Archives for March 2020

Happy Friday, DVC!

Congratulations – you’ve made it through the first week of Virtual Instruction at DVC! We greatly appreciate the feedback we’ve received from staff, students, and families, and we’ve made some adjustments to the schedule and plan for next week in the hopes of providing all of our DVC community with much-needed flexibility during this uncertain and challenging time. We love our DVC community and we are grateful for your patience as we work to get in a rhythm that works best for all members. Please click here to watch a video on The Vitruvian Post from me and Mr. Andrew Daramola (Assistant Principal) regarding next week’s schedule.

The major changes to the schedule for next week include the following:

• School goes from 9:30am until 1:30pm (Monday to Thursday).
• On Friday, students are expected to do a virtual check-in with their advisory teacher at 10am. The rest of the day is available for independent student work time.
• Office hours will occur at the time of the regularly scheduled class, so there is no separate time for office hours.

Please see all the details of this revised schedule at this link. You’ll also get to check out student birthdays and pictures of our whole-staff during our virtual staff meeting this morning: DVC Week 28 Schedule

We wish you all a happy, healthy weekend.

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza

Principal

Dear DVC Community,

First off, we want you to know we are wishing all families health, wellness, and safety during this time. We are grateful for our Da Vinci families and our intent is to continue to be of service in the best way possible for our students and families.

We are on Day 4 of Virtual Instruction, and we acknowledge that it has been an adjustment for everyone, including students, staff, and parents. Thank you for your patience as we continue to learn and figure this out together. Please know that staff has been in communication and working hard to ensure our students are still receiving quality education at this time and that their learning and overall well-being are being considered in every discussion and decision. With that said, we would appreciate your feedback on how virtual instruction has been going for your student. If you could please fill out this Virtual Instruction Parent Survey linked here, we would greatly value your feedback and thoughts.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at edsouza@davincischools.org or Andrew Daramola at adaramola@davincischools.org.

All the best to you and your families,

Erin

In response to the rapidly evolving situation around the coronavirus (COVID-19), the College Board is canceling the May 2, 2020, SAT administration. Makeup exams for the March 14 administration (scheduled March 28) are also canceled. Registered students will receive refunds.

The College Board will provide future SAT testing opportunities for students soon to replace canceled testing administrations. The College Board stated..”We’ll be as flexible as possible to give students the best chance to show their skills and stay on the path to college. We have not yet canceled the June 6, 2020, SAT administration and will continue to assess its status with the health and safety of students and educators as our top priority. ”

The College Board and Khan Academy will continue to provide free resources online, including full-length practice tests and personalized learning tools at khanacademy.org/sat .

Good Morning Seniors,

As many of you have received college acceptances and are awaiting to hear from the remainder colleges, we have received notices that most colleges have decided to cancel on-campus visits and admitted student activities which are typically done during this time.  COVID19 is changing the way things are normally done on a daily basis and we will do our best to keep you informed.

Historically, all acceptances should be released no later than April 1st and that has not changed.  Additionally, commitment day is May 1st (the day you commit to attending a college by submitting your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) deposit).

In the meantime, colleges have begun announcing optional opportunities that students can take advantage of in lieu of visiting college campuses.  Below are a few suggestions you can find simply by checking on the colleges website:

1. Live Chats
2. Webinars
3. Live Stream Sessions
4. Parent FaceBook Groups
5. Admitted Student Networks
6. Virtual Campus Tours
7. College Instagram Accounts

Lastly, make sure to check out acceptance letters for additional information and updates on admissions websites.  If all else fails….. let good instinct and your heart lead the way!

Remember to contact your counselor with questions!

Good Morning,

As we slowly move into virtual territory, we want to make sure to equip our families with helpful tools that you can use in your daily life that may help manage stress and reduce anxiety.  Practicing mindfulnesscan increase relaxation and improve self-esteem.  Below are 9 mindfulness exercises you can do in a minute or under.

By Leonie Stewart-Weeks

1. Yawn and stretch for 10 seconds every hour – Do a fake yawn if you have to. That will trigger real ones. Say “ahh” as you exhale. Notice how a yawn interrupts your thoughts and feelings. This brings you into the present. Then stretch really, really slowly for at least 10 seconds. Notice any tightness and say “ease” or just say hello to that place (being mindful — noticing without judgment). Take another 20 seconds to notice and then get back to what you were doing.]
2. Three hugs, three big breaths exercise – Hug someone tight and take 3 big breaths together. Even if they don’t breathe with you, your breathing will ground them.
3. Stroke your hands – Lower or close your eyes. Take the index finger of your right hand and slowly move it up and down on the outside of your fingers. Once you have mindfully stroked your left hand, swap and let your left hand stroke the fingers of your right hand.
4. Mindfully eat a raisin – Take a raisin or a piece of chocolate and mindfully eat it. Slow down, sense it, savor it and smile between bites. Purposefully slow down. Use all your senses to see it, touch it, smell it, and sense it. Then gently pop it into your mouth and really savor it. Savor its texture, its taste, how it feels in your mouth. Let it linger and then swallow it. After you have swallowed it, let your lips turn up slightly and smile. Do the same thing for each raisin you eat or bite you take.
5. Clench your fist and breathe into your fingers – Position your fingers and thumbs facing down. Now clench your fist tightly. Turn your hand over so your fingers and thumbs are facing up and breathe into your fist. Notice what happens.
6. STOP – Stand up and breathe – Feel your connection to the earth. Tune in to your body. Lower your gaze. Scan your body and notice physical sensations or emotions. Discharge any unpleasant sensations, emotions or feelings on the out breath. Notice any pleasant ones and let them fill you up on the in breath. Observe. Lift your eyes and take in your surroundings. Observe something in your environment that is pleasant and be grateful for it and its beauty. Possibility. Ask yourself what is possible or what is new or what is a forward step. If you find yourself being reactive, try the following steps: Pause and take one to three big breaths.
7. Say “step back” ( You don’t have to physically step back, you can just do it in your mind.)
   Say “clear head.”
   Say “calm body.”
   Breathe again. Say “relax,” “melt” or “ease.”
8. Mindful breathing for one minute – Lower your eyes and notice where you feel your breath. That might be the air going in and out at your nostrils or the rise and fall of your chest or stomach. If you can’t feel anything, place your hand on your stomach and notice how your hand gently rises and falls with your breath. If you like, you can just lengthen the in breath and the out breath or just breathe naturally. Your body knows how to breathe. Focus on your breath. When your mind wanders, as it will do, just bring your attention back to your breath. You might like to say ‘thinking’ when you notice your thoughts and just gently shepherd your attention back to your breath.This can be done for longer than one minute. However, even for one minute it will allow you to pause and be in the moment. Or you might just like to breathe out stress on the out breath and breathe in peace on the in breath.
9. Loving-kindness meditation – For one minute, repeat ‘May I be happy, may I be well, may I be filled with kindness and peace.’ You can substitute “you” for “I” and think of someone you know and like, or just send love to all people.
10. An aspiration – Decide on an aspiration. Just ask yourself this question: What is my heart’s aspiration? Pause for about 20 seconds. Do this a second or third time and write down what comes. Perhaps it is to come from love, or to be kind to yourself or others or to be patient. Once you decide which aspiration you like best, say that at the beginning of the day. This will set you up for your day and your interactions with others (and even with yourself).