Hello DVC Students,

Happy Monday! Here are the list of colleges/universities that will be visiting us during lunch this week:

• Monday September 13th @ 12:20 pm: Chapman University
• Tuesday, September 14th @ 12:20 pm: Mount Saint Mary’s University
• Thursday, September 16th @ 12:15 pm: University of Massachusetts-Lowell

All college rep visits will take place in Mr. Jackson’s room (3203). Because of COVID regulations, students are not permitted to eat inside a classroom and thus cannot eat during the college rep visits, I apologize for this.

Students of all grade levels (9-12) can attend the college rep visits.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me or stop by my office,

Ms. Aldrete

College & Career Counselor

Happy Saturday, DVC Families,

We had another week of engaging learning all over campus! Some highlights included the outdoor lab in Mr. Einstein’s 9th grade Physics class and the gallery walk in Mr. Watson’s Graphic Communications class. We also got everything set up for FLEX Block, a new structure to help students get the support or enrichment they need in order to thrive in their classes. We are excited that Week 5 begins our official launch of FLEX Block!

Please note that students do not have school on Friday, September 17th due to professional development for staff. During our professional development time, the staff will be focusing on creating visual supports to be displayed on our classroom walls. 

A few updates:

School Site Council: The results are in! Parents and guardians have voted and selected the following parents to represent DVC on the School Site Council for the 2021-2022 school year: Arleen Romero, Liza Somilleda, and Desiree Saddler. Our first meeting will be on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at 4:30pm via zoom (link here). All are welcome to attend the meeting, and the first five minutes of the meeting are reserved for public comment.

Supplies & “Homebooks”: We know that many of you have been patiently waiting for school supplies to arrive as well as “homebooks” (i.e. a chromebook for home use) to be distributed. We are pleased to announce that all school supplies have arrived and we have begun distributing those to students who have requested them. We also just received a new shipment of chromebooks, so this will enable us to issue “homebooks” to students this week and next. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we were dealing with shipping delays.

Club Fair: We are excited to host our annual club fair on Thursday, 9/16 during Tuesday/Thursday seminar. All club leaders will be notified next week of their club’s status so they can prepare for the upcoming fair. Please encourage your students to sign up for at least one club at DVC! It’s a great way to get involved and make new friends.

National Hispanic Heritage Month: We are excited to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month starting on Wednesday, September 15th! 

Please see the weekly schedule on this post and also at tinyurl.com/dvcwebsite.

Wishing for a healthy and happy weekend for you and your family,

Erin D’Souza

Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students of Da Vinci Communications, Design, Science and Connect High Schools:

Earlier this week we became aware of a threat based on postings on social media that warned of a possible shooting at our campus on Wednesday, September 8th. We immediately contacted our School Resource Officers from the El Segundo Police Department (ESPD) who initiated an immediate investigation into the matter, in collaboration with Da Vinci Schools. Thanks in large part to the volume of information received from parents, students, staff, and community members, both DV and ESPD were able to successfully investigate and identify the students involved in the incident. We followed up with communication early Wednesday morning to inform all DVC, DVD, DVS and Connect High families that our schools would be open on Wednesday after having verified that the threat was deemed not to be credible.

Here are a few updates that we would like to share with you based on follow-up questions that we have received from families after the last notification went out:

– School has continued this week safely and without any further interruptions

– ESPD and DV continue to investigate the incident in order to ensure that all the issues that came to our attention this week are fully addressed

– ESPD has continued to provide their assistance as a resource to our schools

– Students at DVC, DVD, and DVS who were present on Wednesday participated in an activity that morning provided by DVC Principal Erin D’Souza that gave the students an opportunity to discuss the incident and address it in a focused and healthy manner. Connect HS students will also have this resource available to them. > School Safety Update

– All Counselors and mental health staff have been made available to students and staff to assist in any way possible to help with any anxiety, stress, and trauma generated by this incident

– Our Critical Incident Drill which was being planned for late September/early October will be moved up to be conducted as soon as possible in collaboration with ESPD and the El Segundo Fire Department

– We will continue to review and improve our critical incident communication and procedures. Thank you to the many people who have submitted suggestions and recommendations.

Lastly, many questions were posed regarding specific information about the students involved. This type of information is referred to as Personally Identifiable Information (PII) as defined in Title 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 99.3. and also relates to the type of information that is categorized as a student record. Both at the state level (California Education Code 49061(b), 49076, and Title 5 California Code of Regulations 430 (b)), and the federal level through the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 34 CFR 99.31, student records are protected as confidential records and can only be accessed as provided in law.

Thank you for your support. We will continue to provide updates as needed. Our goal remains to provide the highest level of safety possible for our students and staff.

Be well and be safe,

Vicente Bravo

Chief Administrative Officer
Da Vinci Schools
201 N. Douglas Street
Office – #1308-Musician
El Segundo, CA 90245

(424) 290-3244 direct
(310) 725-5800, Ext. 1308 main
vbravo@davincischools.org

It is World Suicide Prevention Day! Each year on September 10th, World Suicide Prevention Day encourages worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicide and to support those who have been impacted by suicide. On this special day, you can join thousands of others in showing your support for suicide prevention and remembering loved ones lost to suicide by lighting a candle near a window or on social media at 8 p.m.

Additional Resources:

• The brochure “Help and Support After Suicide: Information and Resources to Promote Healing” explains complicated grief and offers resources for individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide. The brochure and a California Survivor of Suicide Loss Program Directory can be found on the “Reach Out” page of this website:  SuicideisPreventable.org

• Friends for Survival has offered support for those bereaved by a suicide death for over 30 years. Call their help line, sign up to receive their newsletter, and visit their web site for links to resources and reading material. Toll Free Suicide Loss Helpline: 1-800-646-7322.

• The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is a national organization with chapters in all 50 states that is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. Their web site includes a wide range of resources and educational materials for survivors of suicide loss.

• To learn more about World Suicide Prevention Day, visit https://www.iasp.info/wspd2021/. 

Find even more activities in the Suicide Prevention Week 2020 Kit here.  It’s not too late to join the Suicide Prevention Week challenge.  To get started download the challenge flyer and challenge card!

Connect with thousands throughout the country during Suicide Prevention Week by using the hashtags #SuicidePrevention #SuicidePreventionWeek #WorldSuicidePreventionDay

Good evening, DVC Families,

Please help us select the parent representatives for this year’s School Site Council by voting for up to 3 of our wonderful parents/guardians: School Site Council Voting Form: Parent Representatives

The voting will be open until 5pm tomorrow evening (Friday, 9/10).

Thank you for your time,

Erin D’Souza

Principal