Principal's Message September 5-8

Dear Peabody and Watkins community,

We did it! We welcomed ALL of our students (back) to school for a brand new school year! For me, there were two great joys of my week - seeing how happy our returning students and families were to see their teachers and friends and seeing how happy our new students and families seem to be settling in to a new school. All of that wouldn't be possible with such supportive, relationship-oriented staff that make every effort to foster a sense of belonging and community. Thank you for a great start!

For our new families, you can expect a weekly note on Fridays from me, Principal Berkowitz, with key updates and stories, past and present. Please take time to read these messages from beginning to end. After my message is sent, it is archived on our website for your reference within a few days.

For our Watkins families, we have been adjusting to the front door closure and as of this morning, we seem to be adjusting well. I've even heard warm feedback from caregivers and staff about the new arrival and dismissal procedures. Thank you for your patience. I will continue to monitor the situation and communicate with our city partners and families with any updates.

Link to our cluster calendar!

Quick look ahead. Click above to see details:

Watkins September 19

Peabody September 21

6pm - 7:30pm

Back to School Nights are a time for caregivers to connect even more deeply with their child's teacher and the school as a whole. Like previous years, teachers will send out an asynchronous presentation to learn about how teachers will communicate, the key learning goals for students and more. We welcome parents to read ahead at home and in person, engage in conversation with teachers (we don't want to just talk at you!). The conversation is not presentation style, but more Q&A.

In addition to your child's teacher, our leadership team will meet with parents to talk about some school-wide issues such as communication, student supports and open dialogue.

Reminder that the below steps are crucial to ensuring that your child's medical needs are being met during the school day.

1. Have your medical provider complete the appropriate forms – Medication and Treatment Authorization Forms, the Asthma Action Plan and the Action Plan for Anaphylaxis. These forms are available from your school’s main office and online: https://dcps.dc.gov/node/1003562.
2. Drop off the medicine and required paperwork to the school nurse. Medications will not be accepted without the appropriate paperwork.
3. Communicate your child’s medical needs to their teacher.

Please note that your child will not be able to receive medication during the school day (including on field trips) until steps 1 and 2 have been completed.

Thanks to AP Edmonds, Watkins is now supported by three Foster Grandparents. The Foster Grandparent program runs out of the UPO office and we are lucky enough to have Grandma Powell, Grandma Simmons, and Grandma Jordan supporting mostly in our 1st grade classes and during lunch periods. Our Grandmas have already proven to be a loving help to our youngest students as they acclimate to our school.

Coming soon!

FoodPrints is back and will start the week of Sept 18 at both campuses. Peabody will have classes Tuesdays. Watkins will have classes Thursdays and Fridays. As last year, we will have a homeroom schedule and caregiver sign up published and updated weekly.

What is FoodPrints? One of our partners that extends science learning into our gardens and kitchens. Students learn about growing fruits and vegetables, harvesting them, and preparing them into delicious meals!

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