Good afternoon Owls,

I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend and, for those of you who love football, that have enjoyed all the great games this weekend!

Thanks for your continued support,

Jen

Quick Updates

• Thanks to everyone who came out to support Hearst at Nando’s on Wednesday!
• Wednesday, September 14, from 6:00-7:30pm, is the first PTA meeting of the year. Please join us in the gym!
• Thursday, September 15, will be our second fire drill of the year. The kids did a great job in August and were out of the building in under 2 minutes.  This drill we’re adding another component, a reverse evacuation drill, to see how long it takes everyone to move back into the building.  Because emergency drills can cause anxiety for some kids, please do take some time to talk with your child about the upcoming fire drill.
• Our staff set a goal of visiting at least 50% of our families by 9/23 and as of Friday, we’ve visited 52%.  Thanks to everyone who has opened their homes and communities to us and we look forward to visiting with more of you before the month is out!

News and Announcements

A Note from Mr. M’Llyr

My name is Fynn M'Llyr, and will be filling in for the art teacher, Ms. Crawley, through December 5th. I grew up in Vermont, but have lived in a number of other states and countries since then. My undergraduate degree is in Art Practices, and I am one semester shy of completing a Master's in Education. I look forward to sharing my varied experiences and knowledge with the students at Hearst. 

In order to complete some upcoming art projects, we need a few supplies that you may have lying around your house. One project involves growing flowers from seeds, and the other is making wearable art using recycled/upcycled materials.

For the flower project we need:

Quick-growing flower seeds (like marigolds, cosmos, zinnias, and dianthuses)

Potting soil

For the wearable art project we need clean waste materials like:

grocery bags (plastic or paper)

egg cartons

boxes

fabric scraps

plastic bottle/carton caps

and any other clean material that would othrewise be thrown out or recycled 

Cheers,

Fynn

PARCC and Our New Math Curriculum

Last week I shared our PARCC scores with you and this week, I’m sharing a link to a video of teachers sharing their perspectives on PARCC and how it’s different from previous assessments like the DC CAS. https://vimeo.com/89944585.  This year we’re implementing a new math curriculum, Eureka, that better aligns to the Common Core Math Standards, the standards that are being tested on the PARCC.  https://vimeo.com/92784226  Our staff has begun a year-long study of the standards and how to best teach these standards with the support of Eureka. Stay tuned for after school workshops that will help you understand the new curriculum and the Common Core Standards.

Autism Speaks Walk

Please join us with your friends and family for the Autism Speaks Walk at The National Mall on Saturday, October 1. The walk begins promptly at 10:00 a.m. Show your spirit by wearing your Hearst or Autism Awareness gear! You can register and/or donate to our Hearst Elementary School team by selecting this link: http://www.autismspeakswalk.org/dc/hearstelementaryschool  Please forward to your friends and family. Visit http://www.autismspeakswalk.org/dc and select "event info" for more details.

Update on DCPS-DPR MOU for Gym

According to the DCPS Facilities team, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DCPS and DPR about use of the gym is almost finalized. A calendar has been established to schedule gym usage, particularly from 3:30-6:00pm, with both Hearst and the Hearst Rec sharing the gym during this time.  DCPS and DPR are working to ensure that if there are conflicts with scheduling, adjustments can be made and alternative times and locations for programming established, particularly in the winter months when the gym is in high demand. Several folks reached out to me after the DPR meeting last week, concerned that all Rec programming would be moving into the gym when the MOU is signed.  Please know that Rec will continue to use the cottage for their programming, using the gym only for programming that requires it.

Lunchtime Reading Program with Ms. Vandivier

This week Ms. Vandivier will begin our reading club.  This is an opportunity for students in grades 3 - 5 to come to the library during their recess period (12:15 - 12:45) to listen to Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.  We will have reading club Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Chasing Vermeer is a brain teasing mystery set in Chicago.  It is a back to school thrilling story for everyone to enjoy. Here's what the publisher has to say about this exciting book.

"When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay together, strange things start to happen:  Seemingly unrelated events connect, an eccentric old woman seeks their company, and an invaluable Vermeer painting disappers.

Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one - neighbors, parents, teachers - is spared from suspicion.  As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their p owers of intuition, their problem-solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer.  Can they decipher a crime that has left even the FBI baffled?"

Join us on Monday to start solving the mystery. Ms. Vandivier will be in the atrium at 12:15 to greet anyone who wants to come and hear the book and will take students to lunch at 12:45.  

News and Announcements from Central Office

Updates to Nursing Coverage and School Health Services Program

The DC Department of Health (DOH) oversees the school nursing program for DCPS and charter schools, with nurses employed by Children’s National Health System, under a contract with DOH. According to the most recent school nurse schedule at least 27 DCPS schools have less than full-time coverage. By comparison, two schools started last school year with part-time coverage. In January 2017, DOH will implement a new School Health Services Program, which will replace the current school nursing program and its goal of full-time nursing coverage for every school. The existing contract is in place through December, and it remains unclear what staffing efforts will be made to compensate for the current level of attrition. DOH’s new model will provide care coordination, clinical services and community navigation services in schools. DOH has indicated that under the new model, each school will receive a minimum of 20 hours of weekly nursing coverage, and nurses will be supplemented by community navigators, care coordinators, and lower level medical professionals, depending on the specific needs of the students in the school. School staff will continue to be expected to provide medication administration, first aid, and to initiate emergency response procedures, when necessary. After reviewing the medical needs of our students, DOH intends to provide a coverage plan for each school in November so schools can prepare for changes to come in January. DCPS's Student Wellness Division will continue to engage DOH as it plans out implementation of the new program, communicate details to schools as they become available and provide updates for you to share with your families.

KIDS RIDE FREE PASSES DELAYED

DDOT has learned that the Metro fare system is responding slower than expected in delivering Kids Ride Free Passes as school starts this year.  Due to this issue, the KRF-Pass may not activate when students first tap their DC One Cards in the system.  Metro advises that students continue to tap their DC One Cards on the fare gate or fare box to activate their KRF-Pass as they travel to and from school.  If the student uses the rail system, the KRF-Pass can be activated by tapping the DC One Card again at the same station several hours after first tapping their DC One Card.  If the student rides the bus, the KRF-Pass can be activated by tapping the DC One Card three days after the first tapping their DC One Card. During this process, bus operators and station managers are required to allow students to ride for free if students’ KRF-Passes are not functioning on their DC One Cards. To ensure that the KRF-Pass is successfully loaded, please ensure students 1) Tap their DC One Card on a fare vending machine found in any Metrorail station.  If there is a negative balance, bring it up to $0. 2) If it does not immediately work, tap their DC One Card again on a fare vending machine at the same Metrorail station to activate your KRF-Pass the next day. 3)Check with the station manager to see if the KRF-Pass has been successfully loaded or log-in to your account at dconecard.dc.gov to check the status of your KRF-Pass. This activity can be done on the weekends to ensure the KRF-Pass is ready to use for school on Mondays.   

PTA Corner 

Hello Owls. We hope you are surviving this September heatwave!

Thanks so much to everyone who was able to come out last week and enjoy the great food at Nando’s Peri-Peri and the great conversation with your fellow Hearsties. Our next community dining night will be Monday, October 24, at Potomac Pizza, which is located in the Chevy Chase Center.

The PTA will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, September 14 in the gym from 6pm-7:30pm. The PTA will provide childcare and pizza to all potty-trained students and siblings. Please sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerwi9SEsNDSqQtcR4do3aFH8ZvJDIqHZW54DlKeMGxxDw7bQ/viewform

The fall enrichment session is nearing! If you signed up for a PTA-sponsored class, please remember that payment, if applicable, is due on Friday, September 16 and classes begin on Monday, September 19. If you have any questions, please reach out to PTA Co-President and Enrichment Coordinator Keri Sikich at [email protected].

Everything is Awesome!! Please join us at Hearst on the evening of Friday, September 23, for Screen on the Green. This fall's movie will be The Lego Movie. We are working to line up food trucks for the event. Since we now have beautiful, large indoor facilities, in the event of inclement weather, the movie will be moved inside to the gym.