Good evening Owls,
Thanks for another great week at Hearst and a huge thanks to all our Owls who came out to the Girls on the Run 5K today! This coming week is Inclusive Schools Week and you can see how we’re celebrating via Twitter. This week also sees the Scholastic Book Fair wrapping up, a parent chat on Friday, and EdFest on Saturday.
Thanks for your continued support and I hope you had a lovely weekend,
Jen
Quick Updates
- Congratulations to Hearst’s Poet Laureate, 5th Grader Beatrix Stone, who won the 5th Grade Poetry Slam on Wednesday!
- Girls and Boys basketball schedules are attached. Here’s to a great season!
- Our new social worker, Amber Zarb, will be starting on Monday. Please say hello when you see her!
- The Parent Chat scheduled for Thursday, December 1, has been moved to Friday, December 9. It will be held in Mr. Herrera’s room from 8:45-9:15.
- 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
Student Surveys
This year DCPS is incorporating student surveys of 3rd-5th grade teachers into teachers’ evaluations. 3rd-5th grade students completed these surveys on Thursday in class. The kids were able to skip any question that they were unable to answer or uncomfortable answering. Your kids may have come home with questions about the questions on the survey or the survey experience and if they have feedback they’ve shared with you about the survey and you’re comfortable sharing it with me, please do so that I can pass their feedback on to DCPS.
Autism Speaks Walk
This week we received exciting news from Autism Speaks! The Hearst Elementary School team was the top 3 fundraising school team in the area for the most recent Autism Speaks Walk. For this reason, Autism Speaks will be rewarding our school with a brand-new, generously-donated recliner from Bob’s Furniture for our teachers’ lounge. Thank you again for your donations; we are truly making a difference in the research, supports, and resources available for both children and adults living with Autism. Children with Autism become adults with Autism, and we’re hopeful the research will only get better as our children approach adulthood.
Supporting Your Child with Math at Home (attachment: RtP_DeepMath.pdf)
Though Common Core math problems may look complex, math itself hasn’t changed. One plus one is still two. What has shifted is the way schools teach math under many states’ new college-and-career readiness standards. To prepare students for an increasingly technical world, many teachers are working to strengthen students’ deep math knowledge –how, where, and why math ideas fit together. How can you support that work at home? Here are six dos and don’t
News and Announcements from DCPS
EdFest
On Saturday, December 10, we are excited to bring you EdFEST 2016, DC’s only citywide public school fair. At the event, representatives from more than 200 public schools in Washington, DC will showcase their programs. EdFEST is an opportunity to ask questions about schools and their related services and programs before the launch of the My School DC common lottery application on December 12, 2016. The event will also have many free services such as flu shots and immunizations. Admission and parking are free, and interpretation in American Sign Language, Spanish, Amharic, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and French will be available throughout the day. Learn more details HERE.
DPR Announces the 2016 Winter Wondercamp Schedule
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will offer DPR Winter Wondercamp in conjunction with the DC Public Schools (DCPS) winter holiday break. Registration will open at 12 noon on Friday, December 2, 2016 and will remain open until 4 pm on Friday, December 23, 2016. DPR will operate only one session for the 2016 Winter Wondercamp on Tuesday, December 27 through Friday, December 30, 2016.
Public Hearings on DCPS Chancellor Nomination
The DC City Council Committee on Education has announced a series of three public roundtables on the nomination of Antwan Wilson to serve as the Chancellor of DC Public Schools. The roundtables will be held on Wednesday, November 30th (Brookland MS at 5 PM); Monday December 5th (Benning Neighborhood Library at 5:00 PM); and Thursday, December 8th (John A. Wilson Building at 10:00 AM). A representative from the Mayor's office will speak to the nominee's qualifications at the Nov. 30th and Dec. 5th roundtables, and Mr. Wilson will appear at the December 8th roundtable. The public is invited to testify at any of the three roundtables. Those who wish to testify must sign-up online at http://bit.do/educationhearings. The witness list for each roundtable will close 24-hours prior to the start of the roundtable. Individual testimony is limited to three minutes, and witnesses representing organizations should limit their testimony to five minutes (unless there are multiple people representing the same organization). Witnesses should bring 10 copies of their testimony. Those who are unable to testify at the hearing may submit written statements which will be made a part of the official record; written statements can be submitted to the Committee via email to [email protected] or mailed to the following address: Committee on Education, Council of the District of Columbia, Suite 116 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004. The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on December 12, 2016. Following the public roundtables, the Council is scheduled to vote on the nomination on December 20, 2016.
Inclement Weather Guidance
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As we approach the winter months, DCPS has begun planning for inclement weather. Almost every year, DC experiences a few days of very cold or snowy weather that necessitate closing or delaying school and/or the Central Office. Below, please find information on what to expect from DCPS on inclement weather decisions. Inclement weather decisions affecting schools and Central Office will be communicated in three ways: 1. Local Media: DCPS will submit inclement weather decisions to local media including TV, radio, and newspapers. Please check local outlets for information about closings and delays. 2. Social Media: DCPS will post inclement weather decisions on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The DCPS username for Twitter and Instagram is @dcpublicschools, and the Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/dcpublicschools. Please note that these pages are publicly accessible – you do not need to have social media accounts to access them. 3. DCPS Website: The DCPS website will contain information on the homepage about closings and delays. Please visit dcps.dc.gov in the event of inclement weather. Unless noted in these three locations, DCPS will be open. Please note that employees will not receive an email in the event of inclement weather. Information will be posted as soon as it’s available. Ideally, decisions are made the night before a closing or delay, but if a decision is made in the morning, information may not be available until 6:00 a.m. Please check one of the above options to get the latest information about closings and delays in the event of inclement weather.
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PTA Corner
Hello Owl Families! We hope your December is off to a good start.
Scholastic Book Fair: It’s the last two days of our annual Hearst Scholastic Book Fair. Thank you so much to the more than two dozen parents who volunteered alongside Ms. Vandivier this year. But, the fair continues on Monday Dec. 5 and Tuesday Dec. 6, and we still have a few slots that need to be filled. Please click here to volunteer: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040f4dabae2ca02-scholastic.
Auction Committee: Join us for our next meeting, Monday, Dec. 5 at 7pm. We will be upstairs at the Tenleytown Whole Foods. If you’re interested in helping but can’t make the meeting, please reach out to Emily Olesh at [email protected].
Winter Enrichment Update: Winter enrichment schedule and registration information is forthcoming but delayed while we finalize the offerings. Watch the listserv for additional information.
Upcoming Events:
• PTA on the Playground: Have an issue or concern you’d like to raise? Want to meet more parents? Have an idea for a fundraiser? Stop by the benches on the playground (in the gym if inclement weather) on Monday, Dec. 5 at 8am and talk with the PTA.
• 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.
• Open House Tours: Looking for an opportunity to share your Hearst experience? Look no further than the next Open House on Friday, Jan. 13. If you have time to help out by greeting visitors, giving a tour or just setting up, please email Kay Parry at [email protected].
File attachments:
HearstBoysBBallSked(2)(1).docx
HearstGirlsBBallSked(1)(1).docx
RtP_DeepMath(1).pdf
