Da Vinci’s youth wellness partner, South Bay Families Connected, invites you to connect with their free and accessible online parent and guardian resources to help provide you and your children with self-care and greater connection this holiday season. Below are resources featured this month:
For resources created for students, visit the SBFC Virtual Teen Center where a wide variety of mental health and wellness topics are covered. To see more youth wellness resources provided by Da Vinci Schools and SBFC, please visit Da Vinci Schools Families Connected.
Da Vinci has received additional at-home COVID-19 test kits. A two-pack of test kits will be available to each student and staff member and are available for pick up this week Thursday on campus. We strongly encourage students to pick up a COVID test kit for use over break as needed to test prior to crowded indoor gatherings, if celebrating with friends or family that are high risk for health complications, if symptomatic and/or prior to returning to campus in January.
A negative test is not required for students and staff to return to school after Winter Break, but in the event your child exhibits any flu-like or cold symptoms, your child should get tested and remain at home.
Please report any positive results obtained over break that are within 14 days of having been on site to TLucero@davincischools.org.
Students who test positive must follow the LA County Isolation guidelines and may not attend school during the required isolation period. The Da Vinci Schools Nurse will follow up with return to school guidance for any positive results reported.
Additional home tests needed over the break can be picked up from 830am-1230pm at the main lobby of 201 N Douglas Street.
Mon-Thurs 12/19-12/22
Mon-Thurs 12/26-12/29
Tues and Thurs 1/3 and 1/5
We thank you and wish you a safe and Happy Holiday!
Da Vinci is thrilled to announce we will be offering a new Vocal Music/Choir class on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4:00-6:00PM in the Black Box Theater at 201 N. Douglas St. beginning on January 17, 2023. This class is open to high school students from ALL Da Vinci schools. Students are expected to attend both days each week throughout the 2nd semester. No prior vocal music/choir experience required.
Da Vinci welcomes Alexi Paraschos as our new choir teacher. Alexi has more than 14 years of experience as a music teacher and choir director. Welcome, Alexi!
If you are interested in participating in Vocal Music/Choir, please complete the Interest Form HERE. We can’t wait to get started!
LACOE and the Los Angeles Department of Public Health (LACDPH) are working together to inform on substance abuse intervention and prevention strategies. LA County families are invited to join LACOE and LACDPH’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Division (SAPC) for a special Fentanyl Town Hall.
For students interested in leadership opportunities:
The Metaverse Leadership Learning Academy is an initiative where students from LA County ages 14 to 18 years (high school students) have an opportunity to participate in a free 6-week Metaverse course and receive a certification. The Academy will be open to only the top 100 applicants across Los Angeles. To learn more, click here.
For students interested in art:
Indivisible Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to arts youth programming in Hermosa Beach, is offering scholarships for students who want to attend their programs. To apply for their scholarship, please click here.
For students interested in exploring career options:
Applications are now open for the Airport Police Youth Cadet Program. This program helps instill leadership, academic excellence, life skills, and discipline into its participants. The program also seeks to empower students into maximizing their personal, scholastic, and life potential as well as providing early insight into what a career in law enforcement would be like at the Los Angeles International Airport. In order to join the cadet program a person must be between the ages of 13 and 17, maintain a 2.5-grade point average, have no serious criminal record, obtain a medical examination, and complete the cadet academy. The program is free. Participants do not have to be interested in law enforcement as a career to be part of the program. To learn more and apply, click here.
For more information, please contact Crissel Rodriguez, Director of Real World Learning, at crodriguez@davincischools.org.
Happy Friday! We are in the final stretch of the semester, and POLs are around the corner. POL Schedules means that we followminimum day schedules Dec. 8th-15th. School begins at 8:40am and school ends at 1:45pm every day (INCLUDING FRIDAY 12/9).
While our students are preparing and presenting the learning they’ve achieved over the semester, our teachers are hard at work viewing and scoring those presentations. For teachers, this also means long, 8 hour days being a part of panels.
One way that we show appreciation for our teachers during these long days is keeping them fed and caffeinated. And we would love your help!
If you would like to donate snacks, treats, and coffee to our teachers, please use the sign-up below to tell us what you will be dropping off.
PowerSchool and Canvas access for students/parents will be blocked starting 12/8/22 to finalize semester grades. The last day for students to check grades before seeing a final grade on report cards will be Wednesday, 12/7.
POLs give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills and are an opportunity for students to reflect publicly on their learning.
Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear formal attire. Any student with questions or needs regarding formal attire should speak to their counselor ASAP.
Key Upcoming Dates & Events:
12/8-12/15: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – Minimum Day Schedule
UCLA is offering the Riordan Saturday Business Institute program again this year. The SBI exposes 9th and 10th graders to college and business and creates a pipeline to the Riordan Scholars Program. This Program is designed to provide high school students with business exposure, specifically in financial literacy. The SBI provides a pipeline to the Riordan scholars program at UCLA Anderson School of management. The SBI program targets 9th and 10th-grade students who are college-bound and interested in developing the necessary leadership skills to succeed in business, college and beyond.
Below are the dates for 2023:
January 14th, February 11th, March 18th, April 15th, & April 29th.
Great to see DVD Alumni visiting siblings and cousins on campus just before the Thanksgiving break for our first Alumni Siblings Day! Eric Morelos (2020), Kayla Edwards (2022), Narcisco Sanchez (2022), Skyler Gilmore (2020), Melissa Barahona (2020), Marisol Rangel (2021), Jessie Villoslada (2021) Samantha Beltran (2021), Jason Rodgers (2022), Marynel Arias (2022), Leilah Harper (2022), Leah Gilner (2019), Rodney Bates (2019), Lilah Davis (2021), Brianna Nava (2021), Alex Felix (2021), Andrea Felix (2021), Josue Meza (2021), Obe Mclean (2022), Judah Mclean (2016) and Brianna Willis (2017 DVC).
What a great week at Design! Congratulations to our 10th and 12th grade for a fantastic Fall Exhibition on Tuesday night. We are so proud of our students and teachers for displaying such amazing work. And thank you to all of our families, friends, alumni and community members for showing up in support – it is the presence of our school community members that make these Exhibitions so special! See below for pictures from Exhibition Night!
Friday 11/18 was packed full of fun activities before break! Shout out to our Alumni Coordinator Pam Baker for coordinating our first ever Alumni Sibling day. It was such a pleasure welcoming graduates back to be on campus and to share their post-secondary experiences with DVD students. Also, our 12th graders went on the annual Downtown LA field trip, and had a chance to bond as a class while getting to explore the culture of downtown. And finally, our 9th grade Fundamentals of Design honors students got a chance to go on a Real World Learning field trip to local architecture firm RIOS with their teacher Mrs. Ryan! See photos from the 9th grade field trip below!
Last but not certainly not least: I want extend a BIG THANK YOU to all of the DVD families who made contributions to our DVD staff gratitude baskets; thanks to all of you for donating time, treats, and messages of gratitude to our staff to help send them off on a much deserved break with a little something to let them know how appreciated they are. We love our DVD families! And, we wish all of you a restful, safe, and fun holiday break!
When we return from the November break, we will have three weeks left of the Fall 2022 semester. Please remember that POLs start on 12/8, and these are minimum days: students will be released early at 1:45pm on POL days. See the Week 15-17 schedules here:
Key Upcoming Dates & Events:
11/21-11/25: Thanksgiving Break – NO SCHOOL
Monday, 11/28: School Resumes
12/1 & 12/2: Last Days for Seminars
12/8-12/15: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – Minimum Day Schedule
Friday, 12/15: Last Day of Semester One
Week 14 Highlights: Exhibition Fall 2022 (11/15)
DVD Exhibition Fall 2022 – 10th Grade
DVD Exhibition Fall 2022 – 12th Grade
DVD Exhibition Fall 2022 – 12th Grade
DVD Exhibition Fall 2022 – 10th Grade
DVD Exhibition Fall 2022 – 10th Grade
DVD Exhibition Fall 2022 – 10th Grade
DVD Exhibition Fall 2022 – 10th Grade
DVD Exhibition Fall 2022 – 10th Grade
DVD Exhibition Fall 2022 – 12th Grade
Week 14 Highlights: 9th Grade Art Honors RIOS Field Trip (11/18)
