Da Vinci Science

 

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:

 

Free Summer Programs for High School Students

Carnegie Mellon University Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS)

Girls Who Code

Princeton Summer Journalism Program

Research Science Institute (MIT)  application closes on 12/13/23

Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)

Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS): Hosted at Cornell University, University of Maryland, and University of Michigan

 

In State

California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS): hosted at UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz, UC San Diego

California State Summer School for the Arts 

Cal Poly SLO Summer Springboard 

Cal Poly SLO Engineering Possibilities in College (EPIC)

Loyola Marymount University Pre-College Programs

Stanford University Summer Session 

Stanford Summer Humanities Institute

Stanford Pre-College Summer Institute 

UC Berkeley Pre-College Scholars

UC Berkeley Business Academy

UC Davis Pre-College Summer Programs

UCLA Pre-College Summer Institute

UCLA Film and Television Summer Institute

UC Santa Barbara Summer Research Academy

UC Santa Cruz Summer Session 

USC Summer and Online Pre-College Programs

 

Out of State

Columbia University Pre-College Program

Brown University Pre-College Program

Harvard University Pre-College Program

Northwestern University Accelerated Pre-College Program  : Boston Campus  and Oakland Campus 

The New School Parsons Academy Pre-College Summer Intensive Studies

 

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 form by 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
• Semester 1 end date: December 21
• Winter Break: December 22- January 15
• First day of Semester 2: Tuesday, January 16th
• DVS Graduation Day: June 6th 

CEA at Gensler:

Y&G Bill Hearing Night

Peer Math Tutoring

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

• Changes to the FAFSA (video)
• 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:

• 1. Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship – due 12/15/23
  2. Edison Scholars – due 1/23/24
  3. Equitable Excellence Scholarship Program– due 12/18/23

 

Deadlines for FAFSA/CADAA:

• University of California: March 2, 2024
• Cal State University: April 2, 2024
• Private Universities: Check each university site as deadlines vary

 

We know there are a lot of updates and we are here to help!  Please don’t hesitate to reach out for support.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Ms. Marquez, College Counselor

fmarquez@davincischools.org

 

Mr. Perez, CCL Teacher

rperez@davincischools.org

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
• Semester 1 end date: December 21
• Winter Break: December 22- January 15
• First day of Semester 2: Tuesday, January 16th

 

Pictures Science of Sports Exhibitions