Dear DVC Students and Families,

The tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas has shaken all of our nation and our school family. We are deeply saddened by the horrific and heartbreaking events, as surely you are as well. Our hearts are with every family affected by this tragedy, and with the entire Uvalde community as they respond and grieve.

For educators, parents, and students, school violence is something we all feel deeply. Here are some resources that may be helpful in the wake of this violence:

Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers (National Association of School Psychologists)

Helping Children Cope with Frightening News (Child Mind Institute)

Coping in the Aftermath of a Shooting (American Counseling Association)

Trauma and Disaster Mental Health (American Counseling Association)

I join you in feelings of sadness, but I am encouraged by the collective strength of our school community.

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza, DVC Principal

What a blast we had at Camp Pondo with the Class of 2025! Students and families are able to access the photos from both the 9th and 10th grade retreats at the following links: 

9th Grade Retreat Photos

10th Grade Retreat Photos

We also had a terrific showcase of our pathways and our elective course offerings on Thursday afternoon. Students in 9th & 10th grade who have successfully completed Graphic Communications will be eligible to choose an elective course for the 22-23 school year. Forms for course selection will be available soon on Google Classroom!

Next week is the final week of classes before we begin Presentations of Learning (POLs) and Final Exams. The last day of academic instruction for the semester is Friday, May 27th, and all coursework needed for graduation is due at this time. Please check your student’s grades on PowerSchool and email teachers if you have any questions or concerns.

Looking Ahead:

• Friday, 5/27: Last Day for Seniors to Complete Coursework Required for Graduation
• Tuesday, 5/31: POL Schedule Begins: Minimum Days – students dismissed at 1:40pm
• Thursday, 6/2: 12th Grade DTLA Field Trip
• Friday, 6/3: Disneyland Grad Night (12th Grade)
• Monday, 6/6: FUTURES Graduation
• Tuesday, 6/7: Senior Awards @ 9:00 & Graduation Practice @ 12:00
• Wednesday, 6/8: Last Day of the School Year
• Thursday, 6/9: Class of 2022 Graduation @ 11am (Invitation Only)

Please continue to consult this DVC Year 9 Planning Calendar (2021-2022) as well as the DVC Weekly Schedules for the most up to date information. 

DVC Students and Families,

COVID cases are increasing in the wider community and within DV Schools. Please report all COVID cases to egreen@davincischools.org as soon as possible. Please monitor symptoms if you are a close contact, mask for 10 days from exposure and test 3-5 days after last exposure.

Rapid covid tests are available at school sites during school hours, no appt needed. Students, please pre-register for testing here. It is a rapid test and results are available 15 minutes later.

PCR tests available at 201 N Douglas Street every Monday/Tuesday 815-315pm. Results available approximately Wednesday afternoon. Pre-​registration required https://ihd-patient.preciseq.com/davinci-schools

Home Tests are available at school sites during school hours; please request from health office/front office.

Here is some helpful information about preventing spread at home: Prevent Spread At Home

Here is the school isolation flow chart: School Isolation Quarantine Flow Chart

Thank you!

Emily Green, School Nurse, RN, PhD

Fax: 310-356-3224

For current quarantine, isolation, and other COVID FAQs please see here.

We had a terrific College Signing Day in celebration of the Class of 2022 and all their next steps! Follow us at @dvchighschool on Instagram to see some video clips of our parade. Our seniors got accepted to 176 different colleges this year (check out the list here!). We are excited to make this an annual tradition! 

There are only two weeks left of instruction before we begin Presentations of Learning (POLs) and Final Exams. The last day of academic instruction for the semester is Friday, May 27th, and all coursework needed for graduation is due at this time. Please check your student’s grades on PowerSchool and email teachers if you have any questions or concerns.

Next week is another busy and fun one, especially for our 9th graders! Please see below for the important dates:

Next Week:

• Monday, 5/16: 11th & 12th Grade Retreat Leaders @ Camp Pondo
• Tuesday, 5/17: 9th Grade Retreat at Camp Pondo in Running Springs, CA
• Wednesday, 5/18: 9th Grade Activity Day at DVC & CD (All School)
• Thursday, 5/19: Pathway & Elective Info Session in Blackbox @ 2:45pm & POL Prep Begins

Looking Ahead:

• Friday, 5/27: Last Day for Seniors to Complete Coursework Required for Graduation
• Tuesday, 5/31: POL Schedule Begins: Minimum Days – students dismissed at 1:40pm
• Thursday, 6/2: 12th Grade DTLA Field Trip
• Friday, 6/3: Disneyland Grad Night (12th Grade)
• Monday, 6/6: FUTURES Graduation
• Tuesday, 6/7: Senior Awards @ 11:30 (Invitation Only) & Graduation Practice @ 12:30 (All Seniors)
• Wednesday, 6/8: Last Day of the School Year
• Thursday, 6/9: Class of 2022 Graduation @ 11am (Invitation Only)

I am thrilled to share with you that all of our 9th grade students are scheduled to spend all day Tuesday, May 17th in Running Springs, California (near Big Bear Lake)! This special trip will include a variety of recreational and team-building games and activities including a zipline, a giant swing, a soccer field, basketball courts, and a skate park. This is a not-to-be-missed trip – one that is sure to be talked about from now until high school graduation and beyond! We want to make sure every 9th grader is able to join in the experience, so if you have questions or concerns, please reach out and I would be happy to talk with you about your concerns.

In order to make the most of our day-trip, we are asking all students to arrive at DVC by 8:00am on Tuesday morning. We will be returning to DVC around 9:00pm that evening. Please see information about what to bring (and what not to bring) at this link: DVC Retreat Information for Students and Families

All students are required to have completed these permission forms and submit them to their Period 1B teacher by this Friday, May 13th. The forms include a Da Vinci Permission Slip (page 1) and a Camp Pondo Permission Slip (page 2) and a Fulcrum Permission slip (for fun activities scheduled on Wednesday, 5/18). Da Vinci and Camp Pondo and Fulcrum require separate forms. We will be printing copies and giving them out to students on Wednesday, May 11th, and students who do not have a completed form submitted by 8am on Tuesday, May 17th will not be able to board the buses.

For an overview of the timeline, please see below:

Wednesday, May 11th: Permission Slips Distributed

• Students are given paper copies of these permission forms: DVC 9th Grade Permission Forms

Friday, May 13th: Permission Slips Due

• Students turn in their permission forms to Period 1B Teachers

Tuesday, May 17th: All-Day Field Trip to Running Springs

• Students arrive no later than 8:00am for departure to Running Springs
• Students arrive back to school around 9:00pm for pick-up by families

Wednesday, May 18th: Late Start & Special Schedule

• Students arrive to school no later than 9:30am (late start for 9th grade only)
• Students follow a special schedule designed to continue the team-building established on the field trip

Important Medical Information: We are happy to let you know that our Da Vinci School Nurse will be attending the trip with DVC on Tuesday, May 17th. All students requiring any medication (prescription or over the counter) for Camp Pondo will need to have a School Medication Authorization completed or the student will not be allowed to bring the medication. We encourage students who are prescribed inhalers and/or allergy medication to consider bringing since an outdoor camp field trip often leads to the need for medications/inhalers even if you haven’t needed it at school. School Medication Authorization Forms can be submitted in person or you can have your physician submit directly to the school nurse Emily Green (egreen@davincischools.org). Fax: 1-310-356-3224

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by replying to this email. I will be on the trip with the 9th graders and I am really looking forward to it!

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza, Principal