Da Vinci Science

Thank you, DVS Families, for the wonderful Gratitude Baskets that were given to staff. DVS Staff were elated and felt very appreciated to receive baskets with kind notes and goodies! We are grateful for the opportunity to teach and care for your students every day. Thank you for your kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity. 

We hope all families have a Happy Thanksgiving break! We encourage students to take time to rest, sleep in, get outside, and have quality time with loved ones.  

Highlights from Week 14 (11/13-11/17)

During Veteran’s Day weekend, 24 DVS students attended their first Youth and Government conference of the year at Camp Roberts, a military base in San Miguel. Within the greater Y&G program, students chose a program area based on their interests, such as Media, Department of Finance, or International Convention. The weekend was a success, and they are excited for their next conference this February in Sacramento!

DVS administered the Mathematical Association of America’s AMC 10 & 12 (American Mathematics Competition) for the first time this week on Tuesday, November 14th. The AMC 10/12 are 75-minute multiple-choice examinations in high school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. They are the first in a series of competitions that eventually lead all the way to the International Mathematical Olympiad. We are very proud of the students who signed up to take on this challenge!

The DVS Interact Club held a Pies for Polio event today. They sold raffle tickets throughout the week for students to win a chance to pie a staff member. A total of 15 DVS staff members got pied today! All proceeds will be donated to the global vaccination program in efforts to completely eradicate polio around the world.

Announcements

• Progress Reports: Progress reports were mailed out this week via snail mail. The mailing included MAP (9th-11th grade), SBAC (12th grade), PSAT (9th-11th grade), and SAT (12th grade) score reports. 
  • Please continue to reference Canvas for all coursework and grading information.
  • 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.
  • Students can also access their PSAT and SAT scores through their College Board account at this link. Here are additional resources to understand PSAT and SAT scores:
    • PSAT 8/9 (9th Grade) Understanding Scores for Students and Families
    • PSAT/NMSQT (10th & 11th Grade) Understanding Scores for Students and Families
    • SAT (12th Grade) Understanding Scores and More SAT Score Resources

• 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 freshmen during 9th-grade physics classes on Monday-Wednesday, December 4th-6th. 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 Assistant Principal, at swai@davincischools.org. 
• Physics Project Exhibition: Dr. Jamie Taube’s 9th-grade physics classes would like to extend an invitation to their El Segundo Physics Network Science of Sports Exhibition to the DVS community! This in-school project exhibition will be on Thursday, November 30th (9:15-11:55am) and Friday, December 1st (9:15-11:55am). Get ready to learn how understanding forces, motion graphs, acceleration, free fall, and energy transfers can optimize the performance of athletes and teams. Please RSVP using this link. All community members are welcome to attend, so feel free to extend the invite to family and friends. If you have a 9th-grade DVS student, please ask them which physics period they are in before signing up. 

Week 15 Schedule (11/27-12/1)

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Monday-Friday, 11/20-11/24 Thanksgiving Break
• Wednesday, 12/6: DVS Families Coffee Time at 4:15pm in the DVS Galileo Room
• 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

Pies for Polio:

Youth and Government:

AMC Participants

Thank you, DVS Families! We are grateful for you!

We hope all students enjoyed the PD day off today and have a Happy Veteran’s Day! We thank all of our veterans and their families for their service to our country. Enjoy the four-day weekend!

Last week, the Vitruvian Bots did an amazon job at the Beach Blitz Robotics Competition. The robot, Gridlock, made it to the playoffs, hundreds of team buttons were passed out, and the team won the Judge’s Award! This award is given to a team whose unique efforts, performance, and/or dynamics deserve special recognition. Way to go, Vitruvian Bots! 

Even though it was a short week, it was still a busy week. Seniors in the Rock the Street, Wall Street program visited Cetera, a financial services company, to learn more about careers in finance. Rock the Street, Wall Street is a non-profit organization that empowers women in finance to explore opportunities, mentorships, and internships. Through the program, students participated in a series of workshops on the DVS campus that were taught by volunteers from Cetera.

We also had our first DVS Parent Association this past Wednesday. We are grateful for our parent community and looking forward to continued teamwork to support our school. Parents are always welcome to join and participate in DVS Parent Association meetings. Please reach out to Julia Ehlers (parent volunteer) for more information.

Announcements for Week 14 (11/13-11/17)

• Progress Reports: Staff update grades on PD days in order for grades to be up-to-date by the following week. Since Thursday, 11/9 was the PD day of the semester, progress reports will be mailed out during Week 15. Please continue to reference Canvas for all coursework and grading information.

• • 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.
• Wellness Screener: In an effort to be more proactive in supporting students’ mental health, a wellness screener will be given on November 14th to all DVS students to identify students who may need support. Results from the screener will be used by the counselors to offer students interventions such as coping skills groups, counselor check-ins, and referrals for therapy.
  • Scores will not be shared with students or parents. Parent/guardian consent is required if a student is referred to receive counseling services delivered by Antioch, Pepperdine, or Luminarias therapists. If you would like your child to OPT-OUT and NOT PARTICIPATE in the screener, please fill out this form by Monday, November 13th.

• Thanksgiving Staff Gratitude Baskets: We will be continuing our tradition of showing appreciation to staff through Thanksgiving Gratitude Baskets. Each staff member will receive one basket containing things they like and words of appreciation from students and parents/guardians. Baskets will be delivered on November 17th. If you wish to contribute to the Gratitude Baskets, here are some ways you can do that!
  • Items: Please consider using this list of the DVS staff’s favorite things for ideas to purchase gifts for specific staff members. If you’d like to make a general contribution to be shared amongst the whole staff, you can send an e-gift card to dvsappreciation@gmail.com. Your gift will be used to purchase items for the baskets and your name will be included with the baskets.
  • Words of Appreciation: There is nothing that means more to school staff than words of appreciation or encouragement! Please consider handwriting a note of thanks.
  • Any items or notes for the Gratitude Baskets can be dropped off in the front office between today and Thursday, November 16th. We will be looking for parent volunteers during the week of 11/13-11/17. If you are available and willing to help, please reach out to our Office Manager, Liz Diaz at ediaz@davincischools.org. Thank you for your support! 

• Youth & Government Conference: The Da Vinci Delegation will be at the Youth & Government Camp Roberts Training Conference from 11/9-11/12. We are excited for them and wish them luck!
• School Apparel: Da Vinci is launching a new Apparel and Merchandise store that will be open for a limited pre-order period on MySchoolBucks until Sunday, November 19th at 11:59pm! Place your order today through MySchoolBucks. Once the pre-ordered items are produced, they will be delivered to each school site for distribution through the front office.
• SAT/PSAT Scores: SAT scores for 12th grade students were released on November 1st and PSAT scores for 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students will be available on November 6th. Students are/will be able to access their scores through their College Board account at this link. PDFs of score reports will also be mailed home along with progress reports. Here are some resources to understand scores:
  • PSAT 8/9 (9th Grade) Understanding Scores for Students and Families
  • PSAT/NMSQT (10th & 11th Grade) Understanding Scores for Students and Families
  • SAT (12th Grade) Understanding Scores and More SAT Score Resources

Week 14 Schedule (11/13-11/17)

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Friday, 11/10: No School, Veterans Day 
• Monday-Friday, 11/20-11/24 Thanksgiving Break
• Monday-Thursday, 12/18-12/21: POL/Finals Minimum Day Schedule with 2:25pm dismissal
• Semester ends December 21st

Rock the Street, Wall Street Field Trip:

Vitruvian Bots at Beach Blitz:

The number of youth experiencing anxiety and depression has risen 30% in recent years according to U.S. Health and Human Services. In an effort to be more proactive in supporting students’ mental health, a wellness screener will be given on November 14 to all students at Da Vinci Science HS to identify students who may need support. Results from the screener will be used by the counselors to offer students interventions such as coping skills groups, counselor check ins, and referrals for therapy.

Scores will not be shared with students or parents. Parent consent is required if a student is referred to receive counseling services delivered by Antioch, Pepperdine or Luminarias therapists. If you would like your child to OPT-OUT and NOT PARTICIPATE in the screener, please fill out this form by Monday, November 13.

Be Well,
DVS Counselors

Opt Out Form

Students and staff brought their A-game in creativity and fun for Spirit Week this week! Thank you, DVS Leadership, for organizing a week full of energy and spirit. Check out their Instagram @dvs_leadership for pictures and updates.

Our Robotics Team 4201 will be going to San Juan Capistrano this weekend for FRC Beach Blitz competition. Go Vitruvian Bots!

Announcements for Week 13 (11/6-11/10)

• Shelter-in-Place Drill: The Da Vinci high schools located at the 201 N. Douglas location (including DVS) will be participating in a Shelter-in-Place Drill on Wednesday, November 8th. Shelter-in-Place drills are designed to educate students and staff and to provide practice opportunities for what to initially do in the event of an on-campus or nearby emergency that requires a lockdown. 
• Progress Reports: Staff update grades on PD days in order for grades to be up-to-date by the following week. Since Thursday, 11/9 is our last PD day before the end of the semester, we plan to mail progress reports the following week. Please continue to reference Canvas for all coursework and grading information.
  • 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.
• Parent Association Meeting: The first Parent Association meeting is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, November 8th, 6:15pm in the DVS Galileo room. There is no need to RSVP or sign up, just show up! Please contact Julia Ehlers (parent volunteer) at murphyehlers@gmail.com with questions.
• Thanksgiving Staff Gratitude Baskets: We appreciate our DVS staff for working hard and caring for our students every day. In the next couple weeks, we will be continuing our tradition of organizing Thanksgiving Gratitude Baskets to deliver to our school staff as they leave for Thanksgiving Break on Friday, November 17th. Each staff member will receive one basket containing things they like and words of appreciation from students and parents/guardians. If you wish to contribute to the Gratitude Baskets, here are some ways you can do that!
  • Items: If you are interested and able to purchase something to show your appreciation, please consider using this list of the DVS staff’s favorite things for ideas. If you’d like to make a general contribution to be shared amongst the whole staff, you can send an e-gift card to dvsappreciation@gmail.com. Your gift will be used to purchase items for the baskets and your name will be included with the baskets.
  • Words of Appreciation: There is nothing that means more to school staff than words of appreciation or encouragement! Please consider handwriting a note of thanks.

Any items or notes for the Gratitude Baskets can be dropped off in the front office between today and Thursday, November 16th. We will begin assembling the Gratitude Baskets at the DVS Parent Association meeting on 11/8 and will also be looking for parent volunteers during the week of 11/13-11/17. If you are available and willing to help, please reach out to our Office Manager, Liz Diaz at ediaz@davincischools.org. 

• Youth & Government Conference: The Da Vinci Delegation will be at the Youth & Government Camp Roberts Training Conference from 11/9-11/12. We are excited for them and wish them luck!
• SAT/PSAT Scores: SAT scores for 12th grade students were released on November 1st and PSAT scores for 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students will be available on November 6th. Students are/will be able to access their scores through their College Board account at this link. PDFs of score reports will also be mailed home in the near future. Here are some resources to understand scores:
  • PSAT 8/9 (9th Grade) Understanding Scores for Students and Families
  • PSAT/NMSQT (10th & 11th Grade) Understanding Scores for Students and Families
  • SAT (12th Grade) Understanding Scores and More SAT Score Resources

Week 13 Schedule (11/6-11/10)

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Wednesday, 11/8: 201 Campus Shelter-in-Place Drill
• Thursday, 11/9: No School for Students, PD Day
• Friday, 11/10: No School, Veterans Day 
• Monday-Friday, 11/20-11/24 Thanksgiving Break
• Monday-Thursday, 12/18-12/21: POL/Finals Minimum Day Schedule with 2:25pm dismissal

Hello DVS Families,  We hope you are having a great start to your week!

The Riordan Programs at the UCLA Anderson School of Management is proud to provide learning experiences in business to and shape the lives of Los Angeles’ next great leaders.  Many students at DVS have participated and benefited from all that Riordan programs have to offer.

The program

• Is cost-free!
• Is virtual; one in-person session in mid-April 2024
• Requires a two (2) hour commitment per session

Students will 

• Receive introductory business lessons led by UCLA Anderson MBA Students and Riordan MBA Fellows
• Learn about careers through diverse panels
• Learn about early college planning
• Visit to UCLA Anderson campus

Eligibility

• 9th or 10th-grade standing by Fall 2023
• Must attend a high school in Los Angeles
• Minimum GPA requirement: 2.9
• Must be able to attend student orientation and all five (5) sessions

Click HERE to apply. Application Deadline: November 14, 2023 @ 11:59 PM PST. Application Decision Release Date: December 2023.

Hello DVS Students and Families!  Thank you to all the students who attended the college rep visits this semester.  This is our last week of college rep visits for the semester.  The information is below:

Wednesday, 11/1/23: UCLA @8:00 am

Thursday, 11/02/23: US Air Force Academy 

This presentation will be at lunch time in Mr. Perez’s classroom and open to all DVS students of all grade levels (9th-12th).

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Marquez, College and Career Counselor: fmarquez@davincischools.org

We hope to see you there!

Thank you for your participation and continued support with Red Ribbon Week. We hope for all of our students to be healthy and to make positive choices for themselves.   

Announcements for Week 12 (10/30-11/3)

• Fall Surveys: We value your voice and input. Parents/guardians and students, you should have received an email from Kelvin Education with a survey link to provide feedback. If you have not done so already, please look in your inbox for “Kelvin Education” to fill out the survey. 

• Parent Association Meeting: If you are interested in joining DVS PA (Parent association), please contact Julia Ehlers (parent volunteer) at murphyehlers@gmail.com. The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 8th, 6:00 in the DVS Galileo room. 
• Cal Poly SLO Trip: Interested seniors, Mechanical Engineering seniors, Society of Women Engineers, and Advanced Physics will go visit a college campus and see what their content may look like at the college level. This will take place on Friday, Nov. 1st.  

•  FRC Beach Blitz: The Vitruvian Bots robotics team will have another weekend competition in San Juan Capistrano, 11/4-11/5 – Go Team 4201! 

• DVS Families Coffee Time: Our third DVS Families Coffee Time is this coming Wednesday, November 1st from 4:15-5:15. This will be an in-person in the DVS Galileo Room. The purpose of this time is to build connection, community, and communication about what’s happening at DVS!  We hope to have parents and students from all grade levels.  

Week 13 Schedule (10/30-11/3)

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Wednesday, 11/1: DVS Families Coffee Time at 4:15pm at DVS
• Friday, 11/3: Cal Poly SLO Field Trip (interested seniors, SWE, Advanced Physics)
• Thursday, 11/9: No School for Students, PD Day
• Friday, 11/10: No School, Veterans Day 
• Monday-Friday, 11/20-11/24 Thanksgiving Break

Hello DVS Students and Families!  We hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Below are the college rep visits at DVS this week:

Monday, 10/23/23: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tuesday, 10/24/23: Loyola Chicago University

Wednesday, 10/25/23: Smith College 

Thursday, 10/26/23: Syracuse University 

Presentations will be at lunch time in Mr. Perez’s classroom.

These presentations are open to all DVS students of all grade levels (9th-12th).  Presentations are winding down for the semester, so we encourage student participation.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Marquez, College and Career Counselor: fmarquez@davincischools.org

We hope to see you there!

Thank you for a great week of SLCs! It was great to see students reflecting on their learning and school experiences thus far and we appreciated connecting with parents and families on an individual basis. We hope you found the time helpful, informative, and enjoyable. 

Announcements for Week 11 (10/23-10/27)

• Fall Surveys: We value your voice and input. Parents/guardians and students, you should have received an email from Kelvin Education with a survey link to provide feedback. If you have not done so already, please look in your inbox for “Kelvin Education” to fill out the survey. 
• 10th Grade College Field Trips: 10th-grade students will be taking field trips to CSU Long Beach or Cal Poly Pomona on Monday, 10/23. Students received permission slips and information about the field trip in Targeted Support. 

• Red Ribbon Week: 10/23-10/27 is Red Ribbon Week! This year’s theme is “Be kind to your mind. Live drug-free.” There will be a slew of activities for students and families to participate in. See the previous blog post for more information.
• 9th Grade Substance Use Prevention Assembly will be on Monday, 10/23 during school. This assembly will be presented by Steve Cagle from the LA County Department of Public Health and will cover drug use prevention, the dangers of Fentanyl/Opioids, vaping, and other related mental health topics. He will be sharing some personal stories that may be heavy and difficult to process. This would be a great opportunity to have a conversation with your student before and after the assembly about these topics. 
• Substance Use Prevention Parent Workshop featuring the LA County Department of Public Health Substance Abuse Counselor Steve Cagle will be on Tuesday, 10/24 from 6:30-7:45pm. Learn about health and social impacts of substance use, what to look for with your own child, how to intervene when you have concerns, and additional resources and support available. This will be in-person at 201 N Douglas Street or on Zoom at this link. If you have questions or concerns please reach out to Emily Green at egreen@davincischools.org.
• American Mathematics Competition (AMC): Do you love math and are interested in solving complex math problems? DVS will be administering the AMC 10/12 on Tuesday, November 14th 3 pm-5 pm (during seminar and after school) to those who are interested and sign up. The AMC 10/12 are 75-minute multiple-choice examinations in high school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. They are the first in a series of competitions that eventually lead all the way to the International Mathematical Olympiad. Please encourage students to sign up via this form by 2:30pm on Friday, October 27th. This opportunity has been posted on Canvas.

• Parent Association Meeting: We are happy to announce the creation of a Parent Association for DVS! Instead of “PTSO” (previously mentioned), this will be “DVS Parent Association (DVSPA).” This has been a goal of ours to increase parent community, parent engagement, and involvement. We are excited about the parent association being formed. All parents and guardians are included in the 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. The Mission Statement of the PA is:  “The DVS Parent Association is a service organization intended to create and build a strong parent community who then supports the needs of the school as directed by the school administration.” The first meeting of the Parents Association (PA) will be on Wednesday, November 8th at 6:15 p.m. at DaVinci Science.  All are welcome!

• Student Photos: Thanks to our amazing photographer, Stacee Lianna, student photos have been uploaded to SmugMug for families to purchase at this link: https://staceelianna.smugmug.com/DaVinciSchools/DVS-Picture-Day-2023 

Week 11 Schedule (10/23-10/27)

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Monday, 10/23: 10th Grade Field Trips to CSULB or Cal Poly Pomona
• Monday, 10/23: 9th Grade Substance Abuse Prevention Assembly
• Tuesday, 10/24: Parent Substance Abuse Awareness Session 6:30-7:45 pm
• Wednesday, 10/25: LAX Aviation Day Field Trip (for students who sign up)
• Wednesday, 11/1: DVS Families Coffee Time at 4:15pm at DVS
• Friday, 11/3: Cal Poly SLO Field Trip (interested seniors, SWE, Advanced Physics)
• Thursday, 11/9: No School for Students, PD Day
• Friday, 11/10: No School, Veterans Day 
• Monday-Friday, 11/20-11/24 Thanksgiving Break

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