Good afternoon Owls,
Thank you another great week at Hearst! Hearst school spirit was proudly on display last week and if you haven’t done so already, please check out our Facebook page and staff Twitter accounts for some great photos of Spirit Week. As a reminder, we’re in school teaching and learning through Wednesday at 3:15 and then out Thursday through Sunday for the Thanksgiving break.
I hope you've had a wonderful weekend and that you have a happy Thanksgiving,
Jen
Quick Updates
- As of Saturday, 75% of our families have had home visits and 72% of our families have participated in APTT 1! If you haven’t yet had a home visit or connected with your child’s teacher(s) about an APTT 1 make-up session, please reach out to your child’s teacher(s) soon. Thanks for your continued partnership!
- Principal Albright from Deal MS will be at Hearst from 5:00-6:00pm on December 14th, prior to the 6pm PTA meeting that evening. He will share information about Deal, describe their approach to academics and student growth, and then have a panel of 6th graders (alumni from Hearst) take questions from our community. If you’re considering Deal for your child, please attend the information session.
News and Announcements from Hearst
Blended Learning Update
Thank you for providing your kid(s) access to Lexia and iReady at home. The usage for most kids is increasing nicely, but we do have some kids who have been spending hours upon hours at home using iReady and/or Lexia. We don’t want kids to over-utilize either program and a rule of thumb is that kids shouldn’t use the program for more than double the recommended time for each program each week. The recommended usage for iReady is 45 minutes per week and the recommend usage for Lexia varies for each student based on how the child is progressing through the program. If kids over-utilize these programs, they run the risk of moving forward through the programs without the opportunity to generalize the skills they are learning. In order to understand the recommended Lexia usage for your child, please see the attachment called ‘Student Demo Screen’. The portion of the slide labeled ‘A’ shows the recommended usage for your child and how much longer your child has until s/he reaches the recommended usage for the week. If you have any questions about Lexia or iReady usage at home, please direct them to your child’s teacher(s).
Monday’s Assembly
Thank you for your donations during the month of November to support Friendship Place. Hearst will host a formerly homeless guest speaker from Friendship Place at a school-wide assembly on Monday, November 21st, from 2:30-3:00 PM. In the event you would like resources to discuss homelessness with your child, attached is a list of books appropriate for elementary school students regarding this topic.
Football Ban at Recess
Because kids continue to get hurt as well as engage in unkind verbal exchanges with each other while playing football at recess, we are extending the morning arrival football ban to recess as well. While we understand that this is disappointing news for many students, students have been given multiple warnings about playing safely and trash-talking and continue to engage in these unsafe and unkind behaviors during recess. This has led to conflict that has sometimes spilled over into the afternoons, distracting kids from learning and engaging with one another in positive and productive ways. Students will be able to play soccer at recess and we will revisit the recess football ban in the spring.
Hearst Logo Design Contest
At the beginning of the year, a few parents reached out to the PTA suggesting that it’s time to update the Hearst logo. Please cast your vote by Tuesday evening and we’ll announce the winner on Wednesday. Here’s the link to the voting site: https://goo.gl/forms/J97GJba1sVSIUcPw2.
Square One Art Contest
Square1 Art orders may be placed throughout the rest of the school year through their website or toll free phone number (using the unique ID number on your child's catalog). In order to qualify for free shipping to the school, online or phone orders must be placed by 11/21/2016. The deadline for paper orders has passed.
· Online www.square1art.com
· Phone 888.332.3294
Central Union Mission Toy and Book Drive
Hearst will be participating once again in a toy and book drive to benefit children served by the Central Union Mission.
Simply put, we want each of our students to donate one toy, one book, or one of each by noon on Friday, December 9th. I wanted to get this information out to you in case you see some great deals on Toys and Games this weekend or on Black Friday. All toys must be NEW! You can drop off your donations at the designated table that will be located across from the guards desk.
For book donations you may want to consider buying a few extra at our Scholastic Book Fair which will open on Monday, November 28th and run through the close of this drive. This way you are benefiting two organizations at once--central union mission and our school library :) There will be a box at the book fair to drop off your book donations that are purchased there.
We collected over 180 items last year and we would like to match or exceed that number this year. So keep our drive in mind as you are out and about with family and friends this weekend, and in the weeks to come.
Thank you and Have A Happy Thanksgiving,
Beth Prince
Toy & Book Drive Coordinator
**attached more information about our annual toy and book drive including suggested donations for various age groups from Central Union Mission.
Post-Election Discussion Resources
As promised in last week’s update, below and following are additional resources you can use when speaking to your child about the election. Please know that the sharing of these resources is not an endorsement of either candidate, political party, the outlet posting the resource, or all of the views contained in the resource, but simply the sharing of resources that you may find helpful if your child has questions about the election. The Newseum has put together some resources here to help educators in promoting dialogue and encouraging constructive classroom conversations. Hearst parent Jessica North Macie has also passed along the list below:
-- The Huffington Post: What do we tell the children?
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5822aa90e4b0334571e0a30b
-- The Greater Good: How to talk to your kids about Donald Trump
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_talk_with_your_kids_about_donald_trump
-- The New Yorker: Talking to kids about Trump’s victory
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/talking-to-kids-about-trumps-victory
-- CNN: How do you talk to your kids about the election?
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/09/health/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-election/
-- Girl Scouts: What our country needs right now is you
Note: This resource is directed at parents of girls, but is applicable to all families.
-- Hand in Hand: What now? Guidance for parents stunned by the election
http://www.handinhandparenting.org/2016/11/guidance-for-parents-after-election/
-- Purdue University: How to talk to children about the 2016 election, civility, fear-mongering and responsible citizenship
-- Chicago Tribune: Soothing kids’ fears about a Donald Trump presidency
Sesame Street: Sesame Street Toolkit: Resilience
Note: A great resource for parents with younger kids. We particularly recommend the “What we Are Anthem” under the songs section
http://www.sesamestreet.org/toolkits/challenges
News and Announcements from DCPS
HBCU College Fair @ SWW (12/7)
School Without Walls (SWW) is hosting a HBCU Summit & College Fair on Wednesday December 7th 5:00 – 8:00 PM. The program will include a panel discussion on the role of HBCUs and a college fair with over 20 universities. All students, families and staff are invited to attend (No RSVP needed.)
PTA Corner
Hello Owl Families! A big thanks to everyone who came out and ate delicious burgers and shakes on Thursday at Z-Burger!
Scholastic Book Fair: It’s time for the annual Hearst Scholastic Book Fair. Volunteers are needed over the course of the fair, which will run from Monday, Nov. 29 through Tuesday, Dec. 6. There are plenty of spots open and we would love it if parents could volunteer for hour-long shifts. Volunteers will keep the book fair stocked, help students and parents locate books, use the cash register, staff the raffle, and tell all their friends and neighbors to come out and buy the fabulous books we have on offer!! Click here to volunteer: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040f4dabae2ca02-scholastic.
Please contact Ms. Vandivier in person or by email ([email protected]) if you have questions.
Share your skills or special knowledge with our young Owls. We are looking for parents to teach after-school enrichment classes. Parents are welcome to come up with their own class (kickball, cooking, chess, sewing, origami, etc.) or teach one we have a curriculum built for (Crazy 8s). If you have a hobby or want to teach something related to your profession, please reach out to Keri Sikich at [email protected]. The commitment would be for eight, one-hour classes on the day of the week of the parents’ choosing at either the 3:30pm or 4:30pm timeslot. The PTA can reimburse materials needed for the class. It would be great to get some new volunteers!
Winter Enrichment Update: Registration will open for all winter enrichment programs on Monday, Dec. 5. Winter enrichment classes will begin Monday Jan. 9, with most classes ending Thursday March 9. We will soon release the schedule and additional registration information.
Upcoming Events:
The PTA will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 6pm in the library. Pizza and childcare will be available for all potty-trained kids. Please check the listserv and school website for sign-up information.
We hope you have a great short week and a happy Thanksgiving!
News and Announcements from Outside Organizations
#ThankfulDC
On Tuesday, Mayor Bowser kicked off #ThankfulDC, a month-long effort to recognize and appreciate the many reasons we are thankful to live, work and play in Washington, DC. Over the next month, District agencies will continue to share photos and videos on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram that represent some of the many reasons we are thankful to be part of DC's vibrant community. We ask you to join us by using the hashtag #ThankfulDC.
Hearst Park Update
Good Evening Hearst Community,
The Department of General Services (DGS) on behalf of the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has hired an Architect-Engineering firm (A-E) to develop plans for the modernization of Hearst Park and the design for a new pool and pool house.
The DGS and DPR project team has held three (3) community meetings to provide residents an overview of the project and to engage residents on the project. At our September 8, 2016 community meeting residents where shown three (3) concepts for the modernization of the park and the construction of a new pool and pool house. Also at our September community meeting residents were advised that a project survey would be distributed to enlist residents’ feedback on various components of the project.
Below is a link for the DPR/DGS Hearst Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QHZJJ7K
The survey is available until November 30, 2016 and is open to the public.
Attached also is a flyer with information about the survey. Please share the link and/or flyer with your neighbors, family and friends who may be interested in the Hearst project.
There were Hearst residents that requested DPR and DGS to consider a portion of Glover Archbold Park as a potential alternative location for the outdoor pool proposed for Hearst Park. The National Park Service, NPS, is the owner of the Glover Archbold site, and has advised the Hearst project team that an outdoor pool for this site is not a use that is compatible with its plans for Glover Archbold. Additionally, at this time, there is not an NPS property located within Northwest DC that NPS would offer as a potential outdoor pool location for DPR.
Thank you for your patience. If you prefer not to receive emails related to the Hearst Project please let me know and I will remove you from my Hearst bcc email group.
Sincerely,
Jackie
Jackie Stanley
Community Outreach Coordinator
Department of General Services (DGS)
202-431-1195 (cell)
File attachments:
Central Union Mission Suggested Gift List 2016 (2)(1).pdf
Homeless Awareness Books(1).docx
Student Demo Screen(2).pptx
