Just a reminder that this week and next week, school dismissal will be at 2pm. We wish all of our students the best of luck on their POLs and finals!

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:

• Complete the Incident Reporting Form, located on the sidebar of the dvc.davincischools.org webpage
• Call the front office of the school at (310) 725-5800 to report the concern
• Call or text the Principal (Erin D’Souza) at (310) 350-7192 
• Call or text the Assistant Principal (Andrew Daramola) at (323) 435-1796
• Email any DVC staff member with the concern (all email addresses listed here)
• Complete a written incident report (blank copies at the front office)

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

• DVC Student Handbook 2023 – 2024
• Bullying Policy (Da Vinci Schools)
• Policy to Address Racist, Discriminatory and Dehumanizing Incidents
• Civility Policy
• Visitor Policy
• Comprehensive School Safety Plan: Da Vinci Communications

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

Good morning Senior Families,

November 30th was the application priority deadline for UC applications and most CSU applications.  There are a number of CSU campuses that are continuing to accept applications and a list can be found here.  Students can also apply to UC Merced until January 15, 2024.

Other highlights: 

• Community College: Applications are open! Most students submitted Community College applications during our “Press Submit Event”.  In the spring, we will continue to submit Community College applications during our College & Career Readiness Class and we will take prospective seniors to El Camino College and Santa Monica College to help them complete the enrollment process.
• Private Universities: Many seniors submitted their applications during the months of November and December.  Some seniors are still working through their private university applications via the Common App as some are due on January 2024.
• University Portals: Once applications are submitted, many universities will require students to create a portal.  Portals are the main method of communication for many universities.  Please encourage your student to keep a close eye on their email, including spam, to access important information from prospective universities.

Financial Aid Update: 

The Department of Education just announced that the 2024-2025 FAFSA will be available by December 31, 2023.  We encourage you to create an FSA ID, which allows you to digitally sign the FAFSA, prior to the launch. Both student and at least one parent need FSA IDs. Financial aid updates and resources are below:

• Create an FSA ID – it takes 2-3 to process so creating one now will allow you to start the FAFSA when it opens. Student and one parent should create a FSA ID.

• Changes to the FAFSA (video)
• The California Student Aid Commission announced that the California Dream Act Application (CADAA), financial aid application for undocumented students, will be launch at the same time as the FAFSA.
• Complete the CSS Profile,  if applicable.  The CSS Profile is used by private universities.  Here is the list for participating schools. Please check each university’s financial aid website for CSS and FAFSA deadlines as they vary.
• Any scholarships are announced via College and Career Readiness Canvas.  Below is a list of scholarships with upcoming deadlines:

• 1. Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship – due 12/15/23
  2. Edison Scholars – due 1/23/24
  3. Equitable Excellence Scholarship Program– due 12/18/23

Deadlines for FAFSA/CADAA:

• University of California: March 2, 2024
• Cal State University: April 2, 2024
• Private Universities: Check each university site as deadlines vary

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

USC Pre-College Programs

Application for High School Programs

The online application for the USC Summer 2024 Program is NOW OPEN!

USC Summer Programs offers current high school freshmen, sophomore and junior students a preview of “freshmen year” through their college immersion experience. Students explore Los Angeles as a laboratory for cultural learning beyond the traditional classroom. Their programs are designed to combine college level course work, academic field trips, and structured extracurricular activities.

USC Summer Programs offers 4-week courses in a variety of subjects from which students choose one course for intense study. Courses are interactive, engaging, and challenging, and students receive 3 units of transferrable USC elective credit upon successful completion. Students can choose from courses in the following subject areas:

• Architecture
• Business
• Engineering & Info Tech
• Global Studies
• Communication & Journalism
• Performing Arts
• Pre-Health/Science
• Pre-Law
• Writing & Critical Thinking.

To find out more about the program, visit the USC Summer Program website HERE.