Archives for August 2022

Dear DVC Families,

The first day of school is Monday, August 15th! We are thrilled to welcome our returning and new students and families to DVC.

School starts at 8:30am! Students should report to the gym for the first day of school. Students will learn who their Advisory teacher is while they are in the gym. Student schedules will be given out on the first day of school during Advisory.

• Please see this slide deck for more information on the 22-23 school year: DVC Back to School Webinar
• Here is the recording of the back to school webinar in case you missed it: Recording of DVC Back to School Webinar

Enjoy your weekend!

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza, Principal

Dear DVC Families,

We are excited to celebrate the 10th year of Da Vinci Communications and begin this school year as strong as ever! Our staff has been working hard in service to our students and their families, from designing engaging projects to cleaning the classrooms. We can’t wait to meet all of the new students and we are thrilled to welcome back all of our returning students! The first day of school is Monday, August 15, 2022 and the school day is from 8:30am – 3:35pm. 

Welcome Back Webinar: We are hosting a Welcome Back Webinar on Thursday, August 11, 2022 from 5pm – 6pm. This event is for all DVC families, and it is a virtual event. You can join the webinar using this link: DVC Welcome Back Webinar Link You can expect a general overview of the school year for all grade levels. If you cannot attend the webinar, a link to the recording will be made available. 

Staff Brunch – Request for Donations: In order to show our appreciation to the DVC teachers and staff who have been working hard to get everything ready for this new school year, we are asking for donations for a Staff Brunch organized by our DVC Leadership students and happening on Friday of this week. Please sign up here to bring one or more ingredients from the list. Please drop it off at the main reception office (201 N. Douglas St. El Segundo, CA 90245) from 8:00am – 4:00pm from August 8th through the 11th. Thank you so much for considering this request!

We regularly update this school calendar and encourage you to bookmark this page and reference it often.

Looking forward to a great school year!

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza, Principal

Andrew Daramola, Assistant Principal

We’re excited to welcome 50 new teachers, counselors and support staff to the Da Vinci family. We are honored that so many talented individuals have chosen to make Da Vinci their new home. For some, they are Da Vinci alumni or recent graduates of Da Vinci’s in-house teacher residency program in partnership with the Alder University Graduate School of Education. All total, Da Vinci has 25 alumni employed across our organization.

Da Vinci Schools invests significant resources into supporting new and returning educators who receive approximately 23 days of professional development (PD) each year, including two weeks of training in August at the start of the new school year.

Last week, new teachers from across Da Vinci came together for a full day of new teacher orientation and professional development support with mentor educators from Da Vinci Institute, Da Vinci’s professional learning center. New teachers played team building games, toured all schools, and were introduced to Da Vinci’s signature programs and practices.

With all new and returning educators back at their individual school sites, the focus has been on reflection and goal setting, logistics, project-based and real world learning planning, curriculum building, special education, assessment, school culture, social-emotional learning, restorative justice, addressing equity and opportunity gaps, advisory planning, dual enrollment, all grade level and job-alike planning, and much more. There’s also been plenty of time for fun community building activities and getting spaces ready for students.

This year, teachers and students are transitioning to a new learning management system known as Canvas. Canvas syncs with PowerSchool, our student information system, and is what most colleges use giving students a head-start on knowing how to access course materials and other resources.

Da Vinci is continuing to expand our pool of dedicated educators and support staff. Check out our current openings here. We are so excited to start the new school year! Together, we are preparing students to lead, innovate, and thrive in the modern world.

Hello Da Vinci Scholars and Families,

Please see the announcements below:

For students interested in jobs:
The LA County America’s Job Center will be hosting a Job Fair in South LA, on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 from 1 to 4 pm. To register, please visit this flyer. It is highly suggested to bring several copies of your resume to share with prospective employers!

For students interested in mental health opportunities:
The Fall 2022 Teen Line Training application is available now. As a volunteer for Teenline, you would be helping to take calls and text messages from teens that are going through life challenges. For the Fall training period, Teenline will only accept applications from teens going into the 9th and 10th grade, with the minimum age of 14, living in or near the Los Angeles area. Please visit this link and click on “Apply Now” to be directed to the online volunteer application portal. Applications and references are due before 1pm on Wednesday, August 31, 2022.

For students interested in science and engineering:
The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program places high school students in Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories where they take part in real Naval research for 8 weeks during the summer. SEAP is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in STEM. Students have the opportunity to learn about Naval research and technology while receiving first-class mentoring by top scientists and engineers. SEAP is a competitive program with around 300 placements in more than 30 labs around the country. Interns are selected based upon academic achievement, personal statements, recommendations, and career and research interests. Learn more here. Click here to apply. Applications close November 2.

For students interested in financial literacy and managing money:
Co-founders of Latinas Talking Dinero, are hosting financial literacy virtual workshops that incorporate their lived experiences as Latinas and first-generation college students. They teach financial literacy through an anti-racist lens and cover tops such as the wage gap, credit and interest, and financial trauma. Youth (up to 24 years old) are invited to attend for FREE. Virtual workshops start on Wednesday, August 24. Register here.

Hello Da Vinci Scholars and Families,

I hope you are enjoying the last weeks of summer break. Please see the announcements below:

For students interested in receiving academic credit for their internships:
Students who are interested in receiving 5 academic credits for summer internships/volunteer opportunities, must fill out the Unpaid Internship Agreement and submit a timesheet that demonstrates the completion of 60 hours of service. The Agreement must be turned in before the start of the internship/volunteer opportunity. The timesheet is due August 6, 2022. Please email all documents to Ms. Rodriguez at crodriguez@davincischools.org.

For students interested in art, film, and animation:
The El Segundo Public Library encourages all individuals who live, work and/or play in El Segundo to submit artwork for Summertime, Summertime: A Community Juried Art Exhibition! This art show will feature 2-dimensional artwork, including painting, photography, photo collage, photomontage, collage, drawing, printmaking, etc. that celebrates summer. For information on how to submit your artwork, please click here.

Dreamworks Animation is hosting a Summer Speaker Series from August 8 – August 12 where students will learn about roles in animation, succeeding in the industry, and more. Register here.

For students interested in social change:
The Alliance for Girls is hosting a community-building and healing-oriented event for youth leaders seeking to bring safety to school to address sexual harassment. Alliance for Girls is co-hosting this event with Unity Council to prepare both youth and adult advocates for a new school year prioritizing policies and programs that help sexual assault/harassment survivors. Attendees will also hear from representatives from the Equal Rights Advocate and the Unity Council. The event will be an entirely virtual event and will take place on Saturday, August 6. It is open to all youth and youth champions. $15 Visa Gift cards will be provided to youth 24 and under who RSVP and attend the event. RSVP Here.

For students interested in jobs:
The LA County America’s Job Center will be hosting a Job Fair in South LA, on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 from 1 to 4 pm. To register, please visit this flyer. It is highly suggested to bring several copies of your resume to share with prospective employers!

For students interested in science and engineering:
The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program places high school students in Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories where they take part in real Naval research for 8 weeks during the summer. SEAP is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in STEM the opportunity to learn about Naval research and technology while receiving first-class mentoring by top scientists and engineers. SEAP is a competitive program with around 300 placements in more than 30 labs around the country. Inters are selected based upon academic achievement, personal statements, recommendations, and career and research interests. Click here to learn more. Click here to apply.