TONIGHT, Wednesday, October 27th, 5pm – 6pm the Da Vinci Counselors from Communications, Design, and Science and Connect will be hosting a FAFSA Workshop Night. All College applicants must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to qualify for financial aid (ex. grants, loans, scholarships). The FAFSA opened on October 1st and is due March 2nd for CSUs, UCs, and Community Colleges in California. FAFSA deadlines for private and out-of-state universities vary. So please check those school’s financial aid websites and apply early!
This ZOOM webinar event will allow counselors to present the application step by step on how to fill out the FAFSA application. There will be a Q&A in the chat feature on ZOOM. Please click on the link below to join the webinar:
To fully sign and submit the FAFSA during the webinar, student and parent(s) must apply for their FSA ID and have it verified. CLICK ON THIS LINK for a helpful video that will walk you through the steps to apply for your FSA ID.
We will be recording this webinar. Hope to see you there!
All players and parents that are interested in softball, there is a meeting on Wednesday Nov. 3rd. It will be held in the west plaza at 201 N. Douglas from 4:30pm to 5:30pm.
Interested in playing softball? Softball tryouts will take place November 17th and 18th from 4pm to 6pm at Del Aire park. If you have any questions please contact coach Bean tbean@davincischools.org
Today in advisory, with the help of our student Leadership team, we had a conversation about resetting our expectations around using personal devices like cell phones and headphones in classrooms. Coming back from distance learning, teachers and staff have seen an increase of students being distracted by phones and headphones in class. So, we are making a campus-wide commitment today to “hit the reset button” and be more mindful about how we use personal electronics.
We are asking students to:
Keep devices out of sight and out of mind during class.
Follow reminders and requests from teachers to use technology appropriately.
Sign on to our campus-wide recommitment to all do our part.
In addition to this, teachers will be doing their part to help reset expectations by:
Using visual cues and signs in class to tell students clearly when personal devices may or may not be allowed.
Giving reminders at the beginning of classes.
Holding students accountable and being consistent.
As parents, we need your help, too! Please consider the following:
Have a conversation with your students today about the importance of avoiding distractions like phones/headphones and staying focused in class.
Reassure students that it is okay to contact you via text or call while they are at school, but that it should happen during passing periods or lunch.
Understand that school policy that says cell phones and headphones should not be out during class unless instructed by teachers; students who misuse personal devices after direct reminders may have the device held by the teacher/front office, and may receive a call home, per DVD Student and Family Handbook.
As a parent/guardian, please contact the school if you need to get in touch with your child or if you are picking them up early.
If you would like to see the slides shared in Advisory class today, click here. Thank you families for your support!
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:
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 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.
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
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:
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students of Da Vinci Communications, Design, Science and Connect High Schools:
Earlier this week we became aware of a threat based on postings on social media that warned of a possible shooting at our campus on Wednesday, September 8th. We immediately contacted our School Resource Officers from the El Segundo Police Department (ESPD) who initiated an immediate investigation into the matter, in collaboration with Da Vinci Schools. Thanks in large part to the volume of information received from parents, students, staff, and community members, both DV and ESPD were able to successfully investigate and identify the students involved in the incident. We followed up with communication early Wednesday morning to inform all DVC, DVD, DVS and Connect High families that our schools would be open on Wednesday after having verified that the threat was deemed not to be credible.
Here are a few updates that we would like to share with you based on follow-up questions that we have received from families after the last notification went out:
– School has continued this week safely and without any further interruptions
– ESPD and DV continue to investigate the incident in order to ensure that all the issues that came to our attention this week are fully addressed
– ESPD has continued to provide their assistance as a resource to our schools
– Students at DVC, DVD, and DVS who were present on Wednesday participated in an activity that morning provided by DVC Principal Erin D’Souza that gave the students an opportunity to discuss the incident and address it in a focused and healthy manner. Connect HS students will also have this resource available to them. > School Safety Update
– All Counselors and mental health staff have been made available to students and staff to assist in any way possible to help with any anxiety, stress, and trauma generated by this incident
– Our Critical Incident Drill which was being planned for late September/early October will be moved up to be conducted as soon as possible in collaboration with ESPD and the El Segundo Fire Department
– We will continue to review and improve our critical incident communication and procedures. Thank you to the many people who have submitted suggestions and recommendations.
Lastly, many questions were posed regarding specific information about the students involved. This type of information is referred to as Personally Identifiable Information (PII) as defined in Title 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 99.3. and also relates to the type of information that is categorized as a student record. Both at the state level (California Education Code 49061(b), 49076, and Title 5 California Code of Regulations 430 (b)), and the federal level through the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 34 CFR 99.31, student records are protected as confidential records and can only be accessed as provided in law.
Thank you for your support. We will continue to provide updates as needed. Our goal remains to provide the highest level of safety possible for our students and staff.
Be well and be safe,
Vicente Bravo
Chief Administrative Officer
Da Vinci Schools
201 N. Douglas Street
Office – #1308-Musician
El Segundo, CA 90245
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.
