Principal's Message March 20 - 24

Dear Peabody and Watkins Community,

I'm writing this on Thursday night, just after two incredible basketball games played by our boys and girls teams. Both teams were behind late in the game and came back to win their first playoff game of the year. Both teams are still undefeated.

I've played sports all my life and still love to compete. Just like the numerous sports dramas we see in film, our scholar athletes have a unique chance to show us and teach us so much about what is so important in life. Whether it's basketball, reading, math, music, or a world language, games like tonight's show us the power of practice, perseverance and teamwork coming together to do something amazing. Anyone in attendance at either game knows what I'm talking about.

I challenge all of our staff and caregivers to think about how our children are practicing, persevering through challenges, and working together with us (staff), you (caregivers), and their peers to become more advanced readers, mathematicians, and citizens who give back to society each and every day. When the buzzer sounded tonight, it was easy for us to celebrate a victory. For parents, there is really no end point in our journey to growing our kids, so I suggest we celebrate them each step of the way. How will you celebrate your child this weekend?

Link to our cluster calendar!

Quick look ahead:

Class pictures have returned and will take place at Peabody on April 5 and Watkins on April 6. On this day, students will take pictures with their homeroom teacher and classmates. Order forms and picture day flyers were home this week. If you would like to purchase pictures, it's highly recommended that you pre-order in advance:

1. Visit www.classic-photo.com
2. Click "Schools", then "pre-order now"
3. Enter access key:

• Peabody- peabodygrps23
• Watkins- watkinsgrps23

We look forward to welcoming you and your child back to Peabody and Watkins for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year! Enrollment forms for all families will launch on March 31, 2023 and will be available online at www.enrolldcps.dc.gov and in your school's main office.

In preparation for this date, we highly encourage you to begin gathering your residency verification docs now. Visit https://osse.dc.gov/publication/dc-residency-verification-forms for more information.

This month’s emergency drill is a 500 feet evacuation. The protocols for this drill are similar to a fire drill. This would be required in the event that conditions are safer outside than inside and we need to move further than our regular evacuation distance from the building (i.e. a gas leak).

Date for drills at both campuses:

• Peabody—Tuesday, 3/21 at approximately 9:30am. School will evacuate across the street to Lincoln Park.

• Watkins—Friday, 3/24 at approximately 2pm. School will evacuate to the back of the football field along the 13th street gate.

Prior to the drill, teachers will provide students with an overview of the protocols and evacuation expectations.

Peabody and Watkins are not offering any summer programming at our schools this summer. However, DCPS is offering Summer Acceleration Academies throughout the city. Our current PK4-4th graders can attend at JO Wilson. Sign ups begin March 22. Families can read more here.

Central office prioritized a small number of students and already sent invitations for early registration to those families. We are aware not all children in need were identified as seats are limited. If you want support advocating for your child, please email me or AP James.

There are also rising middle school student opportunities.

I don't have much more details than what's publicly available feel free to copy me on your emails to dcps.summer@k12.dc.gov

Peabody families, please join Principal Berkowitz at Watkins for a school tour, 1st grade class visits, and conversation with the 1st grade team. We will meet in the library at 10am and wrap up by 11:30.

To celebrate the amazing winter reading done during our "Zoo-tastic Reading Challenge", we are hosting "Squeals on Wheels" on the morning of Thursday, March 30th. We will have a number of live animals and all students will have 30 minutes of animal viewing/petting time and will also do other fun activities such as coloring zoo animal masks, doing animal yoga poses and, for snack, eating ANIMAL CRACKER cookies!! Kindergarten students will see the animals first and will do the other activities during their specials class time. The other grades will see them during expanded one-hour specials class time.

Who: 4th and 5th Grade Boys and Girls

What: Outdoor Track

When: Sign ups begin Monday 2/13

Where: https://www.thedciaa.com/participation-forms

Participation Forms | thedciaa

Complete all forms to participate in sports. All students must complete a participation packet every school year. Additionally, the medical forms must be completed within the prior 365 days.

www.thedciaa.com

Please click the link above to complete participation packet and upload a recent UHC form completed by a doctor. If you have already completed these forms and your child was eligible to tryout or play a sport you do not need to resubmit.

If you have questions about clearance or would like to inform Coach Drakeford your child is interested in becoming apart of the track team, please email her at latavia.drakeford-allen@k12.dc.gov

Hello Watkins families! I wanted to let you know that I am serving on a grand jury for five weeks, March 3-April 7. This affects library classes, Library Club, Girls on the Run coaching, spring book fair, and the library volunteer schedule.

• Library classes will not be held while I’m out, but will resume when I return on April 10, which is a “library week.” We’d like to provide opportunities for students to check out books while I’m out. If you’re interested in helping with that effort, please email me at cory.langley@k12.dc.gov.
• Library Club is officially canceled for the duration, although I will welcome students in the library if I am able to get to school following jury duty.
• Girls on the Run: I’ll pick up coaching for GOTR when I return.
• A spring book fair was tentatively scheduled for this month; the book fair is canceled.
• I took down the library volunteer signup that included opportunities to support classes and informed the affected volunteers. I’ll put up a new signup before I return.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Our 3rd-5th grade students are preparing for PARCC, which assesses the standards of learning for ELA and Math. 5th graders also have to take DC Science. DC Science and Math tests will last three days. The ELA sessions are two days, with an extra session for 5th grade ELA.

Parents - please schedule all appointments to avoid these dates or in the afternoon. Testing will always happen in the morning. Only make up tests would be administered in the afternoon.

The schedule, which may change, is below.

Please read this letter from the chancellor to learn more.

Would you like to join your child's class in our gardens? Up to 4 caregivers can join each class on Wednesdays (Watkins only) and Fridays. Please sign up for your child's class only.

Peabody sign-ups

For the Watkins schedule, the 1st-3rd grade classes will go in the afternoon, so look for your child's afternoon teacher, not homeroom teacher on this schedule.

Waktins sign-ups

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