Good morning DVS Families! Join us on May 22nd as we welcome Kim Girard, an author and life coach, as she shares about how to best prepare students for freshmen year of college and how to recognize the early signs that your student might be struggling. The talk will be hosted in-person at DVS in the Galileo Room at 6 pm on Wednesday, 5/22.
Join us for the inaugural Da Vinci Design 10th Grade Student Art Show, hosted by Indivisible Arts at the Resin Gallery in the heart of Hermosa Beach on Saturday, May 11th from 4:30pm-8pm.
Location:
Resin Gallery
618 Cypress Ave
Hermosa Beach
Camp Kitsch will be an immersive experience where DVD students will showcase their talent. More than just an art show, this event aims to foster a sense of belonging by providing a safe and welcoming “third place” for South Bay high school students to come together and celebrate creativity.
Guests will also be able to enjoy music from Da Vinci’s very own student bands, “Crawfish Department” and “Koi.”
Don’t miss out on this unforgettable celebration of art, community, and young talent!
Good afternoon, DVS Families! We hope you’re having a wonderful week. The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) will be at DVS this Thursday, May 9th. This presentation will be at lunchtime in Mr. Perez’s classroom and is open to all DVS students grade 9th-11th.
We hope to see you there!
Ms. Marquez
College and Career Counselor
We had a beautiful Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) CD! Thank you to all the staff and students who dedicated their time and shared their talents with us. We enjoyed hula, bhangra, vovinam, tinikling, and fan dance performances representing Hawai’i, India, Vietnam, Philippines, and China, and we learned elements of culture, language, and food from Taiwan and Japan. The CD wrapped up with a fashion show displaying clothing from various AAPI cultures.
Senior prom is tonight! Thank you for being flexible and understanding with the change of venue. We are looking forward to a fun, safe, and memorable night for the class of 2024.
Announcements & Reminders for Week 34:
Teachers especially love hearing from students and families. We encourage students to show their appreciation by writing a note to your teacher or staff member about what you appreciate about them!
This Week’s Schedule:
Important Upcoming Dates:
Helpful Links:
AAPI CD
Teal Blue Mental Health Workshop Flyer
Hello Junior Families!
I want to share an exciting opportunity with you about the Posse Foundation Scholarship. Every year, The Posse Foundation works closely with high schools, like Da Vinci Science, to recruit students who demonstrate leadership and academic potential to become a Posse Scholar. If selected, a Posse Scholar wins a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to attend one of Posse’s partner colleges or universities:
Below are informational materials on the Posse Foundation:
Posse Foundation Information Guide
Posse Foundation Scholarship: Parent FAQ
If you would like DVS to consider you as a nominee for the Posse Scholarship and you demonstrate leadership and academic potential, please complete the Posse Foundation Scholarship Nomination Request form by Friday, May 24th at 4pm.
Please reach out if you have additional questions!
Ms. Marquez, College and Career Counselor
Dear Da Vinci Community,
This update provides important information about tomorrow night’s Class of 2024 Prom.
As many of you may know by now, there have been escalating protests at nearby college campuses, including at USC in close proximity to where our Senior Prom was scheduled to take place.
After conferring with law enforcement agencies and receiving new information last night related to security, the decision has been made to move the Senior Prom to a location in El Segundo to ensure the safety of our students, staff and security team.
WHAT: Senior Prom
WHEN: Friday, May 3, 2024 | 6:30-10:00 PM
WHERE: The Terrace, 2361 Rosecrans Ave., 2nd Floor, El Segundo – NEW
LOCATION
(The Terrace is located at the corner of Rosecrans/Continental Circle; there is plenty of free parking in the parking structure – a map will be provided soon.)
This may strike as initially disappointing news, yet I am confident that tomorrow will be a wonderful evening for our graduates in an elegant new location. I am grateful to our entire community for coming together to make sure the Prom goes on as scheduled.
I know many of you may have questions or concerns you wish to share about this change of venue. I ask that you refrain from reaching out to your school leadership and senior committee advisors unless absolutely necessary so they can focus on planning and making sure the prom is fun and memorable for the Class of 2024. If you feel you must reach out, please contact us at info@davincischools.org.
Let’s all celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2024 with pride and joy as they embark on their exciting new journeys.
I wish to extend deep gratitude to Richard Lundquist, Bob Tarnofsky and the entire Continental Development team, Da Vinci’s school leadership teams, senior advisory teachers, operations and safety teams, Wiseburn Superintendent Dr. Blake Silvers, and the El Segundo Police Department for adapting rapidly and effectively to a challenging situation.
Gratefully,
Dr. Matthew Wunder
CEO/Superintendent
Da Vinci Schools
Dear Da Vincians,
A special group of Da Vinci Science students in the Biomedical Pathway will present their Grand Rounds Presentation for a panel of medical professionals. Jeremy Wong, Biomedical Pathways Teacher, extends an invitation to DV community members as students showcase their mastery over the diagnostic process used by medical professionals.
If you are a medical professional interested in being part of the panel, please email Ms. Nordia Simmonds at nsimmonds@davincischools.org
We invite our DVS Community to be part of this special event:
Thursday, May 9th, 2024 @ 5:15 PM – 8:00 PM
2nd Floor of Da Vinci Schools
We hope to see you there!
Da Vinci Science held our first Neurodiversity Celebration Week last week. As we continue to strive to be a school that embraces diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, we had lessons and lunch activities to celebrate Neurodiversity acceptance. Thank you staff and student leaders for initiating this week and empowering students to embrace and accept all learners.
Our Sophomores had a great day outdoors at Temescal Canyon. Students built stamina and confidence through rigorous hikes, challenging ropes courses, and archery! Thank you, Fulcrum for leading this team-bonding learning experience for our students.
Da Vinci Science’s Society of Women Engineers (SWE) club was invited to attend the MUSES Woman of the Year Luncheon at the Jonathan Club in downtown LA yesterday. Dr. Laurie Leshin (first woman director of JPL) was the 2024 honoree. This distinguished geochemist and space scientist shared about her journey from a NASA college internship to her current role managing JPL and Caltech teams that explore space. Thank you to the SMET Foundation for sponsoring our girls! What a treat!
This past week, 9th graders had their college visit to El Camino College. Students had a great time getting a feel for college life and getting a feel for the amazing resources that El Camino has to offer. Thank you, Ms. Marquez and Team 9 for providing students with this opportunity.
Last Friday, juniors had a wonderful immersive pathway experience at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Students had hands-on learning experiences as they engaged in Cal Poly’s motto of “Learn by Doing.” Students in all three pathways had the opportunity to learn from Cal Poly professors and DVS alumni.
Announcements & Reminders for Week 33:
Week 33 Schedule:
Please note that Week 33 is a 4-day school week with a special schedule.
Important Upcoming Dates:
Neurodiversity Celebration Week
9th Grade El Camino Visit
10th Grade Fulcrum Day in Temescal Canyon
11th grade Pathways Experience at Cal Poly SLO
SWE at MUSES Women of the Year Luncheon
Hello DVS families, Thank you to all the families and students who attended our Answering the Biggest College Admissions Questions: Academics, Internships, STEM and more workshop yesterday. Here are the presentation slides.
You may also contact Ian Parker from CollegeWise if you have follow-up questions: iparker@collegewise.com
Hello DVS Families! We hope you had a wonderful weekend. Please join us TONIGHT, April 22nd at 5pm for Answering the Biggest College Admissions Questions: Academics, Internships, STEM and more: A workshop presented by CollegeWise. RSVP here or by using the QR code below:
Please contact Ms. Marquez, College and Career Counselor if you have any questions: