Hello DVS Families, We hope you’ve had a great start to your week! Applications for many Summer Pre-College Programs are now open. These programs feature rigorous courses which help support a student’s preparation for college level work. For more information, click links below:
This list will be updated regularly here as new opportunities are announced. Also, many colleges have Pre-College Summer Programs. If there is a college that is not on this list, we encourage you to search “Pre-College Summer Programs” at college(s) of interest directly on their sites.
We had a busy week as students were finishing projects, prepping for POLs, and gearing up for finals. Today, students in Mr. McGregor’s CEA Honors did a great job presenting their projects on an “improbable project in a new world” at Gensler in Downtown LA. Students have been working with Gensler mentors for the past six weeks and gave fantastic and professional final presentations. Thank you, Gensler!
Youth & Government’s Bill Hearing Night last Friday, 12/1, was a great success! Delegates introduced and debated the bills they created, and the audience selected one bill for the Da Vinci Delegation to take to Sacramento. Their bill will be debated among student delegates across the state.
Announcements & Reminders:
Shelter-in-Place Drill:In light of school safety concerns in a neighboring school district, the Da Vinci high schools located at the 201 N. Douglas location (including DVS) will be participating in a Shelter-in-Place Drill next Tuesday, 12/12. Please note that this is NOT an active shooter drill. 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. Students will be informed of the start of the drill via the school speaker. They will then go into the nearest classroom if they are not already in one and work together to lock down the classroom. We will review lockdown procedures and expectations during announcements in advisory on Tuesday before the drill.
Presentations of Learning:Presentations of Learning (POLs) for our 9th-11th grade students are 12/18-12/21 (Week 18), while 12th grade students will be taking finals.Click here for an information sheet for families with details about presentations of learning. All POLs and senior finals will be scheduled between Monday 12/18 and Thursday 12/21. Specific information about the format, requirements, and preparation process for POLs and finals have been shared to students via Canvas, during Targeted Support, and in individual classes. We encourage 9th, 10th, and 11th parents and guardians to attend your student’s POL. Please ask your student for their presentation time.
Lunchtime Math Tutoring:Math tutoring by peer math tutors has been thriving! It will continue to be available every day during lunch until Friday, 12/15. There are no sign-ups. Students can just show up. Thank you tutors and tutees for working together!
Semester 1 Grades and Report Cards:Please note that PowerSchool access will be turned off later next week while teachers complete final evaluations of students’ grades. As the last day of the Fall 2023 semester is Thursday, December 21st, report cards will be mailed home the following week.
Parent Advisory Committee:Our second Parent Advisory Committee meeting is on Wednesday, December 13th at 4pm via this Zoom link. We will send members a reminder email next week, but any parent/guardian is invited to attend.
Parent Association Meeting:The DaVinci Science Parent Association will have its meeting this month at a local establishment owned by a DVS parent.The meeting is on December 20th at Five Point Five Brewery in El Segundo from 6:30 to 7:30. (137 Nevada Street/ El Segundo, CA) Please stop by this informal meeting to meet other parents from Da Vinci Science. Five Point Five Brewery has pizza for purchase if you want to multitask and grab dinner during the meeting! No RSVP necessary, just show up if you are able. Questions can be emailed to annewtittle@gmail.com.
12th Grade Advanced Physics Exhibition:Advanced Physicists have taken on the role of playground architects to design safe and unique playground structures toddlers. Join us next week on the afternoon of Tuesday 12/12 to judge the best designs and learn about the forces and kinematics involved in the engineering process. This “Westy’s World” event will be gallery walk/exhibition style in the carpeted forum area on the DVS 2nd floor. RSVP here.
F=ma Exam:DVS will be administering the F=ma exam, the preliminary exam for the U.S. Physics Team on Thursday, February 8, 2024 from 3pm-5pm (during seminar and after school)! The F=ma exam is a 75-minute exam with 25 multiple choice questions focusing on mechanics, and all DVS students are eligible to attempt it. Interested students can find out more about F=ma and the U.S. Physics Team at this link and should sign up via this formby 2:30pm on Thursday, December 21st. Students don’t have to be fully committed yet when you sign up, but taking the F=ma is a great opportunity to test physics skills and is an amazing resume booster.
WinterMusic Showcase:Winter music concert will be held on Tuesday, 12/12 in the Gym of the 201 North Douglas Campus at 6:30. We look forward to hearing studio orchestra and choir students share their talents with the community!
DVS Announcements: Besides Canvas and the DVS blog (please subscribe!), we also share important information with students through live student-led announcements during advisory on Tuesdays. You can find recordings of those announcements on this Youtube channel, courtesy of our DVS News seminar! In addition, these slides are projected on a big screen in the Forum (common space on the DVS floor) every day.
Week 17 Schedule (12/11-12/15)
Important Upcoming Dates:
Wednesday, 12/13: DVS Parent Advisory Committee meeting at 4pm on Zoom
Monday-Thursday, 12/18-12/21: POL/Finals Minimum Day Schedule with 2:25pm dismissal
Hello senior parents and guardians! We are quickly approaching the end of the semester. Mr. Perez and Ms. Marquez are very excited to have had the opportunity to support seniors with their college applications this semester. As you may know, November 30th was the application priority deadline for UC applications and most CSU applications. Prior to submitting, Ms. Marquez and Mr. Perez worked with most students individually to review applications for accuracy. We are excited to see some great results for our students! Please note: There are a number of CSU campuses that are continuing to accept applications and a list can be found here. Students can also apply to UC Merced until January 15, 2024.
Other highlights:
Community College: applications are open! Most students who have a community college on their college list completed their application during their College, Career and Life (CCL) course. In the spring, we will take prospective seniors to El Camino College and Santa Monica College to help them complete the enrollment process.
Private Universities: Many seniors submitted their applications during the months of November and December. Some seniors are still working through their private university applications via the Common App. and will continue to do so until early 2nd semester for those universities that have a later deadlines.
University Portals: Once applications are submitted, many universities will require students to create a portal. Portals are the main method of communication for many universities. Please encourage your student to keep a close eye on their email, including spam, to access important information from prospective universities.
Financial Aid Update:
The Department of Education just announced that the FAFSA will be available by December 31, 2023. We encourage you to create an FSA ID, which allows you to digitally sign the FAFSA, prior to the launch. Both student and at least one parent need FSA IDs. Financial aid updates and resources are below:
Create an FSA ID – it takes 2-3 to process so creating one now will allow you to start the FAFSA when it opens
The California Student Aid Commission announced that the California Dream Act Application (CADAA), financial aid application for undocumented students, will be launch at the same time as the FAFSA.
Complete the CSS Profile, if applicable. The CSS Profile is used by private universities. Here is the list for participating schools. Please check each university’s financial aid website for CSS and FAFSA deadlines as they vary.
Seniors have access to a scholarship database via their CCL class. Scholarships are announced weekly via Canvas. Below is a list of scholarships with upcoming deadlines:
Thank you for the families and community members who joined us on campus for the 9th grade physics classes’ Science of Sports Exhibitions on Thursday and Friday of this week. The student physicist did an amazing job explaining the relationship between sports and various physics concepts such as velocity, acceleration, force, and friction!
Our Youth & Government Da Vinci Delegation’s Bill Hearing Night is tonight, Friday, 12/1 at 6pm in the Black Box. After debating multiple bills that they researched and wrote, they will select a bill to take to the statewide conference in Sacramento. We are proud of our delegates!
Announcements
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 9th grade physics classes next 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.
DVS Families Coffee Time:Our December DVS Families Coffee Time is this coming Wednesday, December 6th from 4:15-5:15. This will be 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. All DVS parents/guardians, students, and staff are welcome to attend.
Parent Advisory Committee:Our second Parent Advisory Committee meeting is on Wednesday, December 13th at 4pm via this Zoom link. We will send members a reminder email next week, but any parent/guardian is invited to attend.
DVS Announcements: Besides Canvas and the DVS blog (please subscribe!), we also share important information with students through live student-led announcements during advisory on Tuesdays. You can find recordings of those announcements on this Youtube channel, courtesy of our DVS News seminar! In addition, these slides are projected on a big screen in the Forum (common space on the DVS floor) everyday.
Week 16 Schedule (12/4-12/8)
Important Upcoming Dates:
Wednesday, 12/6: DVS Families Coffee Time at 4:15pm in the DVS Galileo Room
Wednesday, 12/13: DVS Parent Advisory Committee meeting at 4pm on Zoom
Monday-Thursday, 12/18-12/21: POL/Finals Minimum Day Schedule with 2:25pm dismissal
We hope all DVS families had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! We look forward to seeing students back at school tomorrow, Monday, 11/27. We hope to finish the semester strong with only four weeks left!
In case you missed the post from before the break, here is a repost for Week 15 announcements and schedule:
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.
Students can also access their PSAT and SAT scores throughtheir College Board account at this link. Here are additional resources to understand PSAT and SAT scores:
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:
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
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.
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:
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
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
This message is for those of who are applying to colleges that require the FAFSA and the CSS Profile to apply for financial aid.
The CSS Profile is an application used to award institutional scholarships, grants and merit-based aid and is required by more than 300 colleges, universities and scholarship organizations. Colleges that use the CSS Profile are predominantly private college and out of state private colleges. The UCs and CSUs do not use the CSS Profile. You can find the list of participating colleges here .
If you are applying to a college that requires the CSS Profile, please complete this form as soon as possible. The CSS Profile application can be found here. The financial information that is provided by completing the CSS Profile will allow these colleges to create an estimated award offer if you are accepted to their institution. As we wait for the FAFSA to open sometime in December, we are also anticipating that processing of the FAFSA may take longer than expected. However, the estimated award as a result of completing the CSS Profile, will more than likely be the actual award you will receive.
Additional important information regarding financial aid applications:
Students that apply Early Action/Early Decision may have a November or December deadline for the CSS Profile. Please check deadlines on the respective university websites.
The University of CA (UCs) and the CA State University (CSUs) do not require the CSS Profile. They only require the FAFSA or the CADAA
UC priority deadline for the FAFSA or the CADAA is March 2nd
CSU priority deadline for the FAFSA or the CADAA is April 2nd
Again, if college required the completion of the CSS Profile, we encourage you not to wait until the FAFSA opens in December to complete the CSS Profile. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Marquez, College and Career Counselor.
