Ken Blanchard Companies is currently looking for high school students rising to Grades 9-12 in the 2022-2023 school year to participate in the first offering of the Student Self Leadership Collaborative Online. This class teaches how to have the mindset and skillset to get what you need to succeed.  Applications are due June 30th.  In the referral line, please put “Desiree Saddler/Da Vinci Communications”.

What’s involved?

• Attend a live, virtual Orientation on July 11th

• Complete self-study mini-lessons over 6 weeks, about 1 hour per week

• Participate in 6 additional live, virtual classes once a week

  • Thursdays at 10:00am and 4:00pm PDT ​

• Provide feedback to the course developers through surveys and possibly focus groups to help make improvements for future classes

• Allow developers to use your user-generated content and image in future marketing and development efforts

What’s in it for you?

• Receive a completion certificate and digital badge that you can share on social media and use when applying to jobs or to college

• Be one of the first people to get access to this life-changing content in this format

• Learn skills to be successful at school, in your activities, at work, with your friends, in your community, and in your life

What do you need?

• A computer or phone with access to the internet

When will the live, virtual classes be?

• You can choose one session to attend each week on Thursdays at either 10 AM Pacific (1 PM Eastern) or 4 PM Pacific (7 PM Eastern)

What’s the cost?

• It’s free

What will you be learning?

• For more info, look at the FAQ

Please click this link to register your high school aged student today! Seats are limited, so act fast.

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This was a great week at DVC!  Exhibition prep began in rooms across campus for Exhibition Night and we had our monthly CD, with Academic All Stars awarded. In addition, 9th grade students prepped for TED Talks in Ms. Regina’s class, 10th grade students refined their research papers in Ms. Flower and Ms. Dani’s classes, and 11th grade students completed English CAASPP testing in Hapner’s class.  While hearing back from many of the schools in the UC system, Senior students also enjoyed the addition of our new ping pong table in the Senior Common area!  

9th/10th Grade Retreat at Camp Pondo

We are thrilled to be able to bring back the spirit of the “Overnighter” tradition this year with “Camp Retreats” for our 9th and 10th grade students! These will be full-day (but not overnight) retreats at Camp Pondo, with students leaving the Da Vinci campus at 9am and returning at 9pm. The retreats will include a wide variety of recreational and team-building games and activities including a zipline, skate park, climbing wall, and more! Details of the retreats will be coming next week, but for now you can mark the dates in your calendar if you have a 9th or 10th grade student.

The DVC Camp Retreat days are Wednesday, April 20th for 10th graders and Tuesday, May 17th for 9th graders.

CARnival:

This Saturday, 3/26 we have our first ever CARnival Event from 10am – 5pm in our parking lot and on our campus. You and your family are invited and encouraged to attend! Please see this post for details. 

Exhibition Nights:

We are thrilled to open up our doors and welcome you to DVC where students will showcase their projects for families and community members on Monday, April 4th and Tuesday, April 5th! Please note that masks will be required at Exhibition Nights as these are large indoor events with students, families, staff and community stakeholders present. Please see this email for the comprehensive update on masking, and mark your calendars with the dates and times listed below:

• Monday, 4/4 for Grades 10 & 12, 5:30pm – 7:00pm
• Tuesday, 4/5 for Grades 9 & 11, 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Annual Giving Campaign:

Da Vinci is in the midst of the Annual Giving Campaign! DVC strives to provide an excellent real-world, project-based education to all students that goes above and beyond what students would typically experience in high school. I am excited to share that you can make a contribution that directly supports events and activities at DVC! Please consider donating and selecting Da Vinci Communications as the recipient of your donation. Donations can be made at this link. Thank you for your consideration, support and generosity!

Summer Opportunities:

Thinking about summer plans? Check out this post on our blog about some opportunities available to students this summer!

Career Fair – Volunteers Needed:

We are hosting a Career Fair for students on Thursday, 4/7 and would be grateful if you’d consider volunteering your time. Please see this post for details and sign up here: Career Fair Volunteer Form

State Testing: Each year, our 11th grade students are required to take the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). Testing started this week for all 11th grade students and continues through May 5th. If you have any questions, please contact Assistant Principal Andrew Daramola (adaramola@davincischools.org). Here is the schedule for the state testing:

• California Alternate Assessment (CAA): March 15 – 18
• English-Language Arts: March 17 – March 22
• Science (CAST): March 30 – April 1 
• Mathematics: May 2 – May 5

Upcoming Events & Calendars: 

Here’s a link to all the weekly schedules for the rest of the academic year: DVC Weekly Schedules.  Here’s a link to the DVC Semester 2 Calendar. Please note that we update this calendar regularly and make changes as needed. 

Good Morning DVC Families,

Da Vinci is transitioning to a new system, MySchoolBucks, for student payments for events, activities, and other types of purchases.   Our upcoming Semi-Formal dance will use this system for payments.

We have a brief tutorial on how to sign up and use this system here:  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1OYTyVa-laUxc7Skx0Ty8QbVNYVF9iIop30-JPXNJfDM/edit?usp=sharing

Please reach out to Jackie Martinez (jmartinez@davincischools.org) with any additional questions you may have.

DVC, along with the other Da Vinci high schools, is excited for the upcoming Spring Semi-Formal!

• Date: Friday, March 11 from 6-9pm
• Location: Da Vinci West Plaza
• Cost: $15 (through MySchoolBucks)
• Attire: Semi-formal

Please see the attached flyer for additional info and the MySchoolBucks QR Code! A brief tutorial on the steps for creating and paying through My School Bucks is available here. Please contact Jackie Martinez at jmartinez@davincischools.org if you have any questions.

We are excited to be bringing back this event!!

FLYER – Under the Lanterns

We are excited to offer DVC students free tutoring on Thursdays from 3:45-5:45pm, starting March 3rd, from the RRISE Up tutors. College tutors from RRISE Up will offer DVC students tutoring in Math, Science, and Humanities virtually. We encourage students to come if they could use support in these areas! Please indicate interest here if you are interested.  Links and other information will be provided.