Principal's Message Feb 20 - 23

Dear Peabody and Watkins community,

We can look back on Spirit Week with with pride and joy as we are looking ahead to our end-of month celebrations at each campus. Our students are hard at work learning about the incredible achievements and contributions that Black leaders have made to their fields in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

One Black leader that I want to recognize, even if it's outside of the STEAM field, is Veola Jackson (pictured above at Peabody, 1984). Ms. Jackson was the founding principal of the Capitol Hill Cluster Schools. Members of our Equity Team have been researching this incredible woman and her contributions to our community. Together with our students at Watkins and Stuart Hobson, we are proud to share this tribute to Principal Jackson.

Black History Month Celebrations:

Feb 27 at Peabody and Feb 29 at Watkins.

• The Watkins event will begin at 1:30 for all caregivers and students to learn and enjoy together.
• The Peabody event is hosted by grade levels. PK3 at 9:30, PK4 at 9:10, and Kinder at 10am.

3rd-5th graders are also encourage to participate in our rap-writing contest.

Watkins will host a STEAM Career Day on Jan 27. Any Black STEAM professionals, including friends and colleagues, are invited to present to Watkins students on the morning of Feb 27. Please see flier below for details.

Please see below for more information about:

• Blacks In STEAM Career Day at Watkins
  
• Peabody, Watkins, and Stuart Hobson Open Houses
  
• FoodPrints Newsletter
• Recurring Reminders

Click on the above flier to see fliers for Spirit Week, STEAM Career Day and our Rap-writing contest.

Link to our cluster calendar!

Quick look ahead. Click above to see details:

Hello Families,

We look forward to welcoming new families to our schools. Please promote the below flyers broadly within your networks.

Peabody is implementing an Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias curriculum extension this school year. For more information, visit our website https://www.capitolhillclusterschool.org/equity-inclusion.

Next week we will read: I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoët

Some discussion questions you could have with your child at home are: What could one person do to help or act as an upstander? What could some students do? What could many students do? How about all students?

Our team of journalists is growing and getting better and better. Check out the 3rd Edition of the Panther Press featuring a staff spotlight, cheer squad feature, school history, and more.

Back by popular demand, we are restarting the Watkins WatchDOGS (Dads [& Others] of Great Students) Volunteer program!!

What is WATCH D.O.G.S.?
WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads [& Others] Of Great Students) is a family and community engagement educational initiative.

What is the goal of a WATCH D.O.G.S. program?
To provide positive caregiver role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important.

Who are WatchDOGS and how does WATCH D.O.G.S. work?
WatchDOGS are fathers, mothers, grandparents, and uncles/aunts who volunteer for at least one day each year at an official WATCH D.O.G.S. school. WATCH D.O.G.S., a K-12 program, invites caregivers to volunteer at least one day at their child’s/student’s school for part or all of the day during the school year. Identification will be checked upon entrance.

Is this program only for Dads?

Absolutely not!! We welcome all caregivers to volunteer.

What do WatchDOGS do (while they are at school)?
During the day, WatchDOGS may read and work on flash cards with students, play at recess, eat lunch with students, patrol the school entrances and hallways, assist with traffic flow and any other assigned activities where they actively engage with not only their own students, but other students as well. Many school principals have reported that the mere presence of a WatchDOGS volunteer dramatically reduces reports of bullying. On the day of their participation, WatchDOGS participants are given a brief review of their involvement and they wear an official WATCH D.O.G.S. name tag identifying them as a WatchDOG.

What days can I volunteer and how do I sign up?

WatchDOGS participant days will be every Wednesday. Please sign up at least a week in advance so we can notify school administration and teachers of your visit using this link to the WatchDOGS sign-up list: https://signup.com/go/xxkWcuc

Make sure you are checking class dojo for sports updates from Athletic Director, Coach Drakeford. Please send sports questions her way on dojo or latavia.drakefod-allen@k12.dc.gov.

Peabody and Watkins teachers have some big plans and big wishes for your kids and their classrooms this year. Please consider fulling some of those wishes from their wish lists.

Hello parents and guardians! We're back again for another year of FoodPrints at Peabody and Watkins Elementary and we are looking for parents to volunteer in our classroom and garden!

We'll have a maximum number of four (4) slots available for parent volunteers for each class. We'll be adding more dates in the coming weeks so be sure to check back frequently if you don't see your child's class as yet. Please reach out if you have any questions to ms. Natasha natasha@ffm.org at Watkins and Ms. Aubryn aubryn@ffm.org at Peabody.

The sign up genius also has the schedule for classes.

Thanks again for your support of FoodPrints!

Peabody caregiver sign up

Watkins caregiver sign up

Email addresses are often entered into our systems with mistakes. If someone you know (partner, friend, neighbor) isn't getting school communication please have them email their names, their child's name, email addresses and phone numbers and any other information to either PeabodyESEnroll@k12.dc.gov or WatkinsESEnroll@k12.dc.gov. Our team will correct the errors asap.

If you somehow are unsubscribed from Blackboard, please email your appropriate school inbox above and Adia.Howard-Stroud@k12.dc.gov who will fix the issue on Blackboard.

Field Trips have resumed and we welcome parents to join as chaperones. Parents who would to volunteer/ chaperone on an ongoing basis, must complete the DCPS Clearance process beforehand. Upon receipt, clearance letters should be emailed to tanisha.montgomery@k12.dc.gov.

Exceptions

Exceptions may be granted to the DCPS Clearance process in the following situations:

1. You are volunteering for a one-time, on-campus event, like Career Day or Field Day. Please email the Clearance Team at dcps.clearance@k12.dc.gov to confirm whether you qualify for a clearance exception.
2. You are a potential volunteer with an active secret or top-secret federal security clearance. Individuals in this group should complete the Federal Security Clearance Verification letter in lieu of being fingerprinted with DCPS. The original signed verification form and a copy of a state issued photo ID to dcps.clearance@k12.dc.gov