Da Vinci Design

Dear Designers & families,

Happy holidays! With winter break upon us, we encourage you to relax, unwind, and settle into a safe and restful break.

The holiday season is a time for togetherness and joy, but it can sometimes bring unwelcome guests, like stress and grief. Some of us may be experiencing the holidays without a loved one. Some of us may be balancing endless to-do lists from shopping to entertaining. While we each celebrate this season’s joys, it’s important to stay mindful, acknowledge our feelings, and reach out for help if needed.

To help keep your holidays bright, below is a helpful resources. We encourage you to save this resource so you can easily reference them should you or a family member need help.

Da Vinci Schools partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of our community. If you or a family member are looking for help with mental health or substance use, Care Solace can help you quickly find treatment options matched to your needs, regardless of the circumstance. This is a complimentary and confidential care coordination service provided by Da Vinci Schools. If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a mental health care provider:

• Call 888-515-0595. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365.
• Visit www.caresolace.com/davincischools and either search on your own or click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.

May you enjoy your break and return rested and reinvigorated for a fantastic new year!

 

Dear Seniors,

 

November 30th was the application deadline for UC applications and most CSU applications. However, there are a number of CSU campuses that are continuing to accept applications and a list can be found here.  Students can also apply to UC Merced until January 15, 2024. 

Other highlights: 

• Community College: applications are open! Most students who have El Camino College on their college list completed their application during their advisory class.  In the spring, we will take prospective seniors to El Camino College to help them complete the enrollment process. If you haven’t finished filling it out and/or need help, please see Erin!
• Private Universities: Many seniors submitted their applications during the months of November and December.  Some seniors are still working through their private university applications via the Common App. and will continue to do so until early 2nd semester for those universities that have a later deadlines.
• University Portals: Once applications are submitted, many universities will require students to create a portal.  Portals are the main method of communication for many universities.  Please encourage your student to keep a close eye on their email, including spam, to access important information from prospective universities.

Financial Aid Update: 

The Department of Education just announced that the FAFSA will be available by December 31, 2023.  We encourage you to create an FSA ID, which allows you to digitally sign the FAFSA, prior to the launch. Both student and at least one parent need FSA IDs. Financial aid updates and resources are below:

• Create an FSA ID – it takes 2-3 to process so creating one now will allow you to start the FAFSA when it opens

• Changes to the FAFSA (video)
• The California Student Aid Commission announced that the California Dream Act Application (CADAA), financial aid application for undocumented students, will be launch at the same time as the FAFSA.
• Complete the CSS Profile,  if applicable.  The CSS Profile is used by private universities.  Here is the list for participating schools. Please check each university’s financial aid website for CSS and FAFSA deadlines as they vary. Ex: USC requires students/families to submit CSS profile.
• Below is a list of scholarships with upcoming deadlines, please check the blog regularly as scholarships are posted here when avaialble:
  1. Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship – due 12/15/23
  2. Edison Scholars – due 1/23/24
  3. Equitable Excellence Scholarship Program– due 12/18/23
• Here are some scholarship databases to search on your own:
  • https://www.chegg.com/Scholarships
  • https://www.unigo.com/scholarships/our-scholarships
  • https://www.fastweb.com/

Deadlines for FAFSA/CADAA:

• University of California: March 2, 2024
• Cal State University: April 2, 2024
• Private Universities: Check each university site as deadlines vary

We know there are a lot of updates and we are here to help!  Please don’t hesitate to reach out for support.

Have a great week!

Your DVD Counselors

Pam, Nicole and Omar

Dear DVD Students, Parents, and Guardians,

As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, we are all grateful for the tremendous work of our school staff – from our teachers to counselors to paraeducators to custodians to front office staff. To show our appreciation, we are organizing Thanksgiving baskets to deliver to our school staff on Thursday, November 16th. The idea is that each staff member will receive one basket containing treats and words of appreciation from students and parents/guardians.

 

Here is how you can contribute to the baskets of Thanksgiving:

1. Items: If you are interested and able to purchase something to show your appreciation, please consider non-perishable items such as: individually wrapped : pop corn, gummies, trail mix, chips, hot chocolate, pretzels, candy, cookies, gift cards ($5) to target, Starbucks, coffee, sparkling water, tea, and any other non-perishable snacks. We need donated items collected by: Tuesday November 14th. All items can be left on the first floor front office.

1. Words of Appreciation: There is nothing that means more to school staff than words of appreciation or encouragement. Please consider handwriting a note of thanks or typing one digitally here: DVD Staff Appreciation Notes We will be printing these digital messages and including all words of appreciation in the baskets. Handwritten notes can be dropped off by Tuesday November 14th.

With gratitude for your ongoing encouragement and support,

 

Russell Stoll                 Kirk Takeyama                           Korina Barefield

Principal                 Assistant Principal               Dean of Student Success & Culture

Dear DVD Students, Parents, and Guardians,

As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, we are all grateful for the tremendous work of our school staff – from our teachers to counselors to paraeducators to custodians to front office staff. To show our appreciation, we are organizing Thanksgiving baskets to deliver to our school staff on Thursday, November 16th. The idea is that each staff member will receive one basket containing treats and words of appreciation from students and parents/guardians.

 

Here is how you can contribute to the baskets of Thanksgiving:

1. Items: If you are interested and able to purchase something to show your appreciation, please consider non-perishable items such as: individually wrapped : pop corn, gummies, trail mix, chips, hot chocolate, pretzels, candy, cookies, gift cards ($5) to target, Starbucks, coffee, sparkling water, tea, and any other non-perishable snacks. We need donated items collected by: Tuesday November 14th. All items can be left on the first floor front office.

1. Words of Appreciation: There is nothing that means more to school staff than words of appreciation or encouragement. Please consider handwriting a note of thanks or typing one digitally here: DVD Staff Appreciation Notes We will be printing these digital messages and including all words of appreciation in the baskets. Handwritten notes can be dropped off by Tuesday November 14th. 

With gratitude for your ongoing encouragement and support,

 

Russell Stoll                 Kirk Takeyama                           Korina Barefield

 Principal                 Assistant Principal               Dean of Student Success & Culture

 

Hello DVD Seniors!

The CSS Profile is an application for institutional financial aid required by more than 300 colleges, universities and scholarship organizations. If you are applying to a college that requires the CSS Profile, please complete this form as soon as possible. The financial information that is provided by completing the CSS profile will allow colleges to create an estimated award offer if you are accepted to their institution. As we wait for the FAFSA to open sometime in December, we are also anticipating that processing of the FAFSA may take longer than expected. However, the estimated award as a result of the CSS profile, will more than likely be the actual award you will receive.

• The CSS Profile is mostly for private schools.  Here is the list of participating institutions
• Students that applied EA/ED may have an CSS Profile deadline in November or December.  Please check deadline on the respective university websites
• The UCs and the CSUs do not require the CSS Profile, only the FAFSA or the CADAA
• Priority FAFSA or the CADAA deadline for the UCs is March 2^nd
• Priority FAFSA or the CADAA deadline for the CSUs is April 2^nd

If you have any questions, please contact your student’s counselor.

Thank you,

DVD Counselors

Hello Designers,

The Riordan Programs at the UCLA Anderson School of Management is proud to provide learning experiences in business to and shape the lives of Los Angeles’ next great leaders.  Many students at DVD have participated and benefited from all that Riordan programs have to offer.

The program

• Is cost-free!
• Is virtual; one in-person session in mid-April 2024
• Requires a two (2) hour commitment per session

Students will 

• Receive introductory business lessons led by UCLA Anderson MBA Students and Riordan MBA Fellows 
• Learn about careers through diverse panels 
• Learn about early college planning  
• Visit to UCLA Anderson campus 

Eligibility 

• 9th or 10th-grade standing by Fall 2023 
• Must attend a high school in Los Angeles 
• Minimum GPA requirement: 2.9 
• Must be able to attend student orientation and all five (5) sessions  

THE APPLICATION IS NOW LIVE!

 

Attention 9th Grade Parents/Guardians! Please join us next Thursday October 5th from 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. for the third session of the 9th Grade DVD Parent Community Group

 

RSVP HERE

Attention 9th Grade Parents/Guardians! Please join us next Friday September 15 from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. for the second session of the 9th Grade DVD Parent Community Group

RSVP HERE

 

Please join SBFC tomorrow, September 12, at 10:00 a.m. for the virtual Families Connected Parent Chat, a free monthly support group open to all South Bay parents and caregivers. We thank our community partners Beach Cities Health District and the Thelma McMillen Recovery Center for making the Parent Chat possible.

 

DETAILS AND ZOOM LINK