Da Vinci Science

DVS had a very eventful week! Students did a great job with MAP testing and SBAC testing this week. We also had meaningful team bonding activities with led by Fulcrum. With the theme of “Team Building and Communication,” 9th grade built towers from straws, put together boats and raced them, and played other fun communication games together. With the theme of “Overcoming Challenges Together,” Team 11 had an active scavenger hunt throughout downtown LA and enjoyed solving problems and completing their tasks together. Students had a great time on their Fulcrum Days.

11th graders also got a taste of college life in their college visits to LMU and USC. DVS Alumni served as their tour guides and it was so special to see successful DVS Alumni sharing their college experiences with our current students.

We also had our wonderful mentors from Rock the Street, Wall Street. Rock the Street, Wall Street is a non-profit organization that partners with schools to inspire future generations of women to consider careers in business and finance. Cetera provided eight female mentors who held financial literacy lessons and workshops throughout the year. Thank you, Rock the Street, Wall Street and Cetera!

Week 31 Announcements & Reminders: 

• • Game Day DVS Physics 4/15- You’re Invited! Come play physicists’ games they designed for the Games for Change competition this Monday, April 15th periods 1-4 in the forum/science hub!

• Opt-In SAT Day– Students who are opting in to take the SAT on Monday, April 15th will be on a schedule day this day. Get plent of rest this weekend and eat a hearty breakfast that morning!

• Parent Association 

• • Meeting Date and Time Change: The Parent Association Meeting date and time has been changed for this month to Wednesday, April 24th at 12pm on the DVS floor. We apologize for any inconvenience. This month, we will be discussing Teacher Appreciation Week! All DVS parents are welcome to attend.
  • Advisory Fundraiser: The DVS Parent Association is fundraising for our advisories. You can use this link:  https://davincischools.networkforgood.com/, select Da Vinci Science, and write “DVS Advisory Fundraiser” in the notes to donate to this fundraiser.
• CollegeWise Workshops: DVS is partnering with CollegeWise to support students and families to prepare for college. CollegeWise will be presenting two workshops this month on the DVS floor. All students and families are welcome to attend! The next workshop is Answering the Biggest College Admissions Questions: Academics, Internships, STEM and more on Monday, April 22th, from 5:00pm-6:00pm on the DVS floor. RSVP here

 

Week 31 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Monday, 4/15: Opt-in SAT School Day 
• Tuesday, 4/16: Medical Interventions Zoo Field Trip 
• Wednesday, 4/17: Parent Association Meeting 6:15
• Monday, 4/22: CollegeWise College Admissions Workshop 5:00 pm
• Monday, 4/22: 10th Grade Fulcrum Day
• Wednesday, 4/24: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting
• Friday, 4/26: Cal Poly SLO Pathways Field Trip  
• DVS Graduation Day: June 6th, 9:00am

Helpful Links:

DV/Wiseburn Athletics  

DVS Planning Calendar 

DVS Announcements Slidedeck  

DVS News YouTube Channel

9th Grade Fulcrum Day- Tower Building

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11th Grade Fulcrum Day DLTA Scavenger Hunt

Rock the Street, Wall Street Mentors from Cetera

College Visit – LMU

College Visit – USC

Join us for Physics Game Day!

Hello DVS families,  Thank you to all the families and students who attended our How to Choose the Right Major and Explore your Interests workshop on Monday.  Here are the presentation slides.

You may also contact Kate Strzelecki from CollegeWise if you have follow-up questions: KateS@collegewise.com 

Hello DVS Families!  We hope you had a wonderful Spring Break. Please join us TONIGHT, April 8th at 5pm for How to Choose the Right Major and Explore your Interests:  A workshop presented by CollegeWise.  RSVP here

Upcoming Event

Answering the Biggest College Admissions Questions: Academics, Internships, STEM and more. Workshop presented by CollegeWise. Monday, April 22th, 5:00pm-6:00pm. RSVP here. 

We hope to see you tonight! Please contact Ms. Marquez, College and Career Counselor if you have any questions:

fmarquez@davincischools.org 

 

Welcome Back! We hope all families had a wonderful Spring Break. We look forward to welcoming students back to school tomorrow, Monday, April 8th. 

Before the break, the Houseplants 101 Seminar visited the Dodgers Stadium Botanic Gardens where they learned about soil quality, propagation, careers in horticulture, and what it takes to care for the only MLB stadium with a botanic garden designation.

Society of Women Engineers (SWE) students participated in the DV Connect STEAM Carnival on March 27th. They represented chemical engineering with popping boba, biomedical engineering by simulating healthy lungs vs. smoker’s lungs, and mechanical engineering by building claws to get trash out of the ocean. 

We are grateful for real-world learning experiences and community outreach events. We have a very busy and eventful remainder of the semester and we are looking forward to finishing the semester well!

A lot is happening this week!

Week 30 Announcements & Reminders: 

• 9th Grade Fulcrum Day: 9th Grade Fulcrum Day is happening tomorrow, Monday, April 8th. Fulcrum will come to campus and lead our 9th graders in a day of teamwork, communication, and fun! Please dress comfortably.
• DVS Families Coffee Time: This month’s coffee time is this week, Wednesday, April 10th from 4:15-5:15. All DVS parents/guardians, students, and staff are welcome to attend via Zoom or in-person on the DVS floor. Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/3108950461 
• CollegeWise Workshops: DVS is partnering with CollegeWise to support students and families to prepare for college. CollegeWise will be presenting two workshops this month on the DVS floor. All students and families are welcome to attend!
  • Monday, April 8th, 5:00pm-6:00pm at DVS: How to Choose the Right Major and Explore your Interests – RSVP here
  • Monday, April 22th, 5:00pm-6:00pm at DVS: Answering the Biggest College Admissions Questions: Academics, Internships, STEM and more – RSVP here
• 11th Grade State Testing: 11th-grade students at DVS will participate in California State Testing (SBAC and CAST) on Tuesday, 4/9 and Wednesday, 4/10. See the notification letter here. Tests will consist of English Language Arts, Math, and Science. Students can access additional practice tests at this link as a guest user. More information will be shared with students by their teachers.
• 9th and 10th Grade Benchmark Testing: 9th and 10th grade students will complete ELA and math standardized benchmark assessments (NWEA MAP) the week after Spring Break (Week 30). These benchmark assessments provide valuable information on student levels and growth to inform our classroom practice and supports. We encourage students to get plenty of rest, have a healthy breakfast, and to do their best. 
  • 9th grade students will be taking the tests during their English and physics classes
  • 10th grade students will be taking the test during their World History class.
• Parent Association Fundraiser: The DVS Parent Association is fundraising for our advisories. You can use this link:  https://davincischools.networkforgood.com/, select Da Vinci Science, and write “DVS Advisory Fundraiser” in the notes to donate to this fundraiser.

Week 30 Schedule (4/8-4/12): 

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Friday, 4/13: 11th Grade Fulcrum Field Trip
• Monday, 4/15: Opt-in SAT School Day 
• Thursday, 4/17: Parent Association Meeting 6:15
• Monday, 4/22: CollegeWise College Admissions Workshop 5:00 pm
• Monday, 4/22: 10th Grade Fulcrum Day
• Wednesday, 4/24: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting
• Friday, 4/26: Cal Poly SLO Pathways Field Trip  
• DVS Graduation Day: June 6th, 9:00am

Helpful Links:

DV/Wiseburn Athletics  

DVS Planning Calendar 

DVS Announcements Slidedeck  

DVS News YouTube Channel

Horticulture Seminar- Field Trip to Dodgers Stadium Botanic Gardens

SWE Outreach Event at DV Connect STEAM Night

Thank you for an amazing Exhibition Night! Seeing the whole school and community together celebrating student work was wonderful! From toy manufacturing to CPR training to democracy in action and poetry, to energy conservation games and Kickstarter projects, to robots, welding, and more, we are proud of all the hard work students put into their projects. Students did a great job sharing their skills and learning with the community.

We hope all DVS students and families enjoy the day off tomorrow in honor of Cesar Chavez Day and have a wonderful Spring Break. The school office will be closed during Spring Break. We hope students can get some rest and enjoy time with loved ones. School will resume on Monday, April 8th. Happy Spring Break! 

 

    

 

 

Thank you for a wonderful week of SLCs! We always enjoy seeing and interacting with DVS families. Thank you for the great conversations about students’ learning and growing. We look forward to a fruitful remainder of the semester. 

We also wanted to celebrate and congratulate our Vitruvian Bots. Last weekend, we had the honor of hosting FRC Los Angeles Regionals on our campus. We ended qualification rounds in rank 6, a testament to our robot performance. We were the team captains for Alliance 5 and made it to the semi-finals. The Vitruvian Bots are also very proud to report that we won the Innovation in Controls Award! Our team worked hard to ensure our robot could incorporate sensors, vision, and shoot-on-the move capabilities. Although we did not win the regional, we are very proud of all the hard work and dedication our students have put into the season. Team 4201 will continue to work together to keep learning, growing, creating, engineering, and having fun!

This week is DVS Exhibition Week! Students are excited to showcase their projects and learnings from this year. Exhibition Night will be this Tuesday, March 26th from 5:30-8:00pm. We welcome all families and community guests to celebrate with our students.

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Week 29 Announcements & Reminders: 

• Exhibition Night: Tuesday, March 26th from 5:30pm-8:00pm! This is a whole school event- students from all grade levels are expected to attend. 
• Parent Association Fundraiser: The DVS Parent Association is fundraising for our advisories. You can use this link:  https://davincischools.networkforgood.com/, select Da Vinci Science, and write “DVS Advisory Fundraiser” in the notes to donate to this fundraiser.
• DV Trades Fair: Da Vinci’s Real World Learning Center will be hosting a Trades Fair this coming Thursday, March 28th from 1:00-5:00. Students interested in exploring career opportunities in these fields are encouraged to attend.
• 11th Grade State Testing: 11th-grade students at DVS will be participating in California State Testing (SBAC and CAST) on Tuesday, 4/9 and Wednesday, 4/10. Tests will consist of English Language Arts, Math, and Science. Students can access additional practice tests at this link as a guest user. More information will be shared with students by their teachers.
• 9th and 10th Grade Benchmark Testing: 9th and 10th grade students will be completing ELA and math standardized benchmark assessments (NWEA MAP) the week after Spring Break (Week 30). These benchmark assessments provide valuable information on student levels and growth to inform our classroom practice and supports. We encourage students to get plenty of rest, have a healthy breakfast, and to do their best. 
  • 9th grade students will be taking the tests during their English and physics classes
  • 10th grade students will be taking the test during their World History class.
• Spring Break: Spring Break will be from April 1st – April 5th. School will resume Monday, April 8th at 8:50 am. We hope students and families have a wonderful break. 

Week 29 Schedule: This is a 4-day week. In honor of Cesar Chavez Day, there is no school on Friday, 3/29.

 

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Tuesday, 3/26: DVS Exhibition Night 5:30-8:00pm
• Thursday, 3/28: Da Vinci Schools Trades Fair 1:00-5:00pm
• Friday, 3/29: Cesar Chavez Holiday – No School
• Monday-Friday, 4/1-4/5: Spring Break – No School
• Monday, 4/8: 9th Grade Fulcrum Day
• Monday, 4/8: Collegewise Presentation 5:00 pm
• Wednesday, 4/10: DVS Families Coffee Time 4:15 pm in person or zoom 
• Tuesday-Wednesday, 4/9 and 4/10 – State Testing for 11th grade 
• Thursday, 4/12: 11th Grade College Field Trip (USC/LMU)
• Monday, 4/15: Opt-in SAT School Day 
• Thursday, 4/17: Parent Assocation Meeting 6:15
• Monday, 4/22: Collegewise Presentation 5:00 pm
• Monday, 4/22: 10th Grade Fulcrum Day  
• DVS Graduation Day: June 6th, 9:00am

 

Helpful Links:

DV/Wiseburn Athletics  

DVS Planning Calendar 

DVS Announcements Slidedeck  

DVS News YouTube Channel

Exhibition Night this Tuesday!

DV Trades Fair:

LA Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition:

DVS had a super fun and action-packed week! A big thank you to our School Leadership Team for putting together our first DVS Davinchella this past Thursday. Students showcased their singing, dancing, and henna art talents, and were rockstars! Students also shared their interest in various clubs and engaged in fun activities such as dodgeball, table tennis, role-playing games, dungeon experiences, and more!  

The Los Angeles Regional (LAR) First Robotics Competition is happening now on campus! Da Vinci is proud to host this LAR event for various FRC teams around the world. Robotics students have been working very hard the past few weeks making adjustments and new additions to our robot, Forte! The event is open to the public, feel free to come cheer on our Vitruvian Bots this Saturday and Sunday (3/16 and 3/17)! We wish Team 4201 the best of luck and are proud of our team for being gracious hosts to the community. Go Bots! 

We are also very proud to announce that Da Vinci Science has been recognized as a California Distinguished School for 2024! Schools were selected to demonstrate excellence and growth in academic achievement and ensure a positive school climate. Schools were selected for exceptional student performance based on achieving exemplary performance in English Language Arts (ELA) and math, reducing suspensions, and demonstrating high graduation rates. Our students and staff work continue to work hard to meet the needs of all learners for positive outcomes and engaging learning experiences. We are grateful for the continued support from our families, industry partners, and the community. 

Week 28 Announcements & Reminders: 

• Student-Led Conferences: Spring 2024 Student-Led Conferences (SLCs) are this week! They will take place from Monday-Thursday, March 18th-21st. By now, all students should know their scheduled SLC time. During SLC week, students will be dismissed early at 2:25 pm every day. SLC Information for all Grade Levels. 
• Parent Association Meetings: Our next Parent Association meeting is this week, Wednesday, 3/20 at 6:15pm on the DVS floor. Parent Association meetings are on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 6:15pm. All are welcome, no need to sign up! Future meetings:
  • Wednesday, 3/20 @ 6:15pm at DVS
  • Wednesday, 4/17 @ 6:15pm at DVS
  • Wednesday, 5/15 @ 6:15pm at location TBD
• Parent Association Fundraiser: The DVS Parent Association is fundraising to generate funds for our advisories. A more detailed email will be sent to all families separately.
• Exhibition Night: Our Da Vinci Science Exhibition Night is Tuesday, March 26th from 5:30pm-8:00pm! Students of all grade levels will be showcasing their projects and learnings from this year. All students are expected to attend this event and all families and community guests are welcome to attend!
• 11th Grade State Testing: 11th-grade students at DVS will be participating in California State Testing (SBAC and CAST) on Tuesday, 4/9 and Wednesday, 4/10. Tests will consist of English Language Arts, Math, and Science. Students can access additional practice tests at this link as a guest user. More information will be shared with students by their teachers.
• 9th and 10th Grade Benchmark Testing: 9th and 10th grade students will be completing ELA and math standardized benchmark assessments (NWEA MAP) the week after Spring Break (Week 30). These benchmark assessments provide valuable information on student levels and growth to inform our classroom practice and supports. 9th grade students will be taking the tests during their English and physics classes, whereas 10th grade students will be taking the test during their World History class. As always, we encourage students to do their best. 
• Peer Tutoring Available: Peer-tutoring is available at no cost for all students. If you would like to receive tutoring or give tutoring in any subject area, please sign up! Peer Tutoring Sign-Up Form. Students have been paired and will hear from their tutors this week.

Week 28 Schedule: Due to SLCs, students will be dismissed at 2:25pm every day next week.

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Monday-Thursday, 3/18-3/21: Student Led Conferences 
• Tuesday, 3/26: DVS Exhibition Night 5:30-8:00pm
• Thursday, 3/28: Da Vinci Schools Trades Fair 1:00-5:00pm
• Friday, 3/29: Cesar Chavez Holiday – No School
• Monday-Friday, 4/1-4/5: Spring Break – No School
• DVS Graduation Day: June 6th, 9:00am

 

Helpful Links:

DV/Wiseburn Athletics 

DVS Planning Calendar 

DVS Announcements Slidedeck  

DVS News YouTube Channel

Davincella!

 

Hello DVS Junior Families,

TONIGHT we welcome DVS junior families to join us from 5pm-6pm for their 11th grade College Planning Information Session. Click here to reserve your spot or use the QR Code below:

All students and parents/guardians are welcome!  Please contact Ms. Marquez, College and Career Counselor, if you have any questions:  fmarquez@davincischools.org 

 

We hope to see you tonight!

We hope everyone had a great first week of March. Students continue to make progress in their learning in their projects. Advanced Physics students enjoyed seeing physics applied in the real world during their visit to Knott’s Physics Day! Students had fun seeing how concepts such as velocity, torque, and acceleration can be applied in an amusement park setting. 

A few students also challenged themselves by opting in to take the F=ma Physics Test and received their results and certificates this week. This is a nationally recognized Physics test that students can participate in and potentially qualify to join the U.S. Physics Team. It is a very challenging test and we are proud of our students for opting in to challenge themselves and engage in physics beyond the classroom! 

Students in the mental health seminar also had an opportunity to visit Beach Cities AllCove. AllCove is a great resource for all students to receive free mental health support. Students had the opportunity to visit the Beach Cities location in Manhattan Beach. To learn more about this free resource, please visit: https://allcove.org/centers/beach-cities/

We also thank all families for coming to college information sessions this past week and enjoyed seeing families in person and at Zoom through DVS Coffee time. We hope to see you at the next one! If you missed the college information session, the slides are posted on the blog on the resources sidebar. 

Congratulations to National Merit Finalist, Josiah Fu! National Merit Finalists are recognized for their high achievement in academics and PSAT performance, top 1%. Finalists may be awarded scholarships from the National Merit Scholars program as well as from their future college. Way to go, Josiah!

Lastly, congratulations and job well done to our Vitruvian Bots! Last week, Forte, flew around the field and did extremely well scoring points with our alliance. Team 4201 was ranked 4 out of 50 teams and made it to playoff matches. It was an exciting playoff round, and although the team did not win the competition, we did win in spirit, learning, and fun. Our team was honored to receive the Gracious Professionalism Award in recognition of all the support Team 4201 gives to the community. DVS student, Natalie Wallis, also won the Dean’s Finalist Award! We are very proud of her leadership, care, and impact on the community.

We wish the Vitruvian Bots the best of luck as they gear up for LA Regionals next week! This competition will be held on our campus, March 15-March 17. Please come out and join the fun and support the Vitruvian Bots! Go Bots!

Week 27 Announcements & Reminders: 

• Davincella: DVS Leadership team is excited to put on our first Davinvella on Wednesday, March 13th. This event will take place during lunch and during Period 6 from 12:40-2:00. This will be a fun time for building positive school culture through performances, games, field activities, and club booths. Some items will be free and some items will be for a small cost. Thank you for supporting DVS leadership and joining in on the fun! 
• 11th Grade College Planning Info Night: Our College and Career Counselor, Ms. Francisca Marquez, and our 11th Grade Academic Counselor, Ms. Carolyn Ruiz, will be hosting a College Planning Information Session for 11th-grade students and families on Wednesday, March 13th at 5 pm. Come learn about graduation requirements, DVS pathways, college admission criteria, types of colleges and career options, financial aid/scholarships, and more! This meeting will be held on the DVS campus. All DVS students and families are invited to attend!  

• Student-Led Conferences: Spring 2024 Student-Led Conferences (SLCs) are right around the corner! They will take place from Monday-Thursday, March 18th-21st. More information about SLCs has been provided by grade-level teachers through email. During SLC week, students will be dismissed early at 2:25 pm every day. SLC Information for all Grade Levels
• Exhibition Night: Our Da Vinci Science Exhibition Night is Tuesday, March 26th from 5:30 pm-8:00 pm! Students of all grade levels will be showcasing their projects and learnings from this year. All students are expected to attend this event and all families and community guests are welcome to attend!

• Peer Tutoring Available: Peer-tutoring is available at no cost for all students. If you would like to receive tutoring or give tutoring in any subject area, please sign up! Peer Tutoring Sign-Up Form
• Parent Association Meetings: Parent Association meetings are on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 6:15 pm. All are welcome, no need to sign up! Future meetings:
  • Wednesday, 3/20 @ 6:15pm at DVS
  • Wednesday, 4/17 @ 6:15pm at DVS
  • Wednesday, 5/15 @ 6:15pm at location TBD

Week 27 Schedule: Next week is a 4-day week. There will be no school for students on Friday due to staff professional development day.

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Wednesday, 3/13: 11th Grade College Planning Info Night @ 5pm
• Friday, 3/15: PD Day
• Friday, 3/15-3/17: FRC LA Regionals @ Da Vinci Schools
• Monday-Thursday, 3/18-3/21: Student Led Conferences 
• Tuesday, 3/26: DVS Exhibition Night 5:30-7:30 pm
• Friday, 3/29: Cesar Chavez Holiday – No School
• Monday-Friday, 4/1-4/5: Spring Break – No School
• DVS Graduation Day: June 6th, 9:00am

 

Helpful Links:

DV/Wiseburn Athletics 

DVS Planning Calendar 

DVS Announcements Slidedeck  

DVS News YouTube Channel

Knotts Physics Day

F=Ma Physics Testers

Beach Cities AllCove Visit

Port Hueneme FRC Regionals

 

Hello DVS Families and happy Friday!

We appreciate all the students and families that attended their grade level College Planning Information Session this week. Below are the presentation slides for each grade level.

 

9^th Grade Presentation Slides

10^th Grade Presentation Slides

 

Junior Families: Please join us next week, Wednesday, March 13th from 5:00 pm-6:00pm for the 11th Grade College Planning Information Session.  This meeting will be held at the DVS Campus in the Galileo Room.  All juniors and their families are welcome!

 

Have a great weekend!

The DVS Counseling Team

 

Ms. Marquez

College and Career  Counselor (Grades 9th-12th)

fmarquez@davincischools.org

 

Ms. Valle

Academic and Wellness Counselor (C/O 2024 and 2026)

cvalle@davincischools.org 

 

Ms. Ruiz

Academic and Wellness Counselor (C/O 2025 and 2027)

cruiz@davincischools.org