Da Vinci Science

We are just one week away from the beginning of students’ Presentations of Learning!

The Presentation of Learning (“POL”) is a tradition at the Da Vinci Schools in which students prepare and deliver a formal presentation to a panel of their teachers. POLs give students the opportunity to practice their speaking and presentation skills and are a final opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding and mastery of a topic. Each student will earn a letter grade for his/her POL, which will be reflected on their transcript. Students receive specific instructions for preparing their POL from their teachers, and we encourage all parents to read more about the POL expectations and guidelines in this document: DVS POL Details & Policies for Students and Families -Fall 2019

Guardians, families, and special guests are encouraged to attend their student’s POL. Please ask your child what day and time they are scheduled to give their POL, and make the necessary arrangements to come watch their presentation! DVS students work very hard on these presentations and we love for them to be both encouraged and celebrated by you and any special guests you would like to bring.  Please bring ID and check-in at the reception desk on the first floor before proceeding to the 2nd floor for the presentation. Please allow at least 15 minutes to park, check-in, and walk to the 2nd floor. Every effort will be made to run presentations on time, and we will not be able to delay presentations to wait for a parent, guardian, or special guest to arrive.

All students are expected to come to school for all POL days, regardless of dates of scheduled presentations. School hours are the same for all students: 8:30am – 2:25pm. POL days begin on Monday, 12/16 and end on Thursday, 12/19. Please see below for the schedule for POL week:

Please feel free to email me at swallis@davincischools.org if you have any questions! I hope to see you all during POL week!

Sincerely,

Steve

 

 

Next week is our last week of regular instruction and the beginning of preparation for Presentations of Learning (“POLs”) and End-Of-Course assessments (EOCs”) which will take place in week 17. Thursday and Friday are minimum days, with students attending class from 8:30am-12:00pm.

Details about the week 16 schedule can be found by clicking here: DVS week 16 schedule (S11)

This Friday (12/13) is the deadline for all student work submissions, so this is a good time to check Powerschool with your student to make sure that they have completed all of the work for each of their courses!

The following week, students will present their POLs and take their EOC assessments according to the schedule below. Please note that classes run from 8:30am-2:25pm each day, and all students are expected to be present on all days.

Finally, as we prepare for the last weeks of the semester you have the opportunity to say “thank you” to your child’s teachers and counselors by participating in helping provide them with a special salad bar lunch on Friday, December 20th. Thank you to all of you who have already signed up to bring something – if you’re able to participate by providing something, please sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/holidayluncheonDVS

Thank you!

-Steve

 

 

NEW Spring 2019 Seminar: Film/Video 110 – Film Appreciation

Who: JUNIORS and SENIORS ONLY

What​: College course at Da Vinci, through El Camino College. Course meets transfer requirements for all Cal State and U.C. campuses, as well as most private colleges and universities.

Cost​: Free! The state of California and Da Vinci Schools pick up the costs, including text book fees. Donations to help cover the cost of the textbooks from families that are able to are appreciated.

Where​: Classes will be held at Da Vinci Communications at 201 N. Douglas Street.

Film/Video 110 – Film Appreciation
● Through El Camino College
● Mondays and Wednesday 3:00pm-4:25pm
● Course Description:​ Film Appreciation 3 units, Transfer CSU, UC; Recommended Preparation: eligibility for English 1A Credit. In this course, students will investigate the origins and aesthetics of cinema including the classic Hollywood narrative film and its alternatives. By analyzing representative films as unique cultural products, the student will be introduced to various methods of interpreting and evaluating motion pictures within their socio-political context.

● Start Date: Wednesday, February 19

● Room 3205 Andy

Please note that these are college courses, taught by college instructors. All students must show their counselor and administrators the academic skills and accountability necessary to be in these courses. Students must abide by the college policies, including regarding absences and tardies.

If you are interested, please apply to El Camino (instructions are on the attached Powerpoint) and submit your Dual Enrollment form (attached) to Ms. Ruiz no later than Jan. 22 at noon. No exceptions. Spots will be given to the first 12 students who submit their forms.

Spring 2019 DVD-DVC-DVS College Courses Parent Letter-2

ElCoDE

DE_App_ONLY

Hello senior families,

Many four year colleges and universities require for families to submit the FAFSA and the CSS Profile.  The CSS Profile is an application that collects information used by almost 400 colleges, universities and scholarship programs to award financial aid from sources outside of the federal government (i.e. institutional grants and scholarships). We encourage you to check the above list and complete the CSS Profile if you applied to any of the participating colleges/universities.

Please connect with your counselor if you need additional support with this process.

Thank you!

– The DVS Counseling Team

Da Vinci is once again offering an SAT/ACT Prep course over winter break to its students through PJ Test Prep, a small Test Prep and Tutoring company based in the south bay. They have been in business since 2005 and have been offering SAT/ACT prep with Da Vinci for 5 years and they do a great job!

The course, open to students from all DV high schools, will be 5 days over winter break from Monday January 6th to Friday January 10th, from 10:00am-12:30pm, with a practice test on Wednesday 1/8 from 10:00am-2:00pm. Students are expected to attend all 5 days. The course, normally valued at $500, costs only $100 per student.

After signing up at https://tinyurl.com/Winter2019TestPrep, students pay the $100 course fee to their school’s office to secure their spot. Please make checks out to “Da Vinci Schools” and write “ACT Test Prep” on the memo line.

These tests are critical for college entrance! This is a very wise investment of time and money!

Seniors! There are still opportunities to submit applications to the following universities:

 

• UC Merced has extended its application deadline to 11:59 p.m. PST on Dec. 20, 2019

• There are select CSU campuses that are still accepting application under a limited number of majors.  Please explore these opportunities here.

 

Please connect with your counselor if you have clarifying questions.

I hope your families have a terrific, restful Thanksgiving break together! All of us at DVS are grateful that you trust us with the education of your children in these critical four years and for the support you give to them and to our school!

Our Exhibition night – our 21st Exhibition – was a terrific success thanks to the hard work of our students and teachers, and we are thankful to all of you who came to see their work! Here is a link to the photo album of the evening, courtesy of our magnificent photographer Stacee Lianna: Da Vinci Science Fall 2019 Exhibition

As we prepare for the last weeks of the semester, I’d like to give you the opportunity to say “thank you” to the DVS staff by participating in helping provide them with a special salad bar lunch on Friday, December 20th. If you’re able to participate by providing something, please sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/holidayluncheonDVS

The last day for students to turn in work for first semester is Friday, December 13^th. The final week of the semester, when students do their Presentations of Learning, will look different than it has in years past at DVS. Rather than attending for a half-day as they did in years past, all DVS students will come to school from 8:30am-2:25pm. In addition to their Presentation of Learning (POL), students will take End-Of-Course assessments (EOCs) for each of their classes – so it is critical that all students attend school on all of these days. Students will be given the details of these assessments in the coming weeks. Here are the schedules for the last 3 weeks of the first semester when students return from Thanksgiving break: DVS week 15 schedule (S11)

Finally, in preparation for our winter professional development work we are gathering opinions from students, parents and staff about the following 4 aspects of DVS culture: Advisory, Dress code, Attendance & Punctuality, and Campus Care. It’s quick! Would you mind taking a couple minutes to fill it out for us? https://tinyurl.com/DVS2019CultureSurvey

Thank you! Have a terrific and restful Thanksgiving break!

-Steve

Thank you to all of you who attended our Exhibition Night tonight! We are so proud of our students’ work and learning and creativity, and we are grateful to all of you who came out to see them!

As we prepare for the last weeks of the semester, I’d like to give you the opportunity to say “thank you” to the DVS staff by participating in helping provide them with a special salad bar lunch on Friday, December 20th. If you’re able to participate by providing something, please sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/holidayluncheonDVS

Thank you!

 

Our students have been working hard to prepare for tonight’s Exhibition night! We hope all of our families will come out to hear the 10^th and 12^th grade students share what they have been learning in their classes, as well as (for the first time ever!) students of all grades sharing what they have been doing in some of our seminars and student clubs.

The DVS families have organized a catered pasta dinner before Exhibition, so please bring your whole family at 5:00 for dinner followed by Exhibition from 6:00 until 7:30pm! The cost of dinner is $10 per person, with all proceeds going to DVS advisory classes.

This is also a great opportunity for parents to meet our new assistant principal, Grace Long, who will be there this evening and who will officially begin with us when we return from Thanksgiving break. Come say hello and help welcome her to the DVS family!

I look forward to seeing you all tonight!

-Steve