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Attention Seniors! FAFSA and CA Dream Act now open to submit an application to!

Hello Class of 2024 families!

Over the winter break, the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) opened and are now available to submit. The FAFSA is used to determine eligibility for a variety of aid including federal, state, and school-based, as well as grants and scholarships. Please use THIS CHECKLIST to ensure that you are prepared to fill out FAFSA or CADAA, starting with obtaining an FSA ID, which is needed by both student and parent.

The sooner you complete the FAFSA or CADAA the better, as some aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit Studentaid.gov to begin the FAFSA application or visit Dream.csac.ca.gov to begin the CADAA application.

*Connect HS is hosting a hand on FAFSA/Dream Act workshop on our campus, where an El Camino College financial aid rep will be here to answer your financial aid/FAFSA/CA Cream Act questions, help you fill out the applications, and submit that night! This is taking place on Connect HS’s campus on Tuesday January 23rd, time TBD, but it will have a start time of either 5pm or 5:30pm and run for one hour, for your planning purposes. Will send another post when start time is confirmed. Please RSVP HERE so we know how many computers will be needed.*

FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION WORKSHOPS

  • The California Student Aid Commission is hosting various online Financial Aid Workshops to help with applications. Check out their free resources and sign up for a free webinar HERE.
  • Da Vinci School Counselors usually host a Parent Financial Aid Workshop Night in which we cover the steps of filling out the FAFSA. Our Parent Financial Aid Workshop Night will happen this semester and we are working on finalizing a date. Expect an update soon! Please note this is separate of than the hands on workshop on Jan. 23.
By |2024-01-16T14:52:55-08:00January 16th, 2024|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Attention Seniors! FAFSA and CA Dream Act now open to submit an application to!
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Class of 2025: Apply to the Experience Berkeley High School Program!

2024 Experience Berkeley High School Program

We are thrilled to announce that the application for the 2024 Experience Berkeley Program is now open! This incredible program is designed to help high school juniors who identify as Black, Latino, and/or Native American complete a competitive UC application by providing students with mentors, tools and resources.
More Information Here

*We strongly encourage students to apply using a personal gmail account. Oftentimes, school firewalls will prevent them from accessing our application through a school-issued email address. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at itcelia@stileshall.org or via phone at 510-841-6010.
Apply Here
By |2024-01-16T14:37:08-08:00January 16th, 2024|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Class of 2025: Apply to the Experience Berkeley High School Program!
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Announcements from Real World Learning Director (1.4.2024)

For students interested in media production: 

Fresh Films is now enrolling for its free weekly filmmaking program with classes starting on January 9th, and every Tuesdays and Thursdays thereafter, in the Long Beach and San Pedro area. The program is open to all teens 13-19 interested in film, content creation, and storytelling. Click here for more information.

Location(s):

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor (San Pedro)
    Tuesday 6PM–8PM Thursday 5PM–7PM PT
  • Long Beach Polytechnic High School (Long Beach)
    Tuesday/Thursday 3:45PM–5:45PM PT

 

For students interested in college and career-readiness programming:

First Gen Empowers is a non-profit organization that addresses educational inequity by supporting first-generation, low-income, and undocumented students with college and career-readiness programming. The Empowered Scholars program is a 6-week program where undocumented students receive tailored support and guidance. Applications will open January 8th, 2024 and close January 19th, 2024. Click here to learn more. 

 

Learn more about amazing RWL Opportunities here!
For more information, please contact Crissel Rodriguez, Director of Real World Learning, at crodriguez@davincischools.org.

By |2024-01-04T16:41:11-08:00January 4th, 2024|Real World Learning|Comments Off on Announcements from Real World Learning Director (1.4.2024)
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Connect High Newsletter and Exhibition Nights!

Please click here for the latest Connect HS Newsletter.

A big thank you to all our Freshman and Sophomores that shared their Exhibition Projects!  Thank you to Connect High staff, they have done an amazing job in fostering curiosity and a desire to learn (even if the lesson comes by way of a mistake) in our students!

Please join us on Monday, December 18, 2023 from 5:00-6:30 pm for the 11th Grade Exhibition. Engage with diverse student projects, including English 11 Honors’ exploration of themes from “Interstellar,” ASU English 11’s writing portfolios, ASU Psychology 11’s insights on stress and anxiety, and ASU Biology 11’s immersive Water Cycle exhibit.
We also have videos of our Pre-calculus students group sales pitches on a new coaster they designed for the theme park of their choice. Team Portfolios are included with all student work and the process to make this design possible. 

By |2023-12-15T20:40:27-08:00December 15th, 2023|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Connect High Newsletter and Exhibition Nights!
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Announcements from Real World Learning Director (12.14.2023)

Please see four exciting Real World Learning opportunities below:

Bank of America’s Student Leaders Program
Deadline to apply: January 17, 2024
Through Student Leaders®, Bank of America recognizes high school students who lead and serve in their communities and beyond. They connect Student Leaders to tools and resources to help make communities better. Student Leaders work as paid interns at a local nonprofit for eight weeks, attend the weeklong Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., develop leadership and career skills, and connect with like-minded students from their community and across the country. Click here for more information.

Summer High School Intensive in Next-Generation Engineering (SHINE)
Presented by USC Vertibi School of Engineering
Application Deadline: February 16, 2024
At USC Viterbi’s Summer High School Intensive in Next-Generation Engineering (SHINE) students can join a USC Viterbi professor’s research team for seven weeks to discover how engineering addresses our real world problems in various fields including biomedicine, robotics, aerospace and more. Each student works with an assigned professor as well  mentor (Ph.D. student or post-doctoral researcher) dedicated to training that student in experimental lab work or computational research – learning by doing not by studying. Scholarships are available for qualifying students.

Kollab Youth’s Winter 2024 Session
Deadline to apply: Monday, January 22, 2024
Low-income and underserved teens (ages 14 to 19 years old) can apply for Kollab Youth’s Winter 2024 Workforce Development Program beginning February 5th to April 5th. Kollab program helps young people explore career opportunities in business, STEM, and other careers that are high-growth and high-wage jobs. Kollab Youth is a registered Pre-Apprentice Program with the State of California! Youths can receive a certificate from the State of California for completing the program. To learn more, click here.

Iron Mountain Entertainment Services Scholarship
Presented by 1500 Sound Academy in Inglewood
Deadline to apply: December 22, 2023
Iron Mountain is giving away two on-campus scholarships to work with world-renowned producers. The recipients can select from Music and Industry Fundamentals, DJ Fundamentals, or the New Vocal Performace and Production Fundamentals program. To learn more, click here.

By |2023-12-14T13:07:55-08:00December 14th, 2023|Real World Learning|Comments Off on Announcements from Real World Learning Director (12.14.2023)
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Attention Seniors! Important college and financial aid info below!

As you may know, November 30th was the application deadline for UC applications and most CSU applications. However, there are a number of CSU campuses that are continuing to accept applications and a list can be found here.  Students can also apply to UC Merced until January 15, 2024. 

Other highlights: 

  • Community College: applications are open! Most students who have El Camino College on their college list completed their application during their advisory class.  In the spring, we will take prospective seniors to El Camino College to help them complete the enrollment process. If you haven’t finished filling it out and/or need help, please see Erin!
  • Private Universities: Many seniors submitted their applications during the months of November and December.  Some seniors are still working through their private university applications via the Common App. and will continue to do so until early 2nd semester for those universities that have a later deadlines.
  • University Portals: Once applications are submitted, many universities will require students to create a portal.  Portals are the main method of communication for many universities.  Please encourage your student to keep a close eye on their email, including spam, to access important information from prospective universities.

Financial Aid Update: 

The Department of Education just announced that the FAFSA will be available by December 31, 2023.  We encourage you to create an FSA ID, which allows you to digitally sign the FAFSA, prior to the launch. Both student and at least one parent need FSA IDs. Financial aid updates and resources are below:

  • Create an FSA ID – it takes 2-3 to process so creating one now will allow you to start the FAFSA when it opens

Deadlines for FAFSA/CADAA:

  • University of California: March 2, 2024
  • Cal State University: April 2, 2024
  • Private Universities: Check each university site as deadlines vary

We know there are a lot of updates and we are here to help!  Please don’t hesitate to reach out for support.

By |2023-12-08T15:40:40-08:00December 8th, 2023|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Attention Seniors! Important college and financial aid info below!
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