Hello DVC students and families!

The National Honor Society is hosting a blood drive with the American Red Cross on Monday, February 14th. If you would like to help, please consider donating blood as the American Red Cross has deemed the current situation a national blood crisis. Please use the link here to set an appointment:

https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/donation-time

Blood donors can also complete their pre-donation and health history questionnaire from their mobile device using Rapid Pass at the link here:

https://RedCrossBlood.org/rapidpass

Students who are 16 years old can donate with parental consent. Forms can be picked up at the front office or with Ms. Regina in room 3201. Students who are 17 years and older, can donate without parental consent.

Thank you so much for helping during this crisis.

Happy Sunday, DVC Families!

Next week is a four-day week for students as Friday, 2/4 is a Professional Development Day for staff. We have a School Site Council Meeting on Wednesday, 2/2 at 4:30pm via Zoom (School Site Council Meeting Zoom Link). The agenda is as follows:

1. Public Comment
2. WASC Mid-Cycle Report
3. A-G Improvement Grant Draft Feedback
4. Profile of a Graduate Discussion

Here are some upcoming events you want to be sure to add to your calendar:

Monday, 2/7: 9th Grade College Information Webinar for Parents/Guardians @ 5pm (Webinar Link)

Tuesday, 2/8: 10th Grade College Information Webinar for Parents/Guardians @ 5pm (Webinar Link)

Wednesday, 2/9: 11th Grade College Information Webinar for Parents/Guardians @ 5pm (Webinar Link)

We are looking forward to celebrating Black History Month throughout February, including our first CD (i.e. Community Dialogue or all-school assembly) for second semester. Stay tuned for more details!

It was a great week at DVC with seminars starting back up, and our students continue to do an excellent job following our COVID protocols to keep our community safe! 

Lunch Update: On Monday, students will be expected to scan their student ID cards in order to get lunch. Lunch remains free for all students. If a student did not receive a student ID when they were distributed in December or if the student would like a replacement, please use this form: DVC Student ID Request Form 

COVID Testing Information:

• PCR Testing is available on Tuesdays from 2:30-4:30pm. This testing is required for athletes that are non-vaxxed, not boosted, or on a team with a confirmed positive case. This testing is open to any DV staff or student. Pre-​registration required: https://ihd-patient.preciseq.com/davinci-schools 
• On-site rapid testing for students open from 8:15am-3:45pm daily. Students are not allowed to leave class to test and must use time before school, during lunch, and after school. Students should pre-register here if this is their first time testing at school.

Here are some upcoming events you may want to add to your calendar:

Wednesday, 2/2: School Site Council Meeting at 4:30pm (Zoom Link)

Friday, 2/4: No School (Professional Development Day)

Monday, 2/7: 9th Grade College Information Webinar for Parents/Guardians @ 5pm

Tuesday, 2/8: 10th Grade College Information Webinar for Parents/Guardians @ 5pm

Wednesday, 2/9: 11th Grade College Information Webinar for Parents/Guardians @ 5pm

For students who are unable to come to school, class information and assignments will continue to be available via Google Classroom. All students who are feeling healthy and who are at home are encouraged to keep up digitally with assignments and videoconference during their teachers’ scheduled virtual office hours. Please see this link for virtual office hours information: DVC Zooms for Students in Quarantine Please contact Pattie Foxman in our office at pfoxman@davincischools.org to notify us if your child is going to be absent from school.

Have a nice weekend,

Erin

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Today we honor his legacy, and last week students participated in Bystander Intervention Training led by Hollaback!, which helped students and staff feel empowered to do something to help whenever they witness someone being harassed for any reason, whether at school or outside of school. We keep moving forward together, learning and working to make DVC and our community a space that is free from harassment or hate of any kind – one that MLK Jr. would be proud of!

Seminars begin this week! Students can expect to get a printed copy of their new schedule during 3rd period on Tuesday, 1/18 just prior to the start of the first seminar class. Any requests for changes will be accommodated as best as possible, and students will be provided with a link in which to make their requests.

We are thankful to our students for doing a great job keeping their masks covering their mouths and noses throughout the school day. Here are the testing options available at DVC:

• Rapid Antigen Testing (Ongoing): On-site rapid testing for students open from 8:15am-3:45pm daily. Students are not allowed to leave class to test and must use time before school, during lunch, and after school. Students should pre-register here if this is their first time testing at school.
• PCR Testing (New this week): Da Vinci Schools is proud to offer onsite PCR testing for students and staff starting this Wednesday, 1/19! This does not replace our existing rapid testing program. Here is the flyer: DV PCR COVID TESTING Please see details below: 
  • First event: Wednesday, 1/19/22
  • Time: 230-430pm, first come first serve.
  • Rest of semester: Weekly on Tuesdays 230-430p
  • Location: 201 N Douglas Street, COVID tent in backyard by lunch area
  • Pre-​registration required: https://ihd-patient.preciseq.com/davinci-schools 
  • What to bring: ID and unique QR code provided after registration (This code is to be used for the lifetime of the Testing Program. Please present this code to the technician prior to every test)
  • *Please note, insurance information is required, so we encourage students to register at home with access to their insurance card.

For students who are unable to come to school, class information and assignments will continue to be available via Google Classroom. All students who are feeling healthy and who are at home are encouraged to keep up digitally with assignments and videoconference during their teachers’ scheduled virtual office hours. Please see this link for virtual office hours information: DVC Zooms for Students in Quarantine Please contact Pattie Foxman in our office at pfoxman@davincischools.org to notify us if your child is going to be absent from school.

Wishing you and your family a healthy week,

Erin D’Souza

Principal

I hope your families are all healthy and well-rested from our break! We are excited to welcome students back to campus for school on Monday morning. Students will begin the day in their Period 1A classes where they will receive their class schedules and important information related to updated COVID safety protocols and practices. Please note that students’ schedules may have changed for second semester as we balance classes. Our schedule for the first week of second semester is shown here. We encourage students to select their FLEX Block assignments before 11:59pm at DVC FLEX Block Website. 

For students who are unable to come to school, class information and assignments will continue to be available via Google Classroom. All students who are feeling healthy and who are at home are encouraged to keep up digitally with assignments and videoconference during their teachers’ scheduled virtual office hours. Please see this link for virtual office hours information: DVC Zooms for Students in Quarantine Please contact Pattie Foxman in our office at pfoxman@davincischools.org to notify us if your child is going to be absent from school.

Grade-Level Time: We are not beginning seminar classes this week. Instead, we have a variety of grade-level activities planned. Each grade level is following a different schedule for the afternoon. Here are the four sessions:

• Culture-Building Activities: This will be time for small grade-level groups to do team-building activities and build connections with their peers.
• Sexual Education Webinar: This is a webinar led by Dr. Emily Green in accordance with the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA). Content from Sessions 2, 4, 5 and 6 will be covered in this session. Parents and guardians wanting to opt their students out of this presentation should email Erin D’Souza at edsouza@davincischools.org as soon as possible and prior to the session.
• Sexual Consent Lesson: This is a lesson led by DVC Staff in accordance with the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA). Content from Session 8 will be covered in this session. Parents and guardians wanting to opt their students out of this presentation should email Erin D’Souza at edsouza@davincischools.org as soon as possible and prior to the session.
• Bystander Intervention Training: This is a webinar led by Hollaback! to help students learn what to do when they witness harassment of any kind.

COVID-19 Health & Safety Information

As we prepare for the return to school next week, we are cognizant of the spread of COVID-19, and in particular, the Omicron variant. We strongly encourage students to take a COVID test prior to returning to campus beginning Monday, January 10, 2022. When you complete the test, please report at-home test results here. A negative test is not required for students and staff to return to school on January 10, but in the event your child exhibits any flu-like or cold symptoms, your child should get tested and remain at home. 

The following safety measures are now in place at all Da Vinci schools:

• On-site rapid testing for students with exposure or symptoms will resume for Da Vinci students January 10, 2022 during regular testing hours 8:15am-3:45pm daily. Students are not allowed to leave class to test and must use time before school, during lunch, and after school. Students should pre-register here if this is their first time testing at school.
• Masking is now required for all outdoor activities where physical distancing is not feasible, except while eating or drinking, due to the new health order from the LACDPH. Students are strongly recommended to wear masks that are well-fitting, non-cloth masks of multiple layers of non-woven material with a nose wire.
• COVID-19 testing is required for all students and staff who are close contacts of a person who has tested positive for COVID due to a school-based exposure, regardless of vaccination or booster status. Affected employees and students may participate in testing at their school site (more info below)

Staff are required to wear upgraded masks (three-ply surgical masks or higher-level PPE)We continue to monitor the  new protocols for TK-12 schools in a health order and a new exposure management plan from the Los Angeles County Public Health officials to ensure appropriate mitigation strategies are in place during this surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. 

This is a challenging and uncertain time, and we appreciate your support as we work to keep school open safely for our kids to learn!

Sincerely,

Erin D’Souza

Principal