Next week is Back to School Night! Back to School Night is a great opportunity to hear about classes, make connections with your students teachers, and tour classrooms at DVD. Each grade level will begin with an assembly in the Blackbox theater from their grade-level teams, and then will head up to the fourth floor to meet and greet teachers in classrooms. Please note that the presentation for 9th and 10th grade families is at 5:30pm and the presentation for 11th and 12th grade families is at 6pm. See the schedule for Back to School Night here:
Thank you to the families who joined us for our first Coffee with Admin meeting of the school year! It is great getting the chance to meet with families, hear what is on your mind, and share the great things happening at DVD. If you did not get a chance to meet with us this week, click here for the Coffee with DVD Admin slides from Sept 2024..
Coffee with DVD Admin happens at 8am and 5pm via Zoom on the first Wednesday of every month.
We recently shared with you information about an exciting new initiative this school year known as Community Learning Days (CLDs) in response to our community’s desire to provide more opportunities to bring students together across our five high schools. CLDs are all about options and designed to offer students the flexibility to explore their interests and build community with students and staff attending Communications, Connect High, Design, RISE and Science.
With our first CLD approaching on Friday, October 11th, we want to provide you with some important updates:
This week in Advisory, students learned more about CLDs and took a Student Survey to express their interest in learning experiences/activities for the first two CLDs (Oct. 11 and Nov. 8).
All students – whether they participate in on-campus or off-campus learning – will have access to free breakfast and lunch.
On-campus programming will run from 8:30am-12:30pm. We have some exciting on-campus options planned such as college and career workshops, financial literacy, Real World Learning experiences, hands-on learning in the Ceramics Studio, performing arts experiences, athletics activities, community service, and more.
Students requesting to learn off-campus must have a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian. Permission slips will be provided to students by Sept. 13th.
During the week of Sept. 23, students will receive notice of enrollment for one of their selected workshops (on-campus) OR receive approval to engage in off-campus learning (permission slip required).
Oct. 11 is Da Vinci’s first CLD Day!
During the week of Oct. 21, we will send out a Feedback Survey to hear what you think so we can continue to improve!
As a reminder, there are four CLDs scheduled this school year (Oct. 11, Nov. 8, Feb. 10, Apr. 21). We can’t wait to embark on this exciting new journey together.
Gratefully,
Dr. Matthew Wunder
CEO/Superintendent
Da Vinci Schools
Da Vinci Schools is aware that high temperatures have been forecasted for the next few days, with temperatures reaching above the 90s. Here are some ways that we as a school community can support our students:
Students will be invited to stay indoors for lunch today and tomorrow when temperatures are at their peak.
Students are encouraged to stay indoors as soon as they arrive before school and until they are picked up after school.
We encourage students who normally walk or bike to school to ensure they travel safely and bring water, or to consider arranging to be dropped off/picked up or to carpool this week.
Please reach out to the DVD front office with any questions: 310-725-5800.
Atlas@Design is our school’s travel program that has been traveling for over 12 years all around the world. We are excited to open up enrollment for our next adventure, GREECE, which will take place during Spring Break of 2026. If your student is interested, please join us on Thursday, September 12 at 6:30pm for a Zoom info meeting. You can register for the meeting using the QR code on the flyer or by going to this page: https://bit.ly/3LZPG8O.
Reach out to Frank Solis at fsolis@davincischools.org if you have any questions.
Tomorrow, Wednesday Sept. 4th, at 8am and 5pm join the DVD admin team for our monthly “Coffee with Admin” chat. Simply log on via Zoom and bring any school-related questions, or just sit back, relax, and hear about school updates. This will be our first Coffee with Admin of the 2024-25 school year. Hope to see you there!
Wed, Sept. 4th: Coffee w/ Admin
All DVD parents and guardians welcome! Join for brief school updates and open Q&A with the DVD admin team.
The information covered is necessary to have prior to attending the 12th grade 1:1 individual planning meeting. 1:1 meetings will begin after the zoom presentation. Students received sign up links in their College and Career Classes.
Get ready to snag Da Vinci Schools swag beginning next Monday, September 9th! You’ll have the chance to pre-order hoodies, sweatshirts, and track jackets to show off your Da Vinci Schools spirit all year long.
You can choose from different styles and colors, all with a silk-screened Da Vinci Schools logo. The pre-order window will be open for two weeks from Monday, September 9th – Sunday, September 22nd at 11:59pm. Youth – adult sizes are available. Orders will be distributed to school sites for pick-up in October.
We’ll share the link as soon as it goes live! Stay tuned!
This week, our 9th graders participated in our annual Freshmen Overnighter Camp! 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 2024 Overnighter Camp below! More photos will also be made available to 9th grade families next week!
Next week, we have a modified bell schedule due to the holiday weekend. And, all students will be participating in Picture Day to take their photos for school IDs and the Yearbook on 9/4 and 9/5. See the Week 3 bell schedule below for more details.
El Camino Dual Enrollment Application Resource
This week, a record number of students at Da Vinci Design expressed interest in taking a dual enrollment college class at El Camino College (ECC). Way to go Designers!
In order to be eligible for any dual enrollment course, students MUST first apply to be a student at El Camino College. The process some key steps and requirements, and we recommend students and families reviewing the resource here for more information:
Each semester, a limited number of spots to take a dual enrollment class during seminar is made available. Contact your counselor for more information.
Upcoming Events and Key Dates:
Mon, Sept. 2nd: NO SCHOOL – LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
Week of Mon, Sept. 2nd: Seminars (P7 & P8) Begin
Wed, Sept. 4th & Thurs, Sept. 5th: Picture Day (during English classes)
Wed, Sept. 4th: Coffee w/ Admin @8am and @5pm via Zoom
ALL parents/guardians welcome!
Agenda: 1) School Updates, 2) CCSA Recognition, 3) Q&A
We are excited to introduce a new initiative for the 2024-25 school year called Community Learning Days (CLDs), in response to our community’s desire to provide more opportunities to bring students together across all our high schools. CLDs offer a day of choice and flexibility in learning for Da Vinci families enrolled at Communications, Connect High, Design, RISE, and Science.
Community Learning Days are designed to enrich the high school educational experience and foster a deeper sense of connection between students at all our high schools. CLDs advance our Da Vinci Schools’ vision of empowering a new generation of students prepared to lead, innovate and thrive in the modern world where learning can happen within and beyond the school walls. CLDs are scheduled four times throughout the school year (Oct. 11, Nov. 8, Feb. 10, Apr. 21), offering a unique blend of community, connection, flexibility, creativity, and accountability for both students and staff.
What are Community Learning Days? CLDs are a new initiative for the 2024-25 school year designed to provide students and families across our schools with a menu of choices, including optional on-campus programming that brings students together from all our schools from 8:00am-12:30pm at our 201 N. Douglas St. campus; extra learning time at home to catch up on schoolwork; or time for your family to take advantage of something that would not normally be available during regular school hours, such as going on college visits, exploring museums, and more.
Based on community input, the decision to introduce CLDs grew out of a desire for additional opportunities to bring together students across our campuses to foster deeper connections, for more student choice in pursuing learning that is most meaningful to them, and for new strategies to promote and support student and staff well-being.
How does it work? Students will learn more about CLDs this week during Advisory classes. A Student Survey will be launched during the week of September 5 for students and families to make selections about what they would like their first CLD to look like on Friday, October 11. Students and families will make a choice to participate in On-Campus Learning or Off-Campus Learning. Students and families will be notified of their CLD approved selection during the week of September 23.
Students are encouraged to plan their activities thoughtfully and productively. Students will track progress and accomplishments in Canvas, ensuring that these days are both enjoyable and productive. All students will learn and earn attendance but in different ways. Follow-up surveys will help us plan for future CLDs.
What learning can students participate in? ON-CAMPUS: High school students will have an array of diverse on-campus learning experiences to choose from at the 201 N. Douglas campus, such as:
Explore and engage with hands-on equipment in the Ceramics Studio, CTE Lab, shop materials, and learn how to use advanced tools like laser cutters and 3D printers
College and career workshops
Financial Literacy
Special community service or volunteer field trips
Open Lab (space for students to complete work or study)
Other planned offerings that will be shared in the upcoming survey
OFF-CAMPUS: Students can “leave to learn” and engage in a learning experience off campus independently, such as going on a college visit, service learning, job shadow, internship, etc. Or, students can complete work from home – get caught up or get ahead! A permission slip is required to be signed by the parent/guardian for Off-Campus Learning.
All students – whether they participate in on-campus or off-campus learning – will have access to breakfast and lunch on all Community Learning Days.
How will staff be involved in CLDs? Staff will create new on-campus learning experiences based on their personal passions, while forming deeper connections with colleagues across our school community. Staff also will have flexible work time to prepare instructional materials and lessons, participate in professional development, and more.
We hope you are excited about Community Learning Days as we are. We believe that CLDs will be a transformative addition to our educational program, fostering a joyful and connected environment for our entire learning community. We look forward to seeing the creative and productive ways our students and staff will utilize these days to grow, learn, and thrive.
Thank you for your support and enthusiasm as we embark on this exciting new journey together.
Sincerely,
Dr. Matthew Wunder
CEO/Superintendent Da Vinci Schools
It feels great to be back to kick-off the new school year. Day One started as it traditionally does with staff cheering in students and gathering together for an assembly, and then heading off to Advisory for games and introductions. This week students got right into the kind of fun and engaging work we do at DVD: team building challenges in Entrepreneurship, relay games in Advisory, a “frozen t-shirt lab” in Physics, illustrated stories in English 9, and so much more! See pictures below from our First Day of School celebration!
This week, students also had a chance to select their Seminar classes. Seminars are classes at the end of the day where students may choose a class based on their interest like a sports/fitness seminar or a fun skill-building seminar like crochet or music appreciation. Student may also be enrolled in an academic support seminar to get extra help or tutoring. Seminars begin on Tuesday, Sept 3rd.
Each week, you can expect to see a blog post here wrapping up the previous week (often with shout-outs, highlights and photos) and announcing the upcoming week’s bell schedule along with other important dates. Here is the Week 2 Bell Schedule for DVD:
Dual Enrollment College Course Announcement:
This fall semester, Da Vinci Schools is offering 4 dual enrollment partnership courses with El Camino College. All courses are asynchronous online and start next week! Click here for more details and course descriptions.
IMPORTANT: In order to enroll in these classes, Da Vinci Schools will be hosting an application workshop in the RWL Center computer lab (1st floor) on Monday 8/26 from 3:00pm-4:30pm. Students should know their SSN# (if they have one) and whether or not their family is considered a military family when they come.
Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
Wed, Aug. 28th: 9th graders leave for Overnighter @ 8:40am
Thurs, Aug. 29th: 9th graders return from Overnighter @ approx. 2:30pm
Mon, Sept. 2nd: NO SCHOOL – LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
Week of Mon, Sept. 2nd: Seminars (P7 & P8) Begin
Wed, Sept. 4th & Thurs, Sept. 5th: Picture Day (during English classes)
Wed, Sept. 4th: Coffee w/ Admin @8am and @5pm via Zoom
Tues, Sept. 10th: Back to School Night @ 5:30pm
Fri, Sept. 13th: No School – Professional Development Day
Thurs, Sept. 19th: DV Club & Service Learning Fair
Week 1 DVD Campus Highlight: First Day of School Welcome Assembly
