Da Vinci Science

Please see message below from Central Office:

Da Vinci Schools is pleased to announce that Saya Wai has been selected to serve as Dean of Students at Da Vinci Science. Saya will assist principal Grace Long in ensuring that Da Vinci Science continues its trajectory of success. Finding such a highly qualified school administrator in October who knows Da Vinci Science well could have been challenging, which makes this opportunity all the more impactful.

 

Saya is a familiar face at Da Vinci. She has been part of the Da Vinci Science family since 2015, serving as the Biomedical Engineering Pathway Coordinator teaching Principles of Biomedical Science and Medical Interventions. Saya will transition into her new role as soon as a new teacher is selected.

 

Saya received her B.S. in Molecular Environmental Biology from UC Berkeley and a M.A. in Teaching from USC.

 

We are excited to work with Saya in this new capacity

We had another busy, yet great week at DVS. It was great to see some parents during office hours this week. It was also great to meet with our Student Cohesion Team- our students are very insightful and I always enjoy seeing their learning in action.

Week 9’s schedule is a bit different. It is a short week for students! Due to two Professional Development days, there will be no school on Thursday and Friday. 

• PSAT/SAT Day: Testing day is Wednesday, 10/12. It will be a long day of testing and our lunchtime will be pushed back to 1:15 pm. We would like to remind students to get a good night of sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and bring water, a scientific calculator, and healthy snacks. If you are able and interested, we would greatly appreciate any healthy snack donations for students for testing day. If you would like, please drop off healthy snack donations to the front office (granola bars, energy bars, easy-to-eat fruits, etc.) before Oct. 12th. Thank you!  
• SLC Week is coming up in Week 10. Oct. 17-21. During SLC week, Monday dismissal will be at 2:55, Tuesday-Friday dismissal will be at 2:25. Students should know their SLC times. If not, please see Grade Level communications for specific SLC times and links below:
  • 9th grade 
  • 10th grade
  • 11th grade
  • 12th grade
• CommUnity Festival, Saturday, 10/29 11am-3pm.This will be a time for the community to gather on campus for fun, vendors, and fundraising for leadership.
• Semi-formal Dance- “A Night to Remember” Will be held November 5th from 6:00-9:00. This will be an all-schools event in the backyard. Ticket information to follow from the Student Leadership Team.

Important Upcoming Dates:

• 10/12, Wednesday: PSAT/SAT Testing Day

• 10/13, Thursday: No School – Professional Development Day
• 10/14, Friday: No School – Professional Development Day
• 10/17-10/29, Monday – Thursday: Student-Led Conferences
• For SLC Week, Monday Dismissal will be at 2:55, T-Friday Dismissal will be at 2:25
• 10/29, Saturday: CommUnity event

• 11/1, Friday: No School – Veterans Day Holiday
• 11/5, Seminformal Dance
• 11/10, Thursday: Exhibition Night (grades 10th, 12th, & Spanish Dept.)
• 11/21-11/25, Monday-Friday: No School – Thanksgiving Break
• 12/8-12/15, Thursday-Thursday: Presentations of Learning
• 12/16, Friday: Professional Development Day, No School

Week 9 schedule:

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dear Da Vinci Students and Families,

We are exploring adding additional language and arts offerings during Zero period (which will be approximately 7:25-8:35am) next semester. The goal is to make any additional offerings available to all high school students, regardless of school site.

Please complete the survey below by Friday, Oct. 14th to share your thoughts and ideas about what additional language and arts classes we should offer. There is also space on the survey to share any other thoughts or ideas you think we should know. There are two separate surveys — one for students and one for parents/guardians.

Student Survey Link: https://forms.gle/JypEbSfU138b1W34A

Parent/Guardian Survey Link: https://forms.gle/y6hbKrNGMfJvVcBS8

We thank you!

Hello Seniors Families,

Today, October 6th from 5pm – 6pm, the Da Vinci Counselors from Communications, Design, Science and Connect will be hosting a Financial Ais Workshop Night. All College applicants must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) in order to qualify for financial aid (ex. grants, loans, scholarships). The FAFSA and the CADAA opened on October 1st and is due March 2nd for CSUs, UCs, and Community Colleges in California. Financial Aid deadlines for private and out-of-state universities vary and we recommend that you check those school’s financial aid websites and apply early!

This ZOOM webinar event will allow counselors to present information on fiancial aid programs. There will be a Q&A in the chat feature on ZOOM. Please click on the link below to join the webinar:

https://zoom.us/j/92390271467

We will be recording this webinar. Hope to see you there!

The DV Counseling Team

Hello Seniors and Families,

Please join us this Thursday, October 6th from 5pm – 6pm for a Financial Aid Workshop hosted by the Da Vinci Schools’ Counselors from Communications, Design, Science and Connect. All college applicants must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to qualify for financial aid (ex. grants, loans, scholarships). The FAFSA opened on October 1st and is due March 2nd for CSUs, UCs, and California Community Colleges. FAFSA deadlines for private and out-of-state universities vary, so please check their financial aid websites and apply early!

This ZOOM webinar event will allow counselors to present information on fiancial aid programs and the FAFSA application. There will be a Q&A in the chat feature on ZOOM. Please click on the link below to join the webinar:

https://zoom.us/j/92390271467

We will be recording this webinar. Hope to see you there!

The DV Counseling Team

Hope everyone had a great week! As always, lots of fun, learning, and things happening at DVS:

• Parent Office Hours with Grace: Parent Office Hours with administration will be held every even week. Since it is Week 8, we will be meeting at this zoom link this Thursday, October 6th from 4:30-5:30. This will be a casual time of updating, chatting, and Q&A.
• School Site Council: We had a great School Site Council meeting last week. Thank you and congratulations to SSC members: Shari Jones (parent), Anne Tittle (parent), Mark Zakrzewski (parent), Trinity Cauton(student), Emma Hattne (student), Adam Tittle (student), Saya Wai (staff), Jessi Snyder (staff), and Carolyn Ruiz (staff). SSC meetings are open to the public and we welcome you to join any of our meetings in the future. Next SSC Meeting will be 1/19.
• Student Board Members: Congratulations and thank you to student board members: Emma Enriquez (12th), Emma Hattne (11th), and Violet Pena Gomez(11th). Student board members will represent DVS at designated school board meetings. We look forward to their leadership and representation. 
• Student Cohesion Team: Congratulations and thank you to student cohesion team members: Harrison Fischer-Huber, Jay Clark, Malachi Smith, Amber Angel, Jasper Jordan, Kan Niya Lorenzo, Emma Hattne, Aiden Corral, Anaya Harrison. Student Cohesion team meets to discuss school programs and school issues, and provide insight from the student perspective to make recommendations for continued school improvement and enjoyment.
• PSAT/SAT Day: Testing day is coming up on October 12th. Although some colleges and universities may vary in the request for SAT scores, we would still like to provide free access and opportunity to these assessments. Test-taking skills continue to be utilized post-high school and it is our hope that students can learn and grow in these skills through their experiences in high school. It will be a long day of testing and our lunchtime will be pushed back to later than usual. If you are able and interested, we would greatly appreciate any healthy snack donations for students for testing day. Again, snack donations are completely optional. If you would like, please drop off healthy snack donations to the front office (granola bars, energy bars, easy-to-eat fruits, etc.) before Oct. 12th. Thank you! Students will also be asked to bring their own calculators. 
• DVS Academic Supports– We hope classes are going well for every student. Attendance, engagement, and feedback from teachers and peers are very important in the learning process. We have many academic supports in place including office hours, targeted support, and before and after school tutoring. We encourage all students to take advantage of these additional learning opportunities. For detailed information and availability please see this flyer: DVS Academic Supports. This information is also available under “Resources” on the DVS Blog page. Any questions about academic support, please contact our Academic Counselor, Ms. Valle, at cvalle@davincischools.org.
• Student Led Conferences: SLCs are coming up Week 10, Oct. 17-21. Please see Grade Level Team’s schedule for details on your student’s specific time and Zoom link. Also please note earlier dismissal times for Week 10.
• Canvas Support: Thank you again for your patience and support with transitioning to Canvas. If you have any technical questions or issues with Canvas, please contact our IT department at studentsupport@davinischools.org for assistance.
• Custodian Appreciation Day, 10/2 – We want to give a shout-out to all our DV custodians. They work so hard to keep our school clean and safe for our students. A special thank you to DVS custodian, Mr. Urbano!

Important Upcoming Dates:

• 10/12, Wednesday: PSAT/SAT Testing Day

• 10/13, Thursday: No School – Professional Development Day
• 10/14, Friday: No School – Professional Development Day
• 10/17-10/29, Monday – Thursday: Student-Led Conferences
• For SLC Week, Monday Dismissal will be at 2:55, T-Friday Dismissal will be at 2:25

• 11/1, Friday: No School – Veterans Day Holiday
• 11/10, Thursday: Exhibition Night (grades 10th, 12th, & Spanish Dept.)
• 11/21-11/25, Monday-Friday: No School – Thanksgiving Break
• 12/8-12/15, Thursday-Thursday: Presentations of Learning
• 12/16, Friday: Professional Development Day, No School

Week 8 Schedule: 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

PJ Test Prep, a boutique SAT, ACT,  and tutoring company, is offering FREE SAT/ACT Practice Test + Seminar on Oct 2nd (this weekend) and another on December 4th.  Details and sign-ups are here.

 

Hello Da Vinci Scholars and Families,

Check out the new RWL opportunities below:

For students interested in health and vision care:
Cal State LA is having a Vision Fair on October 15. Students will have an opportunity to learn about careers and majors related to vision and medicine, as well as free vision screenings. The organization Guide Dogs will also be bringing dogs who are in training to help visually impaired folks. For more information visit: https://www.visionfair.org/ 

For students interested in advertising:
T.E.A.M. Woo (Teens Engaged in Advertising Mentorship) is a customized mentorship program aimed to help expose students who have a passion for creativity to the possibilities of pursuing a career in a creative field!  You’ll get a chance to team up with fellow creatives and work on a real-world advertising campaign for Supergoop! while being mentored by seasoned professionals along the way. You’ll also walk away with tons of knowledge on strategy, branding, conception/execution, and presentation skills. The program includes 5 sessions held over 4-6 weeks, each session being three hours (6 PM-9 PM). The program will begin on Monday, January 16th and there are 18 spots available. The deadline is October 15. Apply here.

For students interested in animation:
The deadline to sign up for Story Xperiential is fast approaching! This program starts on October 3rd. Story Xperiential is offering a 9-week online experience that takes you behind the scenes at Pixar and introduces you to world-class storytellers. You’ll follow the Pixar process to create a storyreel of your own short story. You’ll livestream with different Pixar storytellers every Monday, submit your work to a gallery and receive ongoing feedback. At the end, your work will be showcased in an online exhibition. Artistic experience is not required, the program is all about story. The program costs $25 for youth ages (13-18) and $250 for youth ages 18+. To learn more & register, click here.

Good morning! We’ve added a few more College Rep Visits for this week.

Tuesday, 9/27: UC Merced (Lunch Time)
Thursday, 9/29: UC Santa Cruz (8:15am)
Thursday, 9/29: Beloit College (Lunch Time)
Thursday, 9/29: Dartmouth College (4:00pm)
Friday, 9/30: Boston University (Lunch Time)

All presentations take place in Mr. Perez’s classroom and open to all grade levels. We hope to see you there!

 

El Camino College’s Financial Aid Office presents a free scholarship webinar

This free webinar will introduce families to the Sallie Mae scholarship database, provide key tips on applying for scholarships, how to create a winning scholarship essay, and more!

Click here to register and select a date: https://elcamino-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAvcOisrDwrGdyhCPD519TFZGrzcN2tD9aM