From our staff to your families, we wish all of you a happy holiday season. We hope you travel safely, eat well, and get lots of rest!
Semester two officially begins and classes resume on Tuesday, January 16th. See the calendar below!
Winter Break Front Office announcements:
All DVD offices will be closed for the break starting Monday, Dec. 25th until Friday, Jan. 5th. If you need to reach us, please reach out via email and we are happy to assist.
For records requests (including work permits): reach out to Office Manager Maria Beltran at mbeltran@davincischools.org .
For attendance and student information: reach out to Admin. Support Manager Vannessa Ramos at vramos@davincischools.org .
For all other questions or concerns, reach out to Principal Russell Stoll at rstoll@davincischools.org .
Report cards will be mailed to arrive the week of Dec. 25th. If you have questions about final grades, please reach out to teachers directly via email. Grade appeals must be initiated via email within 30 days of the end of the semester. For more information about final grades, see the DVD Student and Family Handbook.
The Da Vinci Schools reception will be open during the break on select days. Please call us at 310-725-5800 between 8am-2pm to speak to someone on campus.
Wishing all of you a safe, restful and fun holiday break!
Next week is the last week of the Fall semester! This means that we are only one week away from Winter Break! Next week, to get into the holiday spirit before break, we hope all of our staff and students will participate in a Holiday-themed spirit week! See the dress up days listed below!
Special 9th Grade Exhibition: Wednesday, December 20th 5:30pm-6:30pm
On Wednesday, December 20, 2023 from 5:30 – 6:30 our 9th grade students and teachers will be hosting a special Exhibition on-campus at 201 N. Douglas! Students will display and present their lamp projects, narratives, and artwork that they have been working hard on for their first semester POLs. The theme of this project is to develop and share a deeper understanding of the experience of people who are migrants and refugees. See the flyer below – and hope to see you there!
Report Cards Mailed Next Week and PowerSchool Access Locked: PowerSchool access is locked for end of semester report card preparation, and in order to prepare schedules for the Spring 2024 semester. If you have questions regarding Fall 2023 report cards or grades, reach out to your counselor via email. Once report cards are completed, if you have questions about a grade for a specific class or wish to contest a grade, please reach out directly via email to the teacher of that course.
Presentations of Learning (POLs) are here! POLs are performance based assessments which give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills, and they give students space to reflect publicly on their learning. Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear formal attire. Any student in need of formal attire, please contact the front office and we will be happy to accommodate.
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 to tell us what you will be dropping off.
Please see four exciting Real World Learning opportunities below:
Bank of America’s Student Leaders Program
Deadline to apply: January 17, 2024
Through Student Leaders®, Bank of America recognizes high school students who lead and serve in their communities and beyond. They connect Student Leaders to tools and resources to help make communities better. Student Leaders work as paid interns at a local nonprofit for eight weeks, attend the weeklong Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., develop leadership and career skills, and connect with like-minded students from their community and across the country. Click here for more information.
Summer High School Intensive in Next-Generation Engineering (SHINE)
Presented by USC Vertibi School of Engineering
Application Deadline: February 16, 2024
At USC Viterbi’s Summer High School Intensive in Next-Generation Engineering (SHINE) students can join a USC Viterbi professor’s research team for seven weeks to discover how engineering addresses our real world problems in various fields including biomedicine, robotics, aerospace and more. Each student works with an assigned professor as well mentor (Ph.D. student or post-doctoral researcher) dedicated to training that student in experimental lab work or computational research – learning by doing not by studying. Scholarships are available for qualifying students.
Kollab Youth’s Winter 2024 Session
Deadline to apply: Monday, January 22, 2024
Low-income and underserved teens (ages 14 to 19 years old) can apply for Kollab Youth’s Winter 2024 Workforce Development Program beginning February 5th to April 5th. Kollab program helps young people explore career opportunities in business, STEM, and other careers that are high-growth and high-wage jobs. Kollab Youth is a registered Pre-Apprentice Program with the State of California! Youths can receive a certificate from the State of California for completing the program. To learn more, click here.
Iron Mountain Entertainment Services Scholarship Presented by 1500 Sound Academy in Inglewood
Deadline to apply: December 22, 2023
Iron Mountain is giving away two on-campus scholarships to work with world-renowned producers. The recipients can select from Music and Industry Fundamentals, DJ Fundamentals, or the New Vocal Performace and Production Fundamentals program. To learn more, click here.
November 30th was the application deadline for UC applications and most CSU applications. However, there are a number of CSU campuses that are continuing to accept applications and a list can be found here. Students can also apply to UC Merced until January 15, 2024.
Other highlights:
Community College: applications are open! Most students who have El Camino College on their college list completed their application during their advisory class. In the spring, we will take prospective seniors to El Camino College to help them complete the enrollment process. If you haven’t finished filling it out and/or need help, please see Erin!
Private Universities: Many seniors submitted their applications during the months of November and December. Some seniors are still working through their private university applications via the Common App. and will continue to do so until early 2nd semester for those universities that have a later deadlines.
University Portals: Once applications are submitted, many universities will require students to create a portal. Portals are the main method of communication for many universities. Please encourage your student to keep a close eye on their email, including spam, to access important information from prospective universities.
Financial Aid Update:
The Department of Education just announced that the FAFSA will be available by December 31, 2023. We encourage you to create an FSA ID, which allows you to digitally sign the FAFSA, prior to the launch. Both student and at least one parent need FSA IDs. Financial aid updates and resources are below:
Create an FSA ID – it takes 2-3 to process so creating one now will allow you to start the FAFSA when it opens
The California Student Aid Commission announced that the California Dream Act Application (CADAA), financial aid application for undocumented students, will be launch at the same time as the FAFSA.
Complete the CSS Profile, if applicable. The CSS Profile is used by private universities. Here is the list for participating schools. Please check each university’s financial aid website for CSS and FAFSA deadlines as they vary. Ex: USC requires students/families to submit CSS profile.
Below is a list of scholarships with upcoming deadlines, please check the blog regularly as scholarships are posted here when avaialble:
This week at DVD, we wrapped up with lots of holiday cheer and fun at our annual Holiday Community Dialogue event in the gym! We played a ton of great games like antler ring toss, a holiday themed edition of “junkyard”, and we even had a gingerbread house building competition… until the Grinch stopped, by but even he couldn’t ruin the holiday spirit. We also called up our December All-Stars. We will continue our holiday fun during Week 18 when we invite students and staff to participate in a holiday spirit week. See below for photos of our Holiday CD games and our holiday spirit week!
Presentations of Learning (POLs) are next week! POLs are performance based assessments which give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills, and they give students space to reflect publicly on their learning. Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear formal attire. Any student in need of formal attire, please contact the front office and we will be happy to accommodate.
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 to tell us what you will be dropping off.
Here is the Bell Schedule for upcoming POL Weeks 17 & 18:
Early release of students at 1:45pm each day
*Special start on Friday, Friday Dec. 15th at 8:40am*
Special 9th Grade Exhibition: Wednesday, December 20th 5:30pm-6:30pm
On Wednesday, December 20, 2023 from 5:30 – 6:30 our 9th grade students and teachers will be hosting a special Exhibition on-campus at 201 N. Douglas! Students will display and present their lamp projects, narratives, and artwork that they have been working hard on for their first semester POLs. The theme of this project is to develop and share a deeper understanding of the experience of people who are migrants and refugees. See the flyer below – and hope to see you there!
Winter Music Student Showcase: Tuesday, Dec. 12th at 6:30pm *NOW AT THE WDV GYM*
Due to the excitement and enthusiasm from our theater show this past Tuesday (and the incredibly high turnout they generated!), we have a major last-minute change to the venue for our Music Winter Showcase. It will still be on Tue, 12/12 but will now take place in the WDV GYM at 201 N. Douglas St.Doors are at 6pm, and the show will start at 6:30pm. See you there!
Upcoming Events and Key Dates:
Thursday, Dec. 14th – Thursday, Dec. 21st: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – MINIMUM DAYS
The University of California Irvine Brain Camp is a summer program for middle and high school students that offers an opportunity for immersion in neuroscience. The 2-week full-day camp (9am-4pm) will feature lectures and seminars, workshops, laboratory tours, dissections and other hands-on activities and experiments. 2024 Brain Camp dates are Monday-Friday July 29-August 9. Limited scholarships available.
Explore topics such as:
Brain and spinal cord anatomy
Sensation and perception
Learning and memory
Brain-machine interface
Neuropathology
Neuropharmacology
Comparative neuroanatomy
Participate in hands-on laboratory work to explore the latest tools, techniques and technologies that are used in neuroscience laboratories at UC Irvine including:
Electrophysiology
Brain Imaging
Animal models
Optogenetics
DREADDs
Participate in workshops on topics such as:
Experimental design
Data analysis
Scientific Communication and public speaking
Neuroethics
Interact with world-renowned neuroscience professors, PhD students and undergraduates to gain insight into college life and the possible careers in neuroscience.
Develop the tools and skills necessary for success in college coursework.
During the second week of the program, students will design experiments, analyze data and present their work to their families as well as to an audience of UC Irvine neuroscience faculty and students. To learn more, please click here.
Learn more about amazing RWL Opportunities here!
For more information, please contact Crissel Rodriguez, Director of Real World Learning, at crodriguez@davincischools.org.
We are excited to host our first annual Da Vinci Staff Health and Wellness Fair on Friday, January 12th, 2024. We are looking for additional vendors and we’re reaching out to our Da Vinci community for businesses that would like to participate.
Participating in the Health and Wellness Fair is an opportunity for your business to connect with our dedicated staff members, showcase your products or services, and contribute to the overall well-being of our school community. Whether you offer fitness classes, nutritional products, wellness consultations, or any other health-related services, your involvement can make a meaningful impact. We welcome your creativity and input to tailor your involvement to best suit your business.
Event Details: Date: Friday,January 12th, 2024 Time: 1pm-3pm Location: Blackbox Theater 201 N. Douglas St. El Segundo, CA 90245
Da Vinci will provide tables and chairs for participants upon RSVP. Reserve your booth today at no cost by emailing Debbie Evans at devans@davincischools.org.
We are looking for parents/guardians and community members to participate in mock job interviews with 11th grade students from 12/14 – 12/21 on campus. Please click here to sign up and see the message below from our English 11 teacher, Mr. Oliver!
***
This year’s English 11 POL will be small group job interviews where students will respond to two personal inquiry questions they’ve been writing over the past few weeks. To make the interviews more realistic, I am recruiting two adults to join me in the interview process. Your presence is most important, but if you can also provide some feedback, that would be great! I will have some simple forms where you can leave a comment for the student. To clarify, you would attend an interview for a group of students that doesn’t include your child.
Each POL day consists of roughly three hour-and-a-half long segments, as seen on the sign-up below.
We hope you are all enjoying the fall season! As we continue striving to support all our students to reach their goals beyond high school, we are excited to learn more about the real-world impact our school is having on your lives.
During this semester, our school blogs have been promoting exciting real-world experiences, from eye-opening career events to connecting students to inspiring people. We want to capture the essence of these moments and celebrate the impact they have on our community.
How Can You Contribute?
We invite you to share your personal photos, quotes, anecdotes, or stories related to the real-world experiences we’ve highlighted on our announcements. Your contributions will not only help us create a more vibrant and connected community but also showcase the unique and valuable experiences our school provides.
What to Share:
Memorable photos from school events or outings.
Quotes or reflections from your child about their favorite experiences.
Anecdotes or stories that highlight the positive impact of our real-world learning initiatives.
It was great to be back on campus with students this week as we gear up for the end of the first semester. On Wednesday, our student Leadership team hosted a record-breaking blood drive with the UCLA Health Center. Thank you to all who donated!
Congratulations to all of our Seniors for getting their UC/CSU applications this week! We are expecting big things from the Class of 2024, and are so proud of them as they make their way through the college application process. AND – we could not do it without the amazing work of our counselors and our College and Career Readiness teacher. Thank you Ms. Pam, Ms. Nicole, Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Palafox!
Progressreports are being mailed home today, December 1st. The purpose of this is to give families the opportunity to have a snapshot of student progress, and to be able to have a conversation at home with students about how to stay successful in school. This information will also be used by teachers and counselors in their plans to support all students. Please follow up with your child’s teachers directly with any questions about assignments or grades.
If you do not receive a progress report in the mail by Friday, 10/6, please reach out by calling Da Vinci Design at 310-725-5800, or send an email Office Manager Maria Beltran at mbeltran@davincischools.org to request a digital progress report for your child.
Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 16 at DVD:
Presentations of Learning (POLs) are coming in just two weeks! POLs are performance based assessments which give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills, and they give students space to reflect publicly on their learning. Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear formal attire. Any student in need of formal attire, please contact the front office and we will be happy to accommodate.
Here is the Bell Schedule for upcoming POL Weeks 17 & 18:
Upcoming Events and Key Dates:
Friday, December 1st: Progress Reports Mailed Home
Wed, Dec. 6th + Thurs Dec. 7th: Last Day of Seminars
Friday, Dec. 8th: Holiday Community Dialogue!
Thursday, Dec. 14th – Thursday, Dec. 21st: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – MINIMUM DAYS
Early release of students at 1:45pm each day
*Special start on Friday, Friday Dec. 15th at 8:40am*
