Dear Da Vinci Families and Friends, We are writing to update you on our planning and timeline for a return to campuses, and to invite you to a Virtual Town Hall meeting on March 2 to solicit your feedback. There is a lot of information being reported in the news media about Federal, State and County guidance that is sometimes confusing and conflicting. Our ability to offer a phased-in reopening plan varies by grade level, staffing and student needs, and is contingent upon highly specific County restrictions. For LA County, the infection rates remain in the widespread Purple Tier so that we are not currently allowed to open for grades 7-12. The process and timeline described below provide an overview of our decision-making process and next steps. 1. In December, we communicated with families that we did not anticipate returning to on-campus instruction until April 12, 2021 at the earliest, pending guidance from state and local health officials. This still holds true. We will not return to campus until at least April 12, 2021 except for limited special education assessments and services for severely at-risk youth at Da Vinci RISE High School. 2. On February 25th, Da Vinci staff will have an opportunity to attend a staff Virtual Town Hall event to share their thoughts on returning to campus this school year (April 12-June 9th). The Town Hall will be recorded and sent to all staff. Additionally, a survey will go out to all Da Vinci staff members following the staff Town Hall to gather their feedback. 3. On Tuesday, March 2 at 6:30PM, we invite Da Vinci parents/guardians and community members to attend a Virtual Town Hall meeting (Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/95743052884) to discuss the steps being taken for a phased-in return to campus between April 12th-June 9th. Speaking at the Virtual Town Hall on March 2nd will be Dr. Jennifer Hawn, Chief Operating Officer; Dr. Emily Green, School Nurse; Vicente Bravo, Chief Administrative Officer, along with myself. We will provide an update on our COVID-19 safety plan, discuss timelines, solicit feedback from families, and answer as many questions as we can. The Town Hall will be recorded and posted on our website. Because a Town Hall via Zoom may make it challenging to respond to everyone’s questions, we will also provide a Padlet to capture your thoughts, and request that you complete a survey that will be sent out on March 3. 4. We will also collect student input from each school over the next couple of weeks during the school day. 5. Unredacted feedback from the staff and family Town Hall meetings, surveys, and student input will be shared at the March 10th Special Board Meeting of the Da Vinci Schools Board of Trustees, along with a recommendation for a phased-in approach to return to our campuses. Our board’s decision on the phased-in return to our campuses will be communicated shortly after the Special Board Meeting via Constant Contact and our school blogs. You may always check our COVID-19 Planning webpage that is continuously updated. Our plan for Summer and Fall 2021 will depend on Los Angeles County’s state tier assignment under the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The tier assignment is the primary determinant of which activities are permitted and/or restricted. As Los Angeles continues its vaccination and mitigation efforts, we are tracking the progress and planning how to expand our offerings accordingly. An update regarding Summer and Fall planning will be sent later in the Spring. Da Vinci Schools continue to prioritize public health and well being, equitable access to education, and high quality instruction and student support, in all of our planning. Teaching and learning during the pandemic has not been easy on anyone, and we all look forward to returning back together on campus as soon as possible. That said, I hope you will join me to give our teachers, staff and administrators a standing ovation for their exceptional pivot to all-remote teaching and support. Let’s all continue to stay as safe as possible. I look forward to seeing and hearing from you. With gratitude,
Matthew Wunder, Ed.D. CEO/Superintendent Virtual Town Hall for Families March 2, 2021 | 6:30PM Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/95743052884 Meeting ID: 957 4305 2884 1 (669) 900 6833