Da Vinci Science

Opportunity to Provide Input on the Draft Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan

DVS is seeking input from students, staff, families, and community members on the initial draft of the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan.  The purpose of this plan is to describe how DVS will address the impacts of COVID-19 and maintain continuity of student learning in the coming year.  The final document will include our plans for:

• Providing distance learning and, when public health conditions allow, in-person instruction
• Measuring student progress and participation and address learning loss
• Providing supports for English Learners, Foster Youth, Homeless Youth, Students with Unique Needs, and Low-income students
• Ensuring access to devices and connectivity
• Providing resources and supports to address student and staff mental health and social emotional well-being
• Student and family engagement and outreach to reengage students who are absent, unengaged, or at risk of learning loss
• Providing school meals for students during distance learning and in-person instruction
• Increasing/improving services for English Learners, Foster Youth, Homeless Youth, and Low-Income students

DVS values stakeholder voice and input. This input will be used to guide revisions.  A draft will be presented in a public hearing on Friday September 25, 2020 8:00-9:00 a.m. via zoom link https://zoom.us/j/91367888850  and the final draft will be presented for adoption at the September 30, 2020 6:00 p.m. board meeting.

All stakeholders are encouraged to provide comments on the Draft Plan.  The Draft Plan and comment forms can be accessed at the links below.

REVIEW THE DRAFT PLAN LINKED HERE

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS

Comments can be submitted using one of the following google forms

English Comment Form  LINKED HERE

Spanish Comment Form (Formulario de comentarios en español) LINKED HERE/VINCULADO AQUÍ

Hello DVS Families,

As we all adjust to time away from school amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, we want to assure you that your school counselors will continue to dedicate their time serving your family and providing school counseling support for your child.

In an effort to stay connected and provide resources to our students and families, the DVS Counseling Team is excited to share our new counseling website, “Counseling Corner.” On this website, you will find a number of resources in the areas of academic, college and career readiness, self-care and more.

Please feel free to reach out to your students’ respective counselor if you have any questions, concerns, and/or need support. Our name, the alpha that we serve, and email address can be found on the Counseling Corner home page.

We hope you and your family continue to stay safe, healthy and positive!

Kindest regards,

Ms. Valle, Ms. Ruiz and Ms. Rodriguez

Dear Da Vinci Families,

We have two important Meal Program updates to share with you:

1. Our Meal Pick-Up Location has changed. As of Monday, Sept. 14, FREE “grab-and-go” meals for ALL children 18 & under may be picked up at Dana Middle School, 5504 W. 135th Street, Hawthorne, from 11:30AM to 1:00PM. Da Vinci is now partnering with Wiseburn Unified to provide meals for all of our students. Free meals end Dec. 31, 2020. 
2. Free & Reduced Price Meal Applications are now available. Apply by Oct. 1 to be entered into a raffle to win one of 7 Portable Bluetooth Speakers and 7 24” Gaming Monitors, provided by our generous donors. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to win some great prizes that will come in handy during distance learning! We are collecting meal applications from every single family regardless of whether you think you may qualify.  We urge you to complete a meal application by Oct. 1 to help us maximize funding for all Da Vinci students.  

As you may have heard, California and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture have extended FREE meals for all children 18 & under through December 31, 2020 due to COVID-19. So, you may ask yourself:

Why Should I Fill Out a Meal Application?

• Free/Reduced Price Meals for the Entire 2020-21 School Year – Free meals end on December 31, 2020. Apply by Oct. 1 to receive free or reduced price meals for the remainder of the school year and to be entered into the raffle. Please apply even if you’re unsure if you’re eligible. Help us maximize funding for all Da Vinci students! 
• College Application and SAT/ACT Fee Waivers – Students receiving free or reduced price meals receive Common App and SAT/ACT fee waivers, saving your family potentially hundreds of dollars!
• The Chance to Win Prizes! – Complete a meal application by Oct. 1 and you will be entered into a raffle to win one of 7 Portable Bluetooth Speakers and 7 24” Gaming Monitors. Families who have already submitted their application or have been directly certified will be automatically entered.  
• Grant Eligibility – Many funders determine eligibility based on the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced price meals. Help us qualify for more grants by completing an application today!   

There are several ways to complete a meal application (choose one): 

1. Apply online at www.mymealtime.com  

• Here is a YouTube video to help guide you: https://youtu.be/PoDQUcJfAos

1. Download a print application from www.davincischools.org/meals, fill it out, take a clear photo, then email it to meals@davincischools.org or drop it off at our new meal service site at Dana Middle School or at 201 N. Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA 90245.
2. You can also pick up an application at Dana or at 201. N. Douglas Street. El Segundo, CA 90245.
   

Questions? Please visit www.davincischools.org/meals or email us at meals@davincischools.org

Don’t forget to apply by Oct. 1st to be entered into the raffle!

It’s hard to believe we’ve already finished 4 weeks of instruction! Next week our seminars and student clubs will be starting, and the schedule is a bit different because Friday is a professional development day with no classes for students. In addition, our counselors will be beginning individual college application meetings with families of seniors next week. The schedule for all grade levels will look like this:

Your students’ photos are now available for viewing & purchase! Simply click on this link or find the link under the “resources” tab to the right. Students’ photos are listed in the folder of their advisor, and you can purchase prints or the digital download. The makeup photo day will be on Friday, September 19th.

Thank you to all of you who attended our first School Site Council meeting this week – you can view the slides from the meeting here.

Finally, a reminder that Da Vinci Schools is offering “grab and go” meal pick‐up for ALL Da Vinci families. More information about the grab & go lunches is available on this flyer (English & Spanish). We are asking all families to fill out and submit a Free & Reduced Lunch form (you can download the paper application at http://www.davincischools.org/meals ) even if you don’t think you qualify; in addition to free and reduced meals, families that qualify may receive other benefits including fee waivers for college entrance exams and applications. A new application must be filled out every year – and applications can be emailed to meals@davincischools.org or dropped off at our campus.

I hope you have a terrific weekend and that your families are all safe & healthy!

Tonight’s parent office hours will be replaced by our school site council meeting, which will begin at 5:00pm and will probably last about 90 minutes. To make thigs as accessible as possible, we will use the same link that we use for office hours: https://tinyurl.com/SteveGraceOfficeHours. The School Site Council approves long-term plans for the school, including the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) and the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). All DVS students, staff and parents are welcome, and we ask that all who attend arrive promptly at 5:00 and stay for the duration of the meeting. Thank you!

We hope your students all had a great third week! Next week, Monday is the Labor Day Holiday and there will be no classes. The schedule for Tuesday-Friday will be as usual (see the details on our Academic Landing Page).

The following week (week 5) has a lot going on: the start of student clubs and optional extracurricular seminars, our first School Site Council meeting on Wednesday at 5pm, and a Friday Professional Development Day.

Parents, please click on the following link (DVS SSC 2020-21 Elections) to vote for this year’s School Site Council members by 5 pm on Monday, 9/2.

Thank you to all of you who have already purchased DVS-embroidered gear from our new online merchandise store! You can buy shirts, hats, jackets, backpacks, sweatshirts and more – and support our school at the same time!

We hope you have a terrific weekend – stay healthy and stay cool!

We are looking for 3 parents to serve on our School Site Council for the 2020-2021 year. The School Site Council approves long-term plans for the school, including the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) and the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). We will meet four times throughout the year on Wednesday evenings. Our first meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 9th at 5:00pm on Zoom.

If you interested in serving on the School Site Council, please complete this short form before 5pm on Thursday: School Site Council Member Interest Form. We will be asking all families to vote to select three parent representatives. All parents are welcome to attend School Site Council meetings, but we need three officially elected parents to represent the DVS community. Thank you!

Join the DVS Counselors today, Wednesday, 9/2 from 2:45pm-3:15pm for an open forum for you to ask general questions. Parents/guardians from all grade levels are welcome! We will host office hours every first Wednesday of the month.

The Zoom link to join us is: https://zoom.us/j/5195354446 (no password required).

We hope to see you there!

-The DVS Counseling Team

On Wednesdays at 5:00pm, we host an “office hours” Q & A time for parents and guardians – all are welcome to join us! The Zoom link to join us is: https://tinyurl.com/SteveGraceOfficeHours (no password required). Feel free to drop in any time between 5 and 6 this evening!

Thank you to all of you who have already purchased DVS-embroidered gear from our new online merchandise store! You can buy shirts, hats, jackets, backpacks, sweatshirts and more (and support our school at the same time!) at this website:https://sites.google.com/davincischools.org/dvsmerchandise

Instructions for placing and paying for your order are at the bottom of this site. Your orders will be delivered to the DVS campus, and you will be notified when they are ready to be picked up. Proceeds from your purchases help support programs for DVS students!