Da Vinci Science

We had an eventful and packed week, marked by our first CLD Day, Long Advisories, and our first Community Dialogue in the gym! When speaking with the kids, many of them enjoyed CLD Day and used their time productively. Whether students were at home catching up on homework, working on a project, or going on a college visit, or whether they participated in on-campus workshops like soccer or soap-making, they all had positive things to say about the day. As a reminder, it is pertinent that all students turn in their CLD “Quiz” on Canvas to receive attendance credit for the day. Thank you for your cooperation.

We have another four-day week coming up! 

This Week’s Schedule: 

This Week’s Announcements:

• SLC Week is coming up from 10/13 to 10/17. Be on the lookout for more information and sign-ups from Grade Level teachers.
• DVS Family Coffee Time: Every first Wednesday of the month, we have “Coffee with the Principal,” where parents, guardians, and students can drop in to ask administration and staff questions and receive updates on school happenings. There will also be various topics for discussion as requested by parents. This week’s DVS Families Coffee Time is this Wednesday, 10/1, from 4:30-5:30 using this Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/3108950461. This week’s topic: Mastery-Based Grading

• College Counseling- This Week’s College Rep Visits:
  • Monday, 9/29: High Point University
  • Tuesday: 9/30: Vanderbilt University
  • Wednesday: 10/1: El Camino College

• College Planning Information Sessions: This coming week, we welcome 11th-grade families for their College Planning Information Session on Wednesday, October 1st from 5:30pm-6:30pm via Zoom: Learn about graduation requirements, DVS pathways, college admission criteria, types of colleges and career options, financial aid/scholarships, and more!
  • 11th grade: Wednesday, October 1st from 5:30pm-6:30 pm via ZOOM
  • 12th grade: Wednesday, October 8th from 5:30pm-6:30 pm held in-person on the DVS Campus You may RSVP here . We hope you can join us! Zoom information: https://davincischools-org.zoom.us/j/9301907728 or use Meeting ID: 930 190 7728 (no password needed)

• Get Ready for an Adventure! The DVS Spanish Teachers are heading out on a Yucatán Adventure this coming Spring Break 2026 (March 28 – April 4, 2026)
  • Want to learn more? Join our Informational Meeting:
  • When: Wednesday, October 1st @ 6pm
  • Where: Zoom https://davincischools-org.zoom.us/j/7594747245
  • Take a sneak peek at the trip details here: explorica.com/Magana-3077
• DVSPA- DVS Parent Association (DVSPA) is a fun way to build community with other DVS parents while supporting staff and students.
  • Thank you to all the parents who attended the September DVSPA meeting.  If you couldn’t make it but would like help leading or organizing an upcoming service project, check out the meeting slides HERE.  Save the date, DVSPA October meeting Wed 10/22, time and location TBD.
  • DVSPA Merch is available for pre-order in our two original designs.  A New Student Design Contest has launched this week and the winning design will be voted on by DVS Students. More details in this Design Contest Flyer. 

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Tuesday, 9/23 Community Learning Day
• Wednesday, 10/1 Parent Coffee (Topic: Real World Learning Program)
• Thursday, 10/2 Local Holiday 
• Wednesday, 10/8 Parent Advisory Committee Meeting
• Thursday, 10/9 UCLA Blood Drive 
• Friday, 10/10 Honors Commitment Deadline 
• Monday, 10/13 SAT/PSAT School Day
• Monday-Thursday, 10/13-10/16 SLC Week
• Tuesday, 10/14 Grades Update
• Friday, 10/24 PD Day 

Helpful Links:

DV/Wiseburn Athletics  

DVS Planning Calendar

DVS News YouTube Channel

DVS Announcements Slide Deck

Da Vinci Photos Link

Some Highlights from the Week:

First CD of the year- Neon Day and a fantastic performance from our WDV Cheer Team

Advanced Physics BTS Horizontal Launch after Lunch

Teletaubes 3rd Annual Wild Wednesday

Art 3 Class – Making Oni Masks

Hello DVS Senior Families:  College application season is in full swing and we want to share important information for those families who will apply for financial aid.

The 2026-2027 FAFSA is now open!

The Department of Education (ED) officially launched the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2026–27 academic year a week early. The launch came after a successful beta testing period in August.   Students and families can complete the form now, giving them earlier access to financial aid information. Please note that some challenges have been found for mixed-status families.  The ED has not yet provided a permanent solution to identity verification issues, which continues to pose a challenge for these families when attempting to file the FAFSA and privacy concerns.

The 2026–27 CADAA opens October 1:
The California Dream Act Application (CADAA) opens on October 1. The CADAA is available to eligible undocumented Californians and mixed status families. While the CADAA provides access to state and institutional aid, students who file only the CADAA are not eligible for federal financial aid dollars.

The 2026-2027 CSS Profile opens October 1:

The CSS Profile is an online application used by mostly private colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid.  The UCs and CSUs do not use the CSS Profile. Here is list ofcolleges that use the CSS Profile.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me Ms. Marquez, College and Career Counselor: fmarquez@davincischools.org 

Students are definitely getting deep into their learning as we head into Week 6. Seminars, Honors, and Clubs are all underway and officially launched! We have our first CLD day coming up next week and our first Community Dialogue coming up this week.

This Week’s Schedule:

This Week’s Announcements:

• CLD Day – Our first CLD Day is coming up this Tuesday, Sept. 23rd. On-campus learning workshops are from 8:30-12:30. Students check-in at the 201 Campus. Here is the List of On-Campus Workshops available on 9/23. If students did not request an on-campus workshop, they can still come and sign up on the day of any open session on campus. Students staying at home should have already turned in and uploaded the parent permission slip. Students should have joined the CLD Canvas Class. On 9/23, attendance will be taken via a “quiz” given on the Canvas Portal. Please note that it is mandatory for attendance credit; otherwise, students will be marked absent for CLD Day. 
• Parent Advisory Committee – The Parent Advisory Committee, previously known as the School Site Council (SSC), provides an opportunity for parents, students, and staff to work collaboratively in reviewing the school program, analyzing data, identifying needs, and making recommendations for the Local Control and Accountability Plan. If you are a parent or guardian interested in joining our Parent Advisory Committee (PAC), please fill out the Parent Advisory Committee PAC Interest Form by Monday, September 22nd. PAC meetings will be held on the following dates: 10/08, 12/17, 2/11, 4/15, and 5/20 from 4:30-5:30 via Zoom. We are still looking for a few more PAC members! 
• College Counseling:
  • 10th grade families for their College Planning Information Session this Thursday, September, 25th from 5:30pm-6:30pm via Zoom: Come learn about graduation requirements, DVS pathways, college admission criteria, types of colleges and career options, financial aid/scholarships and more!
  • 11th grade: Wednesday, October 1st from 5:30pm-6:30 pm via ZOOM
  • 12th grade: Wednesday, October 8th from 5:30pm-6:30 pm held in-person on the DVS Campus
  • You may RSVP here. Zoom Link: https://davincischools-org.zoom.us/j/9301907728 or use Meeting ID: 930 190 7728
• Real World Learning: All students have received an invitation to add the RWL course. The previous course has been removed and will no longer be active. New and returning students need to accept the invitation. Students need to add the RWL course to receive announcements about internships, volunteer opportunities, and other career-related events. For questions, please contact Crissel Rodriguez, RWL Director, crodriguez@davincischools.org

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Tuesday, 9/23 Community Learning Day
• Thursday, 10/2 Local Holiday 
• Thursday, 10/9 UCLA Blood Drive 
• Friday, 10/10 Honors Commitment Deadline 
• Monday, 10/13 SAT/PSAT School Day
• Monday-Thursday, 10/13-10/16 SLC Week
• Tuesday, 10/14 Grades Update
• Friday, 10/24 PD Day 

Helpful Links:

DV/Wiseburn Athletics  

DVS Planning Calendar

DVS News YouTube Channel

DVS Announcements Slide Deck

Da Vinci Photos Link

Some Highlights from the Week:

Sophomores calculating calories in a Cheeto in Chemistry class:

Pythons can eat! Advisory dinner and dessert at Handel’s

DVS and DVS students at the 12th annual Latino College Expo in La Verne

Physics Motion Graphs Review winners

Advanced Physicists collecting data using force sensors, measuring tapes, and motion detectors at Del Aire Park for Westy’s World project!

First DVS Parent Association Meeting, all are welcome!

Thank you for a great Back to School Night! We enjoyed seeing parents and guardians on campus and hope families enjoyed getting to know your student’s teachers and getting a little taste of what your student’s day looks like. Parents and Guardians are pertinent to the work that we do. Thank you for partnering with us. It was great to see families at our monthly Parent Coffees as well, hope to see you at the next one! 

This week, the 11th graders also had a positive experience at NACAC. Students had the opportunity to hear from a variety of colleges and attend college readiness workshops. All students also participated in our annual Club Fair; see our DVS Club Fair Site for the complete list of clubs. We also hope students had an enjoyable PD Day while teachers spent the time collaborating and planning with grade-level teams and job-alike teams. Next week is a whole 5-day week with the regular schedule.

This Week’s Schedule: 

This Week’s Announcements:

• Parent Advisory Committee – The Parent Advisory Committee, previously known as the School Site Council (SSC), is an opportunity for parents, students, and staff to work collaboratively to review the school program, analyze data, identify needs, and make recommendations for the Local Control and Accountability Plan. If you are a parent or guardian interested in joining our Parent Advisory Committee (PAC), please fill out the Parent Advisory Committee PAC Interest Form by Monday, September 22nd. PAC meetings will be held on the following dates: 10/08, 12/17, 2/11, 4/15, and 5/20 from 4:30-5:30 via Zoom. 
• Grade Updates– grade updates can be expected on the Tuesday following PD Days. Next grade update will be on Tuesday, 9/16. Grades can be found on Canvas or Powerschool. 

• CLD Day – Our first CLD Day is coming up on September 23rd. Students received an email from Da Vinci Schools to sign up for an On-Campus Learning Workshop or to indicate that they will be learning from home that day. Here is the CLD Survey to Sign-Up for CLD Day 9/23 (need Da Vinci email address to access). Here is the List of On-Campus Workshops available on 9/23. Please note that students will need to have a CLD stay-at-home permission slip if they wish to learn from home that day. 

• Honors – Honors contracts were provided in class and are due to teachers this Friday, 9/19. 

• American Mathematical Competition: DVS will be administering the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 10 and 12 on Thursday, November 13th, 2025, from 3pm-5pm (during seminar and after school) to those who sign up.The AMC 10/12 is the first in a series of competitions that may eventually lead to the International Mathematical Olympiad. Find out more at this link: https://maa.org/student-programs/amc/. Interested students should sign up via this form by Friday, September 19th (DV account required). 
• FREE Metro GoPass for DVS Students: Da Vinci Schools is participating in LA Metro’s GoPass Program again this year! This means each DVS student can receive a FREE metro card that, once activated, can allow them to ride on the Metro for FREE until June 30, 2027. Students should drop by the front desk (not during class time) and ask Liz to pick up a card and instructions to activate their card (one card per student). Find more information on the GoPass Program here.
• College Planning Information Sessions: Counselors will be holding college planning info. Sessions. Come learn about graduation requirements, DVS pathways, college admission criteria, types of colleges and career options, financial aid/scholarships and more! 9th grade- 11th grade sessions will be held via Zoom (link will be posted closer to date) and the 12th grade session will be held in-person on the DVS campus. All DVS students and families are invited to attend!  Schedule is:

• • 9th grade: Tuesday, September 16th from 5:30pm-6:30 pm via ZOOM
  • 10th grade: Thursday, September 25th from 5:30pm-6:30 pm via ZOOM
  • 11th grade: Wednesday, October 1st from 5:30pm-6:30 pm via ZOOM
  • 12th grade: Wednesday, October 8th from 5:30pm-6:30 pm held in-person on the DVS Campus                          
  • You may RSVP here . We hope you can join us!

• DVSPA– DVS Parent Association (DVSPA) is a fun way to build community with other DVS parents while supporting staff and students. The first DVSPA is coming up this week! First DVSPA meeting for 2025-26 is Wed, Sept 17th, 5:30pm on campus. All DVS parents/guardians are welcome to join in supporting DVS staff through our projects (no membership or anything to do to sign up, just show up).  Come get to know other DVS Parents and see how we’ll be supporting DVS this year.  
  • DVSPA Merch is available for pre-order.  Show your school spirit and support DVS with your T-shirt and Hoodie orders.  Samples are available to view at Back to School Night at the DVSPA table, before and after class rotations.  Place your ORDER HERE (make sure you’re logged into your MySchoolBucks DaVinci Schools account if you also have a Wiseburn account).  Images and more details HERE.  

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Tuesday, 9/16 Make-Up Picture Day
• Wednesday, 9/17 DVSPA (DVS Parent Association) meeting; 5:30 on campus
• Tuesday, 9/23 Community Learning Day
• Thursday, 10/2 Local Holiday 
• Thursday, 10/9 UCLA Blood Drive 
• Friday, 10/10 Honors Commitment Deadline 
• Monday, 10/13 SAT/PSAT School Day
• Monday-Thursday, 10/13-10/16 SLC Week

Helpful Links:

DV/Wiseburn Athletics  

DVS Planning Calendar

DVS News YouTube Channel

DVS Announcements Slide Deck

Da Vinci Photos Link

Some Highlights from the Week:

11th Grade at NACAC College Fair in Pasadena

Back to School Night

Club Fair

El Segundo Physics Network (ESPN) Science of Sports project launch! Looking forward to connecting concepts of kinematics, forces, and energy to sports scenarios.