Principal's Message Dec 4 - 8

Dear Peabody and Watkins community,

We are in full swing to the holiday and enrollment season! There are so many events happening this month at our schools and I'm going to use this space to elevate some key events for our community engagement.

Dec 2 - EdFest is back in person and we have a fantastic team of students, caregivers, and staff ready to recruit new families to our community. Thank you!

Dec 6 - Watkins author visit, Jorge Cham, for 4th and 5th grade students. More info below.

Dec 6 - Watkins open house for new families

Dec 7 - Peabody open house for new families

• Open Houses are for new families new to our school or community. Peabody families are welcome to join our Watkins events and we will have special events for Kindergarten families later in the spring. Open houses take place monthly through April (flyer below). You can help us recruit by sharing this information with your friends who do not currently attend.

Dec 8 - 9:15 Peabody Rocks the Red with our monthly whole-school morning meeting.

Dec 8-10 - Stuart Hobson presents, "The Adams Family Musical" with special feeder school event with Principal Fraser after the Saturday show. (See flier below).

Dec 14 - Peabody and Watkins Panther Family Show, our Winter Concert! All PK-5th graders to perform!

Dec 18 - 21 - Get ready for sprit week!

Dec 22 - Jan 2 No school for Winter Break. Class resumes January 3.

Please see below for more information about:

• Family Support
• Cluster Equity Survey
  
• Peabody, Watkins, and Stuart Hobson Open Houses
  
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Essay Contest
  
• Peabody traffic pattern and door issues

Link to our cluster calendar!

Quick look ahead. Click above to see details:

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

Tell us your thoughts about how equity and inclusion issues impact our school community.

Responses to this survey are anonymous. We are not collecting names or other personal identifying information. The Equity Team, including school leaders, will share a summary of results and use the information to develop and evaluate caregiver-led and school-based equity initiatives. As we undertake this work, it is crucial that we hear a wide variety of voices and viewpoints. For this reason, the survey will be open until November 30, 2023.

The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. You can access using the QR code below. We appreciate your time and thank you in advance for your participation.

Dear Peabody Families!

I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank You” for your incredible generosity in providing last-minute food donations for some families in our community. Your swift response and willingness to support our community showcased the spirit of compassion and unity that defines our school.

Your thoughtful contributions undoubtedly made a significant difference in the lives of those facing challenging circumstances. It was heartening to see our school community come together to make a positive impact, especially during such critical times.

Once again, thank you for your kindness and selflessness. Your support embodies values we cherish as a school, caring for our friends and caring for Peabody. W e are truly grateful for your ongoing commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Warm Regards,

AP James

Peabody families - we've experienced some confusion as a result of our malfunctioning doors and door bell situation. We have escalated this issue as urgently as possible, but there hasn't been any resolution yet. I even walked through the issue with some DGS folks this week to emphasize the problem. When the doorbell doesn't work, we need to position staff at the door in order to open it, and thankfully our security officers have been helping significantly. To clarify which doors to use and when:

For arrival, 8:30 - 9am only, students and caregivers can arrive through the 5th St NE door.

At all other times, students and caregivers should use the C St NE door. This includes pick up for aftercare.

4th Street Access to Peabody

Starting on Monday, we will open the southernmost gate on the playground for drop off and arrival. Our custodians will unlock the gate at 8:30 and 2:50 and re-lock it 30 minutes later. If used, this additional access point for drivers should alleviate some traffic issues and will hopefully be a more convenient route for drivers heading southbound after their stop at Peabody.

There is signed 15 minute parking on 4th street and we have knocked on our neighbors' doors and shared this information with them. During two checks this week, the parking spaces were open and available.

We are looking for caregivers to help out in classrooms throughout the building – not just in your child’s class! Teachers need help with a variety of tasks throughout the day (e.g., book repair, lunch coverage, cutting out materials, center/small group help, etc.). Extended family members are welcome. Regular shifts are preferred and require DCPS clearance.

Please complete this form if you are interested in helping.

We have been promoting this essay contest to students this past week. 4th or 5th graders may be interested. Please provide support at home and/or connect with Ms. Pullings.

Author Jorge Cham will visit Watkins on Wednesday, Dec. 6, to present his new book "Oliver's Great Big Universe" to 4th and 5th graders. The book is about a boy who loves science. It is funny and includes a lot of graphics, exactly the kind of book our 4th and 5th graders love!

Jorge is the best-selling creator of "PHD Comics," which is about life in academia, and producer of PBS's "Elinor Wonders Why." Originally from Panama, Jorge has a PhD in robotics from Stanford and was an instructor at Caltech.

The event will be on Wednesday, Dec. 6 (9:15 for 5th graders and 10:05 for 4th graders) in the Watkins Library.

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