Da Vinci Connect News and Updates 5/25/24

May 25th, 2024

From Your Administrative Team

Hello Da Vinci Connect Families,

It has been a busy couple of weeks! We want to start by sharing a huge thank you to our students and families for showering us with love during Staff Appreciation Week! We recognize how lucky we are to experience the care, kindness, and generosity of our families in this way--we are grateful to share this community with you!

We want to celebrate our students who showcased their many talents at our recent FAN Talent Showcase! Regardless of the talent, whether a performance, an invention, or a piece of art, there was much to celebrate! Our students are incredible! Thank you also to the middle school Emcees and adult organizers for your support of this event!

We also want to celebrate our two Odyssey of the Mind teams who just competed in the World Championships in Ames, Iowa! Both teams placed in the top 30 of their divisions! This is a huge accomplishment worth celebrating, after a year of dedicated work and ingenuity! Thank you also to the parent volunteers and parent coaches for your many hours of love and support! You can continue to support their recent trip by checking out the fundraiser opportunities below!

We want to continue the celebration of AAPI month with THIS resource from the Asian and Pacific American Heritage website hosted by the Library of Congress!

If you haven't been on campus lately, we encourage you to check out our blacktop area--we have trees! We have recently turned our blacktop into a micro-forest oasis, and couldn't be happier!

Finally, we hope everyone is enjoying Presentations of Learning. This is a signature practice at all Da Vinci Schools, and is a unique opportunity for students to individually reflect on their learning, demonstrate mastery of content, and create goals for the future. Preparing a POL takes an immense amount of work and reflection, and we hope that everyone is celebrating this incredible accomplishment with their student(s)!

Enjoy Your Weekend,

Kaitlin (she/her) and Robin (she/her)

An Update from our Counselor!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

Our community partner, South Bay Families Connected, offers our families a variety of youth wellness resources. For Mental Health Awareness Month, we feature their resource pages covering trending youth wellness topics on the minds of parents and caregivers:

Supporting healthy social media and screen time management
Recognizing and supporting mental health challenges
Understanding and managing stress and anxiety
Helping youth build healthy relationships and foster empathy and compassion
Practicing m indful parenting

Visit our own Da Vinci Families Connected page for more youth wellness resources from Da Vinci Schools and SBFC. You can also explore further mental health resources in Nydia's Counseling Corner.

Memorial Day

Monday 5/27

No school or homeschool--We honor all who have served and are no longer with us. We thank them for their service!

Last Day of School

Wednesday 6/5

Last days of on campus classes are Fri 5/31 for TH/F cohort and Tues. 6/4 for the M/T cohort!

Learning Log #4 Due!

Wednesday 6/5 by 11:59pm

Please be sure to submit a complete learning log by the deadline to avoid a non-compliance letter! Reach out to Nancy (nwaites@davincischools.org) with any questions!

8th Grade Graduation!

Friday 6/7 at 1:00pm Da Vinci Schools Gymnasium

We have over 70 8th graders moving on to High School this Spr

Yearbook Update!

The yearbook has been submitted to print, BUT you can still purchase a yearbook by May 30 and receive free shipping to the school!

23-24 After deadline flyer.pdf Download 23-24 After deadline flyer.pdf

Yearbooks are estimated to arrive by June 6th. If they arrive after the last day of school we will send an update about an opportunity for yearbook signing fun before everyone heads off into summer. Fingers crossed for a speedy delivery!

Parent's Night Out!

Smog City Brewery 1901 Del Amo Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501

Sunday June 2nd @ 5:30pm

Many families have been asking for time to connect with each other as whole humans away from their kids--we have a solution for you! Join other parents for an evening out to enjoy drinks, food trucks, and a live band at Smog City Brewery! Owned by one of our Connect Families, Smog City is one of the most popular breweries in the area! There will be two reserved picnic tables for our families starting at 5:30pm. We encourage you to arrive early--We hope to see you there!

Odyssey of the Mind!

Help our teams fund their trip to the World Championships!

Celebrate the Last Day of School with a CPK Community Day! Sign those yearbooks! Connect on a new '24-'25 cooperative! Celebrate still having your sanity after another year of homeschooling with people who get it! Laugh! Let loose! Connect!

Come Wednesday, June 5th anytime between 1-5pm, mention you are there with Da Vinci (or show the flyer), and your Odyssey of the Mind teams get 20% of the profits. You get to celebrate and support, all at the same time. :)

School's (almost) Out for Summer! Come and celebrate on Thursday, June 6th between 11-3 at Dave and Busters! There are 2 ways to join in the fun:

Pre-buy your Power Cards to play. These NEVER expire and can be great grad gifts or for use for summer fun all year long. Just complete the steps on this form and we will get you your cards! The best part, our Odyssey teams get 50% of the profits, so stock up for birthdays, summer boredom, or our big spirit day, to support! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zLFo5UYE9CN_Bg5MdrwLyDrhzHh5Zy8gYFPkiYXAbKQ/edit#gid=0School's

Come anytime on Thursday, June 6th form 11-3, make sure to mention you are there for Da Vinci Schools AND BRING THE FLYER (they require it) and eat, drink, and play, and our Odyssey teams get 20% of the profits!

Pre-buy your Power Cards and use them when you join us on Thursday, June 6th and you will be double supporting our Odyssey teams! Woo hoo!

Fill at the form ASAP to ensure you get your cards in time for the big day. Remember, they never expire. So if plans change, you can save them for later :)

Upcoming Spirit Days!

Various days from May 13th-Jun 4th

Please see the flyer below for spirit days to celebrate the end of the year, planned by some of our Middle School leadership students!

Math "Scamp" (Not quite summer school, not quite summer camp)

June 10-21 at various times

Earlier this week, our team sent out invitations to a small group of students who would benefit from a summer opportunity to boost math skill and math mindset. These students were recommended by their teachers as being on the brink of making progress in these areas. If you did not receive an invitation but feel like your child would benefit from this opportunity, you can sign up for the waitlist HERE. You can find more details, like dates and times, on the flyer below:

Mr. Mason's Virtual Art Classes Are Back!

Every Wednesday from 2-3pm

Live ZOOM Art Class with Mr. Mason. Join us virtually for art classes each week!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2029821176

Daily Read Alouds on Zoom!

M-F 9:00am

Want a connective way to begin your homeschool days? Join Nancy each day at 9:00am on zoom for a virtual read aloud! This invitation is for all ages, regardless of grade level or cohort! You can join her on zoom HERE

Da Vinci Connect Gear!

we are excited to share that we have an online store with new t-shirt designs for the 23-24 school year! We are honored to partner with Mychal's Learning Place for our printing needs. Take a look at our online store to purchase Da Vinci Connect t-shirts and hoodies, in youth AND adult sizes!

Email Connect K-8 Front Office |

Email Kaitlin | Email Robin | Office Phone (310) 725-5800

K-8 Parent Educator Resource Website | Family Handbook | School Calendar

Have a great week!

~ Your DV Connect Team