Da Vinci Science

This was an exciting week for seniors as Monday was National Decision Day! We celebrated their achievements and post-high school plans with cheers, speeches, donuts, and a photo booth in the Black Box. Although knowing we only have a few more weeks with them is bittersweet, we are so proud of our seniors!

• Prom is today, May 5th at 6:00 at the Proud Bird. Contact kramos@davincischools.org with any questions.
• The 10th grade Ocho de Mayo Fiesta is next Monday, May 8th! 10th grade teachers have been communicating with students and families to contribute to the morning potluck festivities.
• May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Our DVS counselors kicked off the month with a photo booth, music, and giveaways at lunch this week. Students, check out the Forum whiteboard next week for more!
• Individual Post-DVS Planning Meeting for 11th grade students begin next week with Ms. Marquez (fmarquez@davincischools.org), the DVS College Counselor. Every Junior is expected to schedule a meeting and have at least one parent/guardian present. If you still need to schedule a meeting, please do so using this link.
• “Ghosted” Kaiser Play and Workshop: This week, 9th grade students participated in a two-part mental health and resilience program provided through Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving School Resilience in Schools Environment (RISE) initiative. Find out more about “Ghosted” and RISE here.
• National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12th. If you are interested in coordinating or helping out with providing breakfast or lunch for staff, please use this SignUpGenius link to sign up or let Liz know at ediaz@davincischools.org. If you are able, we are also grateful for any gift card donations to be used as prizes and purchasing of supplies for staff appreciation week (no obligation, completely voluntary). You can make ecard donations to dvsappreciation@gmail.com or drop off gift card donations to the front office. Thank you in advance for your support! We also encourage students to show appreciation for your teachers, counselors, and staff in the following ways:
  • Monday, May 8th: Fan Mail– Shower your teachers with fan mail! Write a note or card with written words of why you are a fan of them.
  • Tuesday, May 9th:  Selfie and Autographs Day- ask your teachers for their autographs and get a selfie with them. Email the pic to that person. 
  • Wednesday, May 10th: Sweet Movie Treats- Offer a sweet treat for a teacher (boxed candies like at the movies, red vines, etc).
  • Thursday, May 11th: Salty Movie Snacks – Bring a salty snack for a teacher (their favorite popcorn, chips, etc.)
  • Friday, May 12th: Oscar Awards– Award your teacher with something that you enjoy and share with them why you enjoy it! 

Important Upcoming Dates

• Monday, 5/8: 10th grade Ocho de Mayo Fiesta
• Thursday, 5/11: Senior Awards Night 6:00pm (by invitation)
• Thursday, 5/18: School Site Council Meeting #4
• Thursday, 6/8: DVS Graduation at 5:00pm
• Summer School (for credit recovery): Session 1: June 13-June 30, Session 2: July 11-July 27
• School Calendar Link
• First Day of School for the 2023-2024 school year will be Monday, August 14th. 

Pictures Highlights

National Decision Day Celebration

PC: Kai Golston

 

Mental Health Awareness Month Photo Booth

PC: Kai Golston

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!

We hope SLCs this week provided the opportunity for meaningful reflections and conversations. We appreciated the opportunity to meet families in person or on Zoom. 

Team 4201 is charging it up again this weekend at the LA Regional Competition hosted by Da Vinci Schools. We are excited to see them in action on our campus!

• Spring 2023 Da Vinci Schools Experience Surveys: Your feedback is valuable to us. Please take a moment to complete this semester’s experience surveys.
  • Link for Parents/Guardians: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QLM5T2G
  • Link for Students: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K9CRCP3
• 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. 
• 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, check our this CARnival website and 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.

Week 28 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Friday-Sunday, 3/17-3/19: FRC LA Regionals at Da Vinci  
• Monday, 3/20: Freshmen College Webinar 5:00-6:00
• Tuesday, 3/21: Sophomore College Webinar 5:00-6:00
• Wednesday, 3/22: Medical Interventions Grand Rounds 6:00pm
• Thursday, 3/23: Junior College Webinar 5:00-6:00
• Saturday, 3/25: Da Vinci Schools CARnival 10:00-5:00
• Thursday, 3/30: Exhibition Night for Grades 9 and 11
• Friday, 3/31: Cesar Chavez Holiday – No School
• Monday-Friday, 4/3-4/7: Spring Break
• 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
• School Calendar Link

Hi, DVS Families!

It has been a terrific week coming back from Thanksgiving break, and the end of the semester is quickly approaching! This post/email is a bit longer than usual because there is a lot of info to share about the last 2 weeks of the semester:

Please note that students will be dismissed early at 2:25pm on Thursday 12/8 and Friday 12/9 as well as all week from Monday 12/12 to Thursday 12/15.

Student Grades: This is an important time to sit down with your student and check their grades in Canvas and Powerschool. Click here for the Powerschool website; login information was included on the grade reports that were sent home earlier this semester and you can email Liz Diaz at ediaz@davincischools.org if you need your username and password.  Currently, there may be some discrepancies between Canvas and PowerSchool, we are working with IT on this issue, thank you for your patience. 

Presentations of Learning: “POL” preparation begins next week for students in grades 9-11! (Seniors will be taking final exams instead of doing POLs) Click here for an information sheet for families with details about presentations of learning. All POLs will be scheduled between Monday 12/12 and Thursday 12/15.

Parent Office Hours with Grace & Saya: Parent Office Hours with administration will be held every even week. Since it is Week 16, we will be meeting at this zoom link this Thursday, December 8th from 4:30-5:30. This will be a casual time of updating, chatting, and Q&A.

CHYA Presentations: Dr. Green and Nurse Lucero will be presenting the health & sexual education curriculum (“CHYA”, or “California Healthy Youth Act”) to freshmen throughout POL week. 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 have the right to “opt-out” of this presentation for their child; if you wish to do so, please email Saya Wai, DVS Dean of Students, at swai@davincischools.org. 

First semester report cards will be mailed home on Monday, 12/19. Students will have a 3-week winter break, and the second semester begins on Monday, January 9th:

Important Upcoming Dates:

• 12/3 Saturday, Winter Fest 11:00-3:00pm
• 12/8-12/15, Thursday-Thursday: Presentations of Learning – Early Dismissal at 2:25 all week
• 12/15, Thursday: Last day of Semester 1
• 12/16, Friday: Professional Development Day, No School
• 12/19-1/6: Winter Break (No School)
• Monday, 1/9: School Resumes & Semester 2 Begins
• School Calendar Link