Happy end of Week 4 of distance learning. I hope this note finds you all well. Below are several significant announcements and resources. Please take time to read all the way through for updates on the following topics:
- Academic Calendar Update
- Need help with food, shelter, books, technology or anything else?
- Wonders and Worry group for students with our counselors
- FAQ for parents wondering how to best support their student’s academically
- LSAT Elections for 2020-2021
Academic Calendar Update
This morning Mayor Bowser announced that the 2019-2020 school year will end on May 29th. Distance learning will continue between now and May 29th.
The announcement was made that by May 15th, DCPS will share more information about our start date in August. as well as information about summer learning possibilities (in person or virtual). Mayor Bowser noted that the school year is ending approximately three weeks early and they are thinking about ways to recover some of that learning time. It is conceivable that our start date will move forward for the 2020-2021 school year. Please be on the lookout for more information to help you plan August successfully!
Please take this information in and let it settle. We will be planning accordingly for the remainder of the weeks together to account for the things like, 5th grade promotion, field day, Arts Night, LSAT and HSA elections, enrollment, etc. The Admin team has much planning to do….more info coming your way.
Need help?
The SEL/Mental Health team is here to support families with any needs you or your child may be experiencing. Need support with food, clothing, shelter, self-care, trauma, coping with change, depression, anxiety, academics, or social emotional learning? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via our new needs form or email us at Someone from our team will respond as soon as possible.
DC also has a host of resources on their COVID-19 response page: COVID-19 Needs Hotline and Web Portal
Helps is also available at the Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990. This is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories. Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
Wonders and Worry Group
We are prepared to facilitate a rotation of small group (10 or less) sessions with kids organized by grade level (PK/K/1) (2nd,3rd) (4th/5th) over the course of the next two weeks. Based on responses to our survey, we will organize and schedule groups to take place both AM and PM, depending on parent preference. Parents will get their child’s scheduled time 48 hours in advance.
Here is the survey link, created using Microsoft forms: https://forms.office.com/Pages/DesignPage.aspx?origin=OfficeDotCom&lang=en-US#FormId=7kagKk6zM0qSt5md8rwKMrgG_kbYqDdCr2DtCbNnryVUOERPSFdBNzhRRlJKNFBVN0VaUjhWQzY5Vi4u
LSAT Elections
Our LSAT is a group of elected and appointed members that consists of parents, teachers, non-instructional school staff, and a community member to advise the principal on matters that promote high expectations and high achievement for all students. We are specifically looking for parents who bring a diverse perspective to represent the diversity in our student and community body. We will elect a total of 5 parent representatives: 4 general members and 1 designated Diversity & Inclusion representative.
If you decide to run for LSAT, please know that the time commitment is one morning per month (usually the first Wednesday of the month from 7:30 – 8:30 am).
If you are interested in nominating yourself or another parent, please email Dina Shapiro () by 10 pm on Thursday, April 30th, and include “LSAT Nomination” in the subject line. Please also note if you are specifically interested in the role of Diversity & Inclusion representative.
Details regarding voting will be forthcoming, but the voting process will occur virtually in May.
Parent Supports
We recognize that having a classroom in your living room is a brand new experience for (all) most of us. It’s hard to know when to help, when not to help, and how to balance everything at home. I’m trying to catalogue the most frequently asked questions and provide some help for parents!
Here are some of the FAQ so far –
- “Mom!!! How do I spell….???”
- Please don’t spell the word for your child! Encourage them to write the sounds they hear. This is how teachers assess how your student is hearing and representing sounds.
- Words don’t have to be spelled correctly! In fact, misspelled words are very helpful in teaching students to read and write!!!! Resist the urge to spell words for your kids!
- Remember my sticker chart??? I want to earn rewards!
- Looking for ways to help increase the positive interactions with your kiddo? Tired of fussing about picking up toys or brushing teeth? Need a way to incentivize turning in school work? Try a tracer or incentive chart!
- Using Trackers and incentive charts at home video made by our Social Worker, Mrs. Ayers:
https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/abb925c5-dded-494a-b6d8-a161cb0e8130
Thank you for reading all the way through this message. I know that our world is continuously changing. Remind yourself that you are nimble, calm, and capable. We are all in this together. We are stronger together and we are bountiful in our resources, our love, and our connectivity. Please let us know what you need and we will continue to support in all the ways we can.
Please stay safe and stay connected,
Dr. B