Da Vinci Science

Hello DVS Families, 

We hope you are having a fabulous Labor Day weekend! We had a great time at the Freshmen Overnighter last week. Students were immersed in DVS culture by building relationships, having fun, playing games, and engaging in meaningful discussions about the type of school they want to have, and the type of people they want to be. It was a great time! Link to photos will be posted soon.

We also had our DVS Club Fair last week. We are looking forward to supporting students’ interests in various clubs. Please visit our DVS Club Site for more information.

This week we begin our Seminar Launch! Students will receive their new seminar schedules Tuesday morning during first period. We are happy to offer a wide variety of seminar choices and we do our best to honor seminar requests, however, please note there are capacity limitations on some seminars. If students would like to put in a seminar request change, the QR code and link to the Seminar Change Request Form will be posted around campus on Tuesday, 9/6, and will be due Tuesday, 9/13. 

This week, we will also be forming 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 a parent interested in joining our DVS School Site Council, please fill out  School Site Council Parent Interest Form no later than Friday, September 9th. All submissions will be added to a voting form that will go out to the DVS parent community on September 13th, School Site Council members will be notified, on September 14th. SSC Meetings will be held on the following dates from 4:30-5:30 via Zoom: 9/22, 1/19, 2/9, 5/18, and 6/1.

Upcoming important dates:

9/16- PD Day (no school)

9/19- Honors Roll Out 

9/16- Progress Reports will be sent home

9/22- School Site Council Meeting #1

10/12- PSAT/SAT Testing Day

Happy Labor Day and have a great rest of the week! 

 

Happy Friday!

We are excited to support seniors as they begin exploring their Post-DVS plans.  All seniors are enrolled in College, Career & Life (CCL) with Mr. Perez, which is a course dedicated to the college application process during the fall semester.  Below are a few key topics we’ll be working on in CCL:

• Finalize College List
• Support with Personal Statement– process of self-exploration to help students share their story
• Instructions about how to complete applications for California State University (CSUs), University of CA (UCs), community college and Common Apps (private and out of state universities)
• Structured work-time with the goal of completing all college applications, which includes applying for financial aid prior to the Winter Break (CSU/UC – 11/30/22 deadline)

Additionally, seniors and their parent/guardian will have the opportunity to meet with Ms. Marquez, College Counselor, for an individualized Post-DVS planning meeting.  The purpose of this meeting is to have a personalized discussion on colleges of interest and answer questions about the application process, including financial aid. If students have plans other then attending college, we invite you to still set up a meeting to gain support with this planning. Meetings will run from September 13th and conclude in mid-October.  Parents/Guardians will attend the meeting via Zoom.  Please use this link to sign up for your meeting.

We’ve had a lot of success supporting DVS students as they seek their next steps in life and we are confident this year’s seniors will find similar success.  We look forward to continuing to support seniors!

 

Ms. Marquez and Mr. Perez

fmarquez@davincischools.org

rperez@davincischools.org 

 

 

Hello Da Vinci Scholars and Families,

Check out the new real-world learning opportunities below.

For students interested in mental health:

Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation is offering The Be There Certificate. This is a free, self-paced learning experience designed to increase mental health literacy and provide you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to safely support anyone who may be struggling with their mental health. It provides a deep understanding of Be There’s 5 Golden Rules — a simple but actionable framework on how to recognize when someone might be struggling with their mental health, your role in supporting that person, and how to connect them to the help they deserve.

For students interested in animation:

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. Next session begins October 3rd. 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.

For students interested in science or are looking for a paying job:

The California Science Center is offering temporary positions for Community Teen Interns paying $16.04 an hour. You must be a sophomore, junior or senior with a minimum 2.0 GPA available to work starting October 1, 2022. See the flyer for details. Fill out this application and email it to hr@cscmail.org to apply.

For students interested in the tech world:

Innovate<her> is offering a free 45-minute virtual course on User Experience Design (UX). Understanding UX is a beginner course for creative thinkers, problem solvers, and game changers! Learn the basics of UX Design and get to know how a designer thinks. You don’t need any prior knowledge or any materials. You only need a computer and internet access. To apply, click here.

 

Hello DVS Families,

The Counseling Team is excited to support students this year! Our team provides guidance during Grade Level Time as well as through class-room presentations in the areas of college and career advising, academic support and wellness counseling. Below are the supports and services we’ve provided thus far this semester:

 

• 9th grade: Meet & greet with all counselors to review the supports the counselors provide at DVS
• 10^th grade: Graduation requirements, academic expectations, GPA calculations and tips on school-life balance (will be held on 8/31)
• 11th grade: Academic and A-G requirements, junior year timeline and wellness support by normalizing and naming our feelings
• 12th grade: College advising and post-secondary options.  Individual college planning meetings will being in the upcoming weeks.

 

 

Please feel free to contact us if you have additional questions. We look forward to continuing to support students throughout the year!

 

Ms. Valle (Academic and Career Counselor) cvalle@davincischools.org

Office Hours: Wednesday 7:45am- 8:45am

 

Ms. Ruiz (Wellness and Career Counselor) cruiz@davincischools.org

Office Hours: Mondays and Thursdays 8:15am-8:45am

 

Ms. Marquez (College Counseling) fmarquez@davincischools.org

Office Hours: Tuesdays 7:45am- 8:45am

 

 

 

 

Week 2 was another great week! Some highlights from this week include: 

• Parent office hours – it was great to see and talk with some of you! 
• Dual Enrollment for Principles of Engineering Class – contact fmarquez@davincischools.org 
• Civil Engineering Architecture- Field trip to Gensler in downtown Los Angeles
• Community Dialogue – all advisories went to the gym and had fun showcasing their advisory cheer! 

Upcoming dates: 

• 8/30- Club Fair  
• 9/1-9/2- Freshmen Overnighter at Camp Pondo 
• 9/5- Labor Day Holiday, No School 
• 9/6- Seminars begin
• 9/14- CEA Downtown LA Field Trip
• 9/16- PD Day, No School

 

Here is the Week 3 schedule:

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Hi! Just a reminder that we will have optional parent office hours today at 4:30.

This will be a casual time of chatting, updating, and sharing any thoughts or questions you might have.

Zoom Link for Parent Office Hours with Grace & Tim Thursday, August 25th, 4:30-5:30pm.

Hello Senior Students and Families,

 

As you prepare for the college application process, many of you will apply for financial aid.  One of those funding options is our State Grant, called the Cal Grant.  The Cal Grant is funding for college that students do not pay back. The Cal Grant can be used at any University of California (UC), California State University (CSU) or California Community College, as well as qualifying independent (private) and career colleges or technical schools in California.

To qualify, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) by March 2, 2023 and meet the eligibility and financial requirements as well as any minimum GPA requirements.  Eligibility is based on your FAFSA or CADAA responses, your verified high school Cal Grant GPA, the type of California colleges you list on your FAFSA and whether you’re a recent high school graduate. To learn more about the qualifications, please visit www.calgrants.org.

Da Vinci Science High School is required to submit student’s verified GPA to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). By law families can “opt out” of this process if you do not want DVS to submit your student’s verified GPA. If you choose to “opt out”, this means your student will not be eligible to receive a Cal Grant. In order to “opt-out”, please complete the attached form and return to Ms. Marquez via email at fmarquez@davincischools.org no later than September 16th, 2022.

If you do not return the “opt-out” form, Da Vinci Science will submit your student’s verified GPA to the CSAC to determine your student’s Cal Grant eligibility.

To obtain an opt-out form click on this link Cal Grant Opt Out Form

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ms. Marquez via email at fmarquez@davincischools.org.

Hello Da Vinci Scholars and Families,

Cloud Computing is one of the fastest-growing careers in the United States! Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Cloud Practitioners earn on average up to $131,465 annually.

El Camino College is now accepting applications from current juniors and seniors who want to join the After-School Cloud Computing Career Pathway program, it’s FREE!

STUDENT & PARENT INFO SESSION – Online via Zoom

Wednesday, August 24th
6:00pm – 7:15pm
RSVP for Info Session

For more information, please click here.

Hello DVS Families!

Please join us for a parent and student information night on PLTW Mechanical Engineering Technology.  The session will be held this Thursday, August 25th 6:00-7:00pm via Zoom.

Topics Include:

• Career Trends in Engineering Technology
• How to Take College Classes for FREE through Dual Enrollment & Articulation
• El Camino College Mechanical Engineering Technician College Certificate
• El Camino College AeroFlex Aerospace Pre-Apprenticeship Program

 

Please register here to receive the Zoom link

We hope to see you there!

 

Click here for more information 

 

 

Dear Students & Families of the Class of 2026,

We are thrilled to be getting ready for The Overnighter – a not-to-be-missed signature practice of Da Vinci Science! This two-day, one-night trip is free of charge for our students, and we love that students get to start the school year with great memories and new friends. It is our hope that all 9th grade students will attend this special event. 9th grade students will depart on Thursday, September 1st from school at 9 a.m. and return on Friday, September, 2nd around 3:00p.m. Please review the linked information below carefully in preparation for the trip.

• DVS Overnighter August 2022 Packet (9th Grade): This packet contains information about the following:
  • Permission Slips
  • Mandatory covid-testing prior to trip departure
  • How to contact us in the event of an emergency
  • What to pack for the trip
  • Expected departure and arrival times
  • Student cell phone use during the trip
  • Students who need to take medications during the trip
• Dietary Restrictions for Overnighter: Please complete this link if you have a dietary restriction that the kitchen staff must be made aware of.

Permission slips were due last Friday, 8/19 to Ms. Jessi, the English 9 teacher. If you have not turned in your permission slip, please do as soon as possible.

It is important to note that though we are using Camp Pondo’s facilities, the entire program is run exclusively by the staff and student leaders of Da Vinci Science. We pay Camp Pondo for use of the facilities, meal preparation, and support with our activities such as zip lining and swimming. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Ms. Jessi at jsnyder@davincischools or Grace Long at glong@davincischools.