Da Vinci Connect News and Updates 4/19/24

April 19th, 2024

From Your Administrative Team

Hello Da Vinci Connect Families,

We want to start with a big thank you to all of our families for celebrating another beautiful Exhibition with us this week. It was wonderful to spend the time hearing students share all of their knowledge- from nocturnal animals to medieval puppet shows! We know what a big effort this event is for all of those in our community and want to extend a heartfelt thank you for celebrating students in this way!

We want to say Happy Passover to those who celebrate- Passover starts Monday, April 22!

The month of April is the month of the Military Child- we recognize the unique experience of being a military child and want to recognize all of the military children in our community. Here is a beautiful story to share at home!

We are excited to share that next year's school calendar has been board approved! The first day of school for the 2024-25 school year is August 19th, 2024 with a full week of homeschool along with a one-on-one meeting with your child's teacher and several connecting events on campus. The first day of on-campus classes will be the week of August 26th. We hope this is helpful for planning your summer.

Please reach out to our enrollment coordinator, Ebony, if you have any enrollment changes you need to make for your child's enrollment next year, including if you've decided to withdraw from our program--thank you!

Finally, if you are looking for a fun way to spend a Saturday or Sunday, check out the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 20th and 21^st on the USC campus. We also look forward to celebrating reading with you all at our upcoming Book Fair! See below for details.

Enjoy Your Weekend,

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

Earth Day Celebration Opportunities!

Saturday April 20th

See below for opportunities to celebrate Earth Day in our local community, including in the Del Aire Neighborhood and with Chicas Verdes, who supported us at our STEAM carnival in our garden space!

PAC Meeting

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our Parent Advisory Committee Meeting this week! HERE is the slide deck from our meeting, that also includes links to the video recording and ongoing notes document

Odyssey of the Mind!

Did you hear? This year, Da Vinci had 6 Odyssey of the Mind teams shine at the regional competition, 4 rock at the state level, and 2 teams now headed all the way to the World Championship at the University of Iowa to compete with kids from Poland, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, and all over the world! Now onto the next impossible of fundraising for all 14 state champions and accompanying chaperones to equitably finance registration, transportation, and accommodations in just a few short weeks. Impossible? Not with you on our team 🙂

Ways to help:

-DONATE bigger to our tax deductible 501c3. Log onto 2024 Annual Giving Matching Challenge and choose ‘19-Odyssey of the Mind’ on the pull down menu

-Join us for ICE SKATING on Monday, April 29th(PD Day) from 2:30 to 5:00 pm at Toyota Sports Performance Center. $24 cash or Venmo (@Saba-Bholat) per person includes skate rentals! Sign Up Here!

-Come out to EAT breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner at any of these yummy, local restaurants Eat Fantastic , Al Hamra, or Zacatecas on both Tuesday, April 16th and Thursday, April 18th. Show the flyers or mention Da Vinci Odyssey of the Mind.

-Contact kpvellenga@gmail.com if your company would like SPONSOR and be advertised all over the city (and the country) on our t-shirts!

Staff Appreciation Week!

The week of May 13-17

Staff Appreciation Week is quickly approaching, and we'd love to collaborate with any families interested in celebrating our staff! This year, we'd like to celebrate Staff Appreciation Week from May 13-17, after we can breath from our WASC visit the first week of May

If anyone would like to join Kaitlin on this journey in celebrating our staff, let me know HERE!

It's Time to Order Yearbooks!

We are excited to offer a yearbook again this year! To purchase, scan the QR code below or go to THIS LINK to log in/create an account. You can find more information about our yearbook and purchasing options HERE!

Middle School Dance! SAVE THE DATE!

Friday May 3rd at the Black Box Theater 201 N. Douglas St

6:00pm-8:00pm

Dear Middle School Families of Core 5, please join us in making the 2024 Middle School Dance a memorable experience for all our middle school students! We are asking families to consider donating the suggested items listed inside the Sign-Up Genius that our Student-Led committee has created. Please take a moment to review the snacks, decorations, and other 'Wish List' items highlighted in the SIGN-UP!

For more information, please email jdurham@davincischools.org

The Book Fair is Coming!

May 6-10

The Mi ja Books mission is to find and showcase multicultural and diverse children’s books--and to create a platform for indie and self-publishers to reach a greater audience.

In partnering with Mija Books, Da Vinci Connect is joining in with their vision of creating lifelong readers by offering high-quality books that showcase diverse and inclusive content for all children.

The book fair will be held on the Connect campus April 30th to May 10th.

In order for this fair to be a success, we need your help! Please volunteer your time and work at the book fair! Use this link to sign up!

More information—and shopping times—coming soon!

FAN Annual Talent Showcase!

Friday May 17th

Who: Connect Students are invited to showcase their talents!

What: Annual Talent Showcase

When: Friday | May 17 | time: TBA

Where: Black Box Theater 201 N. Douglas St, El Segundo

Talent offerings from students will include:

Singing, Dancing, Comedy, Visual Arts, Fine Arts & Crafts, & Musicians demonstrating the mastery of their chosen instruments!

**Attention Core 5 Families**

The stage is being prepped and we are eager to get the planning started with you and your talented students. We are looking for 5-6 committed parents to help our Activities Coordinator Jahmal Durham in executing a few specific tasks to ensure that the Talent Showcase will be successful for ALL of our K8 students.

Invitation to visual and digital artists, painters, and creators of fine arts

We are planning to have a space inside of the event to exhibit and highlight these offerings from our students. Please plan to use the Student-participation Sign-up genius to book a space!

For questions, please email jdurham@davincischools.org for further details.

All participating students can Click HERE to review the Sign-up Genius for more information.

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

Summer Athletics Camps Hosted by WUSD + Da Vinci Schools!

Registration Opens March 1

Is your 4th-8th grade student interested in participating in a summer athletics camp? Learn more about this first time offering HERE!

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