Week 5 Preview: After School Tutoring & School Site Council Interest

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Greetings Designers and Design Families,

What an exciting week! Our first CD, a Cultural Food Fest in 12th grade, and we had a lovely Back to School Night event. It was so great to have parents, families, and lots of alumni siblings back on campus. If you were not able to join us on campus Thursday night, not to worry – you can find the Back to School Night presentations given from each grade level by clicking on the links here:

Next week, we have a short week due to a scheduled Professional Development Day – there is no school on Friday, 9/16. See the bell schedule for the coming week here:

Please take a moment to review our updated School Year Calendar (also linked in the “Resources Section”) as we have made a few changes and additions including our first School Site Council meeting after school (via Zoom) on Wednesday 9/28.

Da Vinci Design is once again offering Individualized Tutoring and After School Support, Monday-Thursday until 5pm, starting next week! This program is open to all students. The After School Drop-In Support will happen in the Wooden Room at the top of the stairs. No appointment needed! Students: If you have a question or don’t understand what is going on in class, just swing by. For more information, stay tuned for more information coming to the blog, or reach out to tutor Jay Mitsch at jmitsch@davincischools.org for more info.

The School Site Council is looking for new members! School Site Council is an opportunity for parents/guardians, 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.

All submissions will be added to a voting form that will go out to the DVD parent community on September 19. School Site Council members will be notified on Friday September 23, and the first School Site Council meeting will be held after school (via Zoom) on Wednesday, September 28. If you have any questions, feel free to send them to me at rstoll@davincischools.org.

Upcoming Key Dates & Reminders

  • Thursday, 9/15: DV Club Fair
  • Friday, 9/16: No School – Staff Development
  • Wednesday, 9/28 @4:30pm: School Site Council Meeting #1 (via Zoom)
  • Wednesday, 10/12: PSAT/SAT Testing Day
  • Thursday, 10/13 – Friday, 10/14: No School – Staff Development
  • 10/17-10/21: Student-Led Conferences (SLCs)
Posted in Weekly Updates

Week 4 Preview: Back To School Night September 8th

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Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Happy Friday! We made it to the end of Week 3 – and a three day weekend is just around the corner. See the Week 4 schedule below. And, speaking of “just around the corner”, Back to School Night is Thursday night next week on September 8th!

Back to School Night Information (Sept. 8th, 2022):

Take a look at the times below to see what time you should attend Back to School Night. Each grade will get a special time to meet staff via a presentation in the BlackBox theater, and then will get time to explore classrooms and get one-on-one introductions with teachers.

  • 9th Grade: 5:30pm start time
  • 10th Grade: 6:00pm start time
  • 11th & 12th Grade: 6:30pm start time

NOTE: Back to School Night is a public event that will take place indoors. Our DV Health Team reminds us all that masking is highly recommended, and if you feel any COVID symptoms, please self monitor and stay home.

Week 4 Bell Schedule (9/5-9/9):

Upcoming Key Events (Sept 2022)

  • Monday, 9/5: No School – Labor Day
  • Thursday, 9/8: Back to School Night @ 5:30pm
  • Friday, 9/9: First Community Dialogue in the gym!
  • Thursday, 9/15: DV Club Fair
  • Friday, 9/16: No School – Professional Development Day
Posted in Grade 12

Announcements from Real World Learning Director (08.31.2022)

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Hello Da Vinci Scholars and Families,

Check out the new real-world learning opportunities below.

For students interested in mental health:

Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation is offering The Be There Certificate. This is a free, self-paced learning experience designed to increase mental health literacy and provide you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to safely support anyone who may be struggling with their mental health. It provides a deep understanding of Be There’s 5 Golden Rules — a simple but actionable framework on how to recognize when someone might be struggling with their mental health, your role in supporting that person, and how to connect them to the help they deserve.

For students interested in animation:

Story Xperiential is offering a 9-week online experience that takes you behind the scenes at Pixar and introduces you to world-class storytellers. You’ll follow the Pixar process to create a storyreel of your own short story. You’ll livestream with different Pixar storytellers every Monday, submit your work to a gallery and receive ongoing feedback. At the end, your work will be showcased in an online exhibition. Next session begins October 3rd. Artistic experience is not required, the program is all about story. The program costs $25 for youth ages (13-18) and $250 for youth ages 18+. To learn more & register, click here.

For students interested in science or are looking for a paying job:

The California Science Center is offering temporary positions for Community Teen Interns paying $16.04 an hour. You must be a sophomore, junior or senior with a minimum 2.0 GPA available to work starting October 1, 2022. See the flyer for details. Fill out this application and email it to hr@cscmail.org to apply.

For students interested in the tech world:

Innovate<her> is offering a free 45-minute virtual course on User Experience Design (UX). Understanding UX is a beginner course for creative thinkers, problem solvers, and game changers! Learn the basics of UX Design and get to know how a designer thinks. You don’t need any prior knowledge or any materials. You only need a computer and internet access. To apply, click here.

 

Posted in Real World Learning

Club Leader Info Meeting Friday (Club Applications Open!)

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Good Morning Designers!

Would you like to start a club this year? Then use this Google Form to apply to be a club leader!

Please also attend a Club Leader information session during lunch at 12:15pm this Friday, 9/2, in Mr. White’s Room (4205). During this meeting, we will cover information about starting a club, the requirements to be a club leader, and what to do to prepare for our DVD Club Fair on September 15th.

Questions? Send an email to Asst. Principal Kirk Takeyama: ktakeyama@davincischools.org

Posted in 09 Grade, 10 Grade, 11 Grade, 12 Grade

Week 3 Preview: Flex Block and Seminars Begin!

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Greetings Designers and Design Families,

Welcome back for Week 3! Last week, our 9th graders participated in our annual Freshmen Overnighter Camp, and what a great time it was! 9th grade students, student leaders and staff got to connect with each other in the great outdoors. Everyone participated in fun activities, team building games, and important discussions that help prepare our 9th graders to make new friends and to transition into high school. See some pictures from the 2022 Overnighter Camp below!

This week, we have a regular bell schedule, which means that we will participate in two classes for the first time this week: Seminars and Flex Block. For these class periods, students are enrolled based off their preferences and selections. Seminar classes happen at the end of the day on Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs, and offer students an opportunity to get active, get support, or to connect with other students in a non-academic and fun setting. Flex Block is a class that allows students to get targeted support in a class of their choosing; think of it like focused office hours/study hall time. See the Week 3 bell schedule below for more details.

Upcoming Key Events

  • Week of Monday, 8/29: Seminars and Flex Block Begin
  • Monday, 9/5: No School – Labor Day
  • Thursday, 9/8: Back to School Night @ 5:30pm
  • Thursday, 9/15: DV Club Fair
  • Friday, 9/16: No School – Professional Development Day
Posted in 09 Grade, 10 Grade, 11 Grade, 12 Grade

Flex Block Sign-Ups: Sept 2022

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Good Morning Students!

See below for two important announcements:

Flex Block Sign Ups:

TODAY during Period 1, please complete this form to sign up for our first round of Flex Block:

What is Flex Block? Flex Block is a class that happens during the school day, twice per week, when you can get support from a specific teacher or with a specific subject. Think of it like built-in time for office hours. Students must choose a flex block, and must report to that class for attendance.

If you have questions, or do not see your name in this form, please ask your teacher for help.

Seminar Interest Survey: 

If you are interested in Art Portfolio Development (11th/12th) or in Makerspace: Puppetry (10th/9th), complete this form TODAY (8/26):

Lastly: If you are interested in applying to be a Da Vinci Design Student Board Member, please see the Front Office for more details and for an application today! Applications are due to the Front Office by 9/16.

Posted in 09 Grade, 10 Grade, 11 Grade, 12 Grade

Announcements from Real World Learning Director (8.23.2022)

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Hello Da Vinci Scholars and Families,

Cloud Computing is one of the fastest-growing careers in the United States! Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Cloud Practitioners earn on average up to $131,465 annually.

El Camino College is now accepting applications from current juniors and seniors who want to join the After-School Cloud Computing Career Pathway program, it’s FREE!

STUDENT & PARENT INFO SESSION – Online via Zoom

Wednesday, August 24th
6:00pm – 7:15pm
RSVP for Info Session

For more information, please click here.

Posted in Real World Learning

Seminar Offerings List

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Hello Designers,

Please click the link below to see the Seminar classes being offered for the Fall 2022 semester!

Sign-up schedule (during Advisory):

  • Monday, 8/22: Seniors and Juniors
  • Tuesday, 8/23: Sophomores
  • Friday, 8/26: Freshmen (during English classes)

IMPORTANT: Listings will be updated at the end of each day as classes fill up. Students should come prepared with three choices in mind in the event that their first choice class is full. Students should also be aware that some seminars require an application to be enrolled, and students may be pre-enrolled in some seminars that may not be listed here.

This year: all 9th grade students will be enrolled in a “Freshmen Seminar” in addition to one seminar of their choosing.

Posted in 09 Grade, 10 Grade, 11 Grade, 12 Grade
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