Good morning. This is the DVC counseling team and today is the first day of National School Counseling Week. The theme of this year’s week is “School
Counselors: Helping Students Dream Big.” Did you know that my number one goal, as a school counselor, is to help you succeed?
Whatever you need to be successful at school – whether that’s learning how to stay motivated to complete your work, having positive relationships with your fellow students, advocating for yourself, or overcoming barriers – we are here for it. You’ve probably heard of actor and producer Tyler Perry. He said, “I don’t think the dreams die. I think people give up. I think it gets too hard.” Sometimes achieving your dreams is hard, but we are here to help you not give up.
As your school counselor, we want to help you achieve your dreams. What are your dreams? How can we help you make a plan to achieve them? Let’s talk about it. Have a great Monday!

Your DVC counseling team!

We had a great week at DVC! We had a great kickoff to a rocket launch project in 9th Grade Computer Science and Physics in collaboration with the Aerospace Corporation. A big shoutout to our DVC student athletes, as well, especially our seniors who have been celebrating their senior nights! We see you out there representing our school well and making us proud. 

Week 22 Schedule: We are celebrating National School Counseling Week with some fun themed days!

• Monday, 2/6: Wear Your Feelings
• Tuesday, 2/7: Wear College Gear
• Wednesday, 2/8: Wear Pink
• Thursday, 2/9: Wear Sports Gear
• Friday, 2/10: Wear Disney

Please consider writing a message of gratitude to our school counselors this week: 

• Ms. Aldrete, College & Career Counselor, maldrete@davincischools.org
• Ms. Thomas, 9th & 11th Grade Counselor, athomas@davincischools.org
• Ms. Barba, 10th & 12th Grade Counselor, jbarba@davincischools.org

After-School Tutoring: We are thrilled to be able to offer after school tutoring after school on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:35 – 4:35! Our tutor’s name is Alex and he is willing to help with anything but specializes in math and science. This is open to all grade-levels; we will let students know the location of the tutoring during  grade-level homeroom on Monday.

Black History Month: Huge thanks to our Black Student Union for creating and implementing lessons and activities in Advisory for the month of February! The decorations around the campus are terrific, too.

Input Requested for Community Schools Grant Application: DVC is applying for a grant and would like to get your feedback! All students and parents are invited to share thoughts on how DVC can improve in the following areas: (1) Integrated Student Supports, (2) Family & Community Engagement, (3) Collaborative Leadership, and (4) Expanded Learning Time & Opportunities. Please join via zoom (Meeting Link)  on Tuesday, 2/7 at 4pm for a brief overview of the grant and an opportunity to give input. 

College & Career Parent Information Nights: Our DVC counselors are hosting a series of webinars about college & career preparation. Please mark your calendars for these virtual events. The webinars will be recorded and made available to families after the event.

• Wednesday, 2/15: 11th Grade College & Career Parent Info Night @ 5pm via Zoom (Meeting Link)
• Wednesday, 2/22: 10th Grade College & Career Parent Info Night @ 5pm via Zoom (Meeting Link)
• Wednesday, 3/1: 12th Grade College & Career Parent Info Night @ 5pm via Zoom (Meeting Link)
• Tuesday, 3/7: 9th Grade College & Career Parent Info Night @ 5pm via Zoom (Meeting Link)

Here’s what’s coming up:

• Monday, 2/6: National School Counseling Week Begins
• Tuesday, 2/7: Community Schools Grant Application Feedback @ 4pm via Zoom  (Meeting Link) 
• Monday, 2/13: Red Cross Blood Drive Hosted by DVC National Honor Society (sign up here)
• Monday, 2/13: Senior Class Photo
• Wednesday, 2/15: 11th Grade College & Career Parent Info Night @ 5pm via Zoom (Meeting Link)
• Monday, 2/20: No School – Presidents’ Day
• Wednesday, 2/22: 10th Grade College & Career Parent Info Night @ 5pm via Zoom (Meeting Link)
• Friday, 2/24: Black History Month CD
• Wednesday, 3/1: 12th Grade College & Career Parent Info Night @ 5pm via Zoom (Meeting Link)
• Tuesday, 3/7: 9th Grade College & Career Parent Info Night @ 5pm via Zoom (Meeting Link)
• Monday, 3/13 – Thursday, 3/16: Student-Led Conferences (minimum days)
• Friday, 3/17: No School – Staff Development
• Thursday, 6/8: DVC Class of 2023 Graduation (1pm start time)

DVC Weekly Schedules Year 10 (2022-2023) & DVC Year 10 Planning Calendar (2022-2023)

The UCLA Game Lab Summer Institute introduces high school students to game-making as an artistic practice, teaching them techniques and tools to develop analog and digital games that reflect their own creative vision. No previous game-making skills are required. Students with an interest in games and visual arts will find the curriculum especially rewarding–and those who complete the two-week program receive 4 units of college credit!

This summer we’re featuring two sessions of the program: an online, virtual classroom version, as well as an in-person, residential program on campus at UCLA. The two sessions offer nearly identical instruction and game design projects—but now you can choose between an online or an on-campus experience! The dates for Summer 2023:

• Session A (online, virtual classroom): July 10, 2023 – July 21, 2023
• Session B (in-person, residential): July 23, 2023 – August 5, 2023

The Summer Institute program is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we welcome students of all cultural, racial, gender, linguistic, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds and physical abilities.

Registration starts February 15 at the UCLA Summer Sessions website. Spaces in both programs are limited—and they tend to fill up pretty fast. So if you’re interested in learning all about game design this summer, please visit that site soon–and please read on to learn more about what makes the UCLA Game Lab Summer Institute so special!

Develop technical and creative skills by making game art!

Students in the program develop an aesthetic and technical foundation in various aspects of game design, and begin learning how to express their own personal ideas through game-making.

Taught by alumni of the internationally renowned UCLA Game Lab, the two-week program leads students through four, hands-on courses in game development. These classes focus on:

• Learning the fundamentals of game design
• Creating compelling game characters
• Building game worlds
• Programming/coding games

Prepare for college… and beyond!

By the end of the two weeks, students will have created complete games or game assets in each of the four classes. Completed student work is exhibited after the program is over—either in a gallery space at UCLA for our residential program, or via a gallery-like website installation for our online, virtual-classroom program. Either way, students and parents get to experience all of the wonderful game art completed during the program, and students graduate from the Summer Institute with their artwork—and 4 units of college credit—which they can include in their college applications and portfolios.

About the UCLA Game Lab

The Summer Institute program is sponsored by the UCLA Game Lab, a creative and research-based center that approaches game development as a discipline combining technology and the arts. The lab specializes in using game technology for experimental and expressive applications and enables designers of all backgrounds to start making games. Founded in 2009 by artist and game designer Eddo Stern, a professor in the Department of Design Media Arts, the lab is sponsored by UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture and the School of Theater, Film, and Television.

If you would like to learn more about the lab’s mission or to see the work of our student artists, please visit us on web at games.ucla.edu. For more information—or to schedule a campus visit—please email Tyler Stefanich (tyler@games.ucla.edu), Game Lab Manager. If you work with high school students, we would encourage you to book a group visit with us to introduce your students to the lab and our Summer Institute program!

Register for the Summer Institute!

For complete information about the program—and to register and enroll—please visit our program at the UCLA Summer Sessions website. As noted above, registration begins on February 15–and spaces are limited–so please be sure to complete your registration as soon as possible!

Week 21 is a four-day week for students! There is no school on Friday, February 3rd as it is a Professional Development Day for staff. 

School Site Council: We have our School Site Council Meeting on Wednesday, February 1st at 4:30pm via Zoom  (link here). Our agenda for the School Site Council meeting is as follows:

1. Public Comment
2. School Safety Plan Approval
3. SSC Discussion – Glows and Grows of DVC

Black History Month: Wednesday, February 1st begins Black History Month! We are proud to recognize the experiences and accomplishments of the Black community during February and always. 

Here’s what’s coming up:

• DVC Weekly Schedules Year 10 (2022-2023) & DVC Year 10 Planning Calendar (2022-2023)
• Wednesday, 2/1: School SIte Council Meeting @ 4:30pm via Zoom (link here)
• Thursday, 2/2: Shelter-in-Place Drill @ 10:30am
• Friday, 2/3: No School – Professional Development Day
• Monday, 2/6: National School Counseling Week Begins
• Monday, 2/20: No School – Presidents’ Day
• Friday, 2/24: Black History Month CD

Dear DVC Students & Families,

We are working diligently this year to regularly monitor student progress in academics, socio-emotional well-being, behavior, and attendance to ensure that we are able to communicate with families, respond to concerns, and intervene with supports as quickly as possible when our students are struggling to access the educational opportunities that we provide. In particular this semester, we will be more closely monitoring attendance because research has shown that regular attendance is vital for the success of students in school. Students who are present are more likely to succeed academically, engage with others, and be better prepared for success beyond school. This semester we are increasing our communications with families when a student’s attendance falls below 90%, as that is the state threshold for students being classified as chronically absent. In addition to daily absence notification calls, every two weeks our schools will email or directly call the families of chronically absent students to keep them informed of their student’s attendance status and let them know whether or not their student’s attendance has improved over the past two weeks. Parent meetings may be held for student’s whose attendance fails to improve over the course of multiple weeks, with the goal of coming together as a team to identify the challenges and implement supports to ensure that we are doing all that we can to help get students back on track.

California law states that absences are excused only if the child is ill or there is an excuse that meets the requirements of the California Education Code Section 48205. Even excused absences that cause your child to miss significant amounts of school can cause your child to fall behind in class and can cause them to be classified as chronically absent. Our school will continue to require verification of absences due to illness or quarantine if your child has missed school for three consecutive days. Please be aware that going out of town when school is in session with your child is an unexcused absence.

We hope that all of our students will be in attendance every day, but we also understand that there are times when absences may become a challenge. As we continue our pursuit of our students’ learning and growth, we look forward to strengthening our partnership with our families to ensure that all Da Vincians have the support that they need to access their education and achieve success.

Thank you for your support,

Erin D’Souza

Principal, DVC