Week 5 Preview & School Attendance Update

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Greetings Designers and Design Families,

It was great to have so many of you on campus for Back To School Night on Tuesday! We began with a brief presentation in the BlackBox theater from grade-level teams, and then we headed up to the fourth floor to meet and greet teachers in classrooms. If you did not get a chance to meet with us this week, click here for the Back To School Night slides from Sept 4th 2024.

Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 5 at DVD:

Exciting News About School Attendance!
Thanks to recent updates in California’s education laws, students can now receive credit for attendance even if they miss a day of school, as long as they’re still engaged in learning. In other words: If your child participates in an educational activity or completes makeup work assigned by their teacher during an absence, they can still be marked “present” for that day. To avoid your child being marked “absent”, have your child fill out this simple form:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about attendance for parents/guardians:

  • Q: Do I still need to report my child’s absence to the school?
    A: Yes please! Keep doing what you are doing by calling or emailing the front office any time your child is going to be absent.

  • Q: If my child is out sick and they absolutely cannot do work, do they have to complete this form?
    A: No. They will be marked “excused absent” for that day.

  • Q: Is this different from the Community Learning Days (aka: CLDs) that I am hearing about?
    A: Yes – this is is new, and different from CLDs. There will be a different but similar form that students will complete on Community Learning Days.
  • Q: Why is this form called “independent study”?
    A: Thanks to new law signed into place in summer 2024, students at Da Vinci Schools are now able to participate in 15 days of short-term independent study that assists their school in recovering critical attendance funding for days missed. Being present on campus is still incredibly important to student learning, connectedness, and equity. School sites will continue to follow up with students who miss more than 10% of school days, but the new law helps to acknowledges that students sometimes need to miss school but can still engage in educational activities while they are not physically present on campus as well.

  • Q: Is there anything I will have to do as a parent/guardian to approve this?
    A: Yes. A signature form will be sent home soon to each Da Vinci Schools family which will have even more information on Short Term Independent Study.

  • Q: Who can I reach out to for more information about Short Term Independent Study or absences?
    A: Reach out to your DVD Admin team:
    Principal Russell Stoll (rstoll@davincischools.org) or Asst. Principal Kirk Takeyama (ktakeyama@davincischools.org)

Your involvement helps our school count these days as attendance. Thank you for supporting your child’s education!

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

  • Friday, Sept. 20th: Progress Reports Mailed Home
  • Thursday, Sept. 26th: *NEW DATE* DV Club & Service Learning Fair
  • Wednesday, Oct. 2nd: Coffee w/ Admin @8am and @5pm via Zoom
  • Friday, Oct. 4th: NO SCHOOL – Local Holiday
  • Friday, Oct. 11th: Community Learning Day
  • Mon, Oct. 14th – Thurs, Oct. 17th: Student Led Conference (SLCs)

College Rep Visits (Week 5, 6 & 7): Seniors can sign up via Naviance

  • University of Southern California – Tues, Sept. 17th
  • John Hopkins University – Thurs, Sept. 19th
  • University of California Irvine – Mon, Sept. 30th
  • Boston University – Wed, Oct. 2nd
Posted in Weekly Updates

New Partnership with Hazel Health, a Free Resource for Mental Health Services

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Dear Da Vinci Families,

We are excited to announce a new partnership with Hazel Health, an innovative service now available to support the mental health needs of all Da Vinci students in grades TK-12. As part of our commitment to providing comprehensive care and resources, Hazel Health offers access to licensed healthcare professionals and services, both at school and from home.

What is Hazel Health?

Hazel Health connects students with a mental health counselor for virtual visits directly from school, or the comfort of your home, at no cost to families. Hazel Health ensures that your child receives timely care for mental health support.

How it Works

  • School-Based Care: Students and families can work with the Da Vinci Counselors to set up appointments for teletherapy at designated times from campus. Students will be supervised in a safe and privatized space for therapy sessions.
    • If your student has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and there is a concern or question about how this general education offered service would be incorporated into their school day with their current special education programming and services, please contact/consult with Dr. Lynn Rodriguez, Director of Special Education to answer any questions or seek clarification (lrodriguez@davincischools.org). Otherwise, families with an IEP or Section 504 plan should reach out to their case manager/counselor to meaningfully incorporate this service during your day.
  • At-Home Care: Families can schedule telehealth visits from home. Appointments are accessible and can be done on your own schedule between 7am-7pm, Monday through Friday.

Services Provided by Hazel Health:

Mental Health Counseling: Hazel Health provides support for anxiety, depression, grief, and other mental health concerns.

Why Hazel Health?

  • Convenient Access: No need for appointments or travel time. Support is provided virtually when your child needs it.
  • No Cost to Families: Services are free for all students at Da Vinci Schools, ensuring that every family has access to care.
  • Confidential & Secure: All services are confidential, and student privacy is a top priority.

Getting Started

To begin using Hazel Health, simply complete the consent form listed on the website https://getstarted.hazel.co/district/davincischools. You can also reach out to your school counselor for assistance in signing up. We are thrilled to bring this important resource to our Da Vinci community and are confident that Hazel Health will help us keep students happy, healthy, and ready to learn.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our students’ well-being.

Best regards,

Erin Whalen
Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Da Vinci Schools
ewhalen@davincischools.org

Posted in Student Life

Week 4 Preview: Back to School Night on Tues, 9/10

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Greetings Designers and Design Families,

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.

Lastly, the DVD Admin team had an opportunity to push into classrooms with each student this week in order to present on schoolwide expectations. These presentations cover a wide range of topics in order to reiterate key policies and help student be ready for a successful year at Design. Click here to see the slides for the DVD Admin Class Visits (2024-2025) on Schoolwide Expectations.

Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 4 at DVD:

Upcoming Events and Key Dates:

  • Tues, Sept. 10th: Back to School Night @ 5:30pm
  • Fri, Sept. 13th: No School – Professional Development Day
  • Friday, 9/20: Progress Reports Mailed Home
  • Thurs, Sept. 26th: *NEW DATE* DV Club & Service Learning Fair
Posted in Weekly Updates

First Community Learning Day – October 11th

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Dear Da Vinci Families,

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

Posted in Student Life

Heatwave Alert & Recommendations

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Good Morning Designers & Design Families,

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.

Posted in Grade 12

DVD Atlas Is Going To Greece In Spring 2026

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Dear DVD Students and Families,
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. 
Posted in 09 Grade, 10 Grade, 11 Grade, 12 Grade

“Coffee with Admin” Zoom for DVD Families Tomorrow at 8am and 5pm

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Good Evening DVD Parents and Guardians,

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.
  • 8am or 5pm, via Zoom
  • Agenda: 1) Campus Updates, Highlights & CCSA Recognition 2) Upcoming Calendar Events, 3) Classroom Expectations, 4) Q&A
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/8331212069
Posted in Weekly Updates

Save the Date! Virtual 12th Grade College and Career Family Planning Meeting Monday 9/9

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Who: DVD 12th Grade Students and Parents/Guardians

What: Senior Family College & Career Planning Presentation (before Senior 1:1 meetings starting next week)

Where: Zoom: https://davincischools-org.zoom.us/j/98908042996

When: Monday 9/9/24 at 5:00 p.m.

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.

Please contact your counselor for questions.

Pam Baker: A-GL pbaker@davincischools.org

Nicole Tafoya: Go-O ntafoya@davincischools.org

Omar Sanchez: P-Z osanchez@davincischools.org

Posted in Grade 12

Da Vinci Swag Store Opening Soon!

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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!
Posted in Grade 12

9th Grade Overnight Camp & Week 3 Preview

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Greetings Designers and Design Families!

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
  • 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 3 DVD Highlight: 9th Grade Overnighter Camp

Posted in Weekly Updates
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