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.
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students of Da Vinci Communications, Design, Science and Connect High Schools:
Last night some of you may have received texts, emails and/or calls from students, parents and community members about a threat to our schools posted on a social media platform that was then further disseminated on other social media sites.
After having received the initial notification about the threat, the El Segundo Police Department (ESPD) was contacted and they immediately launched an investigation in collaboration with Da Vinci Schools regarding this matter. They were provided with all necessary information including information that we received last night from students, parents, and DV staff members. Thanks to everyone’s assistance and cooperation, the individual(s) involved were identified and the matter has been dealt with safely.
Having verified that the threat was deemed not to be credible, has been neutralized, and that those involved have been dealt with, the affected schools, DV Communications, Design, Science and Connect high schools will be open and in session today, Wednesday, September 8, 2021.
All of our safety measures will be in place as always and we will make sure to do everything possible to continue to provide a safe learning environment for our students and staff. In an abundance of caution, ESPD will have officers present on site throughout the day.
If you have any questions or further concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Be well and be safe,
Vicente Bravo
Chief Administrative Officer
Da Vinci Schools
201 N. Douglas Street
Office – #1308-Musician
El Segundo, CA 90245
(424) 290-3244 direct
(310) 725-5800, Ext. 1308 main vbravo@davincischools.org
Spelman College is a private, historically black, all female, liberal arts college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Spelman was founded in 1881 and a most highly competitive college.
They are having a preview session here in Los Angeles.
PowerSchool access should now be restored for all DVD parents/guardians and students.
If you are a parent/guardian who did not receive your PowerSchool log in information, please send an email to Maria Beltran at mbeltran@davincischools.org
If you are a student who needs access, please ask your English teacher for your login info.
The School Site Council is an opportunity for parents, 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. School Site Council meets quarterly to do this important work.
If you are a parent who is interested in joining the DVD School Site Council, please fill out this School Site Council Parent interest form before Wednesday 9/8.
All submissions will be added to a voting form that will go out to the DVD parent community on September 9. School Site Council members will be notified on Friday September 10, and the first School Site Council meeting will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, September 15. If you have any questions, feel free to send them to me at rstoll@davincischools.org.
Interested in starting a club? Here is the form to fill out in order to apply to be a club leader this year! This application (via Google Form) is due by Wednesday, September 8th.
UPDATE: DVD clubs WILL be allowed to meet during lunch (outdoors), before school, or after school.
All students are welcome to start a club by applying for your club here:
ALL CLUBS MUST COMPLETE THIS APPLICATION: NEW AND RETURNING CLUBS MUST APPLY. Clubs are not considered approved unless the student leader receives an approval email from their school administrator. Please see the slides shared during the club leader informational meeting yesterday for more details:
WDV Athletics is excited to continue our partnership with UCLA Health Sports Performance which has been providing off-season sports training for our student-athletes. To help the design and set-up of the classes, we are asking students to complete the survey below. If you have any questions, please contact WDV Athletics Director D.R. Moreland at dmoreland@davincischools.org.
Ms. Acuna and I wanted to extend a quick message to all of our families in preparation for the new school and returning to in-person instruction. We are so excited to be with all of you on campus!
Please review these “What’s New” slides, or watch this short 5-minute video, for important COVID safety updates and important school information. We look forward to meeting all of our new and returning students on Monday!
