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Dear RISE Students & Families,

Over the past five years, our school has grown and changed in many powerful ways. In fall of 2016 we opened with just 12 students on the campus of Da Vinci Design & Communications. Since then we have been awarded an XQ Super Schools grant of ten million dollars, been selected as a national Teach For America School to Learn From, expanded to three sites serving nearly 250 students, and graduated 75 alumni.

While we are proud of the work we have accomplished together, we believe there is still much to do, and we remain committed to continued growth to ensure we are providing our students with all the opportunities and supports they deserve. To this end, we are excited to share some upcoming shifts in leadership roles that will allow us to make the next steps necessary to serve more students and remain confident in the long-term resources and supports we are able to offer.

On October 9, Founder & Principal Kari Croft will be transitioning to the role of Administrator on Special Assignment part-time in order to focus on long-term policy, funding, and partnership opportunities that will ensure RISE is equipped to provide both rigorous academics and robust wraparound services for years to come. As Kari moves into this new role, we are excited to share that Erin Whalen, who has served as the Founding Assistant Principal and the current AP at our APCH site, will be moving into the role of RISE Principal. Kari will return full-time on April 12th.

Supporting both Kari and Erin will be Dr. Mary Ring, who has been with Da Vinci Schools for 7  years and officially joined the RISE team full-time this July in our new Executive Director position. Together with Dr. Rebecca Robertson, our Assistant Principal at the Hawthorne site, and the new Assistant Principal we will be hiring at APCH, our leadership team will continue to work alongside students, families, staff, and community partners to drive RISE High continually closer to our mission and vision.

As we prepare for these changes, we are available to meet with both students and families to address any questions you may have. Our goal is to ensure this transition is as smooth as possible for everyone in our RISE community.

We are grateful for the trust you’ve placed in us thus far and for the commitment each of you have invested in ensuring RISE continues to serve not only as a school community, but as a home. We look forward to continuing this journey with you.

In Solidarity,

Mary, Kari, Erin, & Rebecca

Opportunity to Provide Input on the Draft Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan

Da Vinci RISE High is seeking input from students, staff, families, and community members on the initial draft of the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan.  The purpose of this plan is to describe how RISE will address the impacts of COVID-19 and maintain continuity of student learning in the coming year.  The final document will include RISE High’s plans for:

• Providing distance learning and, when public health conditions allow, in-person instruction
• Measuring student progress and participation and address learning loss
• Providing supports for English Learners, Foster Youth, Homeless Youth, Students with Unique Needs, and Low-income students
• Ensuring access to devices and connectivity
• Providing resources and supports to address student and staff mental health and social emotional well-being
• Student and family engagement and outreach to reengage students who are absent, unengaged, or at risk of learning loss
• Providing school meals for students during distance learning and in-person instruction
• Increasing/improving services for English Learners, Foster Youth, Homeless Youth, and Low-Income students

RISE values stakeholder voice and input. This input will be used to guide revisions.  A draft will be presented in a public hearing on Friday September 18, 2020 8:00-9:00 a.m. via zoom link https://zoom.us/j/96572029364  and the final draft will be presented for adoption at the September 23, 2020 6:00 p.m. board meeting.

All stakeholders are encouraged to provide comments on the Draft Plan.  The Draft Plan and comment forms can be accessed at the links below.

REVIEW THE DRAFT PLAN LINKED HERE

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS

Comments can be submitted using one of the following google forms

English Comment Form  LINKED HERE

Spanish Comment Form (Formulario de comentarios en español) LINKED HERE/VINCULADO AQUÍ

Dear RISE Students,

Please see below for information regarding A Place Called Home’s Artist Speaker Series! This is an awesome opportunity to learn more about careers in art, and attendance can count towards attendance for one of your Advisory Workshops. Email Olivia at APCH for more information: odickerson@apch.org

Dear RISE Students,

This week we are kicking off our Advisory Workshop Series, alongside our College & Career Workshops and weekly Senior Meetings.

Each student is required to attend (at least) 6 workshops per quarter, consisting of the following:

• 1 College & Career Workshop (or 1 Senior Workshop if you are graduating this year)
• 1 Workshop facilitated by our Student Support Services team
• 4 Workshops of the student’s choice

You can find the dates, times, and descriptions of this quarter’s workshops LINKED HERE, and if you have not already done so, you can sign up for the workshops you wish you to attend at the Google Survey  LINKED HERE! 

While a minimum of 1 College & Career Workshop or Senior Meeting are required each Quarter, students are welcome and encouraged to attend as many of these sessions as possible to ensure they are receiving adequate information and support in navigating post-secondary options.

College & Career Workshops offered each Wednesday from 2:30 – 3:30 and provide students with information about preparing for, choosing, and applying to colleges.

Senior Meetings are held each Tuesday & Thursday from 2:30 – 3:30. If you are unsure if you have met the requirements for Senior Status, or if you have questions about your credit tracker or graduation pathway, please reach out to our College & Career Counselor, Dynasty Taylor at dtaylor@davincischools.org

Dear RISE Students & Families, 

Congratulations on completing the first week of class in this new school year! As you’ve seen, we have rolled out Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs) for every single RISE student this year. You all received emails two weeks ago with links to your PLP and to a short tutorial that assists in navigating this new document. As we are getting into the groove of things, we wanted to provide some additional tips, tricks, and resources here to ensure you have all the info you need to access your schedule and the appropriate zoom links for classes. Please take a few minutes to read the frequently asked questions below!

Where can I access my Personalized Learning Plan (PLP)?

• PLPs were emailed to students via their DV Schools email address, as well as to parents/guardians to the address we have on file from your SchoolMint application. If you did not receive yours, please reach out to the Site Administrator for your campus:
  • Hawthorne: Rebecca Robertson (rrobertson@davincischools.org) 
  • APCH: Erin Whalen (ewhalen@davincischools.org) 
  • New Earth: Kari Croft (kcroft@davincischools.org)
    

• Tip: Once you have accessed your PLP, create a bookmark for it so that it’s always accessible from your browser. To learn how to bookmark, check out the image below:

Additional Resource- PLP Tutorial Video: 

• • We have created a short tutorial video that shows you how to navigate the information on your PLP. It is LINKED HERE. 

Where can I access my class schedule?

• Your schedule is on page 2 of your PLP, and will look similar to the sample schedule below:

• Hawthorne and New Earth students attend synchronous classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, with labs, Reading workshops, and 1:1s on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 
• APCH students attend synchronous classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with labs, Reading workshops, and 1:1s on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Where can I access the zoom links for class?

• Zoom links can be found in two different places:
  • 1. All zoom links for your courses are linked below the schedule in your PLP for ease of access. You can see the photo below for reference. If you have “English 3” on Monday, you would click on the “English” link in the box below the schedule. If you have “Chemistry” on Wednesday, you would click on “Science” in the box, and so on. 

• • 2. Zoom links can also be found in the Staff Directory, Linked Here

Where can I access my Advisor and/or Teacher’s contact information?

• All RISE staff’s contact information is located in the Staff Directory, Linked Here

Dear Students & Families,

Yesterday afternoon we hosted a Family & Stakeholder Roundtable to share RISE’s plan for reopening amidst COVID and to provide information about what the 2020-2021 school year will look like. If you were unable to attend, you can find all the information that was shared during the Roundtable within this blog post.

• The draft version of RISE’s reopening plan, which will go to the Board of Directors for approval on Wednesday, July 22
  CLICK HERE: RISE Reopening Plan (Draft)

• The presentations (in both English and Spanish) that were shared during the session.
  CLICK HERE: Family & Stakeholder Presentation (English)
  CLICK HERE: Family & Stakeholder Presentation (Spanish)

• The full recording of the session
  CLICK HERE: Recording of Zoom Session

After reviewing the materials that outline RISE’s plan, you are encouraged to complete the short survey linked below so that we can incorporate any feedback you have into our plan and ensure that you and your students feel confident and safe moving into the new school year. You are also welcome to reach out directly to our leadership team with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

RISE Reopening Plan Feedback Survey

Finally, below you will find a timeline for students & families with more information to help you prepare for the beginning of the school year. We are excited to welcome students back (virtually) in a few weeks!

Week of August 3

You and your student will receive an email with a link to their Personalized Learning Plan, which will contain their weekly schedule, their credit tracker & progress towards graduation, the courses in which they are enrolled, the number of credits they should aim to earn in Quarter 1, and all of their teachers’ contact information and zoom links.

August 10: First Day of School

The first two days of the school year will be spend holding Orientation for all students and families. The Personalized Learning Plan will provide information regarding zoom sessions to attend these first two days, some of which will be mandatory and some of which will be optional. Students will meet their teachers, attend Advisory, get support in navigating the technology platforms they will be using for their courses, and ensure clarity on their goals for credit attainment for Quarter 1.

If you have not already done so, save the contact information for our amazing Career & College Readiness Counselor, Dynasty Taylor. She is available to answer questions you have around graduation requirements, credit trackers, the college application process, and more. Don’t hesitate to reach out to her for support!

Email: dtaylor@davincischools.org
Phone: 323-303-2318

Dear RISE Students & Families,

We are devastated by the tragic events involving the murders of unarmed Black people, like Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, and we know that you are feeling heartbroken and exhausted as well. While we know that the protests have served to further amplify the voices that are hungry for change, we recognize they have also required additional expenditures of emotional and mental energy, and that the ongoing unrest happening in our community can cause fear and anxiety.

After watching the response from other schools around the country (such as the Democracy Prep network who shared the following plan with their community), and in an effort to provide space for mental wellness and reflection  we will be calling a day off from business as usual at RISE.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020, is devoted to “Remembering Their Names.”

In the words of Democracy Prep’s’ CEO Natasha Trivers, “We will not pretend the events around the country and the world are not unfolding. We will not grow numb…We will use “Remembering Their Names” as a moment of reflection and rejuvenation but also as a space to organize for change.”

 We have asked our staff to take a day to prioritize their own self-care and mental health, and we understand that many students may want and need to do the same. We encourage you to do so if you feel you need a moment to breathe.

We also understand that the end of the year is particularly stressful and that Seniors are working to meet deadlines for graduation. To this end, Kari & Rebecca will be online during Office Hours & Exhibition Workshop tomorrow (June 2)  to provide assistance and support for students who would like to work on their projects. You can see below for the full schedule, and the zoom links will be messaged in the morning via DreamSeeDo.

Finally, we have made a video message in an attempt to share what we are feeling as an admin team; you can watch it HERE.

The events of the past several weeks have been very heavy. Let’s rest, reflect, and rejuvenate. And then, let’s be ready to take action in the ways that feel right to each of us.

We love you and are grateful for you.

In solidarity,

Your RISE Leadership Team

Dear RISE Students & Families,

We are excited to share opportunities for earning credit through Da Vinci RISE Summer School. Information regarding dates,  course offerings, and registration can be found below.  Feel free to reach out to the RISE admin team with any questions!

Summer School Dates:
June 22 – July 17

• Students will attend virtual classes and workshops Monday – Friday, 10:00am – 12:30pm

Summer School Course Offerings

Summer School Expectations & Guidelines

• Given the condensed timeframe and the work required for course completion,  students are expected to log into virtual sessions at 10:00am each morning, and attendance will count towards credit for the course. More than 3 absences or tardies (10 minutes late or more) to virtual sessions may result in failure to obtain credit. 
• Classes will consist of whole-group virtual instruction, 1:1 and small-group check-ins, and independent work time. 
• Students will receive a course-specific contract on day one of summer school outlining the assignments and expectations for earning credit. 
• Students will be expected to complete homework each evening to prepare for the following day’s class. 

How to Sign Up

Use the survey LINKED HERE to register for summer school. If you have questions regarding which course is best for you, please check the appropriate box within the survey to request a conversation with the RISE admin or counselor. We are more than happy to help you register for the courses you need most in order to graduate!

The deadline for Summer School registration is June 12, 2020.