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Week 19 Schedule: Semester 2 Begins Tuesday!

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Happy New Year, DVC Families,

We hope that your break was rejuvenating! We are excited to welcome our students back to campus on Tuesday, January 16th; classes begin at 8:30am. On Monday, there is no school in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day – a day when we honor the contributions of Dr. King and celebrate his legacy. 

Report Cards: We mailed report cards last week. If you didn’t receive one in the mail, please let Jackie Martinez (Office Manager) know. You can email her at jmartinez@davincischools.org or call the front office at (310) 725-5800. Included in report cards were NWEA MAP Test Results from earlier in the semester, PowerSchool login information, and a Semester 2 calendar. 

Parent Advisory Committee: All are welcome to attend our Parent Advisory Committee on Monday, 1/29 at 4:30pm in person (1st floor, Mona Lisa Room) or via this zoom link. Please see below for the agenda:

  1. Public Comment
  2. DVC Spotlight: DVC Alumni Updates
  3. WASC Introduction
  4. Review of Survey Results
  5. Meeting Reflection (Plus / Delta)

CHYA Presentations: Dr. Green and Nurse Lucero will be presenting the health & sexual education curriculum (“CHYA” or “California Healthy Youth Act”) to 9th graders next week. Click this link to read the notification letter from Dr. Green. If you have any questions about the content that will be covered, please email Dr. Green at egreen@davincischools.org. Parents have the right to opt-out of this presentation for their child; if you wish to do so, please email Erin D’Souza, Principal at edsouza@davincischools.org. 

Wednesday Snacks for DVC Staff: Thank you to the families who brought us snacks on Wednesdays! Over 30 families treated us to a surprise snack each week at the start of our collaboration time on Wednesdays. We enjoyed veggies and hummus, chips and dips, fruit, charcuterie boards, noodle dishes, granola bars, sparkling water, cakes, and cookies!  If you are willing and able to help during Semester 2, please sign up here: Wednesday Snack Sign Up. We ask you to bring enough snacks for about 20 people, and we ask for 2 parents/guardians for each Wednesday. The hope is that there is enough to give about 40 people a snack or treat each week. If you plan to bring snacks for 40, please sign up for both slots. If you have questions, feel free to email Jackie Martinez at jmartinez@davincischools.org. Thank you for your generosity!

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

  • Tuesday, 1/16: School Resumes – Semester 2 Begins
  • Friday, 1/19: Semester 1 Awards CD in Gym (Honor Roll & Semester Awards distributed)
  • Monday, 1/22: California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA) Instruction begins for 9th grade
  • Monday, 1/22: Semester 2 Seminars begin
  • Wednesday, 1/24: Computer Science (11th grade) Field Trip to Snapchat
  • Monday, 1/29: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting – 4:30pm @ 201 N. Douglas or via zoom (link here)
  • Friday, 2/9: PD Day – No School
  • Saturday, 2/10: Black College Expo

Bookmark these links for easy access to school information:

Week 18 Schedule

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This is our final week of Semester 1! The last day of school before winter break is Thursday, 12/21. School dismissal is at 2pm every day of this week. 

We have continued to be impressed by our students and how well they are doing with their Presentations of Learning (POLs) and finals! Good luck to all as we finish these final four days.

PowerSchool Access & Report Cards: Please note that PowerSchool access has been disabled as teachers finalize grades. We will be mailing end-of-semester report cards in the new year (January 2024), but we will restore PowerSchool access for families during the winter break so that all families can be informed about students’ final grades for the semester prior to the mailing. 

DVC Front Office: Our school office will be closed for break from Friday, December 22nd through Monday, January 8th. Our office opens again on Tuesday, January 9th, and school starts for students again on Tuesday, January 16th. 

Parent Advisory Committee: All are welcome to attend our Parent Advisory Committee on Monday, 12/18 at 4:30pm in person (3rd floor, room TBD) or via this zoom link. Please see below for the agenda:

  1. Public Comment
  2. DVC Spotlight: Presentations of Learning
  3. School Safety Plan Review
  4. LCAP: Goal 1 Review
  5. Meeting Reflection (Plus / Delta)

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

  • Thursday, 12/14 – Thursday, 12/21: POL Schedule (2:00pm dismissal)
  • Monday, 12/18: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting @ 4:30pm @ 201 N. Douglas or via zoom (link here)
  • Thursday, 12/21: Last Day of Semester 1
  • Friday, 12/22 – Friday, 1/12: No School – Winter Break
  • Monday, 1/15: No School – MLK Jr. Holiday
  • Tuesday, 1/16: School Resumes – Semester 2 Begins

School Safety Reminders

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Good evening, DVC Students, Parents, and Guardians,

The Da Vinci High Schools located at the 201 N. Douglas location (including DVC) participated in a Shelter-in-Place Drill today at 1:30pm. Shelter-in-Place drills are designed to educate students and staff and to provide practice opportunities for what to initially do in the event of an on-campus or nearby emergency that requires a lockdown. Our students did very well with the drill, and we are proud of their commitment to safety.

I’d like to take this opportunity to remind all students, parents, and guardians about how to report any concerns regarding student safety. Issues concerning student safety and well-being are always our number one priority. We provide all community members with many ways to contact us regarding any concerns. Students, parents, and guardians are encouraged to report any concerns to school staff as soon as possible using any of the following means:

The following resources address school safety and provide more details regarding policies and procedures:

Thank you for partnering with us to ensure that safety is the number one priority! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza, Principal

Andrew Daramola, Assistant Principal

Week 17 Schedule: POLs begin on Thursday, 12/14!

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We had a great week at DVC, with some of the highlights including students sharing their projects on the multiethnic history of America, Shark Tank-style Marketing pitches, and a winter-themed CD where 16 of our awesome students received All-Star Awards! 

POLs begin on Thursday, 12/14 and continue through Thursday, 12/21. POLs help students improve communication and public speaking skills and empower students to take ownership of their learning. We are excited for our students to take advantage of this opportunity to showcase what they’ve learned this semester! School dismissal for POL days is 2:00pm. The most important things you can do to help your student prepare for their POLs are (1) assure them that it is ok to make mistakes, (2) have them practice their POLs many times to as many people in your household as possible, and (3) help them prepare their professional dress.

One of the expectations for a Presentation of Learning (POL) is that students come in professional dress. 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)

We will be setting up a small “professional dress thrift shop” for any students who may have difficulty securing these items prior to their presentation. We will let you know when the thrift shop is ready for students to browse! If you have professional dress items you’d like to donate, please deliver them to our 3rd floor front office. Please see this post for more information about POLs. 

School Safety: The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our number one priority. We encourage everyone in our school communities to continue to speak up if they see or hear anything that could constitute a potential threat to school safety. Please notify a principal, teacher, staff member, or another trusted adult right away. We will always take swift action to address any possible safety concerns or threats. One of the benefits of small schools that we recognize in our comprehensive safety plans is the high ratio of adults to students where students are known well.

Shelter-in-Place Drill: The Da Vinci High Schools located at the 201 N. Douglas location (including DVC) will be participating in a Shelter-in-Place Drill on Tuesday, December 12th at 1:30pm. Shelter-in-Place drills are designed to educate students and staff and to provide practice opportunities for what to initially do in the event of an on-campus or nearby emergency that requires a lockdown. We have made a slight adjustment to our Tuesday schedule to best accommodate the drill.

Winter Music Student Showcase: Tuesday, Dec. 12th at 6:30pm *NOW AT THE WDV GYM* Due to the excitement and enthusiasm from our theater show this past Tuesday (and the incredibly high turnout they generated!), we have a major last-minute change to the venue for our Music Winter Showcase. It will still be on Tue, 12/12 but will now take place in the WDV GYM at 201 N. Douglas St. Doors are at 6pm, and the show will start at 6:30pm. See you there!

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

    • Tuesday, 12/12: Shelter-in-Place Drill @ 1:30pm
    • Tuesday, 12/12: Winter Music Student Showcase @ 6:30pm (WDV Gym)
    • Wednesday, 12/13: Last Day to Submit Work for Semester 1
    • Thursday, 12/14 – Thursday, 12/21: POL Schedule (2:00pm dismissal)
    • Monday, 12/18: Parent Advisory Committee Meeting @ 4:30pm @ 201 N. Douglas or via zoom (link here)
    • Thursday, 12/21: Last Day of Semester 1
    • Friday, 12/22 – Friday, 1/12: No School – Winter Break
    • Monday, 1/15: No School – MLK Jr. Holiday
    • Tuesday, 1/16: School Resumes – Semester 2 Begins

Da Vinci Communications

201 N. Douglas St. – Floor 3

El Segundo, CA 90245

(310) 725-5800