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Dear Da Vinci RISE Families and Stakeholders,

Join us virtually for one or both of our March Community Townhall Meetings.  Tomorrow, March 2, 2022 we will host our virtual ELAC meeting at 4pm. Also, Wednesday, March 9^th we will virtually host our monthly School Site Council Meeting.

This is a great opportunity to stay informed and get involved with our RISE school community. Through our ELAC Meeting we will dive deeper into our English Learner needs and through our SSC we will focus on our instructional program and preparations for our upcoming 2023 LCAP!

Meeting Links may be found below or on our school website:

ELAC Zoom Meeting Link Information:

Date: March 2, 2022

Time: 4:00pm

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/2251543947?pwd=anVnREIvdGVLcnllNGVaZnVBM1FHQT09

• Meeting ID: 225 154 3947
• Passcode: 2a9y8C

SSC Zoom Meeting Link Information:

Date: March 9, 2022

Time: 5:00pm

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/99754002966?pwd=WjBtZUErWEkrYTcwSGoxWHo0TENwZz09

• Meeting ID: 997 5400 2966
• Passcode: 266935

We hope to see you all there!

Erin Whalen, M. Ed. 

Executive Director and Principal at RISE High Schoo

Dear RISE community,

It is with profound sadness that I write this letter to inform you that one of our beloved students, Ixchel Gomez passed away on Tuesday, November 30th. Our condolences and thoughts go out to the family and friends of Ixchel. She has been a part of the RISE family since her initial enrollment at our APCH campus in December of 2019. Throughout her time at RISE, Ixchel worked onsite and virtually to make progress towards her goals as she juggled multiple responsibilities. Ixchel brought great love and light into our RISE community. As a young mom, scholar, family member and friend, Ixchel is a true representation of an empowered citizen and has inspired our RISE community.

During this time, as the school community processes this tragic news and copes with grief, we will offer counseling and bereavement services to all of our students and staff in need. Death can be difficult for us to understand, especially when it is sudden. Many of us may be confronted with a variety of emotions, which might include shock, sadness, and confusion.

Students may have had no experience in coping with loss of a classmate or for some, this may be far too familiar. We are working to support our students through counseling by our Student Support Services Team (SSS) and our staff through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). If you feel that your students need to speak to a counselor or other adult, please do not hesitate to call the school and let us know.

If you are interested in providing further support to Ixchel’s family, below you can find a GoFundMe link that will collect funds to be contributed to funeral expenses and any other needs the family has at this time. We know that a sudden loss can be jolting, for this reason we want you to know of our care and support.

Ixchel’s GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-expenses-for-ixchel-gomez

Sincerely,

Erin Whalen
Executive Director/Principal
Da Vinci RISE High School

Da Vinci RISE Community,

As you head into winter break, L.A. County Department of Public Health requires that parents and staff report any COVID-19 cases who have been on campus 14 days prior to becoming ill. This means that if your Da Vinci student tests positive anytime over break, please do still report it to Da Vinci Schools Nurse via email at egreen@davincischools.org. This will enable the school to determine isolation period and return to school date as well as support county efforts to track COVID cases.

Thank you all!

Erin Whalen, Executive Director

Da Vinci RISE High School 

RISE Community and Supporters, 

We are in the final week of RISE High’s inaugural Giving Campaign and are excited to share that we have raised nearly $35,000! As begin to wrap up the campaign, we have set the ambitious goal of raising another $15,300 in order to take full advantage of the generous Donor Match from Desolation Hotel.

Meeting this goal is easier than it seems. We only need 75 individuals to commit to recurring donations, and we are confident that our network of supporters can make this happen. 

Each day this week, we will be aiming for a specified number of donors to commit to a certain dollar amount to support RISE throughout the year. 

Today, our goal is to recruit 25 donors to make one year of recurring donations in the amount of $25.

If everyone on this email signed up for a recurring donation and encouraged one friend to do the same, the goal would be met!

Head over to tinyurl.com/RISEdonate TODAY and join our incredible team of donors. Be sure to update the donation frequency to “Monthly” to ensure your gift supports the work of RISE year-round. 

Thank you for all of your continued support and generosity. The work we do would not be possible with you. 

The time has come for Fall intersession (Monday, October 11 – Thursday, October 14th)! Please read below for a few VERY important remembers;

1. During intersession students do not have regularly scheduled classes. All regularly scheduled classes will resume in Quarter 2 beginning on October 18th
2. Intersession is from 9am-12pm, course times and days vary. Please see the site specific sign-up packets linked below
3.  Students who do not sign-up for an intersession course will be on break from Monday, October 11th – 15th and should not report to campus
4. Students who plan to graduate in December 2021 or June 2022 are highly encouraged to attend intersession
5. Intersession is also a time when RISE staff can elect to rest and rejuvenate, so course offerings at each site are limited
6. Even if students do not sign-up for intersession courses, they are still able to continue completing work remotely while on break. Work will be graded when staff return

Please review the information below to learn more about Intersession sign-up and guidelines. Feel free to reach out to your site administrator if you have additional questions.

• RISE at APCH – Edith Funes (Efunes@davincischools.org)
• RISE at Richstone – Naomi Lara (Nlara@davincischools.org)
• RISE at New Earth – Erin Whalen (Ewhalen@davincischools.org)

Intersession Guidelines & Expectations

• If a student signs up for a workshop, attendance to those workshop times is mandatory
• Students are only allowed to be at school during the scheduled times for their workshop(s)

Sign up for Intersession! (DUE Thursday, October 7th)

• Sign-up packet for RISE at Richstone are LINKED HERE
• Sign-up packet for RISE at APCH are LINKED HERE
• Sign-up for RISE at New Earth are LINKED HERE

Dear DV RISE Students and Families, 

During the week of October 4th,  the students of Da Vinci RISE High will take a MAP® Growth™ test from NWEA® on a school computer. MAP® Growth™ scores help teachers check student performance by measuring achievement and growth, specifically in reading and math skills. Teachers use results to tailor classroom lessons and set goals for students. As a Year 5 focus at Da Vinci RISE High, we are striving to provide accurate literacy data to students, stakeholders, and governing boards in order to graduate critical thinkers who possess the skills and passion to create change.

MAP® Growth™ tests are unique, and it adapts to your student’s responses to measure your student’s skill level. If your student answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. These results will provide a more complete picture of what your child knows and is ready to learn—whether it is on, above, or below their grade level.

MAP® Growth™ reports also provide typical growth data for students who are in the same grade, subject and have the same starting performance level. All students, regardless of course-load or weekly schedule, will complete the MAP® Growth™ testing for English and Math. This is the second of four testing periods this school year. Following this testing period, you will receive a Family Report showing a summary of how your child is performing academically.

As you are aware, all of our students have their own Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) and this assessment is one more tool to assist us in personalizing the learning pathway and help strengthen your youth’s skills. 

We are truly excited to focus on your student’s individual growth and achievement. For more information about MAP Growth, visit NWEA.org/familytoolkit.

Sincerely,

Erin Whalen

Executive Director, Da Vinci RISE High School

Ewhalen@davincischools.org

Estimados estudiantes y familias de DV RISE,

Durante la semana del 4 de Octubre al 8 de Octubre, los estudiantes de Da Vinci RISE Hightomarán una prueba MAP® Growth ™ de NWEA® en una computadora de la escuela. Los puntajes MAP® Growth ™ ayudan a los maestros a verificar el desempeño de los estudiantes midiendo el rendimiento y el crecimiento, específicamente en las habilidades de lectura y matemáticas. Los maestros usan los resultados para adaptar las lecciones en el aula y establecer metas para los estudiantes. Como enfoque de año 5 en Da Vinci RISE High, nos esforzamos por proporcionar datos precisos de alfabetización a los estudiantes, las partes interesadas y las juntas directivas para graduar pensadores críticos que posean las habilidades y la pasión para crear cambios.

Las pruebas MAP® Growth ™ son únicas y se adaptan a las respuestas de su estudiante para medir el nivel de habilidad de su estudiante. Si su estudiante responde una pregunta correctamente, la siguiente pregunta es más desafiante. Si responden incorrectamente, el siguiente es más fácil. Estos resultados proporcionarán una imagen más completa de lo que su hijo sabe y está listo para aprender, ya sea que esté en, por encima o por debajo de su nivel de grado.

Los informes MAP® Growth ™ también proporcionan datos de crecimiento típicos para los estudiantes que están en el mismo grado, asignatura y tienen el mismo nivel de rendimiento inicial. Todos los estudiantes, sin importar la carga de cursos o el horario semanal, completarán las pruebas MAP® Growth ™ para inglés y matemáticas. Este es el segundo de los cuatro períodos de prueba de este año escolar. Después de este período de prueba, recibirá un Informe familiar que muestra un resumen del rendimiento académico de su hijo.

Como usted sabe, todos nuestros estudiantes tienen su propio Plan de Aprendizaje Personalizado (PLP) y esta evaluación es una herramienta más para ayudarnos a personalizar el camino de aprendizaje y ayudar a fortalecer las habilidades de su joven.

Estamos realmente entusiasmados de enfocarnos en el crecimiento y el logro individual de su estudiante. Para obtener más información sobre MAP Growth, visite NWEA.org/familytoolkit.

Sinceramente, 

Erin Whalen

Director Ejecutivo, Da Vinci RISE High School

Ewhalen@davincischools.org

RISE Community,

At Da Vinci RISE, we all believe that students are more than just their math and reading test scores. For that reason, RISE students will share their voice with us by participating in The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Survey, which is part of the XQ Super Schools Student Performance Framework (SPF). Students will take this survey within their classes this week (9/20-9/24). This framework was born from the desire for a more authentic, holistic, and student-centered approach to understanding your growth and learning. We want you to have a tool that captures all of the parts of your experience and development during your time in high school.

This online survey will provide students, their teachers, staff, stakeholders, and researchers at MDRC with information on how students learn, think, and feel about school and the world around them. All students will fill out three surveys during the 2021-22 school year.  The information they provide in these surveys will help the RISE staff understand more about our student’s learning and development than traditional academic assessments could do alone. The information will also help our partners at MDRC understand how students in different schools across the United States are learning and growing. We estimate that it will take approximately 10 minutes to answer the survey.

Student responses will be kept confidential and never reported at an individual level. MDRC will have access to anonymized information, meaning they will receive responses from students with an ID number, but they will never know who they really are. No one else will have access to the information provided by those participating in this survey, and when we report findings back to the schools, we will never discuss any individual student, nor will we report any small subgroup to ensure confidentiality.

If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, please feel to reach out to us directly!

Erin Whalen, Principal and Executive Director

Ewhalen@davincischools.org

Dear RISE Family,

As many of you know, Da Vinci RISE High has the privilege of partnering and co-locating with New Earth, an incredible organization dedicated to empowering youth who have been impacted by the justice system. Through this partnership, RISE students are able to access amazing opportunities and services such as arts-based mentorship, trauma counseling, and vocational guidance. 

We are excited to share that New Earth has been chosen as a finalist in the LA2050 Grants Challenge, the winner of which will receive $100,000. 

This grant opportunity is unique in that the winners are chosen through public voting, which means WE NEED YOUR HELP! 

Voting takes less than 5 minutes, and there are only three other finalists, which means that New Earth & RISE have a strong chance of winning these funds to assist in provision of education and wraparound services for students. 

To cast your vote, follow the steps below – by June 28!– ,  and then share with your own networks and ask them to do the same! We deeply appreciate any support you are able to provide and are excited by the opportunity to earn more resources for our students.

Visit this website: https://challenge.la2050.org/2021/learn/new-earth 

Click “Start Voting”

Vote for NEW EARTH in the LEARN Category. 

Enter your zip code

Confirm your vote via text message or email

Forward this email to your networks, and share the sample social media posts on your account to encourage others to vote! (You can also follow RISE on Instagram at DVRISEHigh and repost as we share throughout the week.)

Thank you so much for your support with this! 

The DV RISE Team

Dear RISE community, 

It is with profound sadness that I write this letter to inform you that one of our beloved students, Maximus Laguna, passed this week on Wednesday, May 26th. Our condolences and thoughts go out to the family and friends of Max. He has been a part of the RISE family since his initial enrollment at our Hawthorne campus in August of 2017. Monday, May 24th, marked a celebration of Max’s 20th birthday. Throughout his time at RISE, Max consistently brought a sense of joy, leadership, maturity, and warmth to our school family. He stood as a beacon of courage in our community, and his growth, development, and feedback were pivotal in shaping the foundation and evolution of RISE. 

During this time, as the school community processes this tragic news and copes with grief, we will offer counseling and bereavement services to all of our students and staff in need. Death can be difficult for us to understand, especially when it is sudden. Many of us may be confronted with a variety of emotions, which might include shock, sadness, and confusion.

Students may have had no experience in coping with loss of a classmate or for some, this may be far too familiar. We are working to support our students through counseling by our Student Support Services Team (SSS) and our staff through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). If you feel that your students need to speak to a counselor or other adult, please do not hesitate to call the school and let us know. 

Max will be honored in this year’s 2021 June graduation ceremony. If you are interested in providing further support to Max’s family, below you can find a GoFundMe link that will collect funds to be contributed to funeral expenses and any other needs the family has at this time. We know that a sudden loss can be jolting, for this reason we want you to know of our care and support. 

Maximus’ GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/32f9c0f5 

Sincerely, 

CoLabL Talent Accelerator

Apply for the Talent Accelerator internship this Summer! 

What is it?

Students will work with a team of other Da Vinci students and corporate mentors on several real projects aligned to employer and industry needs alongside CoLabL Talent Accelerator. Please review the below documents for more information:

How do I apply? 

1. Apply by MAY 17th at 5pm
   1. Apply online here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DaVinciSummer2021

• You’ll need: 

o    An updated resume, saved in PDF form as “firstname_lastname_resume”

o    A maximum one page essay describing why you would like to participate and what makes you a good fit for the program saved in PDF form as “firstname_lastname_essay”

o     Students will be informed of selection via email by May 21st at 5pm

• Dates: The project consultancies will run from July 12th-August 6th.

○ They will be 100% remote (Online)

• Hours: There will be 10 hours/week of work. There will be 60 minute mentoring and upskilling workshops each week. Students will work on 1 individual projects and 1 team projects during the internship.

Other details: 

• ELIGIBILITY: Open to all grade levels, but students are expected to communicate with industry partners and Natasha independent of parents/guardian. Students are expected to communicate promptly and professionally via email.
• SUMMER SCHOOL CREDIT: You will have the opportunity to earn 5 summer school credits for participating. It will reflect on your transcript as “Summer Internship Program”.

Need help with a resume? 

Check out these resources below and feel free to share your resume with Natasha via Google Docs for feedback.

• Resume templates 
• Resume samples 
• Resume action verbs 

Questions or Concerns? 

Reach out to Natasha Morrison, Dir. of Real World Learning, at nmorrison@davincischools.org