Good evening Owls,
What a great week to be a Hearstie! Thanks to all those who came out to the Nationals game on Monday, the final track meet of the season on Tuesday, and the PTA meeting on Wednesday. A huge congratulations also goes out to everyone who supported and performed in Broadway Beat on Friday. What a show!
I hope everyone enjoyed the sun this weekend,
Jen
The Week Ahead
Monday, May 16 – Moustache Monday
9:00-2:00 4th Grade Field Trip to Capitol Hill
2:00-3:00 Broadway Beat Performance for Students, Gym
3:30-5:00 Broadway Beat Cast Party, Gym
6:30-8:00 Architecture in the Schools Partnership Project Showcase-2nd Grade Projects, 421 Seventh St. NW
Tuesday, May 17 – Patriotic Tuesday
4:00-8:00 Hearst Night at Chipotle (Don’t Forget to Mention Hearst!)
Wednesday, May 18 – Wacky Sock Day
9:00-2:00 1st Grade Field Trip to Green Meadow Farm
2:00-3:00 SEM Enrichment Clusters Meet
4:30-5:30 LSAT Meeting, Conference Room (Comprehensive School Planning for SY16-17)
Thursday, May 19 – Blue Day
Friday, May 20 – Fandom Day
9:00-2:00 PK Trip to National Arboretum
9:15-11:00 Open House, Library
Looking Ahead
Monday, May 23 - APTT Step Up Day
Monday, May 30 - Memorial Day - No School for Students
Monday, June 13 – PK Promotion and Reception
Tuesday, June 14 - Kindergarten Promotion and Reception
Wednesday, June 15 - 5th Grade Promotion, Reception, and Dance
Thursday, June 16 - Starnival
Friday, June 17 - Last Day of School for Students with Dismissal at 12:15
News and Announcements
Quick Updates
- Several of our 5th Grade Science Fair winners were featured in the weekly update from DCPS. See attached for the picture and story.
- See attached for this week's NW Current dispatch with information on our student council.
This week is Spirit Week
Monday -- Moustache Monday
Tuesday – Patriotic Day (wear the colors of the country you identify with)
Wednesday – Wacky Sock Day
Thursday – Blue Day (wear blue from head to toe)
Friday – Fandom Day (wear whatever you are a fan of: Minecraft, Star Wars, Redskins, Nationals, etc.)
SY16-17 Budget and LEAP
In the months since I shared next year's school budget, many of you have reached out to express your disappointment about the loss of the school counseling position. Please know that the LSAT and I reviewed and gave thoughtful consideration to several budget scenarios and ultimately determined that an additional full-time partner teacher (instructional aide) in first grade and a math instructional coach would best support our students and staff.
A second, full-time partner teacher means that each first grade class will have another adult in it who can support students in all facets as they transition from kindergarten into and through first grade. Through the job-embedded professional development provided by two content-specific LEAP instructional coaches, I know our students will make great gains next year and we’ll make additional strides toward closing our achievement gaps at Hearst. For this reason, I support the LEAP program, as I believe the professional development opportunities it provides our staff will be good for all of our Owls, big and small.
Adding these two positions comes at the cost of losing a counseling position but I am confident that our social worker and school psychologist will be able to meet the socio-emotional needs of our students. In addition to the work our staff does daily to build a safe, nurturing classroom and school environment using Responsive Classroom practices, next year our social worker and school psychologist will pro-actively teach problem-solving and conflict resolution skills to our Owls. This proactive, focused, and intentional social skill development will meet the socio-emotional needs of the majority of our students and for those students needing additional support, our social worker and school psychologist will continue to have small group and individual lunch bunch and therapy sessions. If you have any questions or concerns about the budget or LEAP, please reach out and let me know.
Elementary Track Championship Recap from Neil Cowie, father of 5th grader, Duncan
A big thanks to Mr. Coleman for all the positive effort to help the track team compete at meets this season, including the Championships on Tuesday.
The results are now posted, hopefully the link below (bottom of this message) works.
Whilst in Olympic spirit is was all about competing and our kids did a fine job, there were also highlights:
The highest finish was Anaya Lowder, who finished second in the 100m. This excellent result also had a touch of bad luck - Anaya had a fast time at an earlier meet in the 400m, and thus was in the last heat of the 400m in the finals Tuesday, and had barely any time to recover before running the 100m final. None of the other top four had run the 400m, and none (boy or girl) ran as fast as Anaya had in her heat, which she had won in 14.68s. Congratulations Anaya.
The second highest finish was third by the girls 4x400 team of Coco Bernards, Saranda Rolett, Moxie Coleman Miller and Marley Long. They ran 5:46.14 and beat the teams from Drew and Murch, who were first and second overall in the girls competition. Moxie also ran eighth out of thirty in the individual 400. Coco also got ninth out of twenty five in the 800, with Saranda eleventh, and those two also got ninth and tenth in the 1600.
In the boys 100m, Jermaine Berry and Esai Taylor both broke 17 seconds to finish in the top twenty out of thirty five. Those two plus Connor Smith and Duncan Cowie finished ninth in the 4x100m. Faris Sheppard finished a creditable 13th in both the 800m and 1600m.
http://old.mdtimingllc.com/outdoor_2016/elem/index.htm
Thanks again to Mr. Coleman, and congratulations to all the competitors
Neil Cowie
Wilson High School ArtsFest
The 3rd Annual Wilson High School ArtsFest! is less than a week away! Bring the family and enjoy performances by the Wilson chorus, bands, drama groups, poetry club, and more. Between performances, shop in the student art market, participate in hands-on art activities and take in the beautiful student art exhibition. The fun begins at 4pm on Friday, May 20th and culminates in a full-length performance by the Wilson Players of the play “Columbinus” from 7 to 10. (Note: “Columbinus” involves intense subject matter, so parental discretion is advised. Tickets for the play are $5 for students and $10 for adults.) Admission, performances (except “Columbinus”), exhibits and activities are free. Food and some student art is for sale. Location: 3950 Chesapeake Street, NW WDC.
News and Announcements from Central Office
OSSE’s LEA Institute: “It Takes a City: DC Does it Best!” (5/20)
OSSE is hosting their last LEA Institute of this school year on Friday, May 20, 2016, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Break-out sessions will include topics such as Physical Health and Safety, Mental Health/Social Emotional Development, Parent/Family & Community Engagement, Teaching & Learning, Early Intervention, Program Management, and Cultural & Linguistic Diversity.
WMATA 2016 Youth Empowerment Summit (5/21)
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is inviting students from across the region to participate in the 2016 Youth Empowerment Summit taking place on Saturday, May 21, 2016 from 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM at Metro headquarters, 600 Fifth St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. This forum is designed to encourage better dialogue between D.C., Maryland and Virginia youth riders and leaders from throughout our metropolitan region. It will also provide an opportunity to gather the ideas, opinions and needs of youth riders to better improve safety on our Metro system. They are contacting area schools to recruit students interested in participating in the Summit. Given the current state of youth violence not only on the transit system but in the region as a whole, it important that interested students from all DC Area communities and of all backgrounds to participate in this event. The Summit will include various workshops, group activities, panels and discussions around civility, respect, and diffusing conflict, that invite and encourage students to be part of the solution with. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact Valeria Coustasse at (202) 962-2776 or via e-mail at [email protected].
Leading Men Fellowship Application Open – Deadline (5/20)
The DCPS Leading Men Fellowship is currently accepting applications for its inaugural cohort (SY2016-2017). As the newest component of the Empowering Males of Color initiative, the DCPS Leading Men Fellowship is a paid 10-month fellowship that provides extensive training and coaching that will help DCPS young men explore careers in early childhood education. The attached flyer (“Leading Men Recruitment Flyer”) includes a link to the application, offers background information on the program benefits as well as each of our training partners. Please share this opportunity with students who are graduating this Spring from DCPS high schools or who have graduated from DCPS in the past few years. We are looking for recent male DCPS grads between the ages of 18-24 who are responsible and mature. Fellows are paid a competitive stipend of $11,630 over the course of the program and also earn an education award upon completion fellowship that can help them pursue higher education. For more information, please contact Burnell Holland ([email protected]) in the Office of Family and Public Engagement.
Reminder: Every Student, Every Day Design Challenge
In collaboration with the DC Equity Lab, the Deputy Mayor for Education’s Office will be hosting a two day design challenge entitled: Every Student, Every Day on Saturday, June 4th, 8:00am - 8:00pm at Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School. The goal of the design challenge is for students, families, educators, policy makers and hackers to conceptualize a viable solution to chronic absenteeism in the District. Currently, on any given day only 90% of the District’s students are in attendance--and somewhere between 15-20% of students are chronically truant. Attendees will form teams and around a challenge of their choosing, and build and present solutions over the course of 24 hours before a panel of judges. Teachers who are interested in attending, please contact Kristen Moore.
2016 Early Childhood Transition Week
To help ease the transition from home or daycare to school, children in PK4 will start SY 16-17 year with a shortened week. The first day for all PK4 students will be 8/25. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the first week, PK4 children will not attend school. Teachers and parents will use this time to connect through family visits and/or school events.
The Verizon Minority Male Makers STEM Summer Program
The Verizon Minority Male Makers Program, directed by UDC, is offering a free four-week intensive summer program from 6/27-7/22, designed to engage students in high quality, hands-on learning in STEM. In addition to the summer program, students will receive a mentor and participate in STEM workshops during the academic year at UDC and host sites across the district. The program is for young males of African American and Hispanic descent in grades 6-8. Those selected will have the opportunity to learn 3D modeling, app development, and robotics. There will be competitions, prizes, and field trips. For more information, contact Dr. James Maiden at 202 274-5768 or [email protected].
Bathroom Access in Schools
As localities across the U.S. discern whether students can use the bathrooms that match their gender identity, we want to remind DCPS schools of our local requirements. Across DCPS, all students, staff, families and guests have the right to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. In addition, should any student request increased privacy beyond the regular student bathrooms, they have the right to use a single-user restroom. Please consult DCPS' Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Policy Guidance for more information.
Reminder: Free Summer Enrichment Program for Highly Motivated Rising Middle Schoolers: Now Accepting Rising 5th Graders!
Due to popular request, the Advanced and Enriched Instruction division is excited to announce that they are now accepting rising 5th graders into the Summer Enrichment Program! This four-week summer program for highly motivated and precocious rising middle school students (those currently in grades 5, 6, 7) are invited to apply for a spot at Burrville ES, Hardy MS, or Stuart-Hobson MS. The program runs from 7/5-7/29, from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. daily, and is free for DCPS students. Students will work in small groups of no more than 15 students on topics directly related to their areas of academic interest, as well as go on several exciting field trips. Please visit bit.do/SEPapp for the online application or bit.do/SEPpaperapp for a downloadable application. Application deadline is 6/1. For questions, contact Angela Novak.
PTA Corner
Hello Owls! Can you believe we are halfway through May already? As you are planning the last few weeks of school, please consider some of these upcoming activities.
- Tuesday, May 17: Hearst night out at Tenley Chipotle, 4-8 pm. For more details, please visit this link: http://www.hearstes.org/chipotle_fundraiser
- Friday, May 20: 8-9:15am: PTA on the playground, Hearst playground. Look for Co-President Liz Stuart and swing by with questions, ideas, or just to chat!
- Friday, May 20: Last Hearst open house of the year. We're looking for volunteers for any time between 8:30 and 11 am, even if only for 30 minutes. Please email Kay Parry at [email protected] if you are able to help out.
- Wednesday, June 8: Final PTA meeting of the year. Come join us in the gym at 6pm and help us start planning for next year.
- Sunday, June 12: Hearst Nationals outing, 4 pm vs. Phillies. For more information, please visithttp://www.hearstes.org/washington_nationals
- Wednesday, June 15: Hearst night out at Tenley Nando's Peri Peri, 4:30-8:30 pm.
- Thursday, June 16: Annual Starnival festival at Hearst. Volunteers needed. More details to come but if you know you can help, even for an hour, please reach out to Mr. Coleman at [email protected].
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