Greetings Class of 2024!

Over the winter break, the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) opened and are now available to submit. The FAFSA is used to determine eligibility for a variety of aid including federal, state, and school-based, as well as
grants and scholarships. Please use THIS CHECKLIST to ensure that you are prepared to fill out FAFSA or CADAA and to verify which one of the two financial aid applications you should complete: FAFSA or CADAA.

Although the FAFSA/CADAA are due April 2nd, 2024, the sooner you complete the FAFSA or CADAA the better, as some aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit Studentaid.gov to begin the FAFSA application or visit Dream.csac.ca.gov to begin the CADAA application.

FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION WORKSHOPS

• The California Student Aid Commission is hosting various online Financial Aid Workshops to help with applications. Check out their free resources and sign up for a free webinar HERE.
• Da Vinci School Counselors usually host a Parent Financial Aid Workshop Night in which we cover the steps of filling out the FAFSA. Our Parent Financial Aid Workshop Night will happen this semester and we are working on finalizing a date. Expect an update soon!

If you need assistance or have questions, please reach out to Ms. Aldrete (maldrete@davincischools.org), Ms. Thomas (athomas@davincischools.org) or Mr. Jackson (cjackson@davincischools.org). We are here to support you and your child through this important process.

Thank you for your support and engagement,

Your DVC College and Career Readiness Team

Good morning Juniors and Seniors,

We’re in the final stretch of Fall Semester! For this upcoming Spring semester, Da Vinci is offering three dual enrollment courses. 2 of these courses are asynchronous online, and one is in-person at our Da Vinci Schools Campus (Room # TBD) on Mondays & Wednesdays from 3:00 pm- 4:25 pm. Course details are listed below:

Who:   Juniors and Seniors from DVC, DVD, and DVS. Based on academic performance and review, 10th grade students are able to take COMS 100. Check with your school counselor to see if you’re eligible.

What: College courses at Da Vinci, through El Camino College. Courses meet transfer requirements for most Cal State and U.C. campuses, as well as most private colleges and universities.

Why:   Get a start on your college credits! It looks great on your college applications. (Dual Enrollment classes do not count towards high school credits)

Cost:   Free! The state of California and Da Vinci Schools pick up the costs, including textbook fees. Donations to help cover the cost of the textbooks from families that can are appreciated.

Where: Classes will be held virtually on the El Camino College student portal (Canvas & MyECC), or they will be in-person in a DVC/DVD/DVS classroom.

If you are interested, make sure you apply to El Camino College Spring 2024 term and turn in the attached completed dual enrollment form with your student ID number and/or the application confirmation number to Ms. Aldrete by Friday, February 2nd, 2024.

To be eligible to take a dual enrollment class, the student will need to pass all their academic classes, have no credit recovery for a-g classes, and be a rising senior or junior student. Space is limited and we are accepting forms on a first come first serve basis!

If interested in signing up for the following classes, please schedule an appointment with Ms. Aldrete via Calendly before 1/25/24:

https://calendly.com/aldretedvc

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For more information click on the following links:

Applying to El Camino College

Do I Need to Apply Again?

Application for Admission Help

Dual Enrollment Application

Da Vinci Schools will be closed for Winter Break December 22nd through January 8th. The El Camino College Dual Enrollment office is able to assist Monday-Friday from 9:00 am- 5:00 pm.

Good luck on your POLs!

Ms. Aldrete

College and Career Counselor

This is our final week of Semester 1! The last day of school before winter break is Thursday, 12/21. School dismissal is at 2pm every day of this week. 

We have continued to be impressed by our students and how well they are doing with their Presentations of Learning (POLs) and finals! Good luck to all as we finish these final four days.

PowerSchool Access & Report Cards: Please note that PowerSchool access has been disabled as teachers finalize grades. We will be mailing end-of-semester report cards in the new year (January 2024), but we will restore PowerSchool access for families during the winter break so that all families can be informed about students’ final grades for the semester prior to the mailing. 

DVC Front Office: Our school office will be closed for break from Friday, December 22nd through Monday, January 8th. Our office opens again on Tuesday, January 9th, and school starts for students again on Tuesday, January 16th. 

Parent Advisory Committee: All are welcome to attend our Parent Advisory Committee on Monday, 12/18 at 4:30pm in person (3rd floor, room TBD) or via this zoom link. Please see below for the agenda:

1. Public Comment
2. DVC Spotlight: Presentations of Learning
3. School Safety Plan Review
4. LCAP: Goal 1 Review
5. Meeting Reflection (Plus / Delta)

Here’s what’s coming up THIS WEEK and beyond:

• 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

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