Archives for October 2020

Hi DVC Families,

We were able to welcome our Class of 2024 to the DVC Family during a Virtual Overnighter on Thursday and Friday of last week! We are proud of our 9th graders for their energy and positivity during this time. They shared that they wanted DVC to be a place of creativity, acceptance, and kindness, and we are excited for all the goodness they will bring to DVC during their four years here. We are also grateful to our terrific 10th, 11th, and 12th grade leaders as they welcomed this special class to our DVC family.

A big highlight of the time was a chance to greet our wonderful new students during our drive-through parade. Here’s a link to the slideshow from the event – enjoy!

Class of 2024 Drive-Through Slideshow (October 2020)

Erin

Happy Sunday, DVC!

This week we are holding Student-Led Conferences (SLCs). The purpose of Student-Led Conferences is for the school to support our students in leading a conversation with you, their parent/guardian, about their learning strengths and challenges thus far and their goals moving forward. We are looking forward to checking in with you and answering any questions you might have! If you have not yet signed up for a conference, please do so as soon as possible. Instructions on how to do so are provided in the links below:

9th Grade

• Letter to Parents & Guardians and Link to Schedule a Student-Led Conference
  • Questions? Please contact Mr. Einstein Lopez at elopez@davincischools.org.

10th Grade

• All students should sign up according to their Connections Class Teacher.
  • For students in Mrs. Mondragón and Ms. Dani’s Connections Classes: Sign up here
  • For students in Mr. Sandoval and Ms. Gerard’s Connections Classes: Sign up here
  • For students in Ms. Flower and Mr. Watson’s Connections Classes: Sign up here
    • Questions? Please contact Ms. Dani at dguerrero@davincischools.org.

11th Grade

• All students should sign up according to their Connections Class Teacher.
  • For students in Ms. Hapner’s Connections Class: Sign up here
  • For students in Mr. Donald’s Connections Class: Sign up here
  • For students in Mr. Eric’s Connections Class: Sign up here
  • For students in Mr. Covelman’s Connections Class: Sign up here
  • For students in Mr. Mar’s Connections Class: Sign up here
    • Questions? Please contact Mr. Donald at dpuathasnanon@davincischools.org.

12th Grade

• Check your scheduled date and time and get the link you need here.
  • Questions? Please contact Ms. Deepti Reim at dreim@davincischools.org.

A few overall notes about this week:

• Friday, 10/16 is a Professional Development Day for teachers and we will not have classes on Friday.
• Some teachers are holding asynchronous classes this week. This means that your student will have schoolwork to do, but they may not be required to log into their zoom for live instruction.
• Please reach out to the teachers directly if you have any specific questions. You can find all of their contact information at this link.
• If you need access to your student’s Power School in order to check grades and attendance, please reach out to Jackie Martinez at jmartinez@davincischools.org.

And, as always, please feel free to reach out to me and I can try to point you in the right direction! My cell is 310-350-7192, my email is edsouza@davincischools.org, and you can also make an appointment with me at this link.

We’re all looking forward to seeing you this week!

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza

Principal

Thank you to all Da Vincians who joined us on Wednesday 10/7 for our Financial Aid Workshop for Senior Families.  In this workshop, we provided a step-by-step explanation of the federal student financial aid process. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was explained along with grants, federal loans and scholarships.  The session was recorded and can be found here.

We will host two more Financial Aid Workshops for Senior Families on the following dates.

• Thursday, November 5, 4:30-6pm
• Wednesday, February 10, 4:30-6pm

These workshops cover the same content, so you only need to attend one.  We welcome you back if you need clarification or a refresher on the material.

Important Reminders and Resources on Financial Aid:

• The FAFSA opened on October 1^st and is due March 2^nd for CSUs, UCs, and California Community Colleges. The FAFSA deadlines for private and out-of-state universities vary.  Please check their respective websites for financial aid deadlines  We encourage you to apply early!
• To complete and sign a FAFSA electronically, both the student and the parent need an FSA ID.  Here is information on creating an FSA ID.
• If you are applying to a private college, you many need to complete the FAFSA and the CSS Profile.  The CSS Profile is used to assess the student for institutional aid, which may include merit-based aid.  Here is a list of colleges that requires the CSS Profile.
• If you are an undocumented student, you may be eligible for the state aid and institutional aid.   Please complete the DREAM Act Application to apply for these funds. Please connect with your counselor if you need support with this process.
• If you are or were a foster youth, you may qualify for the CHAFEE Grant. Please connect with your counselor if you need support with this process.

As always, please reach out to your respective counselor if you have any questions.

Have a great Friday and a restful weekend!

• The DV Counseling Team

Good afternoon, parents, guardians, and caregivers.  First and foremost, we hope this finds you doing well, safe, and healthy.

Da Vinci Communications is in the process of creating awareness this year with regards to suicide prevention, awareness of warning signs, increasing resiliency, and training of key people in the process. Most importantly, you, the parents, guardians, or caregivers. You are a crucial part of this project and process.

When schools closed to students and staff due to COVID-19, many parts of our school community were affected, such as our planned training events. However, the Center for Distance and Online Learning (CDOL) division of the LA County Office of Education (LACOE) recently developed and released a set of screencasts for online parent training. This training is focused on suicide prevention, awareness of warning signs, and increasing resiliency. It is important to note; each segment is not meant to be a stand-alone segment, which means that we ask you ultimately to watch each of them in order and its entirety. By design, each segment is no longer than 15 minutes because you may not have an opportunity to view content like this for an extended period of time.

Online Parent Training Videos

Video 1:  https://youtu.be/yhui44GkHLc

Video  2: https://youtu.be/Gde2Qu-96UM

Video 3: https://youtu.be/py5tv1CKqWw

As you watch these, if you become concerned about your child, please be aware of the following resources recommended by Da Vinci Communications, and please contact your child’s school counselor for any additional questions. 

Parent Resources:

2020 Resources for Parents and Staff.docx.pdf

2020 Parent Suicide Ideation Resources.pdf

Da Vinci Schools Families Connected — Families Connected

DVC Counseling Team:

Artia Thomas (9th & 11th Grades)   –  Athomas@Davincischools.org 

Jennifer Barba (10 & 12th Grades) – Jbarba@Davincischools.org

Please also be aware that additional resources are provided at the end of each segment. Feel free to share the link with others, because the more people who have this important knowledge, the better! 

Thank you,

The DVC Counseling Team

Hi Students and Families-

This Wednesday, October 7th, from 4:30pm – 6:00pm the Da Vinci Counselors from Communications, Design, and Science will be hosting a FAFSA Workshop Night! All College applicants must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to qualify for financial aid (ex. grants, loans, scholarships). The FAFSA opens on October 1 and is due March 2 for CSUs, UCs, and Community Colleges in California. FAFSA deadlines for private and out-of-state universities vary. Apply early!

This will be a zoom webinar event, and the counselors will be going step by step on how to fill out the FAFSA application. There will be a Q&A in the chat feature on zoom. Here is the link to join:

https://zoom.us/j/92377943554

Or join by phone:
> Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
> US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 646 876 9923 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799

Webinar ID: 923 7794 3554

To fully sign and submit the FAFSA on this night, student and parent(s) must apply for their PIN and have it verified. CLICK ON THIS link for a helpful video that walks you through this.

We will also be hosting his webinar on future dates:
Thursday, November 5, 4:30-6pm
Wednesday, February 10, 4:30-6pm

Remember, the earlier you fill out FAFSA the better! Hope to see you there!