Thanks to everyone who came out on Wednesday to talk with Principal Albright and Chancellor Wilson. It was impressive that families of students of all ages, as well as several staff members, attended Principal Albright’s session to learn more about Deal Middle School and their programming. Chancellor Wilson’s session gave families and staff the opportunity to share their ideas about Hearst and DCPS, as well as ask questions of our new Chancellor. Chancellor Wilson wrote afterwards and said “I was impressed with how strongly families felt that their children are getting what’s needed from an instructional and social emotional standpoint at Hearst.  It’s exactly what I want to hear.”  It was a great night at Hearst and I thank you for your support and advocacy on behalf of our kids, staff, and school, and schools across DC.

Hope you’re having a great weekend,

Jen 

Quick Updates

• A reminder to email [email protected] if your child is going to be out and cc your child’s teacher on the email. Emailing[email protected] ensures that the main office receives the notification of your child’s absence and that the absence is recorded appropriately. 
• Please see attached for the Second Quarter Attendance Newsletter from DCPS. 

• We have a new nurse, Nurse Carter, who will be at Hearst on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Please stop by the nurse’s office and say hello!
• The Hearst Lady Owl basketball team will play on Thursday, February 16, at Lafayette at 4pm vs Eaton.
• The Hearst Boys basketball team plays Whittier on Tuesday, February 14 at 4pm at Hearst.

Hearst Core Values Survey 

The Hearst community has a set of beliefs and values that underlies all that we do for and with the school; however, the values are always evolving and have not been explicitly named before now.   It’s important for us to name them and develop a consensus as a community about these values as we continue our work toward being the best little school in the district. By Monday, February 13, please share your thoughts with us using the following link: https://goo.gl/forms/HeMZQ56dcgeL0vl33.

Random Acts of Kindness Week 2017

To build on the positive posters the Junior Creators made and hung around the school during SEM on Friday, I’ve signed our school up for Random Acts of Kindness Week 2017, happening February 12-18.  For a list of ideas on simple, no cost/ low cost ways to be kind at school, visit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UsKkG_nP3NE7uuOsSkUVMpOFeZDCUfZH1wPXhYjyUbc/edit.  For additional ideas, visit:https://www.randomactsofkindness.org. Thanks for helping kindness go viral at Hearst!

Planning for the 2017-2018 School Year

As we plan for the upcoming school year, if you know that your child will not be returning to Hearst, please let Ms. Johnson ([email protected]) or Ms. Hinchey ([email protected]) as soon as possible. This will help us with the budgeting process for the coming year.  Thanks!

2017-2018 School Budget

DCPS will be releasing initial budget allocations for the 2017-2018 school year on Tuesday to schools. The initial budget allocation for Hearst will be reviewed by our staff and LSAT, who will offer guidance on how to best allocate our funding, before I submit a final budget to DCPS on or before March 3.  Your input, via the Core Values Survey, will also serve as guidance in the budget process. Please know that the initial allocation and the submitted budget may look significantly different in terms of number of positions and/or funds allocated in each budget category.  As one example of how the initial and submitted budgets differ, our initial budget allocation for this school year indicated close to $90,000 for supplies and overtime (non-personnel spending).  In the submitted budget, however, approximately $18,000 was budgeted for non-personnel spending. We were able to spend less on supplies and more on personnel because of the generosity of the PTA, who funded our blended learning programs and additional supplies for the school.  If you would like to learn more about the budget process and view the initial allocation and submitted budget for this current school year, please visit: http://www.dcpsdatacenter.com.   

Parent Workshops

Thank you for returning the parent workshop surveys to school last month.  The consensus is to hold these workshops from 5:00-6:00pm before PTA meetings and we’ve created the following schedule based on the topics you identified as being important to you. Additional information about the locations will be shared as we get closer to the dates of the workshops.

March 8 - Teasing, Relational Aggression, & Bullying 

April 12 - Childhood Anger, Anxiety, Stress, & Coping Skills

May 10 - Supporting Student Success Over the Summer

September 2017 -  Social Emotional Learning and Character Development at Home

Mental Health Team Update from Ms. Nishimura and Ms. Zarb

This month, K-5 classrooms are focusing on developing “problem-solving skills” through whole-group social-emotional learning lessons.  We are supporting students with learning how to apply problem-solving steps when faced with academic or social challenges. Please feel free to use the frameworks below when problem-solving opportunities arise outside of school (i.e. at the playground, at the store, during play-dates, at sporting or extracurricular activities, amongst siblings, etc.) to reinforce skills.  Younger students were introduced to the following steps:

1.       How do I feel?

2.       What is the problem?

3.       What can I do?

Older students were introduced to the following steps:

1.       What is the problem? (state it fairly)

2.       What are some solutions? (try to name 2-3)

3.       For each solution, ask yourself:

a.       Is it safe? (If the solution is NOT safe, do NOT use it!)

b.      How would others feel?

c.       Is it fair?

d.      Will it work?

4.       Choose a solution and use it.

5.       Is it working?---Yes! If not, what can I do now?

This month, CES classrooms and Pre-K classrooms are working on developing emotion-identification skills. We will begin and/or continue to work on how to name and recognize feelings in both ourselves and in others by being “Social Detectives.” We are looking for “facial clues,” “body language clues,” and “situational context clues” to help us figure out how someone may be feeling.

Extended Library Hours

Ms. Vandivier will be in the library on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays until 5 pm for students and families to check out books, read, and do homework. In order to ensure their safety, students must be under supervision after school at all times either by an adult designated by the student's family or through enrollment in an after school program at Hearst.

DC United

DC United is offering all of our students a free ticket for the home opener on Saturday, March 4.  You’ll need to fill out the form and send it directly back to D.C. United in order to get the ticket. Additional tickets can be purchased for $30.  See the attached flyer (Student Achievement Program Flyer) for more information.

News and Announcements from DCPS

Family Science Night at the National Air and Space Museum: Openings Available in February and March

Family Science Night (FSN) fosters wonderful opportunities for parents and their children to talk about science, our world, and the cosmos. FSN provides a school field trip designed for families to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. The program takes place from 6:45-8:50 p.m., for up to 480 parents, students, and educators from area schools. It's a family learning experience on space science subjects that are taught in the classroom. It is a chance for a shared, cross-generational learning experience in space science education. With the curricular connection, the program provides parents a window on the education of their children; schools a way to build bridges to the community; the Museum a chance to augment the classroom experience with their unique collections, exhibits, films, and educational programs; and researchers an opportunity to share what it's like to work on the great frontiers. There are 4-5 evenings available. For questions, please contact John Hamel.

PTA Corner 

Hello Owl Families! First, a huge shout out to Kay Parry for all the hard work she does organizing and planning our monthly Open Houses. Thanks Kay! Second, we are planning a “Pi” fundraiser for our regular March PTA meeting to be held on March 15, just one day after “Pi Day.” If you would like to bake or purchase a pie to donate, please contact Judy Goodstein at [email protected].

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 Thursday, Feb. 23 at 8am and talk with the PTA.

·         Last Pre-Auction Wine Party: The final pre-auction wine party will be held on Saturday, Feb. 25. Please bring one bottle of wine for the wine night and one bottle of wine to be packaged for the auction. Please RSVP to Nayamka Long at [email protected].

·         PTA Budget Meeting: The PTA will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, March 8, to discuss budget issues for the 2017-2018 school year. The meeting will be held in the library. Pizza and child care will not be provided.

·         Community Dining Night: Our next Potomac Pizza night will be Monday, March 13. Please join us from 4-9pm at 19 Wisconsin Circle, Chevy Chase, Md. Dine in or carry out but make sure to mention you’re with Hearst and our school will receive 20 percent of our proceeds.

·         PTA Meeting: The PTA will hold its next regular meeting on Wednesday, March 15 at 6pm in the library. Pizza and childcare will be available for all potty-trained kids. Please check the website and listserv 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, March 17. If you have time to help out by greeting visitors, giving a tour or just setting up, please email Kay Parry at [email protected]. 

·         Hearst Auction: The annual Hearst auction will be held on Saturday, March 25 at the UDC Student Center, just one mile from Hearst! Please check out the auction website at: http://hearstes.schoolauction.net/2017/homepages/show for information on how to purchase tickets, make donations and get involved. For more auction information please contact Emily Olesh at [email protected] or Adrienne Allen ([email protected]). 

News and Announcements from Other Organizations

DPR and DGS will be holding a Hearst Community Meeting in regards to the Hearst Park and Pool Survey and Concepts in the gym on February 15th from 6:30-8:00pm.  Please see the attached flyer for additional information. 

File attachments:
Parent Newsletter February 2017(1).pdf
Student Achievement Program Flyer(1)(1).pdf
Hearst CM Flyer - Concept and Survey Meeting(1).pdf