Southern California’s Annual Youth Leadership Summit for High School Students with Disabilities
The Youth Leadership Summit is a five-day leadership program from July 16-21 for students with disabilities, held at Cal Poly Pomona University.
Attendees will learn advocacy and leadership skills from alumni and professionals with disabilities and create a “Personal Futures Plan” to help reach their future education, independent living, and career goals.
Attendees will interact with leaders with disabilities, which may include celebrities, politicians, entertainers, and other adult role models with disabilities. Participants also make lifelong friendships with other Southern California attendees and have mentorship opportunities with alumni.
There is no COST for the students to attend. They must fill out an application to be considered.
The Women’s Fire Alliance is collaborating with El Camino Fire Academy to put on a Women’s Fire Camp June 3-4. The camp is for students ages 16+ and will run for two days from 8am-5pm each day.
This is a rigorous camp. Be prepared to participate hands on with firefighter equipment, professional firefighters, and perform a Biddle Physical Ability Test. RSVP here!
If you have any questions please contact Ms. Crissel Rodriguez, Director of Real World Learning, at crodriguez@davincischools.org.
This week was one full of appreciation and celebration! All week long, we’ve been celebrating our amazing staff of educators for Teacher Appreciation Week! Teachers received generous affirmation in the form of treats and messages from our community of families and students all week long, a flower lei from students during our special Community Dialogue today, and even a video message from students shown in advisory today! On behalf of the teaching staff from Da Vinci Design, THANK YOU to our students and families for making this such a great Teacher Appreciation Week!
Today, we had an amazing Community Dialogue celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) month! Thank you to our AAPI club and their advisor Ms. Simon for all of the hard work that went into today’s CD. There was a hot sauce game played by teachers, traditional games played by students, student performances, and even a performance from traditional taiko drummers! See pictures below!
Lastly, There are just two weeks left of school before POLs (Presentations of Learning) begin. This is a great time to check grades and make plans for improvement (if needed) before the end of the semester. Mastery grades were updated by teachers this week. You can check grades on Canvas or PowerSchool, whichever is easiest for you. If you notice any discrepancies, please let the teacher know.
See the Week 35 +36 Bell Schedules here:
Upcoming Dates and Key Events:
Wed, May 17th and Thurs, May 18th: Final meetings of Seminar classes
Thursday, May 25th: Senior Showcase (A DVD Senior Project Exhibition)
Monday, May 29th: NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day Holiday)
Friday, June 2nd: Senior Grad Nite (@ Disneyland)
Tues, May 30th – Tues, June 6th: Presentations of Learning (Minimum Days)
Wednesday, June 7th: Last Day of School! (Minimum Day)
Thursday, June 8th: DVD Graduation Commencement Ceremony
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a number of Summer Career Training Programs around the trades, entrepreneurship, aviation, and space system designs. All programs will take place at our 201 N. Douglas campus, and will be free and open to all current Da Vinci high school students, including graduating seniors. Space is limited! DEADLINE TO APPLY IS MONDAY, MAY 22.
Please see the flyer for more information about each program:
L.A. Urban League’s Biz Camp Summer Program
Summer Trades Program
Summer Aviation Program
Stellar Camp
If you have any questions please contact Ms. Crissel Rodriguez, Director of Real-World Learning, at crodriguez@davincischools.org.
Calling all Da Vinci students who are interested in learning more about careers in the aviation industry!
We have 3 exciting opportunities coming up for Da Vinci students to learn more about the field of aviation:
Summer Aviation Careers Experience: Da Vinci is hosting a brand-new Summer Aviation Program from June 26-June 30 sponsored by Giving Kids Wings Flight Academy. This program will introduce high school students to aviation careers and teach them the basics of flying an airplane. Spaces are limited; to reserve your spot, click here.
Field trip opportunity: Kollab Youth is hosting an Air Industry Event on Monday, May 22nd. High school students are invited for a field trip with Alaska Airlines to Compton Airport where they will learn from Alaska Airlines pilots about careers in aviation, hear from the CEO of Fly Compton Aero Club, experience flight simulators, and more. Please email Steve Wallis at swallis@davincischools.org by Wednesday, May 17 if you are interested in participating in this field trip.
Private Pilot License Scholarship: Through a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, Sling Pilot Academy is offering a full scholarship (a $16,000 value) to up to 4 Da Vinci Students to complete their private pilot’s license. To qualify, students must be at least 17 years old, be able to start flying soon and finish their training before March 1, 2024. To learn more about this opportunity, please email Steve Wallis at swallis@davincischools.org by Wednesday, May 10.
The Del Aire Neighborhood Association (DNA) is looking for 1-2 high school student leaders who want to serve as YOUTH BOARD REPRESENTATIVES who can help the organization grow, plan community events, and advocate for neighborhood improvements like the Greenway!
This is a great opportunity for youth in Del Aire can learn about local government and help shape their community. Click HERE to apply.
Applicants must:
Be Del Aire residents
Be able to commit to serving for 2 years- ideally, incoming freshmen, sophomores and juniors should apply
Our community partner, South Bay Families Connected, offers our families a variety of youth wellness resources. For Mental Health Awareness Month, we feature their resource pages covering trending youth wellness topics on the minds of parents and caregivers:
We are happy to announce that we will be hosting a number of Career Training Programs this summer around the trades, entrepreneurship, aviation, and space system designs at our 201 N. Douglas campus. To see our flyer with more information, please click here. The deadline to apply is Monday, May 22.
We also invite you to also take a look at the Google document with all of the ongoing volunteer and internship experiences students can apply for. This week we have new experiences listed under Arts, Media and Entertainment, Engineering and Architecture, Health Sciences, and Information, Gaming, & Communication Technologies. The document can be accessed here.
Next week (May 8th – May 12th) is Teacher Appreciation Week! Feel free to join us in appreciating our staff by helping to provide some treats for our staff this week. Sign up below to drop off some items on the morning on select days for the week of May 8-12th.
If you sign up to drop off a treat for teachers, thank you! Please mark the items “For DVD Teacher Appreciation” and bring it to the first floor reception area. The items will be sent up to the fourth floor from there.
Here are some DVD staff favorites:
Bagels
Donuts
Cookies / Brownies
Fruit
Sparkling Waters
Coffee
Chips
On behalf of the Da Vinci Design staff, thank you!
As we approach the end of the school year, it is an important time to be able to get the best understanding of our students’ learning and achievement so that we can start planning supports and curriculum for next year. Some important tools for assessing our students are MAP growth testing and CAASPP state testing. We begin testing next week for 9th-11th grades.
National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12th. Stay tuned for more information coming out soon for how to celebrate our teachers! If you are interested in coordinating or helping out with providing breakfast and treats for staff this week, please reach out to Nicole Tafoya know at ntafoya@davincischools.org.
There are just six weeks left of school before POLs (Presentations of Learning) begin. This is a great time to check grades and make plans for improvement (if needed) before the end of the semester. Students can expect mastery grades to be updated by teachers on Monday, 5/8. You can check grades on Canvas or PowerSchool, whichever is easiest for you. If you notice any discrepancies, please let the teacher know.
A message from the Wiseburn Education Foundation (WEF): Wiseburn Education Foundation’s Rock Around the Block is TOMORROW on April 29th at Dana Middle School. Did you know that WEF runs a Rock Around the Block silent auction, which is live right now? You can log on to WEF’s auction website at bit.ly/RABAuction2023 to view and bid on items such as restaurant gift cards, summer camps, museum tickets, and more! You also will not want to miss the “School Packages” category, which has items such as front-row seats for graduations and end-of-the-year concerts, principal for a day, and special experiences with your student’s favorite teachers. Bidding on items in this auction is an easy way to support WEF, because 100% of winning bids will go right back to our schools, teachers, and students. The auction ends on Saturday, April 29th at 9pm, so don’t miss out!
See the Week 33 Bell Schedule here:
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Monday, May 1st: 10th Grade College Field Trip
Mon, May 1st – Tues, May 2nd:
11th Grade CAASPP (ELA)
10th Grade MAP testing (Tuesday Only)
9th Grade MAP testing
Wednesday, May 3rd 5pm-6:30pm: School Site Council #5 / Parent Advisory Council
For a second year, Otis College of Art and Design and Snap are partnering on Snap Lens Lab @ Otis College, a groundbreaking two-week, fully funded, Augmented Reality (AR) workshop. Otis and Snap are teaming up to bring high school students in LA County from underserved communities an exciting hands-on learning lab, giving them the chance to combine the power of AR, 2D and 3D industry-standard design tools, and their own creativity to develop dynamic interactive experiences. Students will also connect with industry professionals to learn about potential careers in art and design that focus on these new technologies.
FIND OUT MORE TONIGHT! A Virtual Info Session on Zoom is being held on Tuesday, April 25th from 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. PDT. Interested students, their families, art educators, and counselors are invited to join our team, including a representative from Snap, Otis College faculty, and me, to learn program details and ask questions. RSVP here.
Quick Facts
This Snap x Otis program is geared toward high school students in LA County from underserved communities, and 15 full scholarships are available.
This simple application is due on May 15, so don’t delay! No portfolio required, but be sure to think thoughtfully about the questions, so we get a true sense of the student. Students can submit their application to be considered here.
No prior experience or skills are required to participate in this program!
