Dear Parents/Guardians and Students of the Class of 2023,
We’d like to inform you about an exciting opportunity for the senior class. Your student will be a part of the next class of Da Vinci graduates to experience Senior Projects. This student-driven project will give Da Vinci Designers the opportunity to explore a project topic of their choosing, and each student will design a project meant to address a need of the Da Vinci Schools or of our local community. Working in a group, students will collect research, take action through fieldwork and consult with experts or target groups off campus. Each group will be assigned an advisor to guide them through the project design process, and through a series of POLs. The project will culminate in an exhibition with students explaining their research and solutions that they have created in response to their topic.
To learn more about the Senior Project process, you can access the full letter shared with students here: Senior Project Family Letter
We know that you likely have several questions about the senior project experience. You are invited to attend an informational meeting via Zoom. Please use the link below to join us.
To attend the parent information webinar on Thursday, February 23rd at 6:30 pm, please use this link: https://zoom.us/j/97930487772
Happy February! We are kicking this month off with multiple celebrations.
First, we started this week celebrating Black History Month! Students from our BSU started a month long celebration by decorating the atrium staircase at DVD. They are also working on a collaborative mural that will be displayed on the first floor. And, they are hard at work preparing for our annual Black History Month community dialogue assembly. We look forward to recognizing the achievements of Black Americans this month in our classes and curriculum, too.
Next week, we are celebrating National School Counseling Week! Not only is this an opportunity for us to celebrate our amazing school counseling team, but it is also an opportunity to engage our students in a week of activities focused on promoting mental health, college readiness, and socioemotional learning. Take advantage of the spirit of recognizing the importance of school counseling this week, and consider sending a message of support or gratitude to our great team of counselors!
See the Week 22 Bell Schedule below, as well as a progress report update, important Senior updates, and upcoming events:
Academic Progress Report: Grades Updated Today via PowerSchool
Parent/Guardians: Friday, 2/3 is the first “Progress Report” grade update for semester 2. What that means is that during staff development today, teachers for all core classes have updated the “Final Grade” for students in both Canvas and PowerSchool. We encourage all parents/guardians to log in to PowerSchool to see your student’s current academic progress. If there are questions about your student’s progress, please encourage your student to connect with their teachers before/after classes, or you may always reach out directly to teachers with an email.
To log in to PowerSchool: See the link under the Resources section on the blog. And, if you have trouble accessing PowerSchool or Canvas, please reach out to the Front Office at DVD.
Senior Activities Updates:
Attention 12th Grade Students and Families: As we near the end of your final semester with us at Da Vinci Design, we look forward to celebrating you with so many great events! Dates for Graduation ceremony, Prom, and Disneyland Grad Nite can be found at the link below!
In the past week, the Senior teaching team has handed out both a Senior Activities overview, as well as a Senior Contract which reiterates important academic and behavior reminders for Seniors.
Seniors should have shared both the contract and the info sheet with you – see here for a digital copy of the activities sheet.
Do you have questions about any of these events? Please reach out to the contact person listed for each Senior activity or event on the Senior Activities info page.
As previously mentioned, Da Vinci Communications, Da Vinci Design, and Da Vinci Science will be conducting a Critical Incident drill on Thursday, February 2, 2023. This drill is a normal part of our continued efforts each year to maintain a safe and peaceful school environment. The drill will take place at 10:30 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 the 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 them 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 to remain off of them 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 as well as members of the El Segundo Fire Department who will be joining our site administrators in observing the drill and providing feedback on our processes and procedures. Staff and students will debrief this week regarding the drill to get their input and recommendations in order to continue to improve our response efforts.
Please keep in mind that in order for the schools to remain informed and responsive, parents and students are encouraged to report any concerns or potential threats to the school. If you have any questions regarding this drill or any of our other safety procedures, please do not hesitate to contact the administration or front office 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!
This week, we got back to our new normal for this semester as students started attending their new seminars for the Spring semester. Students this semester will engage in a whole range of fun, fitness and academic seminars: from puppet making and ceramics in the Fab Lab, to weightlifting in the CrossFit box, and even using fondant and icing to craft food sculptures in a student-led seminar called “Fakery”!
Speaking of great opportunities for students, we wanted to shout out the great internship and scholarship opportunities announced regularly by our Director of Real World Learning. Keep you eyes open for regular posts to the DVD blog here for our Real World Learning updates and announcements. On this week’s blog post, there is mention of so much great stuff, including a internship-scholarship opportunities through Warner Bros., summer programs at FIDM, and opportunities for students interested it STEM.
See below for the Week 21 bell schedule:
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Wednesday, February 1st: Coffee w/ Admin Parent Session (Two Sessions: 8am & 5pm, via Zoom – all parents welcome!)
Friday, February 3rd: NO SCHOOL – Staff Development Day
Monday, February 20th: NO SCHOOL – President’s Day Holiday
Are you looking to improve your vocals or to learn how to sing?
There are still a few spots available to join Da Vinci’s new Vocal Music/Choir class that meets on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4:00-6:00PM in the Black Box Theater.
If interested in participating, please complete the Interest Form here. The next class meets again on Monday, January 23, 2023 at 4:00PM.
This class is open to ALL Da Vinci high school students and there is no prior vocal music/choir experience required. Students are expected to attend both days each week throughout the semester.
Leading the class is Alexi Paraschos, the schools’ new choir teacher. Alexi has more than 14 years of experience as a music teacher and choir director.
We are back! It was great to be back with students this week, and teachers wasted no time in getting right to work doing amazing project based learning with our students: Grade 9 started laying the ground work for a food-focused Exhibition project, graphic design students started to stretch their legs in Photoshop, and English 11 students did mini-presentations on songs that shaped them in the year 2022.
Last week, the Da Vinci Design staff had a special opportunity to spend the day on-site with industry partner RIOS! RIOS is a local architecture and design firm that hosted the DVD staff for a day of learning about real world design practices, connecting with design professionals, and working with their grade level teams to plan authentic projects for the semester. DVD staff then had the opportunity the next day to pitch project ideas to feedback panels with industry partners, too. Our teachers and faculty are hard at work preparing amazing, real-world projects for our students! See below for a few photos from our field trip to RIOS.
Next week, we have a special schedule thanks to the holiday on Monday, 1/16, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. We hope that students and families are able to rest and reflect on this day in honor of MLK’s important message and legacy of civil rights and social justice.
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Monday, January 16th: NO SCHOOL – Martin Luther King Jr Holiday
Wednesday, January 18th @4:30pm: School Site Council Meeting #3
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/95810863962
Agenda: 1) School Updates, 2) School Stakeholder Survey Review
Wednesday, February 1st: Coffee w/ Admin Parent Session (Two Sessions: 8am & 5pm, via Zoom – all parents welcome!)
Friday, February 3rd: NO SCHOOL – Staff Development Day
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 Monday, January 9th. See the calendar below!
Winter Break Front Office announcements:
All DVD offices will be closed for the break starting Tuesday, Dec. 20th until Tuesday, Jan. 3rd. 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 Brianna Castaneda at bcastaneda@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. 19th. 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!
Da Vinci has received additional at-home COVID-19 test kits. A two-pack of test kits will be available to each student and staff member and are available for pick up this week Thursday on campus. We strongly encourage students to pick up a COVID test kit for use over break as needed to test prior to crowded indoor gatherings, if celebrating with friends or family that are high risk for health complications, if symptomatic and/or prior to returning to campus in January.
A negative test is not required for students and staff to return to school after Winter Break, but in the event your child exhibits any flu-like or cold symptoms, your child should get tested and remain at home.
Please report any positive results obtained over break that are within 14 days of having been on site to TLucero@davincischools.org.
Students who test positive must follow the LA County Isolation guidelines and may not attend school during the required isolation period. The Da Vinci Schools Nurse will follow up with return to school guidance for any positive results reported.
Additional home tests needed over the break can be picked up from 830am-1230pm at the main lobby of 201 N Douglas Street.
Mon-Thurs 12/19-12/22
Mon-Thurs 12/26-12/29
Tues and Thurs 1/3 and 1/5
We thank you and wish you a safe and Happy Holiday!
Happy Friday! We are in the final stretch of the semester, and POLs are around the corner. POL Schedules means that we followminimum day schedules Dec. 8th-15th. School begins at 8:40am and school ends at 1:45pm every day (INCLUDING FRIDAY 12/9).
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.
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
