Archives for October 2022

Dear DVC Students and Families,

Thank you for attending our Student-Led Conferences this week! We appreciate the opportunity to partner with you in support of your student’s educational success and overall well-being. If you have not yet taken our fall surveys, please use these links to complete them. Your feedback is important to us, and we will be reviewing the data at the School Site Council Meeting on Wednesday, 10/26.

• Fall Parent/Guardian Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/dv_parent_survey_fall22 
• Student Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/dv_student_survey_fall22

School Site Council: We have our School Site Council Meeting on Wednesday, 10/26. The meeting will begin at 4:30pm over zoom (link here). The agenda is as follows:

1. Public Comment
2. Officer Vote
3. Presentation on English Learners
4. LCAP Measurable Outcomes: Focus on Survey Results
5. School Safety Plan Introduction

Yearbook Sales: It’s time to buy a yearbook before prices increase on November 1st! Yearbooks can be purchased at this link: DVC Yearbook Purchase Link 

Class of 2023 Apparel: Class of 2023 shirts/crewnecks are available for purchase at the link below. Time is running out; purchase by Sunday, October 30! Link: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/dvc-classof2023

Blood Drive: Our National Honor Society has partnered with the Red Cross to host a blood drive at Da Vinci Schools on Halloween! Please sign up here: Da Vinci Blood Drive Sign Up (Red Cross)

Spirit Week: We are excited for Spirit Week coming up in Week 12! Here is the overview of the themed days. We hope to see lots of participation from staff and students!

• Monday, 10/31: Halloween Costumes – Costume Contest @ Lunch (no full-face costume masks)
• Tuesday, 11/1: Pajama Day
• Wednesday, 11/2: Anything But a Backpack Day
• Thursday, 11/3: Twin Day
• Friday, 11/4: Class Colors Day
  • 9th – green
  • 10th – pink
  • 11th – blue
  • 12th – purple

Here’s what’s coming up:

• Wednesday, 10/26: School Site Council Meeting at 4:30pm (Zoom link here) 
• Saturday, 11/5: DV Semi-Formal Dance
• Friday, 11/11: No School – Veterans Day Holiday
• Thursday, 11/17: Exhibition Night – grades 10 & 12 |  5:30pm – 7:00pm 
• Monday, 11/21 – Friday, 11/25: No School – Thanksgiving Break
• Thursday, 12/8 – Thursday, 12/15: Presentations of Learning – POLs (1:50pm dismissal)

Please bookmark this school calendar for the most up to date information. For all weekly schedules, please bookmark this link: DVC Weekly Schedules Year 10 (2022-2023)

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza, Principal

Hello Da Vinci Scholars and Families,

Check out the new RWL opportunities below:

For students interested in sports, hospitality, and fitness:
Bay Club is offering a 12-week course that exposes students to different areas of the Bay Club business while providing valuable experience to those interested in a career in hospitality, sports, fitness, and more. The course runs from Monday, October 24-Saturday, December 31, 2022. For more information and to attend a career fair, fill out this form today.

For students interested in music:
The Music Foundation is offering virtual modules for young people who are exploring careers in the music industry. Check out their sessions here. 

For students interested in exploring different careers:
Kollab Youth will be launching its Winter Cohort Virtual Workforce Development Program for Teens 13-19.  This program will start January 16, 2023, and helps youth to explore different career industries every week like Technology, Entertainment, Food Science, Money Management, Mental Health, Construction, Carpentry, and more! Participating companies include Kaiser Permanente and Target.  Virtual classes are held every Wednesday and Thursday at 4:15 pm. Students are eligible for field trips, jobs, and internships after they complete the 9-week program. Low-income youth are encouraged to apply. To apply, click here.

For students interested in film:
Applications are open now for the Fresh Films Weekly Filmmaking Program! Join the Film Crew and make movies every Thursday starting October 27! The program is 100% FREE and no experience is necessary! Space is limited so APPLY NOW! Registration ends October 20! Virtual options are also available. In-person classes are held at the Boys and Girls Club at Los Angeles Harbor. 

For students interested in video games, art, production, music, and journalism:
Women in Games offers a free digital-only event on Discord on October 26th – 28th. Students will see industry professionals including a few well-known faces who will drop into a Discord channel to take part in roundtables. Professionals will advise students on pathways into video games, review portfolios and share insight into what they do. There will also be a series of keynote speakers, who will join a line-up of programmers, artists, producers, musicians, journalists, voice actors and many more for three days of expert advice. Students can sign-up for free right here.

We are excited to announce that Marissa Crook has been named Athletics Director of the Wiseburn Da Vinci Athletics program. Marissa assumed her duties last week.

For the past 12 years Marissa has worked to create and improve Physical Education and Athletic programs at the schools she has served. Marissa brings experience in building athletic teams and programs from the ground floor as an inaugural coach and athletic director. As a former high school and college athlete, Marissa has a passion for providing students with opportunities to thrive in both their academic and athletic endeavors.

Marissa’s focus is on building a positive and respectful culture of athletics whose members represent our schools and the WDV Athletics program with pride. “I am excited to be part of Da Vinci Schools and to serve in the Wolves’ Athletic Program. I hope to see many student leaders and athletes engaged in the community as exceptional ambassadors of the spirit and dedication of Da Vinci Schools and Athletics.”

Marissa is coming at an exciting time for Wiseburn Da Vinci Athletics which moved to the Pioneer League this school year. The new league benefits our student-athletes by providing a more competitive experience, more consistent game schedules, additional team levels, shorter travel times, and more.

Marissa earned her Bachelor’s in Kinesiology-Physical Education from Cal State Northridge, a teaching credential from Cal State Bakersfield, and a Master’s in Kinesiology from Fresno Pacific University.

Marissa was selected from a pool of 146 candidates. The top three candidates were interviewed by a joint Wiseburn Da Vinci Interview Panel composed of Wiseburn and Da Vinci administrators, Wiseburn community members who are parents with students attending both Wiseburn and Da Vinci schools, student-athletes, and coaches. We are deeply grateful to our panel members, as well as to Wiseburn Superintendent Dr. Blake Silvers for his athletic director expertise and for helping us through this process. We also wish to express our gratitude to Tori Grafeman, WDV Assistant Athletics Director, who did a wonderful job in her role and continues to be a highly valued member of the Da Vinci organization.

Marissa can be reached at mcrook@davincischools.org. Welcome to the pack Marissa! Go Wolves!

For the latest Athletics news and announcements, subscribe to our new WDV Athletics blog at athletics.davincischools.org.

Happy Monday DVC,

Here are the list of colleges that will be visiting DVC during lunch this week:

• Thursday, October 20th @ 11:15 am: UCLA
• Friday, October 21st @ 11:50 am: Santa Monica College

All college rep visits will take place in Mr. Jackson’s room (3203), no sign-ups are required to attend. As a reminder, food is not allowed during the college rep visits. Students are able to grab lunch after the presentation as I will give out excuse slips to extend their lunch time.

Students of all grade levels (9-12) can attend the college rep visits.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me or stop by my office,

Ms. Aldrete

maldrete@davincischools.org

College & Career Counselor

Dear DVC Students and Families,

Tomorrow begins Student-Led Conferences (SLCs)! To accommodate the conferences, school will be dismissed at 1:50pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Friday is a normal dismissal time of 3:35pm. Our 9th graders will be taking a college trip to UC Irvine on Friday.

Student-Led Conferences: Parents & guardians are expected to attend their student’s conference. Please contact your student’s Grade Level Homeroom Teacher if you are in need of sign-up information. Generally, here are the dates and times available for conferences:

• Monday, October 17th from 2:00 – 3:30 PM (In person, on campus conferences)
• Tuesday, October 18th from 2:00 – 3:30 PM (In person, on campus conferences)
• Wednesday, October 19th from 2:00 – 3:30 PM (Virtual conferences through Zoom)
• Thursday, October 20th from 2:00 – 3:30 PM (Virtual conferences through Zoom)

Here’s what’s coming up:

• Monday, 10/17 – Thursday, 10/20: Student-Led Conferences (1:50pm dismissal)
• Friday, 10/21: 9th Grade goes to UC Irvine
• Wednesday, 10/26: School Site Council Meeting
• Saturday, 11/5: DV Semi-Formal Dance
• Friday, 11/11: No School – Veterans Day Holiday
• Thursday, 11/17: Exhibition Night (grades 10 & 12)
• Monday, 11/21 – Friday, 11/25: No School – Thanksgiving Break
• Thursday, 12/8 – Thursday, 12/15: Presentations of Learning – POLs (1:50pm dismissal)

Please bookmark this school calendar for the most up to date information. For all weekly schedules, please bookmark this link: DVC Weekly Schedules Year 10 (2022-2023)

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza, Principal