Da Vinci Science

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This past week, students had the opportunity to explore and sign up for a variety of student-led clubs during the Club Fair this past  Thursday, September 7th! Clubs are a great way for students to find communities with similar interests and passions. You can find the list of clubs and their meeting times here. We are grateful to our student leaders and staff advisors for making this possible.

We also had our first DVS Families Coffee Time this past Wednesday. It was great to meet parents and families to build community together. Thank you, parents, students, and teachers for joining us! DVS Families Coffee Time will be held on the first Wednesday of every month. The next meeting will be Wednesday, Oct. 4th, from 4:15-5:15. If you are interested in joining a newly formed group called DVS PTSO (Parent/Teacher/Student/Organization), please fill out this interest form: DVS PTSO Interest Form

It was also exciting to see students engaged in real-world learning! Thank you, Gensler, for sending professional architects to come work with our CEA students!

Announcements for Week 5 (9/11-9/15)

• No school for students on Friday, 9/15 due to Professional Development Day for staff. Week 5 will be another 4-day week. Please note the special schedule. Things to note:
  • Wed. Seminar is on Monday
  • CD on Wednesday – Community Dialogue (CD) is a celebratory, whole-school gathering
  • Late lunch (1:10-1:40) on Wednesday- bring a healthy snack

• Grand Ave Drop Off: Da Vinci Schools has been piloting an alternative drop-off area on Grand Ave., and DVS will be able to take part in it for two weeks from September 11th to September 22nd. DVS office manager, Liz Diaz, has emailed parents/guardians specific instructions.

• SAT/PSAT School Day: Wednesday, October 11th is SAT/PSAT School Day at Da Vinci Science. All DVS students will be taking the PSAT or SAT on the Da Vinci Science campus on this day. This is paid for by the school and free for DVS students. See below for which test will be administered to each grade level. More info about the day (schedule, etc.) will be released closer to the date. 

• • 9th Grade: PSAT 8/9 (online test)
  • 10th Grade: PSAT/NMSQT (online test)
  • 11th Grade: PSAT/NMSQT (online test)
  • 12th Grade: SAT (paper test)
  • Some important information to keep in mind regarding SAT/PSATs:
    • UC and CSUs are test-blind, meaning SAT/PSAT scores are no longer utilized as part of the admissions process. 
    • Some private schools still do use the SAT/PSAT as part of their admissions process.
    • Some scholarships and awards may still use SAT/PSAT as a qualifier.
    • Starting Spring 2024, the SAT will also only be offered online, but it will be offered as a paper test on Oct. 11th, our SAT School Day. 
    • If your student is a 9th, 10th, or 11th-grade student and is interested in taking the SAT instead of the PSAT 8/9 or PSAT/NMSQT, please reach out to Saya (swai@davincischools.org) by Tuesday, September 12th, 2023. There are considerations for that option that we should discuss (such as the PSAT/NMSQT being the initial screening exam for the National Merit Scholarship) before moving forward.
    • Students can also register and pay on their own to take the SAT on their own through the College Board at this website to take the SAT outside of the SAT School Day.

• After-School Study Skills: DVS Academic Coaches provide free academic support after school Monday-Thursday 4:00pm-4:30pm. If students would like a space to do work or a DVS staff member to check in with, they can drop by the Robinson Room, no appointment needed! 
• Honors: Honors criteria and options are being communicated through teachers in class and Canvas. Students should have the information they need by the end of Week 5 (Friday, 9/15) to fill out this Honors Sign-Up Form by Friday, 9/22 to indicate in which classes they wish to attempt honors.

• Canvas: All coursework and grading information will continue to be through Canvas. 

• • • Student and Parent/Guardian Canvas Link: https://davincischools.instructure.com
    • Additional Canvas resources are available at the bottom of the Academics page on our blog.

• Attendance Reporting: We still encourage students to be in attendance as often as possible to maximize their learning experience. A friendly reminder to use this Attendance Reporting Form to let us know when your student will be absent, late, or leaving early. Students leaving early will need to be signed out by their parent/guardian even after submission of the form.

• Breakfast & Lunch Menu: Check next week’s menu here!

Week 5 Schedule (9/11-9/15):

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Friday, 9/15: Professional Development (PD) Day – No School
• Wednesday, 10/5 DVS Families Coffee Time 4:15-5:15 pm
• Wednesday, 10/11 PSAT/SAT School Day 

A few highlights from this week:

Happy Friday! We had a great and busy week. It has been a joy to see students immersed in their learning environment and getting into the swing of things. The school year is off to a great start! As usual, there is a lot happening as we continue to launch programs.

In honor of Labor Day, there will be no school on Monday, 9/4. We wish everyone a great Labor Day weekend! 

Please note we have a different schedule for Weeks 4 and 5. Week 5 is also a 4-day week for students due to Friday, 9/15 being a PD Day. You can see all weekly schedules for the 2023-2024 school year here. Please note that schedules are subject to change.

• DVS Families Coffee Time: We will be having a casual coffee time with parents, guardians, students, and staff once a month on the first Wednesday of the month. These will be held in person or you can zoom in (use this link: https://zoom.us/j/3108950461). We will have our first DVS Families Coffee Time this Wednesday, 9/6, from 4:15-5:15 in the Galileo Room. This meeting’s focus will be on “Getting to Know You.”
• Seminars: This was the first week of seminars! This semester, students were given a myriad of options including Jiu Jitsu, Yearbook, Breaking into the Music Business, Tabletop Strategy, and Fundamentals of Web Design. See the complete list of seminars in this Seminar Descriptions & Status doc. Students can request seminar changes up to Wednesday, 9/6 through the Seminar Change Request Form.
• Clubs Fair: Student leaders have been busy at work planning for the Club Fair, which will happen during Advisory and lunch next week, Thursday, September 7th. Clubs are a great way for students to find communities with similar interests and passions.
• Attendance Reporting: A friendly reminder to use this Attendance Reporting Form to let us know when your student will be absent, late, or leaving early. Students leaving early will need to be signed out by their parent/guardian even upon submission of the form.
• Canvas: All coursework and grading information will continue to be through Canvas. 
  • Student and Parent/Guardian Canvas Link: https://davincischools.instructure.com

• • Additional Canvas resources are available at the bottom of the Academics page on our blog.
• Honors: Honors criteria and options are being communicated through teachers in class and Canvas. Students should have the information they need by the end of Week 5 (Friday, 9/15) to fill out this Honors Sign-Up Form by Friday, 9/22 to indicate in which classes they wish to attempt honors.
• Measures of Academic Performance (MAP) Testing: 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students have been taking English and Math MAP assessments in their English and Social Studies classes and will continue to do so during the first weeks in September. The results of these assessments will provide valuable information regarding student performance and college readiness in order for our staff to support students more effectively throughout their time at DVS.
• Grand Drop Off: For two weeks at a time, Da Vinci Schools will be piloting an alternative drop-off area on Grand Ave. DVS parents will get a chance to take part on 9/11-9/22. 
• Breakfast & Lunch Menu: Check next week’s menu here!

Week 4 Schedule (9/4-9/8):

Important Upcoming Dates

• Monday, 9/4: Labor Day – No School
• Wednesday, 9/6: DVS Families Coffee Time 4:15-5:15 pm in Galileo Room
• Friday, 9/15: Professional Development (PD) Day – No School
• Wednesday, 10/11 PSAT/SAT School Day 

Students Enjoying Seminars

We had an amazing Week 2 that culminated with an amazing Class of 2027 Freshmen Overnighter! It was a great time to set the tone for a positive, welcoming, and inclusive school culture. We engaged in discussions around embracing our individual stories and accepting and welcoming the stories of others to build our school community and we also had a lot of fun!  We hope all of our students continue to have a positive experience for all four years of high school at DVS. Freshmen overnighter pictures can be found here.

• Measures of Academic Performance (MAP) Testing: 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students will be taking English and Math MAP assessments in their English and Social Studies classes during the first couple of weeks in September. The results of these assessments will provide valuable information regarding student performance and college readiness in order for our staff to support students more effectively throughout their time at DVS.

• Seminars will begin next week! Students signed up for their seminar choices this week. Here is the list of the Seminar choices for Semester 1. Please note that PowerSchool has been turned off, in order to process seminar requests and build student seminar schedules. Students will be able to request seminar changes once they receive their schedules next week. 
• LA Metro’s GoPass Program: Da Vinci Schools is participating in LA Metro’s GoPass Program again this year! This means each DVS student can receive a FREE Metrocard that, once activated, will allow them to ride on the Metro for FREE until June 30, 2024. Students can pick up a card and instructions to activate their card from Summer Munoz (mmunoz@davincischools.org) at the DVS Front Desk. Here is more information on the GoPass Program if you are interested.

Week 3 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates

• Tuesday, 8/29: First Day of Seminars
• Monday, 9/4: Labor Day – No School
• Friday, 9/15: Professional Development (PD) Day – No School
• Wednesday, 10/11 PSAT/SAT School Day 

 

The Families Connected Parent Chat, established in 2017, will relaunch in September 2023 as a free monthly support group open to all South Bay parents and caregivers. Provided in partnership between South Bay Families Connected, Beach Cities Health District and Thelma McMillen Center, the Parent Chat offers its participants a confidential and supportive space to share their parenting challenges and successes. Dr. Moe Gelbart, Executive Director of the Thelma McMillen Recovery Center, is the lead moderator for the group and offers his professional insight and expertise on a variety of topics. He is joined by Laura Short McIntire, Founder of SBFC. Please note that the Parent Chat is not a therapeutic program, but rather a peer to peer support group with educational guidance from a mental health professional.

Join the Parent Chat the second Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. Please join the next session September 12, 2023.  Click HERE for more information.

SBFC’s parenting resources, videos and blogs are free and accessible to all. Below is a link to the resource pages: https://www.southbayfamiliesconnected.org/parent-resources

We had a wonderful first week of school! Students and staff are getting settled and having fun getting to know their peers and their teachers and counselors. Thank you for your patience as students and staff are settling into their schedules and routines. We have really enjoyed getting to know our new and returning DVS family members!

• 9th Grade Overnighter is next week! 9th grade students will be leaving on the morning of Thursday, August 24th and returning around 3pm on Friday, August 25th. If your 9th grade student has not yet, please make sure to submit permission forms to their English teacher, Jessi Snyder ASAP!
• Measures of Academic Performance (MAP) Testing: 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students will be taking English and Math MAP assessments in their English and Social Studies classes during the first two weeks of September. The results of these assessments will provide valuable information regarding student performance and college readiness in order for our staff to support students more effectively throughout their time at DVS.
• Seminars will begin Week 3. Students signed up for their seminar choices this week. Here is the list of the Seminar choices for Semester 1. Please note that PowerSchool will be turned off starting Tuesday, August 22nd, in order to allow admin and counselors time to process seminar requests and build student seminar schedules. Students will be able to request seminar changes once they receive their schedules next week. We appreciate your patience.
• LA Metro’s GoPass Program: Da Vinci Schools is participating in LA Metro’s GoPass Program again this year! This means each DVS student can receive a FREE Metrocard that, once activated, will allow them to ride on the Metro for FREE until June 30, 2024. Students can pick up a card and instructions to activate their card from Summer Munoz (mmunoz@davincischools.org) at the DVS Front Desk. Here is more information on the GoPass Program if you are interested.

Week 2 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates

• Thursday – Friday, 8/24-8/25: 9th Grade Overnighter
• Monday, 9/4: Labor Day – No School
• Friday, 9/15: Professional Development (PD) Day – No School