Dear DVC Students and Families,

We had another great week at DVC, ending the week on Friday with our first school-wide CD (i.e. school-wide assembly) where we awarded 16 students with All-Star Awards for their contributions to our DVC community so far this academic year! We also enjoyed hosting lunch visits from the college admissions representatives from both USC and Stanford. These college admissions representative visits are open to all students grades 9 – 12, and the visits will take place in Mr. Jackson’s room (3203) during lunch; no sign-up is required to attend. If you subscribe to our blog/website (dvc.davincischools.org), you also noticed that our counseling team shared information about suicide prevention in recognition of National Suicide Prevention Week. Our counselors have also started an Instagram account and you can follow them @dvccounselors. We look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night on Thursday, 9/15! Please read below for more details about this coming week and beyond.

Picture Day Makeups: Students in Period 3B English with Ms. Regina, Ms. Flower, or Ms. Hapner’s classes were unable to take their pictures due to the high winds on Friday afternoon. These pictures have been rescheduled for Tuesday, September 13th during Period 3B. If your student was absent on Thursday or Friday and missed their scheduled picture time, makeups are scheduled for this Monday, September 12th from 8:45 – 9:15am.

Back to School Night: We are excited to welcome families to DVC this Thursday, September 15th. We will be handing out schedules and PowerSchool login information from 5:15 – 5:45pm in our Black Box Theater, and our schedule allows you to travel to each of your student’s core classes to hear from their teacher about class expectations. We look forward to having you on our campus for this important evening and we thank you for making the time to attend.

Incident Reporting Form: All members of the DVC community are encouraged to report anything that would contribute to an unsafe or unhealthy learning environment to a DVC staff member as soon as possible. We also wanted to draw your attention to this Incident Reporting Form so that students can anonymously report anything they’d like to the DVC principals. We receive an email when the form is completed, and the form is linked at dvc.davincischools.org. All DVC students, parents, and guardians are welcome to contact me (Erin D’Souza, Principal) via cell phone as well. My number is (310) 350-7192. Please save it in your phone.

School Site Council: The School Site Council is an opportunity for parents, students, & staff to work collaboratively to review the school program, review data and identify needs, and make recommendations for the Local Control and Accountability Plan. If you are interested in joining the DVC School Site Council, please fill out this School Site Council Parent interest form by Wednesday, 9/14: School Site Council Interest Form All submissions will be added to a voting form that will go out to the DVC parent community on Thursday, 9/15. School Site Council members will be notified on Tuesday, 9/20. The first School Site Council Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 9/28 at 5pm on Zoom. If you have any questions, feel free to send them to me at edsouza@davincischools.org.

Club Fair: Our Club Fair will be on Thursday, 9/15 from 2:40-3:35. Please encourage your student to get involved in one or more student clubs at DVC!

Here’s what’s coming up:

• Thursday, 9/15: Club Fair
• Thursday, 9/15: Back to School Night – schedules distributed starting at 5:15pm
• Friday, 9/16: No School – Professional Development Day
• Wednesday, 9/28: School Site Council Meeting #1 @ 5pm via Zoom
• Wednesday, 10/12: PSAT for Grades 9, 10, & 11 / 12th Grade College Trip
• Thursday, 10/13: No School – Professional Development Day
• Friday, 10/14: No School – Professional Development Day

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)

Wishing you a safe and healthy weekend,

Erin D’Souza, Principal

Dear DVC Students and Families,

I hope you are enjoying the Labor Day holiday and trying to stay cool and healthy this weekend! Last week, the Class of 2026 had a terrific time at The Overnighter. Students were immersed in DVC culture by building relationships, having fun, playing games, and engaging in meaningful discussions about the type of school they want to have, and the type of people they want to be. Thank you to all the parents, students, and staff that made this event possible! We are especially grateful to the Da Vinci Schools Board of Trustees for approving this special trip.

Week 4 Schedule: We have a busy four-day week ahead of us, including the launch of FLEX Block, Honors, and our School Picture Days!

• FLEX Block: FLEX Block is a time for all students to choose which class they’d like to attend for extra help and support. Students will be presented with their options on the first day of the week during Grade-Level Homeroom. During that time, they will select their FLEX Blocks for the remainder of the week. 
• Honors: The purpose of the honors program at DVC is to allow all students the opportunity to demonstrate deeper learning in a subject area, emulating conditions that best prepare students for a rigorous college or university program upon high school graduation. Students who successfully meet the honors requirements in a course earn an honors designation in that course on their transcript as well as an additional point added to their GPA. Teachers will be explaining how honors will work in their classes starting this week.
• Picture Days: Students will be taking pictures in their English classes on Thursday, 9/8 and Friday, 9/9. Your picture day is whichever day you have English class.
• School Site Council Meeting: We have rescheduled our first School Site Council Meeting and the new date is Wednesday, 9/28. Stay tuned for more information about participating in our School Site Council this year!

Here’s what’s coming up:

• Tuesday, 9/6: FLEX Block Begins
• Thursday, 9/8: DVC Picture Day (during English class)
• Friday, 9/9: DVC Picture Day  (during English class)
• Thursday, 9/15: Club Fair
• Thursday, 9/15: Back to School Night @ 5:30pm
• Friday, 9/16: No School – Professional Development Day
• Wednesday, 9/28: School Site Council Meeting #1 
• Wednesday, 10/12: PSAT for Grades 9, 10, & 11 / 12th Grade College Trip
• Thursday, 10/13: No School – Professional Development Day
• Friday, 10/14: No School – Professional Development Day

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

Dear DVC Students and Families,

We had a great week at DVC! Students are working on learning the names of every student in their Advisory as it is really important that all students are known, seen, and valued at DVC. Our seminar program began this week, and seminars have been going great! On Friday, we had a fire drill and we were so impressed with the way that our whole school quickly and safely evacuated the building. This school year is off to a great start.

The Overnighter: The whole school is excited for the Class of 2026 as they prepare to leave for The Overnighter on Tuesday, August 30th. The Overnighter Leaders leave on Monday, August 29th to get ready to welcome the 9th graders. Class of 2026 & Families: Please review the linked information below carefully in preparation for the trip.

• DVC Overnighter August 2022 (9th Grade): This packet contains information about the following:
  • Mandatory covid-testing prior to trip departure
  • How to contact us in the event of emergency
  • What to pack for the trip
  • Expected departure and arrival times
  • Student cell phone use during the trip
  • Students who need to take medications during the trip
• Dietary Restrictions for Overnighter: Please complete this link if you have a dietary restriction that the kitchen staff must be made aware of.

Week 3 Schedule: Due to The Overnighter, we have adjusted next week’s schedule. Monday will have both A day and B day classes. Seminars resume on Thursday, September 1st. Please take note of the change. You can view all weekly schedules for the year here: DVC Weekly Schedules Year 10 (2022-2023)

Schedule Changes: The link to request schedule changes is now closed. If you would like to request a change at this time, please contact your counselor. Class of 2023 (12th grade) and Class of 2025 (10th grade), please email Ms. Barba at jbarba@davincischools.org. Class of 2024 (11th grade) and Class of 2026 (9th grade), please email Mrs. Thomas at athomas@davincischools.org. 

PowerSchool Access: Access to PowerSchool has been restored for all returning students. For all incoming students (9th grade and transfer), we will distribute PowerSchool login information at Back to School Night on Thursday,, September 15, 2022 at 5:30pm.

Here’s what’s coming up:

• Monday, 8/29: Leaders leave for Overnighter
• Tuesday, 8/30: 9th graders leave for Overnighter @ 8:30am
• Wednesday, 8/31: 9th graders return from Overnighter @ 2:00pm
• Monday, 9/5: No School – Labor Day
• Tuesday, 9/6: FLEX Block Begins
• Wednesday, 9/7: School Site Council Meeting #1
• Thursday, 9/8: DVC Picture Day
• Friday, 9/9: DVC Picture Day
• Thursday, 9/15: Club Fair
• Thursday, 9/15: Back to School Night @ 5:30pm
• Friday, 9/16: No School – Professional Development Day

Please bookmark this school calendar for the most up to date information.

Enjoy your weekend,

Erin D’Souza, Principal

Dear DVC Students and Families,

We hope that students have enjoyed the first week of our seminar program! If a student would like to request a change to their schedule, please note that the last day to do this is tomorrow (Friday, August 26).

All change requests should be submitted to this link no later than Friday, 8/26: DVC Schedule Change Request Link

Please note that not all class and seminar change requests can be honored. Many seminars are full, but there are some that still have space. Please consult this list for the current available space:

Monday/Thursday Seminars with space currently available:

• Study Hall
• Fantasy Sports
• SAT/ACT Prep (run by PJ Test Prep)
• Strength & Conditioning (run by UCLA EXOS)
• Philosophy 101
• The Evolution of Hip-Hop / Financial Literacy

Tuesday/Friday Seminars with space currently available:

• Study Hall
• Film History & Theory
• Activism Through Film
• Ghibli Film Studies

The link to request schedule changes will be closed on Friday, 8/26 at 4pm. Counselors will work to accommodate as many requests as possible. 

Thank you,

Erin D’Souza, Principal

Dear Students & Families of the Class of 2026,

We are thrilled to be getting ready for The Overnighter – a not-to-be-missed signature practice of Da Vinci Communications! This two-day, one-night trip is free of charge for our students, and we love that students get to start the school year with great memories and new friends. It is our hope that all 9th grade students will attend this special event. 9th grade students will depart on Tuesday, August 30th and return on Wednesday, August 31st. Please review the linked information below carefully in preparation for the trip.

• DVC Overnighter August 2022 (9th Grade): This packet contains information about the following:
  • Mandatory covid-testing prior to trip departure
  • How to contact us in the event of emergency
  • What to pack for the trip
  • Expected departure and arrival times
  • Student cell phone use during the trip
  • Students who need to take medications during the trip
• Dietary Restrictions for Overnighter: Please complete this link if you have a dietary restriction that the kitchen staff must be made aware of.

Students will review this information during Grade-Level Homeroom on Monday, 8/22 and permission slips will be handed out at this time. Permission slips are due on Wednesday, 8/24 to Grade-Level Homeroom teachers.

It is important to note that though we are using Camp Pondo’s facilities, the entire program is run exclusively by the staff and student leaders of Da Vinci Communications. We pay Camp Pondo for use of the facilities, meal preparation, and support with our activities such as zip lining and swimming. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Erin D’Souza, Principal.

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza, Principal

edsouza@davincischools.org