Da Vinci Science

Did you know that Da Vinci Schools are a South Bay Families Connected (SBFC) Partner District? SBFC is a youth mental health and social emotional wellness non-profit providing free online resources, support groups, educational videos and more to families at 115 schools in the South Bay. SBFC has resources, tips, articles, videos and more for both parents and teens regarding issues of stress management, depression, body image, substance abuse, social media and more. All Da Vinci Schools parents, guardians and teens are invited to visit our unique Da Vinci Schools Families Connected to access this resource, free of charge.

Thank you, all for another successful week at DVS! Students continued to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month during their advisories and enjoyed making pinatas to represent their advisory family. College visits continue to be offered during lunchtime in Mr. Perez’s classroom, and senior meetings continue to occur with our college counselor, Ms. Marquez. It was also nice to see some of you during parent office hours! Parent office hours will be held every even week. Updates for this week:

• School photos from DVS Picture Day- Student photos have been uploaded for families to purchase here: https://staceelianna.smugmug.com/DaVinciSchools/DVS-Picture-Day-2022. Students are sorted by Advisory so families can navigate to their child’s Advisory and make any purchases they’d like through the gallery.
• Canvas -Thank you for your continued patience and support as we transition to Canvas. Parents & guardians should have received an email with parent login information. We will also be sending a hard copy of your Canvas Parent Portal information with progress reports this week. Grades can be viewed through Canvas and PowerSchool.
• Progress Reports– This week, we will be sending progress reports home and any CAASPP scores from 21-22 (State Testing results for current 12th graders).
• 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.
• School Site Council – First SSC meeting will be held this week, Thursday, Sept. 29th at 4:30 via zoom. Please use this zoom link for the meeting: SSC Zoom Link

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Wednesday, 10/12: PSAT/SAT Testing Day
• Thursday, 10/13: No School – Professional Development Day
• Friday, 10/14: No School – Professional Development Day
• Monday, 10/17 – Thursday, 10/20: Student-Led Conferences
  • For SLC Week, Monday Dismissal will be at 2:55, Tuesday-Friday Dismissal will be at 2:25
• Thursday, 11/10: Exhibition Night (grades 10th, 12th, & Spanish Dept.)
• Friday, 11/11: No School – Veterans Day Holiday
• Monday, 11/21 – Friday, 11/25: No School – Thanksgiving Break

 

Week 7 Schedule:

Hello Da Vinci Scholars and Families,

Check out the new RWL opportunities below: 

For students interested in the environment: 

SOAR Green Leadership Academy is a forward-thinking program that empowers motivated high school students to lead with an environmental mindset.  With mentorship and real-world guidance from Grades of Green staff and corporate partners, these students will collaborate together to help develop and drive better environmental standards and outcomes for industries today and for generations to come. Students will emerge from the program with a broad view of global environmental issues through a corporate lens and will prepare to enter college or the workforce with diverse, sustainable, and innovative perspectives. 

SOAR is taking off! Join a diverse group of eco-conscious high school peers in the Los Angeles area who can dedicate 5-10 hours per month to this academy. Discover a vast array of industries and the environmental impact they make and gain knowledge to develop and drive better environmental standards, impacts and outcomes. To learn more, click here. You must apply before September 30th.

For students interested in film:

Learn all the ins and outs of filmmaking as you produce short films, music videos, documentaries, and more! You will get hands-on experience with professional film equipment and be mentored by Hollywood pros at Sony, Paramount, Discovery Networks, Roku, and more! The program is 100% FREE and no experience is necessary! After the weekly program, you can intern with Fresh Films! Take your skills to the next level and work on set of TV shows & films (where 93 youth did that this summer!) Classes are available in person at The Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles Harbor, as well as virtually. Space is limited so apply now. Registration ends October 20. To learn more, click here. 

To see a complete list of Real World Learning opportunities, please click here. 

School Site Council: Thank you to the parents and guardians who indicated an interest in the School Site Council! A reminder to all parents and guardians, please vote for parent & guardian members for our School Site Council. Voting will close on 9/23 and we plan to inform candidate members by 9/24.  We have five candidates for three positions; please vote using this form: DVS School Site Council Election Form for Parent/Guardian Representation. The three candidates with the highest number of votes will be elected to the School Site Council for the 22-23 school year. The first School Site Council Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 9/29 at 5pm on Zoom. 

Parent Office Hours with Administration: Parent Office Hours with administration will be held every even week. Since this week is Week 6, we will be meeting at this zoom link this Thursday, September 22nd from 4:30-5:30. This will be a casual time of updating, chatting, and Q&A. 

Canvas: Thank you for your patience as we adjust to Canvas. We are working on Canvas parent portals. Parent login information should be sent out this week, parents should then have setting options to adjust notifications. Thank you for your patience and apologies for the many emails you may have been receiving from Canvas.

Dear DVS Students and Families,

We had another great week at DVS! We hope students enjoyed the Friday off as staff had a very productive Professional Development Day. We had a wonderful Community Dialogue this week. The whole school gathered in the gym to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Thank you, Latinos Unidos, Latinx Club, and Mecha Clubs for leading the school in this celebration by sharing their personal stories of what Hispanic Heritage means to them. 

Honors: Honors rollout in classes will continue this week. Honors is an option that is available to all students. Honors projects, assignments, and criteria may vary by course. Please note the Honors Signup Form has been extended to the end of Week 6 and is due Friday, September 23rd.    

Canvas Access: Thank you for your patience as we continue to adapt and transition to Canvas as the learning management platform. Parent and guardian logins for Canvas will be issued very soon. For now, we encourage you to use your student’s login information to view course information on Canvas.

Picture Day Makeups: Last call for picture makeups and retakes will be this Tuesday, 9/20 from 9:30-10:30 am. Student IDs will be issued soon. 

School Site Council: Thank you to the parents and guardians who indicated an interest in the School Site Council! We have five candidates for three positions; please vote using this form: DVS School Site Council Election Form for Parent/Guardian Representation The three candidates with the highest number of votes will be elected to the School Site Council for the 22-23 school year. The first School Site Council Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 9/29 at 4:30 pm on Zoom. 

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Tuesday, 9/20: Picture Day Makeups
• Thursday, 9/29: School Site Council Meeting #1 @ 4:30pm via Zoom
• Wednesday, 10/12: PSAT/SAT Testing Day
• Thursday, 10/13: No School – Professional Development Day
• Friday, 10/14: No School – Professional Development Day
• Monday, 10/17 – Thursday, 10/20: Student-Led Conferences
• Friday, 11/11: No School – Veterans Day Holiday
• Thursday, 11/10: Exhibition Night (grades 10th, 12th, & Spanish Dept.)
• Monday, 11/21 – Friday, 11/25: No School – Thanksgiving Break

Week 6 Schedule:

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hello DVS Families,

We are still looking to form our DVS School Site Council! School Site Council (SSC) is an opportunity for parents, students, and staff to work collaboratively to review the school program, review data and identify needs, and make recommendations for the Local Control and Accountability Plan. It is also a great way to get to know each other. If you are interested in joining our DVS School Site Council, please fill out  School Site Council Parent Interest Form by Wednesday, 9/14 (extended due date). All submissions will be added to a voting form that will go out to the DVS parent community by 9/15. School Site Council members will be notified, September 16th. SSC Meetings will be held on the following dates: 9/28, 1/19, 2/9, 5/18, and 6/1 from 4:30-5:30 via Zoom. Please note the first SSC meeting has been changed from 9/22 to 9/29. Thank you! 

Hello DVS Families!  Visits from college representatives will continue this week.   All meetings are during lunch time and in Mr. Perez’s classroom.  Two meetings are scheduled for this week:

Wednesday, 9/14: U.S. Air Force
Thursday, 9/15: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Future college representative visits will be included in the “Week Preview” . We encourage students to come learn about the programs and services of universities they are interested in.  All grade-levels are welcome!

We had another great and busy week at DVS! Students started seminars this week and seem to be enjoying their seminar classes as they explore interests and/or participate in physical activities during this time. 

• School Reminders– we are off to a great start and would like to maintain a positive and safe learning environment for all students. This week, students were reminded of the following:
  • Keep cell phones put away in backpacks during class
  • Keep the school clean (please no gum on campus)
  • Keep to dress code policy
  • Please be on time for all classes (school start time 8:50:00)
  • Thank you, students and families, for helping us with these reminders.
• Freshmen Overnighter Pics– here is the link to Freshmen Overnighter Pictures. As always, shout out to Stacee Lianna for capturing these wonderful memories for our students. We hope the DVS culture continues to stay strong, positive and welcoming.
• Progress Reports will be sent out Week 7 (delayed one week). Thank you for your patience as we are transitioning, adjusting, and learning Canvas. For now, to see your student’s work and assignments, we encourage you to log in with your student’s Canvas account. For some classes, grades may be seen on Canvas, and you may continue to view grades on PowerSchool. 
• Seminar Change Request Form– closes Tuesday, September 13th. 
• DVS School Site Council  – Reminder that we are still looking to form our DVS School Site Council. School Site Council (SSC) is an opportunity for parents, students, and staff to work collaboratively to review the school program, review data and identify needs, and make recommendations for the Local Control and Accountability Plan. If you are interested in joining our DVS School Site Council, please fill out  School Site Council Parent Interest Form by Wednesday, 9/14 (extended due date). All submissions will be added to a voting form that will go out to the DVS parent community by 9/15. School Site Council members will be notified, on September 16th. SSC Meetings will be held on the following dates: 9/22, 1/19, 2/9, 5/18, and 6/1 from 4:30-5:30 via Zoom. 
• Senior College Planning and Post-DVS Planning Meetings start this week and run until mid-October.  If you haven’t done so already, please sign up for a meeting with Ms. Marquez here.  Ms. Marquez is excited to support you this year as we begin the college application process. The agenda for these meetings will be a brief description of College, Career, and Life class, college letter reviews, a review of graduation requirements, and a discussion of colleges of interest. 
• Parent Office Hours with Grace and Tim – will be even weeks, Thursdays 4:30-5:30 on this zoom link. The next parent office hours will be Week 6, Thursday, September 22nd at 4:30.
• Upcoming Important Dates: 

• • 9/14- CEA Downtown LA Field Trip 
  • 9/16 PD Day (No School)
  • 9/22 School Site Council Meeting #1
  • 10/12 PSAT/SAT Testing Day
  • 10/17-10/21 Student-Led Conferences (SLCs)

Week 5 Schedule:

September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day

Individuals and organizations around the world join their voices to broadcast the message that everyone can take action for suicide prevention. We all have a role to play in suicide prevention. There are actions you can take right now to support yourself and those around you:

• Together we can Take Action for Mental Health by learning more, checking-in with ourselves and others, and getting support when needed. Visit www.takeaction4MH.com for more information.
• Together we can Take Action for Suicide Prevention by knowing the signs for suicide, finding the words to check-in with someone we are concerned about, and reaching out to resources. Visit www.suicideispreventable.org for more information.

We view mental health and well-being as a priority. In support of this, we have invested in several resources that you can access whenever you need help. Remember, you are not alone and it is a true act of bravery and strength to seek help.  

We encourage you to utilize on-campus resources, and save the community resource so you can easily find them if you or someone you know needs help.

On campus:

• Students can access support with a counselor. Email Ms. Ruiz, cruiz@davincischools.org to set up an appointment.

• Students can receive on-going on-campus therapy with a therapist from Antioch University or Pepperdine University. Please contact Ms. Ruiz, cruiz@davincischools.org for details. Parent permission is required to receive services from Antioch or Pepperdine.

In our community:

Da Vinci Schools has partnered with Care Solace to support our community’s mental health.

If you or a family member is looking for help with mental health or substance use, Care Solace can quickly find treatment options matched to your needs, regardless of the circumstance.

Care Solace’s care navigation services are confidential and complimentary to  Da Vinci Schools’s students, staff, and their families. Care Solace’s team is available 24/7/365 and can support you in any language.

If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:

• Call 888-515-0595 available 24/7/365
• Visit www.caresolace.com/davincischools and either search on your own OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.

In an emergency:

• Call 911 or and request a Crisis Intervention Trained (C.I.T.) response
• Go to the closest emergency room for support
• Call the National Suicide Prevention & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org
• Text “Hello” or “Home” to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor
• Trevor Lifeline LGBTQQ+ Crisis Support: 1-866-488-7386

Hello DVS Families!  Visits from college representatives started this week and will continue throughout the semester.  All meetings are during lunch time and in Mr. Perez’s classroom.  Below is the schedule for this week:

Wednesday, 9/7: CSU Dominguez Hills
Thursday, 9/8: University of Southern California (USC)
Friday, 9/10: University of San Francisco

Future college representative visits will be included in the “Week Preview” . We encourage students to come learn about the programs and services of universities they are interested in.  All grade-levels are welcome!