To: Da Vinci Families & Staff
From: Matthew Wunder, CEO/Superintendent
Date: July 30, 2021
We hope you are recharging and taking care of yourselves this summer, and that you are looking forward — as we are — to being back on campus.
As shared previously, the Da Vinci Schools Board of Trustees approved the full reopening of our schools for the 2021-22 school year at its April 28th board meeting. We are excited to resume our regular school schedules when we return fully in-person in mid-August. Da Vinci Schools continues to implement our COVID Safety Plan and has a COVID Compliance Team that ensures all elements of CDC, state and local health department guidance are integrated as required.
Our entire staff have been working hard to ensure our campuses are COVID-safe and prepared to have students and staff full-time onsite. You will notice measures to promote physical distancing such as re-configured spaces, plexiglass barriers in high frequency areas, and staggered entry times as well as measures to ensure infection control such as a wide range of increased cleaning and sanitizing protocols and extra hand washing and hand sanitizing stations.
COVID health and safety protocols are subject to change based upon evolving COVID health guidelines and policies issued from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. We will keep you updated as information becomes available.
- Self-Screening. All students and staff will be required to self-screen at home and stay off campus if experiencing any COVID symptoms or if there was a close contact with a COVID positive person in the past 10 days.
- Masks. The use of masks will be mandatory when indoors on all of our campuses regardless of vaccination status. Masking outdoors is currently optional for all.
- Exposure & Reporting Procedure. All students and staff must notify Da Vinci Schools if you test positive for COVID and were on campus in the past 14 days. The designated point of contact for reporting COVID-19 concerns at Da Vinci is Dr. Emily Green, School Nurse, at egreen@davincischools.org. (See Student/Parent COVID Handbook for more information)
- Classroom Configuration. Classrooms will be configured similar to pre-COVID with small changes such as assigned seats to allow for contact tracing if needed. Distancing will not be required for student desks and/or activities. We will promote distancing in crowded or high risk spaces such as waiting in lunch lines and while eating outdoors (4 students per table max).
- Outdoor Space. Classroom learning and activities will be maximized outdoors whenever feasible and weather permitting.
- COVID-19 Tests. PCR (48 hour) and Antigen rapid (15 minutes) tests are available on our campuses for students and staff who are exposed to a suspected or confirmed COVID case or who are experiencing COVID symptoms.
- Cleaning. All used spaces will be cleaned daily.
- Ventilation. We have invested in a number of upgrades, including improvements for increased ventilation, upgraded filters, ionization systems, portable, high-efficiency air cleaners (HEPA), and UV lights. Our HVAC systems are routinely maintained. We will utilize open windows and doors where possible.
We know from previous surveys that some DV Communications, Design and Science families may still need a full independent study option. Independent Study will be approved for students who require such a program due to medical or COVID-related reasons. The high school program will consist of one supervising teacher who will oversee work completed on an online program called Edgenuity. Da Vinci teacher support will include weekly online instructional opportunities and subject area support. Parents and students will be required to sign a Master Agreement for Independent Study, which provides the requirements to maintain enrollment in the program. If your high school student requires such a program, please complete the Da Vinci Independent Study Interest Form by August 5th so we can send invitations to the appropriate students/families. (Da Vinci Connect and RISE families: Please contact your school leadership for additional information.)
As we continue to adapt in response to the pandemic, we deeply appreciate your support. On behalf of all of us at Da Vinci Schools, welcome to the 2021-22 school year. We can’t wait to see you on campus!