Da Vinci Science

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

Thank you for supporting SLCafe!

We hope students enjoyed the day off with PD day at home while teachers and staff engaged in professional development. Students had a blast at Phantom Formal last night, and it was great to see students having fun together with other Da Vinci schools as well! 

This past week, the whole school enjoyed celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month during our CD and we had amazing performances from students and staff! The students also did an amazing job on SAT/PSAT School Day. We are proud of all students for taking advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate their abilities, practice their test-taking skills, and enact their testing stamina. 9th and 11th grade students participated in Kaiser Permanente’s Ghosted mental health resilience program through a play on Monday, October 9th, and a virtual workshop on Wednesday, October 11th. The hope is for students to develop mental health awareness, resilience, and healthy coping strategies. 

Announcements for Week 10 (10/16-10/20)

• 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.
• Student Led Conferences are this week, 10/16-10/19. SLC information has been shared with students, and families should have received an email from teachers during Week 8. Please contact your student’s grade level teachers for specific scheduling questions or email Liz at ediaz@davincischools.org if you did not receive the SLC info email from your teachers.
  • 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.

• Emergency Drills: Students will be participating in a 201 N. Douglas campus-wide fire drill on Monday, October 16th and in the Great California Shakeout, a California-wide earthquake drill on Thursday, October 19th. DVS families, please use this time to discuss emergency preparedness and review your family’s emergency plan.

• 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 info about the field trip in Targeted Support. 

• • 9th Grade Substance Use Prevention Assembly: On Monday, 10/23 9th grade students will participate in a Substance Abuse Prevention Assembly by the LA County Office of Education. 10/23-10/27 is also Red Ribbon Week. More info coming soon.

• 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 

• Substance Abuse Presentation for Parents/Guardians next Tuesday, 10/24. You are welcome to join us Tuesday, October 24th at 6:30pm in person or on zoom for a parent workshop on Substance Abuse Prevention featuring LA County Dept of Public Health Substance Abuse Counselor Steve Cagle. 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. Located at 201 N Douglas Street. If you have questions or concerns please reach out to Emily Green at egreen@davincischools.org.

Week 10  Schedule (10/16-10/20)

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Monday-Thursday, 10/16-10:19: Student-Led Conferences
• 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 

Hispanic Heritage Month CD

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

Monday, 10/9/23: University of Rochester

Wednesday, 10/11/23: University of the Pacific 

Thursday, 10/12/23: UC Irvine 

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).

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

We hope to see you there!