Da Vinci Design

Greetings Designers and Design Families!

It’s hard to believe that there are only four more weeks of school before summer break! And of course, with the end of the semester, comes POLs! See below for key upcoming dates, and some classroom highlights from our 9th grade Fundamentals of Design class as students get ready for POLs!

Upcoming Dates & Events:

• May 11th, Wednesday (5:30pm-6:30pm): Senior Awards Night
• May 17th, Tuesday: School Site Council Meeting #3
  Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92576546794
  Agenda: 1) ELPAC Testing Updates, 2) Review of Year 1 LCAP
• May 19th, Thursday: 9th Grade Camp Retreat
• May 19th, Thursday: Last day of Seminars
• May 20th, Friday: 9th Grade On-Campus Activity Day
• May 21st, Saturday: Senior Grad Nite
• May 23rd, Monday: POL Prep Week (No Seminars)
• May 27th, Friday: 9th Grade On-Campus Activity Day
• May 30th, Monday: NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day Holiday
• May 31st – June 7th: POL Schedules (minimum days – school ends at 1:55pm)
• June 8th, Wednesday: Last Day of School (minimum day – school ends at 1:55pm)
• June 9th: Graduation Ceremony, 5:00pm *Time Corrected* – at 201 N. Douglas St. Campus

Week 34 Classroom Highlight: 9th Grade Art POL Prep!
For this POL, students have multiple options to choose from. They can choose to revisit a skill taught previously in the year, or, they can work on a passion project! Here are just a few of the work samples from our 9th graders as they sculpt, stitch, draw, screen print, photoshop, and more!

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

What a great week! Shout outs to all of our college-bound Seniors who we celebrated on Decision Day on Monday, 5/2. Thanks to our counseling team for making this fun and exciting event happen. Click here to see all of the photos for the post earlier in the week!

Next week, we will be having a Multicultural Fair on Monday and Tuesday, during an extended advisory period, hosted by Diversity Council. And, we will be celebrating our Seniors once again during Senior Awards Night on Wed, 5/11. Seniors who are receiving recognition will be notified, but all are welcome.

Upcoming Dates & Events:

• May 11th, Wednesday (5:30pm-6:30pm): Senior Awards Night
• May 17th, Tuesday: School Site Council Meeting #3
• May 19th, Thursday: 9th Grade Camp Retreat

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Happy Friday! We are looking forward to some great things happening at DVD next week. Our Seniors will be having a “Decision Day” celebration during Advisory on Monday where they will declare which colleges they are going to in the Fall! We can’t wait to share the celebration in a post next week.

Next week is also TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK! Thank you in advance for the outpouring of support for our amazing, dedicated teaching staff here at DVD. Parents/Families: please check your email inboxes for opportunities to celebrate teachers this week and to support DVD. Here are a few ways to celebrate our teachers this week:

• Sign Up to Donate Treats and Snacks
• Extend a Quick Message of Gratitude

Week 33 is a short week – Friday 5/6 is a Staff Development day (and also PROM!), so there will be no school on that day:

Upcoming Dates & Events:

• May 2nd, Monday: Decision Day Celebration (for Seniors)
• May 4th, Wednesday: Spanish 3 Field Trip
• May 6th, Friday: Staff Professional Development Day (No School)
• May 6th, Friday (6pm-10pm): Prom! (@ Proud Bird in El Segundo)
• May 11th, Wednesday (5:30pm-6:30pm): Senior Awards Night

Calling all thinkers, tinkers, creative problem solvers and leaders!

Kick off your summer fun with three exciting in-person camps at Da Vinci Schools in beautiful El Segundo.

This summer, we are proudly offering Robotics, Graphic Design and L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Empowerment, Accountability, Determination) Camps at our campus, located at 201 N. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245. Choose from two separate weeks with AM & PM sessions available. >> Register here: Da Vinci Summer Camp 2022

Week 1:   June 21-24, 2022   (4 days)
Week 2:  June 28-July 1, 2022   (4 days)

Schedule for both 4-day weeks:
Robotics Camp | 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (entering grades 4-9)
Graphic Design Camp | 9:00AM to 12:00PM (entering grades 6-9)
L.E.A.D. Camp (Leadership, Empowerment, Accountability, Determination)| 12:30-3:30PM (entering grades 6-9)

COST: $200 per 4-day week/per AM or PM session

ROBOTICS CAMP: Campers will learn basic engineering concepts using LEGO Mindstorms, while designing, building, and programming their robots to complete a challenge based on the 2021-22 FIRST Robotics Challenge. Mentored by students on the World Champion Da Vinci Robotics Team, campers will complete a wide-range of robot objectives based on each student’s skill level and interest!

GRAPHIC DESIGN CAMP: Campers will be introduced to Adobe Photoshop and develop professional graphic design skills! Each day, students will learn how to use a new Photoshop tool or technique in response to a fun or interesting design challenge. At the end of the camp, students will create a final piece that shows off all their skills.

L.E.A.D. CAMP (Leadership, Empowerment, Accountability, Determination): Campers will develop valuable life skills – leadership, communication, teamwork, goal setting, problem-solving and time management to become great students and people through various team-building activities, games, workshops, and more!

Da Vinci Summer Camp 2022 is open to the general public. Morning campers may be dropped off as early as 8:30AM. All campers must be picked up within 15 minutes of camp ending. Lunch supervision is provided for campers participating in both the AM and PM sessions. **Please complete a separate registration for each child.**

COVID Protocols: Please note that Da Vinci Schools actively follows all federal, state and county guidelines related to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, masks will be strongly recommended.

> Learn more and register here: Da Vinci Summer Camp 2022

Questions? Email us at info@davincischools.org

Greetings Design Students and Families,

I want to start this week by celebrating all of the students, staff, and student leaders who braved the snow and joined us in the mountains for our 10th Grade Retreat Camp! We were not expecting snow in April, but if this year has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected! It was truly a great bonding experience for our 10th graders and will be a camp retreat we won’t ever forget. See pictures below!

Also, we want to celebrate our 12th graders for starting their Senior Project journeys this week! Students who complete their Pitch POL and have their ideas approved will begin field work on their projects next week. For more details, reach out to the teachers on Team 12.

This week, we have a normal bell schedule week. 12th graders will be taking the CA Science Test (CAST) on Monday and Tuesday. 11th graders will be taking the CAST in their Biology classes on Wednesday and Thursday. See the Week 32 bell schedule here:

Parent Hiring Panel Interest Survey (Spring 2022)

Parents/Guardians: we need YOU! It is this time of year when we begin the process of hiring and interviewing potential teaching candidates for the 2022-2023 school year. It has traditionally been part of Da Vinci’s hiring practice that all school stakeholders participate in our hiring events (called symposiums) to help us find the next great DVD teachers. If you would like to participate, complete the Parent Hiring Panel Interest Survey here to learn more and to sign up!

Upcoming Dates & Events:

• Friday, April 29th: Senior Beach Day Field Trip
• Wednesday, May 4th: Spanish 3 Field Trip
• Friday, May 6th: Staff Professional Development Day (No School)
• Friday, May 6th (6pm-10pm): Prom! (@ Proud Bird in El Segundo)

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

This week, we have a special schedule to accommodate our all-school community dialogue this week! And, we are looking forward to sending our 10th graders on the all-day Camp Retreat this Friday. See the bell schedule for the week below:

10th Grade Retreat to Running Springs (Friday, 4/22): Our 10th grade students are scheduled to spend all day Friday, April 22nd in Running Springs, California (near Big Bear Lake)! We are asking all 10th grade students to arrive at DVD by 8:30am on Friday so that we can board buses and leave by 9am. We will be returning to DVD around 9:00pm that evening. Please see information about what to bring (and what not to bring) at this link:

• DVD 10th Grade Camp Retreat Information for Students and Families
• DVD Permission Slip
• Camp Pondo Permission Slip

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

It was so great to see all of you this week at Exhibition Night! We are so proud of the work of our amazing students: from the incredible designs of zines and posters, to the thought provoking photography and spoken word, and of course to the awesome displays of architectural models and art work – we celebrate it all! Hats off to our excellent and collaborative teaching staff for the hard work and coordination it took to help our Design students shine so brightly. See some highlights below!

Wishing all of our students, families and staff a restful and amazing Spring Break! School resumes on Monday, April 18th.

We are delighted to invite our DVD Families and friends onto campus today, April 6th and tomorrow, April 7th from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm for our Exhibition Nights!

We will be showcasing grades 11 & 12 today and grades 9 & 10 tomorrow (4/7). Families and community guests are welcome to come see all of the amazing work that students have been doing.

This is a masked event. All visitors are required to wear a mask while on campus.

We look forward to seeing you at our Exhibition Nights!

Good Afternoon Designers and Design Families,

Thank you to everyone, including our students, staff leaders and families, who made the CARnival event such a great success last week! Can’t wait to do it again next year.

Next week, Exhibition week is finally here! All families and community guests are welcome to come see all of the amazing work that students have been doing. DVD Exhibition night is from 5:30pm-7:00pm on Wednesday 4/6 for grades 11 & 12, and Thursday 4/7 for grades 9 & 10.

Lastly, here is an important message from our Da Vinci Schools CEO & Superintendent, Dr. Matt Wunder:

Dear Design Families, Students, and Staff,

Here is a video message regarding the incident that took place at the Design Black History assembly on March 4.

Families, if you are interested in joining the Family Equity Council, please email Dr. Allegra Johnson, Executive Director of Educational Services, at ajohnson@davincischools.org.

The council will meet twice a semester and share insights and recommendations around curriculum, creating inclusive school cultures, and supportive programming for students.

Thank you for your time, your honesty, and your commitment to the well-being and growth of the Da Vinci community.

Gratefully,

Matt

Key Dates & Upcoming Events at Da Vinci Design:

• DVD Exhibition Nights:
  • Wednesday, April 6th (for Grades 11 & 12)
  • Thursday, April 7th (for Grades 9 & 10)
• Friday, April 8th: NO CLASSES (Staff Development)
• Monday, April 11th – Friday, April 15th: NO CLASSES (Spring Break)