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School Leadership Update at Da Vinci Communications

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We are excited to share several important school leadership updates, effective July 1, 2025.

Da Vinci Communications
As previously shared and celebrated, Andrew Daramola has been selected as Principal of Da Vinci Communications, replacing Erin D’Souza who is transitioning into a new role.

We are excited to announce that Kirk Takeyama will be joining DVC as Assistant Principal. A familiar member of the Da Vinci community, Kirk brings a wealth of expertise in operational excellence and is deeply dedicated to supporting both students and staff.

Please join us in congratulating Andrew and Kirk on their new roles. We look forward to the incredible work ahead under their leadership.

We also extend our deepest gratitude to Principal Erin D’Souza for her outstanding leadership at Da Vinci Communications. Most recently, she led the successful WASC re-accreditation process, with Da Vinci Communications earning the highest level—a full six-year accreditation. We look forward to Erin’s transition to her new role as Executive Director of LifeLaunch, Da Vinci’s adult career training program for graduating seniors.

Week 37 Schedule

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Two weeks left of school! During Friday’s CD, we celebrated our seniors (including those playing sports in college!), took a whole school photo (see it below!), crowned the 2025 Advisory Tournament Champions (congrats to Carrillo’s Chismosos), awarded All-Stars (listed below), and played the final round of Advisory Olympics.

We begin Presentations of Learning (POLs) and Final Exams on Tuesday, 6/3! School dismissal will be at 2pm starting Tuesday and continuing through the last day of school. POL & Finals Info (June 2025) 

One of the expectations for a Presentation of Learning (POL) is that students come in professional dress.  Please note that we have many professional dress items at DVC – just ask at the front office!

At DVC, professional dress is defined as including the following:

  • HEAD: Hair should not cover the face; no hats
  • SHOULDERS: Button-down dress shirt (shirt must be tucked in) or or non-revealing blouse (must cover shoulders); Suit jacket (optional)
  • KNEES: Khaki pants or dress pants (no jeans); Dress or skirt that touches tops of knees when standing up straight
  • TOES: Closed-toe dress shoes (no sneakers or excessively high heels)

If a student misses their POL for any reason, this is the process:

  1. Parent/guardian contacts the teachers who have been affected by the absence. Email is the preferred method of communication.
  2. Teacher(s) confirm receipt of the request for a presentation.
  3. Student schedules a time to meet with the teacher to discuss the missed presentation and potential make-up.
  4. Teachers determine if and when the student will present at a new date and time. If a make-up is scheduled, parent/guardian and student will be informed via email of the new date and time.

Senior Activities & Graduation: An overview of the final two weeks for the Class of 2025 is listed below. Please review this SCHEDULE. Details about graduation can be found here: Graduation Information for the Class of 2025 

  • Tuesday, 6/3: Final Exams: English & Math
  • Wednesday, 6/4: Final Exams: Economics & Financial Literacy
  • Thursday, 6/5: DTLA Field Trip (8:15am departure from school; details on permission slip)
  • Friday, 6/6: Disneyland Grad Night (previously purchased ticket required) – be at school @ 10am
  • Monday, 6/9: Senior Breakfast, Graduation Practice & Gown Pickup (8:30am – 12pm)
  • Tuesday, 6/10: Beach Day (8:30am departure from school; details on permission slip)
  • Wednesday, 6/11: Last Day of Classes (8:30am start)
  • Thursday, 6/12: Graduation Ceremony (full details here, be at school by 8am)
  • Tuesday, 6/17: Gown Return & Diploma Pick Up (9:30am – 11:30am)

Class of 2026 Senior Portraits: Rising seniors – it’s your turn: Class of 2026 Senior Portraits! Sign up to take senior portraits with our photographer, Stacee Lianna, this summer at this link: tinyurl.com/DaVinciSeniors2026. Questions can be directed to seniors@staceelianna.com.

Summer School: Summer school notifications have been sent via email. If you have any questions regarding summer school, please contact your student’s counselor.

    • Session 1: Tuesday, June 17 – Friday, July 11 (8:30am – 11:30am)
      • No classes on Thursday, 6/19 (Juneteenth Holiday)
      • No classes the week of Monday, 6/30 (July 4th Holiday Week)
    • Session 2: Tuesday, July 15 – Thursday, July 31 (8:30am – 11:30am)
  • Counselor Contact Information:

Here’s what’s coming up THIS WEEK and beyond:

  • Tuesday, 6/3 – Tuesday, 6/10: POLs & Finals (2pm dismissal)
  • Wednesday, 6/11: Last Day of School (2pm dismissal)
  • Thursday, 6/12: Class of 2025 Graduation Ceremony @ 9am (tickets required, livestream link for all)
  • Monday, 8/18: First Day of 25-26 School Year

Please use these links for easy access to school information:

 

Week 36 Schedule

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There is no school today in honor of Memorial Day, a time for us to remember and give thanks to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for our country. This is the last week of regular classes before Presentations of Learning (POLs) and Final Exams begin! A few reminders:

  • The last day to turn in any schoolwork for Semester 2 is Friday, 5/30.
  • Seminars have ended; we have POL and Finals Prep time at the end of the day this week.
  • Progress reports will be mailed home this week. Students who would like to improve their grade before the end of the semester should put time and effort into preparing for their POLs and Finals.
  • We celebrate our seniors again during our Senior Celebration CD on Friday, 5/30.

Presentations of Learning begin Tuesday, 6/3: For the basics about our signature practice called Presentations of Learning (POLs), please see this deck: POL Information (June 2025)

Pathway & Elective Presentation for the Class of 2027 (10th graders): Please see this slide deck for more information regarding each of the course offerings listed below. The Pathway & Elective Preference Form is due on Monday, 6/2. This form can only be accessed and completed by the students through their Da Vinci Schools google account. Please note that we strive to align student interest with class enrollment to the greatest extent possible, but that preferences indicated on the form are not guarantees of course enrollment.

  • Electives: Anatomy & Physiology; Spanish 3
  • Pathways: Computer Science, Marketing, Media Production, & Multimedia Journalism

Senior Activities & Graduation: An overview of the final two weeks for the Class of 2025 is listed below. Please review this SCHEDULE. Details about graduation can be found here: Graduation Information for the Class of 2025 

  • Tuesday, 6/3: Final Exams: English & Math
  • Wednesday, 6/4: Final Exams: Economics & Financial Literacy
  • Thursday, 6/5: DTLA Field Trip (8:15am departure from school; details on permission slip)
  • Friday, 6/6: Disneyland Grad Night (previously purchased ticket required) – be at school @ 10am
  • Monday, 6/9: Senior Breakfast, Graduation Practice & Gown Pickup (8:30am – 12pm)
  • Tuesday, 6/10: Beach Day (8:30am departure from school; details on permission slip)
  • Wednesday, 6/11: Last Day of Classes (8:30am start)
  • Thursday, 6/12: Graduation Ceremony (full details here, be at school by 8am)
  • Tuesday, 6/17: Gown Return & Diploma Pick Up (9:30am – 11:30am)

Class of 2026 Senior Portraits: Rising seniors – it’s your turn: Class of 2026 Senior Portraits! Sign up to take senior portraits with our photographer, Stacee Lianna, this summer at this link: tinyurl.com/DaVinciSeniors2026. Questions can be directed to seniors@staceelianna.com.

Summer School: Summer school notifications have been sent via email. If you have any questions regarding summer school, please contact your student’s counselor.

    • Session 1: Tuesday, June 17 – Friday, July 11 (8:30am – 11:30am)
      • No classes on Thursday, 6/19 (Juneteenth Holiday)
      • No classes the week of Monday, 6/30 (July 4th Holiday Week)
    • Session 2: Tuesday, July 15 – Thursday, July 31 (8:30am – 11:30am)
  • Counselor Contact Information:

Here’s what’s coming up THIS WEEK and beyond:

  • Monday, 5/26: No School – Memorial Day Holiday
  • Friday, 5/30: Athletics Senior Signing Day in Hall of Champions (Gym) @ 11:30am (seniors & families)
  • Tuesday, 6/3 – Tuesday, 6/10: POLs & Finals (2pm dismissal)
  • Wednesday, 6/11: Last Day of School (2pm dismissal)
  • Thursday, 6/12: Class of 2025 Graduation Ceremony @ 9am (tickets required, livestream link for all)
  • Monday, 8/18: First Day of 25-26 School Year

Please use these links for easy access to school information:

Week 35 Schedule

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There are only 4 weeks left of school – 10 regular class days, 6 days of POLs and finals, and then it’s the last day! We encourage all students to lock in and finish strong.

Progress Reports: We are sending out one final round of progress reports, but they have not yet been mailed – my apologies for the delay. We plan to mail them by Wednesday, 5/21. If you have any questions about your student’s grades, please follow up with your child’s teachers directly using this staff email list.

Pathway & Elective Presentation for the Class of 2027 (10th graders): During seminar on Monday, 5/19, students in 10th grade are expected to report to the Black Box Theater for a presentation of the pathway and elective courses that will be available for their 11th grade year. Students will have about a week following the presentation to complete a form to submit their requests. Stay tuned for more information following the presentation.

Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) Meeting: All are welcome to attend our FINAL Parent Advisory Committee Meeting on Tuesday, 5/20 @ 5pm – 201 N. Douglas or via zoom (link here). The agenda for the meeting is as follows: 

  1. Public Comment
  2. LCAP: Actions & Services Planning for 25-26
  3. Meeting Reflection (Plus / Delta)

Wednesday, 5/21 is a big day at DVC, especially for the Class of 2025! Please read below:

  • Senior Decision Day @ 12pm (seniors only, not open to families): We are excited to celebrate the next steps of our seniors with a parade from the DVC floor to the gym, followed by bracelet making, photos at the signing tables and 360 photo booth, senior cap decorating, and the official Class of 2025 Senior Photo in the gym!
  • Photography Exhibition @ 4:30pm (open to all): Students in the DVC Photography Seminar have prepared a special series of editorial shoots that will be on display in the Black Box Theater starting at 4:30pm. Please come to enjoy their work! This is the pre-show to the Senior Awards Night.
  • Senior Awards Night @ 5:30pm (seniors & families, by invitation only): We are excited to celebrate students in the Class of 2025 who will be receiving awards for their accomplishments during high school in the Black Box Theater. Invited students and families have received an invitation to this event via email. Please RSVP if you have not yet done so, and feel free to come early to check out the Photography Exhibition that is the pre-show!

Summer School: We will be offering Summer School for students who did not pass a class required for graduation. If you have any questions regarding summer school, please contact your student’s counselor.

    • Session 1: Tuesday, June 17 – Friday, July 11 (8:30am – 11:30am)
      • No classes on Thursday, 6/19 (Juneteenth Holiday)
      • No classes the week of Monday, 6/30 (July 4th Holiday Week)
    • Session 2: Tuesday, July 15 – Thursday, July 31 (8:30am – 11:30am)
  • Counselor Contact Information:

Graduation for the Class of 2025: Seniors and families – please check your emails for information regarding graduation sent by Assistant Principal Andrew Daramola. In case you missed it, please refer to this document for all the information: Graduation Information for the Class of 2025 

Here’s what’s coming up THIS WEEK and beyond:

  • Monday, 5/19: Pathway & Elective Showcase during seminar (10th grade only)
  • Monday, 5/19: Studio Orchestra Performs at Knotts Berry Farm
  • Tuesday, 5/20: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting @ 5pm – 201 N. Douglas or via zoom (link here)
  • Wednesday, 5/21: Senior Decision Day (11:50am – 2:30pm)
  • Wednesday, 5/21: Photography Exhibition @ 4:30pm in Black Box Theater (open to all)
  • Wednesday, 5/21: Senior Awards Night @ 5:30pm in Black Box Theater (by invitation only)
  • Monday, 5/26: No School – Memorial Day Holiday
  • Friday, 5/30: Athletics Senior Signing Day in Hall of Champions (Gym) @ 11:30am (seniors & families)
  • Tuesday, 6/3 – Tuesday, 6/10: POLs & Finals (2pm dismissal)
  • Wednesday, 6/11: Last Day of School (2pm dismissal)
  • Thursday, 6/12: Class of 2025 Graduation Ceremony @ 9am (tickets required, livestream link for all)

Please use these links for easy access to school information:

WDV Signing Day 5-30-2025

(Juniors) Empowerment Through Education Program Opportunity at UCSB- Transportation Provided!

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Hello Juniors,

DVC will be participating in this year’s Empowerment Through Education program at UCSB, an initiative designed to support Black high school students who are interested in higher education. This opportunity is for Juniors only!

About the Program:

  • Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025 (must be cleared by 11th grade teachers to attend)
  • Location: University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Time: Leaving DVC around 5:30 am and coming back to DVC around 7:30 pm.
  • Who Can Attend: Black high school students, especially those involved in BSU or interested in post-secondary education.

This free program offers students the opportunity to:

  • Attend workshops on college admissions, A-G requirements, and financial aid
  • Engage with Black student leaders, faculty, and campus organizations
  • Participate in a student panel, networking sessions, and interactive activities
  • Tour UCSB and learn more about the Black student experience on campus

If you’re interested in attending, please email Mrs. Aldrete by tomorrow, 5/14. Only 25 spots available!

Da Vinci Communications

201 N. Douglas St. – Floor 3

El Segundo, CA 90245

(310) 725-5800