Da Vinci Design

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)

Did you know that Da Vinci Schools are a South Bay Families Connected (SBFC) Partner District? SBFC is a youth mental health and social emotional wellness non-profit providing free online resources, support groups, educational videos and more to families at 115 schools in the South Bay. SBFC has resources, tips, articles, videos and more for both parents and teens regarding issues of stress management, depression, body image, substance abuse, social media and more. All Da Vinci Schools parents, guardians and teens are invited to visit our unique Da Vinci Schools Families Connected to access this resource, free of charge.

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:

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

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.

• If you are a parent/guardian who is interested in joining the DVD School Site Council, please fill out this School Site Council Parent interest form by Wednesday, 9/21.
• If you are a student who is interested in joining the DVD School Site Council, please fill out this School Site Council Student interest form by Wednesday, 9/21.

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)

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,

Good Morning Designers!

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

• DVD Club Leader Applications (2022-2023)

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

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

Good Morning Students!

See below for two important announcements:

Flex Block Sign Ups:

TODAY during Period 1, please complete this form to sign up for our first round of Flex Block:

• Flex Block Sign-Up Survey: Sept 2022

What is Flex Block? Flex Block is a class that happens during the school day, twice per week, when you can get support from a specific teacher or with a specific subject. Think of it like built-in time for office hours. Students must choose a flex block, and must report to that class for attendance.

If you have questions, or do not see your name in this form, please ask your teacher for help.

Seminar Interest Survey: 

If you are interested in Art Portfolio Development (11th/12th) or in Makerspace: Puppetry (10th/9th), complete this form TODAY (8/26):

• Seminar Interest Survey (Fall 2022)

Lastly: If you are interested in applying to be a Da Vinci Design Student Board Member, please see the Front Office for more details and for an application today! Applications are due to the Front Office by 9/16.

Hello Designers,

Please click the link below to see the Seminar classes being offered for the Fall 2022 semester!

• DVD Fall 2022 Seminar Offerings

Sign-up schedule (during Advisory):

• Monday, 8/22: Seniors and Juniors
• Tuesday, 8/23: Sophomores
• Friday, 8/26: Freshmen (during English classes)

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.

This year: all 9th grade students will be enrolled in a “Freshmen Seminar” in addition to one seminar of their choosing.