We are just two days away from our Spring Exhibition Night! Please join us for an evening of celebrating student work and project-based learning! We hope for all students and families to participate and join us for Exhibition Night this Thursday, March 30th, from 5:30-7:30 pm. 9th and 11th-grade students will be showcasing their work and are looking forward to sharing it with the community. Guests can see and hear stories from Verona, see life-sized human sculptures, meet the Men in Black, and use trigonometry to find buried treasure, among many other fun and engaging learning experiences! See you there!
This has been a very busy week at DVS! We are still celebrating and recuperating from hosting last week’s FIRST Robotics L.A. Regionals at Da Vinci Schools. Congratulations to our Vitruvian Bots! Team 4201 is going to World Championships in Houston! Team 4201 qualified by winning the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. We also competed well and made it to the semi-finals. Most importantly, the team worked hard, were gracious hosts, had fun, and demonstrated kindness and inspiration to the community- truly “more than robots!” Thank you to all those who came out this weekend to support us.
The biomedical pathway also held our annual “Grand Rounds” where students presented their diagnosis and treatment plan to real industry doctors. We thank Dr. Ian Kramer, Dr. Jennifer Imparato, Dr. Mike Liu, Dr. Michael Healy, Dr. Jeanette Fong, Dr. Jay Lee, Jeremy Wong, and Saya Wai for hosting this amazing event. The doctors shared that this was the best presentation they have heard!
Our counselors also gave wonderful college webinars this week. College webinars will be posted soon.
Da Vinci Schools CARnivalis tomorrow!Da Vinci Schools will be hosting our 2nd annual CARnival TOMORROW, Saturday, March 25th, 10am-5pm! This fun day of games, food, entertainment, and cars is an important fundraiser that supports student activities and is open to the community! Please join us and invite your friends and family! For more information, check this CARnival website and please contact Kat Ramos, DVS Leadership Advisor, at kramos@davincischools.org.
Exhibition Nightis this week!Please join us on Thursday, March 30th from 5:30pm-7:30pm for Da Vinci Science High School’s Spring 2023 Exhibition Night! 9th & 11th grade students will be showcasing their learning, and we hope all students will attend. Please invite family, friends, and prospective students! See you there!
Spring 2023 Da Vinci Schools Experience Surveys:Your feedback is valuable to us. Please take a moment to complete this semester’s experience surveys.
Calling Diabetes Guest Speakers:This year, seniors in the DVS Biomedical Pathway are finishing out their semester with a Design Project on Diabetes (type 1 and 2). Their mission is to use the design process to identify a diabetes-related problem and come up with a subsequent solution. As part of the design process, students will be interviewing individuals who have experiences with diabetes in order to develop empathy and a fuller understanding of diabetes. These individuals can be patients, family/friends, researchers, or medical professionals. These interviews will take place after Spring Break. If you or someone you know may be interested in being a part of this process, please let Saya know at swai@davincischools.org.
We still have Metro passes at the front office. If you would like a free LA Metro pass, please pick one up at the front office.
Week 29 Schedule– please note there is no school on Friday, 3/31, in honor of Cesar Chavez Day. We appreciate the legacy of Cesar Chavez and all he accomplished as a civil rights leader, educator, and environmentalist.
We will then be on Spring Break from 4/3-4/7, students will return from Spring Break on Monday, April 10th.
Important Upcoming Dates:
Friday, 3/31: Cesar Chavez Holiday – No School
Monday-Friday, 4/3-4/7: Spring Break
Monday, 4/17 Senior Beach Day
Tuesday and Wednesday 4/25 and 4/26 – 11th Grade State Testing
Thursday, 5/11 Senior Awards Night
DVS Graduation: Thursday, June 8th at 5:00pm
Summer School (for credit recovery): Session 1: June 13-June 30, Session 2: July 11-July 27
Congratulations to Team 4201 Vitruvian Bots who did a great job at the LA Regional Competition in Port Hueneme! Team 4201 made it to the semi-finals and received the “Gracious Professionalism Award” as recognition for being one of the most community-oriented, helpful, and giving teams in the region. The students have been working very hard and we are very proud of them. They will be competing at another LA Regional Competition next week (Friday, 3/17 – Sunday, 3/19) in the Da Vinci Schools gym.
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.
Student Led Conferences:SLCs are next week (March 13th-16th)! Please refer to communications from Grade-Level teachers for details on your student’s SLC time, location/link, and preparation requirements. Also please note earlier dismissal times for next week (see schedule below).
Da Vinci Schools CARnival: Da Vinci Schools will be hosting our 2nd annual CARnival on Saturday, March 25th 10am-5pm! This fun day of games, food, entertainment, and cars is an important fundraiser that supports student activities and is open to the community! Please join us and invite your friends and family! For more information, please contact Kat Ramos, DVS Leadership Advisor, at kramos@davincischools.org.
Senior Activities: Here is the updated Senior Activities list. Please note Prom and Grad Night tickets can now be purchased through MySchoolBucks. Inflation has definitely impacted many families. If you are able able to sponsor other seniors to participate in senior activities, you may do so on MySchoolBucks, and thank you in advance. If you are in need of sponsorship for senior activities, please let Grace Long or Saya Wai know.
Boeing Internship: Boeing is offering information sessions that provide a high-level overview of their Summer Engineering Program. This opportunity is open to students who are US Citizens entering their senior year in the fall of 2023 that are enrolled in an engineering or computer science pathway. The session will include information on mentor/mentee expectations, as well as a Q&A session. If you would like to attend, please fill out this form to receive the calendar invitation and zoom link. For more information, please contact Crissel Rodriguez, Director of Real World Learning, at crodriguez@davincischools.org.
We hope everyone enjoyed the cold, hail, and snow this week! The snow-capped mountains have been an enjoyable site to see for our community.
(Apologies if you are just receiving the email for this blog post today, there were some technical issues with email notifications being sent out for new blog posts)
Our Robotics team, the Vitruvian Bots, left for Port Hueneme for their Regional Competition this morning. If you would like to watch Team 4201, here is a link to the event. We are proud of our students for their hard work, learning, and dedication to the FIRST Robotics Competition!
Student Led Conferences:SLCs are coming up! They will be during Week 27 (March 13th-16th). Please refer to communications from Grade-Level teachers for details on your student’s SLC time, location/link, and preparation requirements. Also please note earlier dismissal times for Week 27.
Senior Activities Update:Due to increased vendor costs and inflation, the prom ticket price has been adjusted. Please see this DVS Senior Activities 2023 doc for more information. We thank you for your patience and understanding.
Parent Office Hours: We will have parent office hours on Thursday, 3/9 at 4:30 pm at this zoom link.
Boeing Internship: Boeing is offering information sessions that provide a high-level overview of their Summer Engineering Program. This opportunity is open to students who are US Citizens entering their senior year in the fall of 2023 that are enrolled in an engineering or computer science pathway. The session will include information on mentor/mentee expectations, as well as a Q&A session. If you would like to attend, please fill out this form to receive the calendar invitation and zoom link.
For more information, please contact Crissel Rodriguez, Director of Real World Learning, at crodriguez@davincischools.org.
Week 26 Schedule:
Important Upcoming Dates:
Friday-Sunday, 3/3-3/5: FRC Regionals at Port Hueneme
Happy rainy Friday! We hope all students and families are staying warm and safe out there. We had a great Black History Month Community Dialogue today. We thank the BSU (Black Student Union) and NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) for putting together and leading the Black History Month celebrations that culminated in our celebration of Black Excellence today. We celebrated, danced, and listened to music by Black artists such as Michael Jackson, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Lauryn Hill, Rihana, and more!
We also thank Torrance Memorial Medical Center who shared their careers as Clinical Lab Scientists with our Biomedical Association. It was great to hear from real-world professionals and helpful to know that the field is actively recruiting!
This week:
9th Grade Physical Fitness Test: All 9th graders will be taking the PFT on Monday, Feb. 27th. Please have students come in comfortable clothing and athletic shoes.Please see this PFT letter for more information.
SLC Information will be sent out by Grade-Level teachers, please check your email and Canvas accounts for announcements.
Week 25 Schedule:
Important Upcoming Dates:
Friday-Sunday, 3/3-3/5: FRC Regionals at Port Hueneme
This has been a great week of fun, love, and spirit!
The Youth & Government Da Vinci Delegation had an amazing Model Legislature & Court Conference in Sacramento. They did an excellent job, bills and proposals were passed, and court questions were won!
We also had a fun spirit week! Thank you, leadership students, for putting spirit week together for us. We always love an excuse to come to school in pajamas.
Additionally, we are grateful to Teleflora for donating flowers, allowing us to continue our yearly tradition of showing students some love by passing out flowers on Valentine’s Day.
Progress Reports: were mailed out this week. Please continue to check Canvas for assignments and grades and use this document: Parent and Student Access to Canvas as a resource for how to get access.
President’s Day Monday, 2/20:In observance of President’s Day, there is no school on Monday, 2/20. Have a great three-day weekend!
Black History Month:In honor of Black History Month, students participated in a jeopardy game during advisory today. We thank the BSU (Black Student Union) and NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) clubs for putting together and leading the Black History Month celebrations. This month’s theme has been celebrating Black Excellence. There will be a Community Dialogue (CD) with all DVS students next Friday 2/24. They also put together a great video interviewing students and staff with this question, “What does Black History Month mean to you?” Check out the video here.
Parent Office Hours- Since this is an even week, we have parent office hours, Thursday, 2/23 at 4:30 pm at this zoom link: Parent Office Hours Zoom Link. This is a casual time of connecting, chatting, and Q&A.
Week 24 Schedule
Important Upcoming Dates:
Monday, 2/20: President’s Day Holiday (no school)
Wednesday, 2/22: Da Vinci Schools Board Meeting 6:00 (at this Zoom link)
Friday, 2/24: Black History Month Community Dialogue during Advisory
Friday-Sunday, 3/3-3/5: FRC Regionals at Port Hueneme
We hope all students and families had a great week. Freshmen had a great “Fulcrum Day” where students got to engage in fun team-building activities. There are “Fulcrum Days” days scheduled for every grade level. Honors certificateswere also passed out during advisory. 266 Honors certificates were given. We are very proud of all of our students. This week was also National Counselors Week, we are very grateful and appreciative of our DVS counselors: Corrinne Valle (9th and 11th), Carolyn Ruiz (10th and 12th), and Francisca Marquez(College & Career). Our counselors care very much about all of our students and work hard to support them.
Progress Reports – will be going out next week on Tuesday, Feb. 14th. In the mean time, we always encourage students and parents to check Canvas for assignments and grades. Please use this document: Parent and Student Access to Canvas as a resource for how to get access.
Spirit Week:Next week (2/13-2/17) 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- Jersey Day
Tuesday – Valentine’s Day (wear Red, White, or Pink)
Wednesday – Dress like a Teacher Day
Thursday – Tourist Day
Friday – Pajama Day
LA Metro’s GoPass Program:Da Vinci Schools is participating in LA Metro’s GoPass Program! This means each DVS student can receive a free Metro card that, once activated, will allow them to ride on the Metro for FREE until June 30, 2023. Students can pick up a card and instructions to activate their card from Summer Munoz (mmunoz@davincischools.org) at the DVS Front Desk. Here is more information on the GoPass Program if you are interested.
Senior Activities– Reminder, senior contracts were passed out during CCL class this week. In order to participate in senior activities. Senior Contracts need to be signed and returned to Mr. Perez by Tuesday, February 14th.
Black History Month:In honor of Black History Month, students will be participating in a jeopardy game next Friday (2/17) during advisory. There will also be a Community Dialogue (CD) with all DVS students on Friday 2/24.
Youth & Government: We wish our Y&G delegation the best during their Model Legislature & Court Conference in Sacramento this weekend!
Important Upcoming Dates:
Monday, 2/20: President’s Day Holiday (no school)
Friday, 2/24: Black History Month Community Dialogue during Advisory
Friday-Sunday, 3/3-3/5: FRC Regionals at Port Hueneme
We hope students had an enjoyable and restful Friday. The staff had a productive professional development day together. Some of the topics discussed in today’s staff development included: supporting students who may struggle with stress & anxiety, discussing strategies for belonging for students of all diverse backgrounds, embracing our own identities to impact our practice, and learning fun and new advisory games!
Updates and information:
Progress Reports – will be going out next week on Tuesday, Feb. 14th. In the meantime, we always encourage students and parents to check Canvas for assignments and grades. Please use this document: Parent and Student Access to Canvas as a resource for how to get access Canvas.
Senior Activities– Seniors will be hearing more about these activities during CCL class this week. Parents and students will be provided a Senior Contract to be reviewed and signed.
Advisory – Semester 2 Advisory Overview: One signature practice that has a large role in shaping our school culture at DVS is Advisory. Advisory curriculum is curated by DVS teachers and staff with heavy involvement from students. We hope that these Advisory topics allow our students to share stories, gain perspectives, and have rich conversations at school and at home about life in high school and events around the world. Please feel free to reach out to Saya Wai at swai@davincischools.org if you would like to find out more about Advisory. This semester, in addition to community and relationship building, Advisory time will be used to promote college and career readiness, address socio-emotional learning and mental wellness, and discuss the following Heritage and Awareness Months.
February: Black History Month
March: Women’s History Month
April: Autism Awareness Month
April: Sexual Assault Awareness Month
May: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
School Site Council & Parent Office Hours. We have DVS School Site Council Meeting this Thursday, 2/9 at 4:30 pm at this zoom link: SSC & Parent Office Hours Zoom Link. It is also an even week and so we invite parent office hours participants to join us for the SSC meeting!
Important Upcoming Dates:
Monday, 2/6: Freshmen Fulcrum Day
Thursday, 2/9: School Site Council Meeting #3 (4:30 at this Zoom link)
Monday, 2/20: President’s Day Holiday (no school)
Friday, 2/24: Black History Month Community Dialogue during Advisory
Monday, 3/13-Thursday 3/16: SLC Week
DVS Graduation date is scheduled for Thursday, June 8th at 5:00pm
Another week down! Next week, we will be on a four-day schedule since we have a PD Day next Friday, February 3rd. Staff will be busy with professional development and we hope the students have an enjoyable and safe three-day weekend! To students who consistently read the DVS blog, thank you, and great job!
Week 21 Schedule
Important Upcoming Dates:
Thursday, 2/2: Shelter-in-Place Drill (all-campus, more info TBA)
Monday, 2/6: Freshmen Fulcrum Day
Friday, 2/3: Professional Development Day (no school for students)
Thursday, 2/9: School Site Council Meeting #3 (4:30 at this Zoom link)
Monday, 2/20: President’s Day Holiday (no school)
Friday, 2/24: Black History Month Community Dialogue during Advisory
DVS Graduation date is scheduled for Thursday, June 8th at 5:00pm
We hope everyone had a great week. Seminars started this week and students are settling back into the routine of things. We also had our School Site Council meeting this week and had a great collaboration session with staff, students, and parents.
Positive attendance– We love seeing our students here on campus and believe that attendance is important to maximize students’ learning experiences. Please see the message below from the central office and from the school about current attendance policies.
Parent Office Hours with Grace & Saya: Parent Office Hours with administration will be held every even week. Since it is Week 20, we will be meeting at this zoom link this Thursday, January 26th from 4:30-5:30. This will be a casual time of updating, chatting, and Q&A.
Bill Hearing Night – Last week, our Youth and Government students did a great job presenting their bills. Y & G students will be representing the Da Vinci Delegation in Sacramento in February and will propose a bill supporting more primary healthcare providers in the field. Thank you to Ms. McBee and the students in Y&G for doing such a fantastic job presenting your bills, and thank you Dr. Brann and Dr. Wunder, for your support and for being guest judges.
Senior Portraits:
If you would like to book a retake session with photographer, Stacee Liana, you may do so here: https://book.usesession.com/s/a7wSfElh5. Retakes are scheduled for January 28th at her studio in Palos Verdes.
The cost for reshooting will be $25. If you want to pass the sign-up along to anyone who might be interested you can do so here:
Attendance Policy Updates:See the message below from the Da Vinci Schools Central Office.
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Good afternoon Da Vinci families!
With the start of a new semester, we would like to keep you informed and involved as we continue to support all of our students in their success at Da Vinci Schools.
We are working diligently this year to regularly monitor student progress in academics, socio-emotional well-being, behavior, and attendance to ensure that we are able to communicate with families, respond to concerns, and intervene with supports as quickly as possible when our students are struggling to access the educational opportunities that we provide. In particular this semester, we will be more closely monitoring attendance because research has shown that regular attendance is vital for the success of students in school. Students who are present are more likely to succeed academically, engage with others, and be better prepared for success beyond school. This semester we are increasing our communications with families when a student’s attendance falls below 90%, as that is the state threshold for students being classified as chronically absent. In addition to daily absence notification calls, every two weeks our schools will email or directly call the families of chronically absent students to keep them informed of their student’s attendance status and let them know whether or not their student’s attendance has improved over the past two weeks. Parent meetings may be held for student’s whose attendance fails to improve over the course of multiple weeks, with the goal of coming together as a team to identify the challenges and implement supports to ensure that we are doing all that we can to help get students back on track.
California law states that absences are excused only if the child is ill or there is an excuse that meets the requirements of the California Education Code Section 48205. Even excused absences that cause your child to miss significant amounts of school can cause your child to fall behind in class and can cause them to be classified as chronically absent. Our school will continue to require verification of absences due to illness or quarantine if your child has missed school for three consecutive days. Please be aware that going “out of town” when school is in session with your child is an unexcused absence.
We hope that all of our students will be in attendance every day, but we also understand that there are times when absences may become a challenge. As we continue our pursuit of our students’ learning and growth, we look forward to strengthening our partnership with our families to ensure that all Da Vincians have the support that they need to access their education and achieve success.
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Youth and Government at Bill Hearing Night, Jan. 11th.
Important Upcoming Dates:
Thursday, 1/26: Parent Office Hours with DVS Admin at 4:30pm (at this Zoom link)
Thursday, 2/2: Shelter-in-Place Drill (all-campus, more info TBA)
Friday, 2/3: Professional Development Day (no school for students)
Thursday, 2/9: School Site Council Meeting #3 (4:30 at this Zoom link)
Friday, 2/10: Black History Month Community Dialogue during Advisory
Important Upcoming Dates:
