biannual Parent/Guardian survey, please do so! It is crucial that we hear from all of our families; this survey helps us know how to keep doing our best to make DVD an amazing place to be. Do it now!
Da Vinci Schools is aware and concerned about an increase of substance use and risky behavior in our community. This mirrors trends that are being recognized across Los Angeles County and the nation. As part of our ongoing efforts to keep the health and well-being of your child and our school community a top priority, we are providing this notification with information both online and in-person during SLC week. Students will also be hearing information on drug awareness and prevention strategies in classes and in Advisory in the next two weeks.
Parents and guardians should use honest language that emphasizes their family values and concerns around drug use. Parents and guardians should also be prepared, get informed, and have some background knowledge on substance use and abuse related to vaping (THC and tobacco), fentanyl, and other substance use before starting the conversation with their child(ren). We are here to help! Use the resources here to be “in the know” and get ready to have an informed conversation with your child(ren).
Review the following resources for tips on how to start the conversation:
En Da Vinci estamos conscientes y preocupados por el aumento de consumo de sustancias en nuestra comunidad. Este problema se ve reflejado en el condado de Los Ángeles y a través de toda la nación. Mandamos este aviso informativo porque la salud y el bienestar de nuestros alumnos es nuestra prioridad. Este aviso está disponible en línea y en un panfleto que se distribuirá esta semana durante las reuniones SLC. Los estudiantes también recibirán información y estrategias contra el consumo de sustancias durante las próximas dos semanas.
Padres de familia deben tener conversaciones honestas para enfatizar sus valores y comunicar sus preocupaciones con respecto al consumo de sustancias. También deben mantenerse preparados e informados sobre el abuso de cigarrillos electrónicos (THC y tabaco) y fentanilo, entre otras sustancias. ¡Estamos aquí para ayudar! Utilice los enlaces para más información y prepárese para platicar con sus hijos.
Los siguientes recursos contienen sugerencias para iniciar una conversación:
Today, we wrapped up the week with another amazing Community Dialogue at DVD! Our assembly today, hosted by our Diversity Council, was all about celebrating the diversity of our school community. The program included a fashion show of different cultural garments, dances from different cultures, displays of foreign language, and of course some culturally themed art work from our very own Design students. A huge shout out and thank you goes to our student-led Diversity Council and their counselor advisor Pam Baker! See below for pictures!
Next week, Student Led Conferences begin! Every student and parent is expected to participate in leading an SLC this semester. SLCs will happen in-person and on campus unless a Zoom meeting is requested. See below for SLC schedules and details.
Student Led Conferences (SLCs): Grade Level Resources
Please click links below to access SLC materials and read carefully:
Reminder: We have minimum days Mon-Thurs (3/13-3/16) next week. Students will be released at 1:45pm. Friday (3/17) will be a staff development day and classes will not be in session.
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Week 27 (3/13 – 3/16): Student Led Conferences (minimum days)
Friday, March 17th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Development
Tuesday, March 28th: 5:30pm-7:30pm: Exhibition Night! (9th, 10th and 11th grade)
Friday, March 31st: NO SCHOOL – Cesar Chavez Holiday
