Da Vinci Design

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

In honor of NCAA March Madness, Da Vinci Design is hosting March TECH Madness this month! This is a friendly competition where all students and teachers will track their screen time every week during the month of March. The advisory classes which has the lowest screen time each week will move forward in a tournament bracket, until we have one advisory that is our grand champion! Today we celebrated with a Sports Jersey spirit day. See photos from our March Madness spirit day below! 

Next week is SLC week! Every student is expected to participate in leading an SLC this semester with a parent / guardian present. SLCs happen in-person and on campus. Having a family member present is an important part of the process. Thank you for doing your part and showing up for your child for their SLC! See grade level resources below.

This week, Da Vinci Schools administration also focused on outreach to our DV parent/guardian community regarding some concerning trends in how our teens engage on social media. We sent out a letter regarding social media to all DV families with resources for parents. At DVD this week, we also made social media the focus of our monthly “Coffee with Admin” Q&A session. Click here for the March Coffee with Admin slides, or use the DVD Parent Info Sessions & Coffee with Admin Slides link under the “Resources” column on the blog to find more information.

Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 27: DVD SLC Week:

Student Led Conferences (SLCs): Grade Level Resources

• 9th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Schedule Link
• 10th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Sign-Up Link (via Sign Up Genius)
• 11th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Schedule Link
• 12th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Schedule Link | RSVP Link

Please see the letter to families here for more details about SLCs. This letter was sent home with progress reports, and has helpful reminders about SLCs for parents/guardians.

Schedule reminder: We have minimum days Mon-Thurs (3/11-3/14) during SLC week. Students will be released at 1:45pm. Friday (3/15) will be a Professional Development day for teachers and school will not be in session.

Upcoming Events and Other Key Dates:

• Mon, Mar. 11th – Thurs, Mar. 14th: Student Led Conferences (SLCs)
• Fri, Mar. 15th – Professional Development Day (No School)
• Wed, March 20th: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting #3:
  • 8am or 5pm, via Zoom (in person not available this month)
  • Agenda: 1) Public Comment, 2) WASC Introduction, 3) LCAP: Goal 3 + 4 Review, 4) Meeting Reflections
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
• Thursday, Mar. 21st: Exhibition Night! (9th/10th/11th Grades)

Week 26 Campus Highlight: Sports Jersey Spirit Day

Happy Friday Designers and Design Families,

We wrapped up this week with a community dialogue celebrating the start of Women’s History Month! We celebrated with events like a performance from our cheer team and fun games, including a women’s history trivia game for our staff who got a face full of pie for wrong answers. All in good fun! See photos from our Women’s History Month CD below.

SLC week at Da Vinci Design is coming soon! SLCs are an important time when parents and teachers come together for a meeting led by the student. It is a time to highlight a student’s strengths and hard work, to encourage students to set new goals, and to ask guiding questions so students can take ownership of their learning. Every student is expected to participate in leading an SLC this semester. SLCs will happen in-person. SLC schedules and overviews below!

Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 26-27 at Da Vinci Design:

Student Led Conferences (SLCs): Grade Level Resources

Every student is expected to participate in leading an SLC this semester with a parent / guardian present. SLCs happen in-person and on campus. Having a family member present is an important part of the process. Thank you for doing your part and showing up for your child for their SLC!

• 9th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Schedule Link
• 10th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Sign-Up Link (via Sign Up Genius)
• 11th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Schedule Link
• 12th Grade SLC Resources: Overview Letter | Schedule Link | RSVP Link

Please see the letter to families here for more details about SLCs. This letter was sent home with progress reports, and has helpful reminders about SLCs for parents/guardians.

Schedule reminder: We have minimum days Mon-Thurs (3/11-3/14) during SLC week. Students will be released at 1:45pm. Friday (3/15) will be a Professional Development day for teachers and school will not be in session.

Upcoming Events and Other Key Dates:

• Wed, March 6th : Coffee w/ Admin:
  • 8am or 5pm, via Zoom (in person not available this month)
  • Agenda: 1) Campus Updates & Highlights 2) Upcoming Calendar Events
    3) Teens on Social Media: Tips and Resources for Parents 4) Q&A
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
• Mon, Mar. 11th – Thurs, Mar. 14th: Student Led Conferences (SLCs)
• Thursday, Mar. 21st: Exhibition Night! (9th/10th/11th Grades)

Week 25 Highlight: Women’s History Month CD

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

This short week has been another exciting week at Da Vinci Design! Our 11th graders toured local colleges to get them thinking about colleges they might apply to in the Fall. Our 9th graders had a work day focused on their game designs for their Spring Exhibition. And our 10th graders had a very special field trip to The Great Wall of Los Angeles and LACMA. In the morning 10th grade students worked with Judy Baca’s non-profit SPARC doing a historical scavenger hunt while they walked the Great Wall of Los Angeles painted by Judy Baca in 1974 along the Tujunga greenbelt. After the Great Wall, students traveled to LACMA where they met with Judy Baca, her mural team and the SPARC team. Students had the opportunity to learn history of the Great Wall not readily found online and ask Judy Questions directly. See photos of the 10th grade field trip below!

Progress reports are being mailed home today, February 23rd. The purpose of this is to give families the opportunity to have a snapshot of student progress, and to be able to have a conversation at home with students about how to stay successful in school. This information will also be used by teachers and counselors in their plans to support all students. Please follow up with your child’s teachers directly with any questions about assignments or grades.

SLC week at Da Vinci Design is coming soon! SLCs are an important time when parents and teachers come together for a meeting led by the student. It is a time to highlight a student’s strengths and hard work, to encourage students to set new goals, and to ask guiding questions so students can take ownership of their learning. Every student is expected to participate in leading an SLC this semester. SLCs will happen in-person. SLC schedules and overviews will be released early next week – stay tuned!

Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 25 at Da Vinci Design:

Upcoming Events and Other Key Dates:

• Friday, March 1st: Community Dialogue (CD) honoring Women’s History Month
• Mon, Mar. 11th – Thurs, Mar. 14th: Student Led Conferences (SLCs)
• Thursday, Mar. 21st: Exhibition Night! (9th/10th/11th Grades)

Week 24 Campus Highlight: 10th Grade Art Field Trip

Greetings Designers and Design Families!

Wishing you all a safe, fun and restful holiday weekend ahead! School will not be in session on Monday, February 19th in honor of President’s Day Holiday; school will resume on Tuesday, February 20th with an all periods schedule day.

This week was spirit week! We wore pink on Wednesday (Valentine’s Day) and handed out valentine’s grams, got comfy on Thursday, and wrapped up with Twins Day. See some of our favorite twins in the pics below!

Next week, we are looking forward to lots of fun activities! Our 11th grade students are going on college field trips on Tuesday, our 10th graders are going on a field trip to the “Great Wall of LA” mural also on Tuesday, and then we have a our Spring Dance on Friday!

Here is the Week 24 Bell Schedule for DVD:

Upcoming Events and Other Key Dates:

• Mon, Feb. 19th: NO SCHOOL – PRESIDENTS DAY HOLIDAY
• Tues, Feb. 20th: 11th grade College Field Trip / 10th grade field trip to SPARC
• Wed, Feb. 21st: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting #2
  • 5pm-6pm in-person OR via Zoom
  • Agenda: 1) Public Comment, 2) School Safety Plan Review, 3) LCAP: Goal 2 Review, 4) Meeting Reflections
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
• Fri, Feb. 23rd: Progress Reports Sent Home
• Fri, Feb. 23rd 6pm-9pm: Spring Dance *NEW DATE*
• Mon, Mar. 11th – Thurs, Mar. 14th: Student Led Conferences (SLCs)
• Thursday, Mar. 21st: Exhibition Night! (9th/10th/11th Grades)

Week 23 Campus Highlight: Twin Day!

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

This week at DVD, we celebrated National School Counseling Week! The purpose of National School Counseling Week is to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by ASCA, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. We are so grateful to our amazing team of school counselors at DVD and recognize them for all they do! Thank you to Ms. Pam Baker, Ms. Nicole Tafoya, and Mr. Omar Sanchez!

On February 7th, we had our February edition of “Coffee with Admin”, our monthly check-in for parents/guardians with the DVD admin team. If you’d like to see the updates shared during our meeting, click here or see the “DVD Parent Info Sessions & Coffee with Admin Slides” link on the right side of our blog.

Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 23:

Upcoming Events and Other Key Dates:

• Mon, Feb. 12th: Blood Drive (DVC + American Red Cross)
  • On Monday, February 12th, the DVC National Honor Society is proud to pay it forward and strengthen our community by helping to save lives. We are partnering with the American Red Cross to hold a blood drive, and we need your help to make it a success.
  • We invite you to join us. If you can help, please visit the link below:
    https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=davincischools
• Mon, Feb. 19th: NO SCHOOL – PRESIDENTS DAY HOLIDAY
• Fri, Feb. 23rd: Progress Reports Sent Home
• Fri, Feb. 23rd 6pm-9pm: Spring Dance *NEW DATE*

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

What an exciting and fun end to our week! Today, we celebrated the start of Black History Month with our annual community dialogue celebration hosted by the DVD Black Student Union (BSU). The whole school community shared in the joy as students did a series of fantastic celebrity impersonations during the assembly today: we had dance performances from everyone from Drake to Nicki Minaj, from Rihanna to Ciara, and we even had a round of Family Feud hosted by Steve Harvey. See pictures below!

We started our morning today recognizing a stellar group of students at our first ever POL Excellence Awards Breakfast in the Black Box Theater. At this event, students who were nominated for exceptional performances on their Fall 2023 Presentations of Learning got to do a “victory lap” presentation in a TedTalk-style format for families, friends and staff. Students presented websites, architectural designs, stories, and so much more. Congrats again to our POL Excellence Awards Winners! Kinnon Palmer (9), Sarah Arambula (9), Sophia Julin (9), Ethan Dupree (10), Allison Campbell (10), Adan Barbosa (11), Isabelle Ibarra & Sandra Medina (11), Kylie Charfen-Horvath (11), Michael Garcia (12), Sophia Quintanilla (12), and Adan Victoria (12). See more pictures below!

Here is the Week 22 Bell Schedule:

Senior Activities 2024: Prom, Grad Nite, and Graduation

Seniors and Senior Families: This week in English class, DVD Dean Ms. B presented important information for the Class of 2024. See the link here for important dates and ticket regarding Senior Activities!

• Senior Activities One-Sheet: Class of 2024

Important Class of 2024 Dates:

• Prom – Friday, May 3, 2024
• Disneyland Grad Nite – Friday, May 31, 2024
• Graduation Ceremony – Thursday, June 6, 2024 @1pm

Upcoming Events and Other Key Dates:

• Wed, Feb. 7th: Coffee w/ Admin:
  • 8am or 5pm, in-person OR via Zoom
  • Agenda: 1) Semester 2 Updates, 2) Fall 2023 Survey Data Share-Out, 3) Q&A with Admin
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
• Thursday, Feb. 8th: Senior Project Meeting for Families
• Fri, Feb. 9th: NO SCHOOL – STAFF DEVELOPMENT
• Fri, Feb. 9th 6pm-9pm: Spring Dance!
• Mon, Feb. 12th: Blood Drive (DVC + American Red Cross)
  • On Monday, February 12th, the DVC National Honor Society is proud to pay it forward and strengthen our community by helping to save lives. We are partnering with the American Red Cross to hold a blood drive, and we need your help to make it a success.
  • We invite you to join us. If you can help, please visit the link below:
    https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=davincischools
• Mon, Feb. 19th: NO SCHOOL – PRESIDENTS DAY HOLIDAY
• Fri, Feb. 23rd: Progress Reports Sent Home

Week 21 Highlights: Black History Month Celebration and POL Excellence Awards

Greetings Designers and Design Families!

This week, students began their new seminars classes for semester two, and there was truly something for everybody this semester: we dusted off our knitting needles for Knitting and Crochet, rolled out our mats for Yoga, got ready to pump some iron in Weightlifting, and studied our gambits in Wizard’s Chess. Seminars are a great way for students to try out new hobbies, learn a new life skill, get academic support, or unwind and move their bodies at the end of a long day of learning.

Another great way for students to mix, mingle, and learn about something new is to attend a student-led club! With the start of a new semester, its a great time to try joining a new club. Clubs meet all throughout the week during lunch and after school, and students can find a full list of clubs offered at DVD here: DVD Student Club List (2023-2024). You can also find this link in the “Resources” bar on the right side of the blog page.

See the Week 21 Bell Schedule here, as well as important upcoming events and key dates below:

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

• Wed, Jan. 31st: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting #1
  • 5pm-6pm in-person OR via Zoom
  • Agenda: 1) Welcome + Introductions, 2) Purpose of Committee, 3) DVD Spotlight: What’s New for 2023-2024, 4) LCAP Overview (Goals 1 – 5), 5) LCAP: Goal 1 Review
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
• Fri, Feb. 2nd: Community Dialogue – Black History Month (hosted by DVD Black Student Union)
• Wed, Feb. 7th : Coffee w/ Admin:
  • 8am or 5pm, in-person OR via Zoom
  • Agenda: 1) Semester 2 Updates, 2) Fall 2023 Survey Data Share-Out, 3) Q&A with Admin
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
• Fri, Feb. 9th: NO SCHOOL – STAFF DEVELOPMENT
• Fri, Feb. 9th 6pm-9pm: Spring Dance!
• Mon, Feb. 12th: Blood Drive (DVC + American Red Cross)
  • On Monday, February 12th, the DVC National Honor Society is proud to pay it forward and strengthen our community by helping to save lives. We are partnering with the American Red Cross to hold a blood drive, and we need your help to make it a success.
  • We invite you to join us. If you can help, please visit the link below:
    https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=davincischools

 

Greetings Designers and Design Families,

We off and running for semester two! This week, students signed up for seminar classes and will begin attending seminar classes next week. See schedule below.

Absence / Tardy Notices: DV Design is now sending both absence/tardy calls and e-mails to parents/guardians whenever your student is not in class or arrives late to a class throughout the entire day.  Parent/Guardians should be receiving a call/e-mail at 11 am and again at 4 pm for morning and afternoon classes.

Please make sure that if your student will be absent for the day or is arriving late, that you notify the school by using our new online link here:

• Da Vinci Design: Online Absence & Tardy Reporting

Please refer to page 5 of the student handbook for clarification on what is considered excused/unexcused absence.

If you receive a call/e-mail indicating your child was either absent or tardy and you know your child is present at school, please make sure to either call the school at (310) 725-5800 option 4 for Design or e-mail Ms. Vannessa Ramos @ vramos@davincischools.org to verify your student is present in class. Please reach out to Vannessa Ramos if you have any further questions or concerns regarding your student’s attendance.

See the Week 20 bell schedule here:

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

• Mon, Jan. 22 + Tues, Jan. 23: Semester 2 Seminars Begin
• Wed, Jan. 31st: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting #1
  • 5pm-6pm in-person OR via Zoom
  • Agenda: 1) Welcome + Introductions, 2) Purpose of Committee, 3) DVD Spotlight: What’s New for 2023-2024, 4) LCAP Overview (Goals 1 – 5), 5) LCAP: Goal 1 Review
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
• Fri, Feb. 2nd: Community Dialogue – African American History Month
• Wed, Feb. 7th : Coffee w/ Admin
  • 8am or 5pm, in-person OR via Zoom
  • Agenda: 1) Semester 2 Updates, 2) Fall 2023 Survey Data Share-Out, 3) Q&A with Admin
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
• Fri, Feb. 9th: NO SCHOOL – STAFF DEVELOPMENT
• Fri, Feb. 9th 6pm-9pm: Spring Dance!

Greetings Designers and Design Families!

We are looking forward to seeing you all back on campus this week! Second semester at Da Vinci Design starts on Tuesday, January 16th. Today on Monday, January 15th, our campus is closed in observance of the legacy and birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

As we begin a new semester, we encourage all of our families to remind students of the importance of being at school everyday. Research shows that the #1 indicator of success in school is attendance! The more students show up, the more successful they will be.

In the event that a parent/guardian knows their student will be absent for any reason, we encourage all parents/guardians to alert our front office team of a student’s absence via a new, easy-to-use form: Click Here for the Da Vinci Design Online Absence Reporting Form

The new online absence reporting form can also be found on the “Resources” sidebar on our blog – right under the box that says “Subscribe Now”.

Next week, we have a special schedule while we return from the holiday break. See our Week 19 Bell Schedule below:

Semester 2 Seminar Sign-Ups:
Check the blog on Tuesday, Jan. 16th for the full list of seminar offerings for this semester. We will be signing students up for second semester seminars Wednesday, 1/17 – Friday, 1/19:

• Wed, 1/17 during Advisory (8:40am-9:25am): 12th & 11th grade Seminar Sign-Ups
• Thurs, 1/18 during Flex Block (8:40am-9:25am): 10^th grade Seminar Sign-Ups
• Fri, 1/19 during English 9 (P1 + P3): 9^th grade Seminar Sign-Ups

Welcome Back Designers! We are looking forward to a great semester together!

“Day One” Whiteboard art by Kerida – DVD Academic Coach