Da Vinci Science

Women in STEM Career Day at LAHC:

12th Grade Team Building Day at Fulcrum

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Week 25 Wrap-Up and Week 26 Preview

Posted on February 25, 2024 by Grace Long

Last week was another action-packed week at DVS. Over last weekend’s President’s Day weekend, 28 Da Vinci Science students participated in the Youth & Government’s Mock Legislature and Court Conference in Sacramento. This four-day event, which drew over 2,000 students from across the state, provided a platform for young minds to debate bills, create proposals, and argue significant issues that affect our state and country.

Nick Alvarez was named Media Delegate of the Year!
Miriam Johnson was awarded Exemplary Appellate Attorney, from over 200 delegates in the program area!
Camila Gomez and her Respondent team in Appellate Court won their court case!
Awishkar Sherstha, Lucia Moreno, and Shawn Park’s budget proposal passed and signed by the Youth Governor!
Phong Nguyen, Jamie Rigor, and Chiagozie Offokansi’s separate bills were passed by both chambers in the Forum program!
Con Con delegates Audrey Miller, Ellaina Kimura, Adrian Luna, and Alex Zakrzewski were able to collect over 100 signatures and create five proposals for the California Constitution!
Sol Jordan successfully argued our Delegation’s bill in committee and ran the Queer Caucus as the Chair for the last three years!
Andrew Charney, Sofia Gallardo, and William Park’s $5 million health proposal was accepted and funded by the California Investment Bank!

All delegates worked incredibly hard, forged new friendships, and came away proud of themselves and each other. Congratulations and a job well done, Y&G!

Also this week, 12th-grade students culminated in their Government/Economics class campaigns and elections unit in a debate between the remaining three presidential candidates. Students have been preparing their platforms, campaigns, and speeches for weeks to demonstrate democracy on our campus. Congratulations to Mano Rajesh for winning the Presidential Campaign and to TJ Kidd for Vice President!

SWE (Society of Women in Engineering) and CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) classes went to AltaSea Ocean Institute in San Pedro. Students learned about various interesting projects including underwater robotics, sustainable surfboards, sustainable seafood, research with Fish and Wildlife, and kelp artists to name a few.

It was also great to see parents and families at the Parent Advisory Committee meeting this week as well as the Parent Advisory Group. We always enjoy time with our parents and families. All families are welcome to join any of those meetings.

We also hope students enjoyed the Spring Dance Friday night!

Week 25 Announcements & Reminders:

College Planning Info Nights: Our College and Career Counselor, Ms. Francisca Marquez, and our Academic Counselors, Ms. Carolyn Ruiz and Ms. Corinne Valle will be hosting grade-level specific College Planning Information Sessions. Come learn about graduation requirements, DVS pathways, college admission criteria, types of colleges and career options, financial aid/scholarships, and more! These meetings will be on the DVS campus. All DVS students and families are invited to attend! Schedule is:
- 9th Grade Tuesday, March 5th @ 5pm
- 10th Grade: Thursday, March 7th @5pm
- 11th Grade: Wednesday, March 13th @5pm

DVS Families Coffee Time: Our March DVS Families Coffee Time is Wednesday, March 6th from 4:15-5:15 in the DVS Galileo Room. All DVS parents/guardians, students, and staff are welcome to attend.
Student-Led Conferences: Spring 2024 Student-Led Conferences (SLCs) are coming up! They will take place from Monday-Thursday, March 18th-21st. More information about SLCs, including the schedule, will be released through grade-level teachers by the first week of March. Due to SLCs, students will be dismissed early at 2:25 pm every day that week.

Exhibition Night: Our Da Vinci Science Exhibition Night is Tuesday, March 26th from 5:30pm-8:00pm! Students of all grade-levels will be showcasing their projects and learnings from this year. All students are expected to attend this event and all families and community guests are welcome to attend!

Honors Certificates: Honors certificates will be passed out next week (there was a slight delay).
- Honor roll: 3.5-3.79 Semester 1 GPA
- High Honor roll: 3.8 and above Semester 1 GPA
After-School Study Skills: DVS Academic Coaches provide free academic support after school Monday-Thursday 4:00pm-4:30pm. There is now an Academic Coach dedicated to math support for all four days, including pre-calculus! Students can drop by the Robinson Room for academic support in any subject area, no appointment is needed. Please encourage students to make use of this valuable resource.
Parent Association Meetings: Parent Association meetings are on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 6:15pm. All parents and guardians are included in the DVS Parents Association – there is nothing to formally join. All are welcome! Future meetings:
- Wednesday, 3/20 @ 6:15pm at DVS
- Wednesday, 4/17 @ 6:15pm at DVS
- Wednesday, 5/15 @ 6:15pm at location TBD

Week 25 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates:

Monday, 2/26: 12th Grade Fulcrum Field Trip
Monday, 3/4: 9th grade Physical Fitness Testing (PFT)
Tuesday, 3/5: 9th Grade College Planning Info Night @ 5pm
Wednesday, 3/6: DVS Families Coffee Time @ 4:15pm
Thursday, 3/7: Advanced Physics Knott’s Berry Farm High School Physics Day Field Trip
Thursday, 3/7: 10th Grade College Planning Info Night @ 5pm
Wednesday, 3/13: 11th Grade College Planning Info Night @ 5pm
Friday, 3/15: PD Day
Friday, 3/15-3/17: FRC LA Regionals @ Da Vinci Schools
Monday-Thursday, 3/18-3/21: Student Led Conferences
Tuesday, 3/26: DVS Exhibition Night 5:30-8:00 pm
DVS Graduation Day: June 6th, 9:00am

Helpful Links:

Youth & Government:

Field Trip to AltaSea:

Senior Presidential Debates:

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Week 23 Wrap-up & Week 24 Preview

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Grace Long

We had a very packed and fun week this week at DVS! It was joyous to see staff and students dressed up this week to have some fun and show school spirit. We also enjoyed showing love to our students on Valentine’s Day with flowers. 11th graders had a field trip to NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) where students received lots of information and advice about various colleges and their admissions policies. We also want to wish our Youth & Government delegation a wonderful time at the Model Legislature & Court Conference in Sacramento! Thank you for representing Da Vinci Science in civic knowledge, awareness, and action!

We wish everyone a happy three-day weekend. There will be no school on Monday, 2/19, in honor of President’s Day.

Week 24 Announcements & Reminders:

Grade Updates: Grades were updated this week. All coursework and grading information will continue to be through Canvas.
- Student and Parent/Guardian Canvas Link: https://davincischools.instructure.com
- Additional Canvas resources are available at the bottom of the Academics page on our blog.
Honors Certificates: honors certificates will be passed our during next week.
- Honor roll: 3.5-3.79 Semester 1 GPA
- High Honor roll: 3.8 and above Semester 1 GPA
After-School Study Skills: DVS Academic Coaches provide free academic support after school Monday-Thursday 4:00pm-4:30pm. There is now a Academic Coach dedicated to math support for all four days, including pre-calculus! Students can drop by the Robinson Room for academic support in any subject area, no appointment needed. Please encourage students to make use of this valuable resource.
Parent Association Meeting: The next DVS Parent Association meeting is Wednesday, February 21st at 6:15pm on the DVS floor. All parents and guardians are included in the DVS Parents Association – there is nothing to formally join. Just show up to meet other parents and help out the school on various projects whenever you are able. All are welcome!
Parent Advisory Committee: Our third Parent Advisory Committee meeting is on Wednesday, February 21st at 4pm via this Zoom link. We will send members a reminder email next week, but any parent/guardian is invited to attend.
Opt-in SAT School Day: As an opportunity for our students, DVS is hosting an additional, optional SAT School Day in April. DVS 10th and 11th-grade students can opt-in to take the SAT during this school day, free of charge, by completing this Spring 2024 DVS Opt-in SAT School Day Interest Form by Friday, February 23rd (a Da Vinci Google account is required to fill out the form). If there is a lot of interest, priority will be given to 11th-grade students. Please direct questions to DVS Assistant Principal, Saya Wai, at swai@davincischools.org.

Week 24 Schedule:

We love our students!

Pink on Valentine’s Day to share the love

Spirit Week: Soccer moms vs. BBQ dads

NACAC Conference:

Important Upcoming Dates:

Monday, 2/19: President’s Day – No School
Friday-Monday, 2/16-2/19: Youth & Government Conference
Monday-Thursday, 3/18-3/21: Student Led Conferences
Tuesday, 3/26: DVS Exhibition Night 5:30-7:30 pm
DVS Graduation Day: June 6th 9:00am

Helpful Links:

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Week 22 Wrap-up & Week 23 Preview

Posted on February 9, 2024 by Grace Long

We continue to celebrate and honor Black History Month! Students have decorated the campus and our students in BSU (Black Student Union) and NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) did a beautiful job planning and hosting CD with the whole school. It was so special to see our students perform, sing, and dance to celebrate Black history. It was also fun watching the teachers learn some dance moves and try to keep up with the students.

This week was also National School Counseling Week! We are enormously grateful to our amazing counselors, Ms. Francisca Marquez, Ms. Carolyn Ruiz, and Ms. Corinne Valle, for their dedication to supporting students through their academic, socio-emotional, and college and career planning needs. We love our counselors!

We also celebrated National Signing Day on February 7th. Congratulations to:

Arianna Caldwell: Diving, University of Iowa
Cody Evans: Volleyball, UC Merced
Jillian Silvers: Gymnastics, University of Arizona
Kennedy Crosby: Softball, Chapman University

We are so very proud of you!

Week 23 Announcements & Reminders:

Grade Updates: Grades should be up-to-date on Tuesday, 2/13. All coursework and grading information will continue to be through Canvas.

- Student and Parent/Guardian Canvas Link: https://davincischools.instructure.com
- Additional Canvas resources are available at the bottom of the Academics page on our blog.
Spirit Week: Next week (2/12-2/16) is Spirit Week! We are looking forward to seeing our classrooms filled with Spirit Week fun! Please keep in mind that the DVS Dress Code still applies during Spirit Week.

- Monday, 2/12: BBQ Dad vs. Soccer Mom
- Tuesday, 2/13: Trendy Tuesday
- Wednesday, 2/14: On Wednesdays We Wear Pink
- Thursday, 2/15: Anything but a Backpack
- Friday, 2/16: Iconic Duo

11th Grade NACAC Field Trip: 11th-grade students will be taking a field trip to the NACAC (National Association of College Admissions and Counseling) College Fair in Pasadena next Tuesday, February 13th. We hope our juniors will take full advantage of this opportunity to meet college representatives to ask questions and gather information.
Opt-in SAT School Day: DVS is hosting an additional, optional SAT School Day in April. DVS 10th and 11th-grade students can opt-in to take the SAT during this school day, free of charge, by completing this Spring 2024 DVS Opt-in SAT School Day Interest Form by Friday, February 23rd (a Da Vinci Google account is required to fill out the form). If there is a lot of interest, priority will be given to 11th-grade students. Please direct questions to DVS Assistant Principal, Saya Wai, at swai@davincischools.org.
Spring Dance Rescheduled: Due to poor weather conditions forecasted this week, the Spring Dance is rescheduled for Friday, 2/23/24. For all individuals who have already purchased tickets, tickets will be valid for this new date. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact DVS’s school’s Leadership advisor, Brooke Allyn, at ballyn@davincischools.org.
Honors Sign-Up Form: Students should have the information they need to indicate which honors they will be pursuing on the Spring 2024 Honors Sign-Up Form (a Da Vinci Google account is required to fill out the form). The form is due Friday, February 16th.
Yearbook: The yearbook is available for purchase at http://www.yearbookordercenter.com. Use the school code 19656. The current price is $50 (+$5 processing fee) but will be increased to $60 (+$5 processing fee) on March 15th. Orders will be accepted through May 16th or when the last book is sold, whichever comes first. For more information, please contact Travis Wimer, DVS Yearbook Advisor, at twimer@davincischools.org.

Week 23 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, 2/13: 11th Grade NACAC Field Trip
Wednesday, 2/14: ELPAC Testing
Monday, 2/19: President’s Day – No School
Friday-Monday, 2/16-2/19: Youth & Government Conference
Monday-Thursday, 3/18-3/21: Student Led Conferences
Tuesday, 3/26: DVS Exhibition Night

Helpful Links:

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Week 21 Wrap-Up & Week 22 Preview

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Grace Long

We had a great week! Students are getting settled into their learning and making progress in their projects. Next week will be a short week. Friday, 2/9 is a PD day, there will be no school for students.

Week 22 Announcements & Reminders:

DVS Families Coffee Time: Our February DVS Families Coffee Time is this coming Wednesday, February 7th from 4:15-5:15 in the DVS Galileo Room. All DVS parents/guardians, students, and staff are welcome to attend.
Spring Dance: The Parisian Garden Spring Dance will take place in the West Plaza of the 201 N. Douglas campus on February 9th from 6pm-9pm. Early bird tickets are available for purchase for $25 until 11:59pm on February 4th (after which tickets will be available for purchase for $30 until 12:00pm on February 9th). Buy tickets online at MySchoolBucks.
Honors Sign-Up Form: By the end of Week 22, students should have the information they need to indicate which honors they will be pursuing on the Spring 2024 Honors Sign-Up Form (a Da Vinci Google account is required to fill out the form). The form is due on Friday, February 16th.
Yearbook: The yearbook is available for purchase at http://www.yearbookordercenter.com. Use the school code 19656. The current price is $50 (+$5 processing fee) but will be increased to $60 (+$5 processing fee) on March 15th. Orders will be accepted through May 16th or when the last book is sold, whichever comes first. For more information, please contact Travis Wimer, DVS Yearbook Advisor, at twimer@davincischools.org.

Week 22 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday, 2/7: DVS Families Coffee Time @ 4:15pm in the DVS Galileo Room
Friday, 2/9: Professional Development Day – No School
Friday, 2/9: Spring Dance
Monday, 2/19: President’s Day – No School
Friday-Monday, 2/16-2/19: Youth & Government Conference
Monday-Thursday, 3/18-3/21: Student Led Conferences
Tuesday, 3/26: DVS Exhibition Night
Saturday, 4/14 Optional SAT, priority to 11th graders

Helpful Links:

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Week 20 Wrap Up & Week 21 Preview

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Grace Long

We hope all DVS students and families had a great week. Students enjoyed starting their semester 2 seminars this week. It’s always fun to see students engaged in learning outside of their core classes!

Week 21 Announcements & Reminders:

FAFSA / Dream Act Workshop: We are hosting an in-person, hands-on FAFSA / Dream Act Workshop for seniors and their families on Tuesday, January 30th from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP HERE and have student and parent FSA ID created and verified before the event. This takes about 3 business days, so please plan accordingly. Please CLICK HERE to apply for an FSA ID. More information about the night can be found on our previous blog post at this link.
Spring Dance: This year’s spring dance theme is Parisian Garden! The dance will take place in the West Plaza of the 201 N. Douglas campus on February 9th from 6pm-9pm. Early bird tickets are available for purchase for $25 until 11:59pm on February 4th (after which tickets will be available for purchase for $30 until 12:00pm on February 9th). Buy tickets online at MySchoolBucks.
Honors Sign-Up Form: Honors criteria and options are being communicated through teachers in class and on Canvas. By the end of Week 22, students should have the information they need to indicate which honors they will be pursuing on the Spring 2024 Honors Sign-Up Form (a Da Vinci Google account is required to fill out the form). The form is due on Friday, February 16th.
Yearbook: The yearbook is available for purchase at http://www.yearbookordercenter.com. Use the school code 19656. The current price is $50 (+$5 processing fee) but will be increased to $60 (+$5 processing fee) on March 15th. Orders will be accepted through May 16th or when the last book is sold, whichever comes first. For more information, please contact Travis Wimer, DVS Yearbook Advisor, at twimer@davincischools.org

Week 21 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, 1/30: FAFSA/ Dream Act Workshop for Seniors
Wednesday, 2/7: DVS Families Coffee Time @ 4:15pm in the DVS Galileo Room
Friday, 2/9: Professional Development Day – No School
Friday, 2/9: Spring Dance
Monday, 2/19: President’s Day- No School

Helpful Links:

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Week 19 Wrap-Up & Week 20 Preview

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Grace Long

We had a great first week back. It was energizing to see students back on campus! Students seemed refreshed and ready to start Semester 2! During the winter break, we loved having our DVS alumni back on campus for our annual DVS luncheon. It brings us much joy to keep in touch with our alumni, hear all about their journeys and accomplishments, and of course, remind them that they are always welcome home.

Week 20 Announcements & Reminders:

Spring 2024 Seminars: Next week is the first week of seminars for the spring 2024 semester! You can see our seminar offerings in this Seminar Descriptions & Statuses document. Students are enrolled in the same fall 2023 seminars by default unless students submitted a change request this week. Students will have an additional opportunity to request seminar changes between Tuesday-Friday, 1/23-1/26, via this form (students must be logged in to their Da Vinci Schools Google account to access the form).
Free Test Prep Seminar: We are offering an SAT and ACT test prep class for Wednesday seminars this semester! This class is free to DVS students and will be taught by Paul Jury of PJ Test Prep. Learn more about PJ Test Prep here. Students still have the opportunity to request the Test Prep Seminar when seminar change requests open back up next week, Tuesday-Friday, 1/23-1/26. We are planning to offer an (optional) opportunity for DVS students to take the SAT on a weekend in April, so this is a great way to prepare!
Ethnic Studies Dual Enrollment Course: We are offering a dual enrollment Ethnic Studies course through CSULB on Saturdays. Classes start tomorrow, Saturday, 1/20! This is for 10th-12th graders. Classes take place on Saturdays from 9:00-12:15. It is not too late to sign up, if you are interested, please contact Ms. Marquez: fmarquez@davincischools.org. The deadline for late registration is 1/26.

Week 20 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, 1/23: First day of spring 2024 seminars
Wednesday, 2/7: DVS Families Coffee Time @ 4:15pm in the DVS Galileo Room
Friday, 2/9: Professional Development Day – No School

Alumni Luncheon:

Helpful Links:

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Welcome Back, DVS!

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Grace Long

Welcome Back, DVS Families!

We hope everyone had a wonderful and restful Winter Break. Hopefully, students were able to enjoy some time with family, friends, and loved ones. We also wish all families a great MLK Holiday on Monday,1/15, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

We look forward to seeing you Tuesday, 1/16!

Here is the schedule for Week 19:

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Happy Holidays, DVS!

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Grace Long

From our families to yours, Happy Holidays!

The students did a great job ending the semester well, with amazing POLs, finals, and a fun CD. We are so proud of all of our students for making it through the first semester! We sincerely hope students can enjoy time with friends, family, and loved ones and take time to rest and recuperate. We wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season!

A few items to note:

Semester two officially begins and classes resume on Tuesday, January 16th.

PowerSchool access has been turned off while final grade processing occurs. Access will be returned and report cards will be mailed home next week.

DVS staff will also be on winter break from December 22nd to January 7th. Staff return for Professional Development on January 8th.

DVS Front Office Hours:

Wednesday, December 27th 10am-12pm

Wednesday-Friday, January 3rd-5th 10am-12pm

For records requests (including work permits): reach out to Front Office Manager, Liz Diaz, at ediaz@davincischools.org

For attendance and student information: reach out to Attendance Manager, Brittany Alvarez, at balvarez@davincischools.org.

Week 19 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates:

Winter Break: December 22- January 15
First day of Semester 2: Tuesday, January 16th
DVS Class of 2024 Graduation Day: Thursday, June 6th

Helpful Links:

Happy Holidays from the DVS Family!

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Week 17 Wrap-Up & Week 18 Preview

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Grace Long

We had a busy last week of regular classes for the semester. Students have been working hard to finish the semester well and did a great job with culminating assessments and projects. Next week is POL and Senior Finals week! Please note that next week is a four-day week and students will be dismissed at 2:25pm every day this week. There is no school for students on Friday, 12/22 (professional development day for staff).

Also, 11th graders had a wonderful time at Griffith Park today where they enjoyed a beautiful hike and gave out Growth Awards to students.

Announcements & Reminders:

Presentations of Learning: Presentations of Learning (POLs) for our 9th-11th grade students are next week (12/18-12/21), while 12th grade students will be taking finals. Click here for an information sheet for families with details about presentations of learning. All POLs and senior finals will be scheduled between Monday 12/18 and Thursday 12/21. Specific information about the format, requirements, and preparation process for POLs and finals have been shared to students via Canvas, during Targeted Support, and in individual classes. We encourage 9th, 10th, and 11th parents and guardians to attend your student’s POL. Please ask your student for their presentation time or check on Grade Level Canvas for POL times.
Semester 1 Grades and Report Cards: Please note that PowerSchool access will be turned off later next week while teachers complete final evaluations of students’ grades. As the last day of the Fall 2023 semester is Thursday, December 21st, report cards will be mailed home the following week.
Parent Association Meeting: The DaVinci Science Parent Association will have its meeting this month at a local establishment owned by a DVS parent. The meeting is on December 20th at Five Point Five Brewery in El Segundo from 6:30 to 7:30. (137 Nevada Street/ El Segundo, CA) Please stop by this informal meeting to meet other parents from Da Vinci Science. Five Point Five Brewery has pizza for purchase if you want to multitask and grab dinner during the meeting! No RSVP necessary, just show up if you are able. Questions can be emailed to annewtittle@gmail.com.
F=ma Exam: DVS will be administering the F=ma exam, the preliminary exam for the U.S. Physics Team on Thursday, February 8, 2024 from 3pm-5pm (during seminar and after school)! The F=ma exam is a 75-minute exam with 25 multiple-choice questions focusing on mechanics, and all DVS students are eligible to attempt it. Interested students can find out more about F=ma and the U.S. Physics Team at this link and should sign up via this form by 2:30pm on Thursday, December 21st. Students don’t have to be fully committed yet when they sign up, but taking the F=ma is a great opportunity to test physics skills and is an amazing resume booster.

Week 18 Schedule (12/18-12/21)

Important Upcoming Dates:

Monday-Thursday, 12/18-12/21: POL/Finals Minimum Day Schedule with 2:25pm dismissal
Semester 1 end date: December 21
Winter Break: December 22- January 15
First day of Semester 2: Tuesday, January 16th
DVS Graduation Day: June 6th

Helpful Links: