The week ahead is a busy one at Hearst with visitors coming to the school from PBS, our first track meet of the season on Monday, multiple field trips, an assembly, and a PTA meeting. As we've gotten closer to spring break, there has been a slight uptick in the number of students coming to the main office as a result of a conflict with a peer in the classroom, at recess, or at lunch. We will continue to hold our students to our high academic and behavioral expectations this week and reinforce the problem-solving and emotion-management techniques that students are learning in the Second Step lessons. Below is additional information about one of the strategies we're teaching kids and I hope that you will reinforce this strategy at home so that this week can be a smooth one for all of our Owls.
Thanks and have a wonderful afternoon,
Jen
Quick Updates
- Nurse Carter received notification that there is a voluntary recall of 13 lots of EpiPens and EpiPen Jrs. The notification is attached for your information.
- Report cards for Term 3 will be sent home with students on Friday, April 14, our last day of school before Spring Break.
- Spring Break is April 17-21 and while there will be no school for students, the main office will be open Tuesday, April 18, through Friday, April 21, from 9:00am-4:00pm.
- Portrait Day at Hearst has been rescheduled from Monday, April 10 to Tuesday, May 9, 2017.
- The Deal Middle School team will be at Hearst on Wednesday, May 10 from 3:30-6:30 to enroll current Hearst 5th graders.
- Handymen and Handywomen Wanted! We need Hearst family members and staff to volunteer some time the evening of Thursday, April 13, to help build stage boxes to be used as props during Willy Wonka, Jr. and future performances of the Hearst Drama Team. Please see the PTA update below for more information.
- Attached is a flyer for the Washington Breeze, a pro ultimate Frisbee team in DC. Also, for those interested in Frisbee, DPR is supporting a team this spring. Please reach out to Kim Campbell ([email protected]) for more information. Students 8-10 years old can join the team and it meets on Thursdays at 4:30pm.
Water for South Sudan and H2O Challenge
Dear Parents, Teachers, and Students,
We would like to announce that on April 10th to 14th, our school will be taking part in the H2O Challenge. If you take part in this challenge, it means that you, instead of spending money on coffee or soda throughout the day, will drink only water. After taking part in this challenge, the money you save in the four-day period is put in the school well in the atrium, or directly donated towaterforsouthsudan.org. This cause is very important. It is important because some girls spend all day just walking back and forth to fetch water that isn’t even clean, as in animals drink from it.Waterforsouthsudan.org builds precious water pumps in small towns. Those water pumps can change the lives of many a person. We were inspired to do this when we finished our book club book, A Long Walk to Water, we found that when Nya, a fictional, but based off the lives of real people, character, and her village got a water pump built right outside their doorsteps, they all of a sudden could think about building schools and clinics to support their town residents. Everybody in our book club feels greatly that this situation in South Sudan needs to change, and we fully accept that we can’t wait for someone to do it for us. We all thank you so much for donating or even simply reading this email and becoming aware of how much we take for granted and how much we need to help those who do not have what we have.
Thank you so much!
The members of the Long Walk to Water book club,
Beatrix Stone, Sydney Adamske, Colette Bernards, and Acaden Lewis
Values Survey
In January, I shared a link to a Hearst Core Values Survey. During the response window, we received 53 responses and while that is a good start, I’m hoping that more of our families will share their thoughts and ideas with us. Because of this, I’ve re-opened the survey and if you haven’t yet responded, I hope you will take 5 minutes to do so using this link: https://goo.gl/forms/MvG0BtaVUOUBYXGr2. Your responses to the survey will impact our decision-making about, for example, our social-emotional curriculum, hiring, programming for the 2017-2018 school year, and how we engage with you, our families. Please do take some time prior to Friday, April 14. Thanks!
Enrollment for 2017-2018
The enrollment process for next school year has begun! The DCPS Enroll website is now updated with SY17-18 information. This includes the SY17-18 Enrollment Packet, resources on how to enroll, and information on all schools. Our goal is to have all current families re-enroll by Friday, April 28th. Ms. Hinchey and Ms. Johnson will accept completed enrollment packets during our normal office hours, from 8:00am – 4:30pm, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. They will also accept completed enrollment packets from 7:00am-6:00pm on Thursdays and from 7:00am-4:30pm on Fridays. For specific questions about enrollment, please reach out to Ms. Hinchey ([email protected]) or Ms. Johnson ([email protected]).
Yearbooks Are On Sale Now
Yearbooks for sale! Please click on the attached flyer for more information. Go to the website listed and enter our school-specific passcode. Yearbooks are $20 each. Please select "ship to school option". Yearbooks will be distributed in the last few weeks of school. Last year, we DID sell out- be sure to claim your child's copy today!
Pennies for Patients Fundraiser – Kickoff Meeting in the Gym at 9:00 on Wednesday
Have your children been digging in the sofa cushions for spare change? Have they updated you on what our school’s fundraising thermometer says? Our Pennies for Patients campaign will begin as soon as we return from spring break, April 24, and run through May 12. Excitement is high as we join forces to help cure blood cancers once and for all. Our school goal is $2,000. Here are a few things you can do to continue helping your child get the most out of this exciting event:
Visit Hearst’s online giving page: http://events.lls.org/pages/nca/HearstElementarySchoolWashington-2017
It’s a fact that the most successful Pennies for Patients fundraisers raise money using their online giving pages. So keep encouraging your child to share that page with friends and family. (Need info on setting up a page? Here’s the how-to.)
- Ask your child about the program each day. What did he or she hear on the school announcements? How close is our school to reaching the fundraising goal?
- Join in the fundraising fun! Take a coin collection jar to work or ask your company about matching gifts. If you have a favorite local business, ask if you can put the jar by the cash register during the campaign. Those donations add up!
Did you know that Pennies for Patients helps cancer survivors too?Dealing with a life-threatening disease is tough—and so is returning to “regular life” after treatment. By participating in our school’s Pennies for Patients campaign, you help fund the Trish Greene Back to School Program for Children with Cancer. This program helps children cope with life after treatment and teaches parents, classmates, teachers and health care professionals how to deal with the issues surrounding childhood cancer. Thank you for giving these young survivors and their families the resources they need! If you have questions about Pennies for Patients, contact your child’s teacher or our school program coordinator. Or visit LLS.org. Thanks for your valuable contribution to making blood cancers a thing of the past!
Social Emotional Learning Update:
Parent Educational Event Series:
Our second parent educational event will be held this Wednesday, April 12th from 5-6pm prior to the PTA meeting. Ms. Nishimura and Ms. Zarb will be facilitating a parent information session on“Childhood Anxiety, Anger, Stress, & Coping Skills.” Emotion-regulation strategies will be discussed and resource handouts will also be available. Childcare WILL/WILL NOT be available during this event. We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!
Social-Emotional Learning:
April is Autism Awareness Month! As we continue to focus on developing emotion-management skills across classrooms, social-emotional lessons will also support this initiative across the school this month. Students continue to work on developing their emotion-management skills, which also helps to develop self-awareness and social awareness. These concepts continue to be tied back to our previous work on problem-solving skills, where students are reminded that in order to problem-solve effectively, we need to first be in control of our feelings and emotions. Please feel free to use the framework below and language at home to reinforce positive steps for calming down/managing strong emotions.
What to do when you experience a “strong emotion”:
Stop and Think.
1. Ask yourself, “How does my body feel?” (What are your body signals? For example, is your face getting red or hot, are your muscles getting tight, are you crossing your arms, are you breathing heavier, etc.).
2. Try a calm down strategy. (i.e. taking three deep breaths, counting backwards slowly, thinking calming thoughts, and talking to yourself.”
3. Think out loud to solve the problem.
4. Think about it later. Ask yourself: “Why was I angry or upset?” “What did I do?” “What worked?” “What didn’t work?” “What would I do differently? “Did I do a good job?”
5. If you’re really upset and/or if you’re still upset after trying some calming strategies and need help with calming down, ask an adult for help.
For additional information and strategies related to emotion-management skills, we encourage you to join us this Wednesday 4/12/17 from 5-6pm for our Parent Educational event focusing on “Childhood Anxiety, Anger, Stress, & Coping Skills.”
PTA Corner
Handymen and Handywomen Wanted! We need Hearst family members and staff to volunteer some time the evening of Thursday, April 13, to help build stage boxes to be used as props during Willy Wonka, Jr. and future performances of the Hearst Drama Team. Measuring and marking is a big part of the job and Janelle Stone will teach us how to do this. We also are looking for people who can use a saw and a power drill and/or loan some items to the cause. The stage box-building event will take place at a neighborhood home and food will be provided. Please contact Janelle Stone at[email protected] with questions or to RSVP. Thank you for helping the Drama Team!
Raffle Tickets! An easy way to support Hearst is by selling raffle tickets for a chance to win cash. Tickets are $5 each for a chance to win a $1,500 cash prize. We hope every student can sell at least five tickets, but if you do not wish to sell tickets, please return them to your teacher so the tickets can be sold by someone else. If you need more tickets, text Kim at (240) 463-6804 or email [email protected] with the number of tickets you need, your child's name, and teacher's name.
Upcoming Events:
· PTA Meeting: The PTA will hold its next regular meeting on Wednesday, April 12 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, April 14. If you have time to help out by greeting visitors, giving a tour or just setting up, please email Kay Parry at [email protected].
· Community Dining Night: Join your fellow Hearsties for dinner at Nando's Peri-Peri on Monday, May 1 from 5pm to 8pm. It's fun, tasty and a portion of the proceeds will go back to Hearst! Nando's Tenleytown is located at 4231 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
· Consider Running for the PTA E-Board: Elections are coming for positions on the 2017-2018 PTA executive board. If you are interested in running or volunteering, please reach out to a current executive board member: http://www.hearstes.org/pta_executive_board_members.
· Auction Co-Chairs: Remember how much fun you had at the auction? We are searching for two new co-chairs of the Auction Committee to run our event next spring. Please talk to Emily Olesh or Adrienne Allen. Thanks!!
· PTA E-Board and Full PTA Meeting Minutes: Just a reminder that the PTA posts all minutes from our monthly PTA E-Board meetings and from our monthly full PTA minutes. They are available online at: http://www.hearstes.org/pta_documents_links. A huge thanks to Hearst’s web maven, Anna Porteus for posting our minutes and keeping our website looking great!
News and Announcements from Other Organizations
Amending the DC Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan is the 20-year plan that the DC Government uses to guide future development within Washington, DC. Over the past year, the Bowser Administration has led an array of activities to engage residents in [PLAN]DC, the citywide initiative to amend the Comprehensive Plan. Now, Mayor Bowser, the DC Office of Planning, and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development have launched an “Open Call” period to give all stakeholders an opportunity to formally propose Comprehensive Plan amendments.
Stakeholders interested in making an amendment proposal can learn more and find materials onplandc.dc.gov.
Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
This prize annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive impact on people and the planet. Each year,the top winners each receive $5,000 to support their service work or higher education. Learn more and apply here.
Application deadline: April 15, 2017
Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge
Students, grades 5-8, are invited to create a 1-2 minute video describing a new, innovating solution that could solve an everyday problem. Ten finalists will be chosen for their passion for science, spirit of innovation and ingenuity, and effective communication skills. Learn more here.
Application deadline: April 19, 2017
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