We hope students had an enjoyable PD Day Friday. The staff utilized the day for professional development with a focus on understanding the physical and mental health of teenagers, advisory planning, academic interventions, and grading.
DVS would also like to wish the community a Happy Hispanic Heritage month. We honor the rich histories, cultures, and invaluable contributions of Hispanic Latino/a communities. Our school wide Hispanic Heritage month celebration will be held at our next CD, 11/5.
This week, we look forward to seeing families at SLCs! (Please note that 9th graders are on different schedule due to CHYA presentations throughout the week).
This Week’s Schedule:
This Week’s Announcements
- Student-Led Conferences: Fall 2026 Student-Led Conferences (SLCs) are next week Monday-Thursday, 10/12-10/16! The schedule as well as specific instructions for SLCs have been shared by grade-level teachers, and will be updated in this Fall 2026 SLC Info for Families document. During SLC week, students will be dismissed early at 2:25pm every day.
- 9th Grade CHYA Presentations: Dr. Emily Green and Nurse Titsyana Lucero will be presenting the health & sexual education curriculum (“CHYA”, or “California Healthy Youth Act”) to 9th grade students during the week of Tuesday – Friday, October 13th – 17th. Click this link to read the notification letter from Dr. Green. If you have any questions about the content that will be covered, please email Dr. Green at egreen@davincischools.org. Parents/guardians have the right to “opt-out” of this presentation for their child. If you wish to do so, please email Saya Wai, DVS Assistant Principal, at swai@davincischools.org.
- Honors Commitment Deadline is Friday, October 16th by the end of the school day (2:25pm)! If students submitted their signed honors contract for a course by the due date on 9/18, they have until Friday, October 16th to notify their teacher in writing if they do NOT want to continue with honors in that class. Email is preferred for record-keeping purposes, and it is best practice to verbally confirm with their teacher. If students submitted their signed honors contract and are continuing with honors in the course, nothing more is needed (except to keep doing honors work and assignments).
- Parent Advisory Committee: DVS’ first Parent Advisory Committee Meeting will be held next Wednesday, 10/14/26 from 4:15-5:15 using this Zoom link.
- Da Vinci Schools Student & Family Surveys: A personalized survey link has been sent to students and families directly from Kelvin Education. Please take a few minutes to click on the link and take the survey before Sunday, 11/1. Your honest input helps us celebrate what’s working and identify areas where we can improve.
- Great California Shakeout: The Da Vinci Schools 201 N. Douglas Street campus will be participating in the Great California Shakeout Earthquake Drill on Thursday, October 15th at 10:15am. By practicing these procedures in advance, we help ensure that everyone knows what to do in order to respond calmly and effectively in the unlikely event of a real emergency. As you know, preparation is key to minimizing fear, confusion, and risks. For more information on earthquake preparedness, visit ShakeOut.org for simple tips to help you and your family stay safe.
- Fall Dance on October 30th: Da Vinci Schools high school students are invited to the 2026 Fall Dance, “Tropical Nights and Bayou Lights,” on Friday, October 30th from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (doors open at 5:30 PM) in the West Plaza at 201 N. Douglas Street. Early Bird tickets are on sale at this MySchoolBucks link for $25 through October 25th, after which General Admission tickets will be $30 through the day of the event. Students can look forward to photo booths with free prints and complimentary water, with local food trucks on site for dinner purchases!
- College Counseling:
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- College Rep Visits for Week 9: All visits take place at lunchtime in Mr. Perez’s classroom. All grade levels are welcome!
- Monday, October 12: Stanford University and UC Santa Barbara
- Thursday, October 15: Simmons University
- Friday, October 16: UC Riverside
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- College Planning Information Sessions: Thank you to all the families who attended their grade level College Planning Information Sessions. Resources and information were emailed out to parents and student the week of their grade level meeting via School Messenger. Please reach out to Ms. Marquez for questions related to college and career planning, your grade-level counselor with any questions on academics and wellness, and Mr. Perez for senior parents who have questions on the college application process facilitated in our course College, Career and Life.
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- Ms. Marquez, College & Career Counselor (all grade levels): fmarquez@davincischools.org
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- Mrs. Valle, Academic and Wellness Counselor for the class of 2028 and 2030: cvalle@davincischools.org
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- Ms. Ruiz, Academic and Wellness Counselor for the class of 2027 and 2029: cruiz@davincischools.org
- Mr. Perez, Teacher College, Career and Life (seniors only): rperez@davincischools.org
- Parent Association:
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- DVS Merch: Zip-up hoodies are now available to order at this MySchoolBucks link!
- Save the Date for a fundraiser: Wed, 10/21, at Chipotle on Rosecrans Ave. in Hawthorne. We’re also holding the Oct DVSPA meeting there at 6:00pm. You don’t need to “join,” just come meet your fellow DVS parents and talk all things DVS!
- Join the DVS Parents’ online community, a private Facebook group monitored by the DVS Parent Association.Search for “DaVinci Science Parents” with the green banner and answer a few required questions to join.
- Would you like to get DVSPA info and updates? Click this link to sign up for more info or to ask any questions.
Important Upcoming Dates:
- Monday – Thursday, 10/12-10/15 Student-Led Conferences
- Tuesday – Friday, 10/13-10/16 9th Grade CHYA Presentations
- Wednesday, 10/14 Parent Advisory Council Meeting #1 4:15pm via Zoom
- Thursday, 10/15 Great California ShakeOut Earthquake Drill
- Friday, 10/16 Honors Commitment Deadline
- Wednesday, 10/21 SAT/PSAT School Day
- Wednesday, 10/21 Parent Association Meeting 6pm at Chipotle Fundraiser
- Friday, 10/30 CLD Day #2
Helpful Links:
DVS Planning Calendar 2026-2027
Highlights from the Week:
In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, Spanish 2 students learned about the history of piñatas. Here they are making their own paper version and showing off their craft skills.
Ivan Lopez represented Da Vinci Schools as a student panelist in Belkin’s Hispanic Heritage Month Juntos event alongside Andrea Campos, NYT Bestselling author, illustrator, and speaker, and Yesi Ortiz, 94.7FM The Wave radio host and co-founder of The Rehearsal.
Arch & Design Walking Strand Tour
