Archives for January 2022

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Today we honor his legacy, and last week students participated in Bystander Intervention Training led by Hollaback!, which helped students and staff feel empowered to do something to help whenever they witness someone being harassed for any reason, whether at school or outside of school. We keep moving forward together, learning and working to make DVC and our community a space that is free from harassment or hate of any kind – one that MLK Jr. would be proud of!

Seminars begin this week! Students can expect to get a printed copy of their new schedule during 3rd period on Tuesday, 1/18 just prior to the start of the first seminar class. Any requests for changes will be accommodated as best as possible, and students will be provided with a link in which to make their requests.

We are thankful to our students for doing a great job keeping their masks covering their mouths and noses throughout the school day. Here are the testing options available at DVC:

• Rapid Antigen Testing (Ongoing): On-site rapid testing for students open from 8:15am-3:45pm daily. Students are not allowed to leave class to test and must use time before school, during lunch, and after school. Students should pre-register here if this is their first time testing at school.
• PCR Testing (New this week): Da Vinci Schools is proud to offer onsite PCR testing for students and staff starting this Wednesday, 1/19! This does not replace our existing rapid testing program. Here is the flyer: DV PCR COVID TESTING Please see details below: 
  • First event: Wednesday, 1/19/22
  • Time: 230-430pm, first come first serve.
  • Rest of semester: Weekly on Tuesdays 230-430p
  • Location: 201 N Douglas Street, COVID tent in backyard by lunch area
  • Pre-​registration required: https://ihd-patient.preciseq.com/davinci-schools 
  • What to bring: ID and unique QR code provided after registration (This code is to be used for the lifetime of the Testing Program. Please present this code to the technician prior to every test)
  • *Please note, insurance information is required, so we encourage students to register at home with access to their insurance card.

For students who are unable to come to school, class information and assignments will continue to be available via Google Classroom. All students who are feeling healthy and who are at home are encouraged to keep up digitally with assignments and videoconference during their teachers’ scheduled virtual office hours. Please see this link for virtual office hours information: DVC Zooms for Students in Quarantine Please contact Pattie Foxman in our office at pfoxman@davincischools.org to notify us if your child is going to be absent from school.

Wishing you and your family a healthy week,

Erin D’Souza

Principal

Hello Seniors and Families,

The Princeton Prize in Race Relations (PPRR) recognizes and rewards high school students who, through their volunteer activities, have undertaken significant efforts to advance racial equity and understanding in their schools or communities.

The Princeton Prize in Race Relations is a non-academic cash prize ($1,000) for high school students who have done work to advance racial equity in their high schools or communities. We select winners from 29 different regions around the country, and in addition to the cash prize, winners attend an all-expenses-paid symposium on racial justice and advocacy at Princeton University in the spring.

The application is open now until January 31, 2022. More information can be found on the Princeton Prize in Race Relations website: https://pprize.princeton.edu/.

Please contact me for any additional questions,

Ms. Aldrete

College and Career Counselor

Happy Wednesday DVC,

Los Angeles Trade Technical College is open and would like to invite you to visit their campus on Saturday, 22 January 2022. Community members, current students, and prospective students are invited between 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. to see our new facilities, learn about our programs, support services, and enroll in classes. It will be a day of food, music, giveaways, and fun!

Welcome back DVC!

Here are a list of scholarships for Seniors that are due this semester:

• Asian Pacific Fund

  As the only foundation dedicated to serving our most vulnerable Asian and Pacific Islander community, the Asian Pacific Fund is pleased to share the scholarship opportunities we have available for the 2022-23 academic year. Scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000 per year and many prioritize Asian students with financial need. Information on these scholarship opportunities are now posted on the scholarships page of our website:  www.asianpacificfund.org/scholarships. 

• VVA South Bay Chapter 53 Scholarships for 2022
  Vietnam Veterans of America South Bay Chapter 53 is proud to announce our Annual Scholarship Program for graduating high school students.  Since 1995 we have been awarding scholarships to graduating seniors from local South Bay area high schools.  In addition to encouraging and supporting continued education, we are trying to heighten awareness of the Vietnam War, the men and women who served during that period, and the huge impact it has made on the United States, both then and now.  This year Chapter 53 will again award scholarships of $1,000 to selected college- or technical-school- bound South Bay area high school seniors. Essays must be received before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, 2022. For more information, visit the VVA South Bay Chapter 53 website: http://www.vva53.org/
• Foundation 649 College Scholarship
  The Foundation 649 Scholarship is a grant of $4,000 over the course of 4 years that can be applied to college tuition and expenses. To maintain eligibility each year, there will be a brief check-in and renewal process at the end of each school year. Five recipients will be selected and each recipient will receive an award of $4,000 USD spread over 4 years. Application deadline is March 1, 2022. Here is the link to apply.
  • Requirements are 1) Be a degree-seeking, full-time student enrolling in a U.S. accredited university in Fall 2022 as a Freshman or transferring from a community college. 2) Identify as Asian American / Pacific Islander. 3) Have a track record of involvement and interest in AAPI communities, issues, or causes. 4) Have demonstrated financial need for the scholarship. 5)Be a US citizen, resident or foreign national.
• HSF Scholar Application

  As an HSF Scholar, you will have access to HSF’s invaluable Scholar Support Services and be eligible to receive a scholarship, depending on available funds.

  • Every year, HSF selects ~10,000 outstanding students as HSF Scholars from a broad and talented pool of applicants
  • HSF Scholars have access to a full range of invaluable Scholar Support Services, including career services, mentorship, leadership development, knowledge building, and wellness training
  • Career services include access to select internship and job opportunities with HSF corporate partners
  • HSF Scholars are eligible to apply for all Scholar Conferences including, the STEM Summit, Finance Conference, Media & Entertainment Summit, Entrepreneurship Summit, and Healthcare Summit
  • Exclusive access to the HSF Insider which shares invaluable information and career opportunities
  • Finally, and importantly, HSF awards more than $30 million in Scholarships annually and, depending upon available funds, HSF Scholars may also be eligible to receive a scholarship, which range from $500-$5,000 and awarded directly to students.

  Eligibility requirements: Must be of Hispanic Heritage, U.S. citizen, permanent legal resident, or DACA  Minimum of 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) for high school students; minimum of 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) for college and graduate students, Plan to enroll full-time in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university, or graduate school, in the US, for the 2022-2023 academic year, Submit the FAFSA or state-based financial aid forms (if applicable). Application is due February 15th, here is the link to apply.

   

Feel Free to reach out with any questions,

Ms. Aldrete

College and Career Counselor

I hope your families are all healthy and well-rested from our break! We are excited to welcome students back to campus for school on Monday morning. Students will begin the day in their Period 1A classes where they will receive their class schedules and important information related to updated COVID safety protocols and practices. Please note that students’ schedules may have changed for second semester as we balance classes. Our schedule for the first week of second semester is shown here. We encourage students to select their FLEX Block assignments before 11:59pm at DVC FLEX Block Website. 

For students who are unable to come to school, class information and assignments will continue to be available via Google Classroom. All students who are feeling healthy and who are at home are encouraged to keep up digitally with assignments and videoconference during their teachers’ scheduled virtual office hours. Please see this link for virtual office hours information: DVC Zooms for Students in Quarantine Please contact Pattie Foxman in our office at pfoxman@davincischools.org to notify us if your child is going to be absent from school.

Grade-Level Time: We are not beginning seminar classes this week. Instead, we have a variety of grade-level activities planned. Each grade level is following a different schedule for the afternoon. Here are the four sessions:

• Culture-Building Activities: This will be time for small grade-level groups to do team-building activities and build connections with their peers.
• Sexual Education Webinar: This is a webinar led by Dr. Emily Green in accordance with the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA). Content from Sessions 2, 4, 5 and 6 will be covered in this session. Parents and guardians wanting to opt their students out of this presentation should email Erin D’Souza at edsouza@davincischools.org as soon as possible and prior to the session.
• Sexual Consent Lesson: This is a lesson led by DVC Staff in accordance with the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA). Content from Session 8 will be covered in this session. Parents and guardians wanting to opt their students out of this presentation should email Erin D’Souza at edsouza@davincischools.org as soon as possible and prior to the session.
• Bystander Intervention Training: This is a webinar led by Hollaback! to help students learn what to do when they witness harassment of any kind.

COVID-19 Health & Safety Information

As we prepare for the return to school next week, we are cognizant of the spread of COVID-19, and in particular, the Omicron variant. We strongly encourage students to take a COVID test prior to returning to campus beginning Monday, January 10, 2022. When you complete the test, please report at-home test results here. A negative test is not required for students and staff to return to school on January 10, but in the event your child exhibits any flu-like or cold symptoms, your child should get tested and remain at home. 

The following safety measures are now in place at all Da Vinci schools:

• On-site rapid testing for students with exposure or symptoms will resume for Da Vinci students January 10, 2022 during regular testing hours 8:15am-3:45pm daily. Students are not allowed to leave class to test and must use time before school, during lunch, and after school. Students should pre-register here if this is their first time testing at school.
• Masking is now required for all outdoor activities where physical distancing is not feasible, except while eating or drinking, due to the new health order from the LACDPH. Students are strongly recommended to wear masks that are well-fitting, non-cloth masks of multiple layers of non-woven material with a nose wire.
• COVID-19 testing is required for all students and staff who are close contacts of a person who has tested positive for COVID due to a school-based exposure, regardless of vaccination or booster status. Affected employees and students may participate in testing at their school site (more info below)

Staff are required to wear upgraded masks (three-ply surgical masks or higher-level PPE)We continue to monitor the  new protocols for TK-12 schools in a health order and a new exposure management plan from the Los Angeles County Public Health officials to ensure appropriate mitigation strategies are in place during this surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. 

This is a challenging and uncertain time, and we appreciate your support as we work to keep school open safely for our kids to learn!

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza

Principal