DVC families,

I am honored to share that at the conclusion of this year, Dr. Scott Weatherford will take over as the next DVC principal, effective July 1, 2017.

Dr. Weatherford is our government, economics and college writing teacher at DVC, and his experience stretches far beyond his work at DVC. Dr. Weatherford has 18 years of experience as a teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal. He joined the Da Vinci family in 2012 and has taught US Government, Economics, and College Writing as main assignments, in addition to multiple college courses through Antioch University. He is also the founding Director of the Da Vinci Institute, our professional development center for educators interested in learning more about Da Vinci best practices and applying them to their own learning and schools. Dr. Scott has extensive experience leading professional development, hiring and coaching, and working closely with teachers and teacher teams to help them continuously grow their craft and meet the needs of diverse student populations. Prior to joining Da Vinci, Scott served as Principal of Camino Nuevo High School. He holds a B.A., Master’s, and Doctorate of Education all from UCLA.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. I am looking forward to working with all of you the rest of the year and seeing our first senior class graduate; and I feel incredibly confident about our transition to the 2017-18 school year in a new building, larger freshman class and new leadership.

Thank you all,

Nathan

ACT Prep

Juniors and sophomores – we have two ACT prep options which would be extremely valuable for your preparation for college entrance exams. Check out each of these two options below, and if you are in need of a scholarship, please just get in touch with your counselor to apply for one.

ACT Prep After School at DVC

Come join a greatly discounted ACT prep course here at DVC after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This course will be excellent preparation for the April 8th ACT, and includes full proctored practice exams on Saturdays to help you practice in a testing setting. This class is highly recommended to juniors who want to raise their ACT scores to open up more college options when you apply to colleges in less than a year!

Saturday ACT Prep Through Watts Learning Center

The Watts Learning Center is hosing a Saturday ACT prep course as well. It just started this past Saturday, and we are waiting a call back to see if there is still space available, but if this option is closer or works better for you, please feel free to reach out and call them about availability!

Spring_ 2017 ACT Application

Senior Photos and Makeup Photos – Friday, February 10th

Seniors! Remember that Friday, February 10th you will be taking photos in a cap and gown (provided day of) for the yearbook! Come ready to take your yearbook photo that morning.

If you missed the first photo day of the year, you will take your photo this day as well.

Photos will take place between 9:00am and 10:45am, and we will have exact time sign-ups soon.

Friendly reminder to all the 9^th grade students and parents to join us tonight for our Freshmen Parent Night from 6 pm to 7pm.

We highly encourage you to attend, as you will receive information about how to have a successful freshmen year. We will give tips on academics, nutrition, understanding PSAT 8/9 scores, and parent involvement. The meeting will take place in Room 3103 at Da Vinci Communications High School. Please come through the gate, past the main office, Room 3101 is the 5th door on the left as  you walk on to our campus. We hope to see you here! 

Senior Events

Seniors, your last semester here at DVC is filled with activities and celebrations of your great work in high school! There are a ton of senior events coming up, and we wanted to put them all in one place for you. Some dates and details are still tentative, but here is a list of events to be on the lookout for this semester.

Keep a lookout for more blog posts for updates on times, payment methods and other details.

• Friday, February 10^th, 9:00am to 10:45am – Senior yearbook photo day (in caps and gowns provided by Stacee). These are yearbook photos only, not cap and gown photos for purchase.
• February ? – Senior bowling evening (pay at bowling alley)
• Thursday March 16^th – 17^th: Senior event, details TBD (waiting on chaperones)
• Friday, March 17^th: Spring formal (not senior-specific)
• March ? (late March): Movie night. Cost: free, food for purchase. Location: Field behind DVC
• Friday, April 7^th: Carnival, tentative
• Friday, May 19^th: Prom at Long Beach Renaissance, 7:00pm to 12:00am. Payment to senior committee, ticket sales start in March.
• Wednesday, May 24^th – Friday, May 26^th: Senior project POLs
• Friday, May 26^th: Beach day, details and date are still tentative
• Tuesday, May 30^th – Senior Showcase (Senior Projects Exhibition)
• Tuesday, May 30^th and Wednesday, May 31^st – Senior finals study week (school in session, proctored college study sessions)
• Thursday June 1^st and Friday June 2^nd – Senior finals
• Monday, June 5^th: Graduation practice and senior breakfast
• Tuesday, June 6^th: Graduation
• Wednesday, June 7^th: Grad Night ($95), payment to Jackie

Advisory Lessons: Health and Drugs

Families – this week and next we are having discussions with students in advisory about health, drugs and drug use among high school students. We encourage you to continue these conversations with your children at home. We are directing students to medical websites (e.g. WebMD) and news stories, especially those touching on the growing state-based legalization of marijuana. We of course want our students to abstain from all drug use, but realize that all high schools will see some percentage of experimentation given our teenage demographic. Our overriding message for students is that we want them to be healthy, understand the health risks of drug use, and reinforce the idea that changes in state law in no way make marijuana use legal for minors or change how we as a school treat drug use. Here are some resources we are sharing with students you can use as a starting point for your conversations at home:

• http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects
• http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20121207/recreational-marijuana-health-effects
• “60 Minutes” examines effects of marijuana on body
• Effects of cannabis on the teenage brain NCPIC + Turning Point
• CDC warns of “potential danger” with edible marijuana

Track!

The track team is up and running! Join the team and coaches Laura and Kevin on the back field every day at 4:30. Practice started last week, so join right away to get a spot on the team!

Thank you to all the families that came out on Friday for the DVC Awards Ceremony. We understand it was a bit difficult to see all of the names on the projector. Below is a list of all the award recipients. Congratulations once again!

Most Improved:

DVC Peace Prize:

Perfect Attendance:     

Honor Roll (GPA 3.0-3.49):

Honor Roll for Superior Achievement (GPA 3.5-3.79)

Nathan’s List for Academic Achievement (GPA 3.8 and Above):