SHMS Family Newsletter

Greetings SHMS Community!

Thank you to our organizers and everyone who has been showing up at the various events going on in and around school. Students and families joined us at a 6th grade Honor Roll ceremony, Fall Family Literacy Night, our annual high school fair, and have supported students in attending trips like the second Broadway trip for students in our musical theater program.

Our efforts to connect with future Stuart-Hobson Panthers and their families are ramping up right now. We hosted our first Step Up Day event on Friday and over 150 4th and 5th graders from Watkins ES joined us to have fun and learn about our school. On Wednesday night we will host our first Open House of the season and next Friday we will host students from Ludlow-Taylor and J.O. Wilson elementary schools for another Step Up Day event. It is so invigorating for us to connect with prospective families while discussing and showcasing the incredible talents of our students, staff, and teachers. We do not have adequate time to show off how gifted, caring, and hard working our students and staff are at any of these events. If you or your student are interested in joining us for one of our upcoming recruitment events please see the blurb below to learn how you can follow-up with our team.

I am excited to continue seeing members of our community, past, current, and future around the many events that will be taking place this winter. We only have one more full week of school before December when even more opportunities to celebrate students and see them showcasing their learning will take place. Let’s have another great week together!

Warm regards,

Eric Fraser

Principal

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Weekly Calendar

Monday, 11/18

• National Junior Honor Society Application deadline

• LSAT Meeting (virtual), 6:30-8:00PM

Tuesday, 11/19

• Capitol Hill Cluster Schools PTA General Meeting @ Stuart-Hobson. Free childcare with pizza for children available. Arrivals starting at 6 p.m. with general meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m.

• Prospective Families Open House, 6 - 8 p.m., In-Person

Thursday, 11/21

• A great instructional day!

Friday, 11/22

• Step-Up Day for Ludlow-Taylor & J.O. Wilson elementary schools, 10:15 - 11:45 a.m.
  
  

Upcoming Dates

• November 27 - 29, Thanksgiving Break, schools closed
• December 3, LSAT meeting (virtual), 6:30-8:00 PM
• December 6-8, SHMS DramaPlayers Winter Musical: "Matilda"
• December 11, SHMS Winter Band Showcase
• December 13, Pep Assembly!
• December 17, 8th Grade Chipotle Night fundraiser
• December 23-January 1, Winter Recess for students and teachers
• January 2, First Day of School in 2025!
• January 17, No school for students, professional development day for teachers
• January 20, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day observed, schools closed
• January 24, Last instructional day of Term 2
• January 27, Records-Keeping & PD day, no school for students
• January 28, First day of Term 3!

We’re looking for enthusiastic students to represent Stuart-Hobson Middle School at Ed Fest 2024 on Saturday, December 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the DC Armory. Student ambassadors will also help showcase our school spirit in promotional photos and videos. Photos and filming will take place on Monday, November 18, during lunch, recess, and after school.

If your student is interested, please email Denise Diggs at denise.diggs@k12.dc.gov to sign up. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to show their Panther pride and make a positive impact on our school community!

The SY 24-25 Impact Aid Survey went live on Friday, November 1. Every year, DCPS asks families to complete this survey to generate additional federal funds. This year’s survey will be fully electronic using the Seamless platform and will be open through Sunday, December 22. Please complete one survey per child, not per household, in your preferred language. The electronic surveys and our FAQ document can be found on the Impact Aid webpage.

All students should use the Sora links below to borrow an eBook and audiobook of their ELA class novel. Here's a tutorial about how to log in and borrow books in Sora.

6th

7th

8th

Please reach out to librarian, Jennie Tomlinson, at jennie.tomlinson@k12.dc.gov with any questions.

Let's help our SHMS families have a happy Thanksgiving by participating in our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. Please donate any non-perishable food items to our school main lobby between Tuesday, November 12th and Friday, November 22nd. Food items will be prepared in Thanksgiving baskets with perishable items donated by our generous CHCS PTA community and provided to designated students and families. If you have any questions, please contact our school social worker, Ms. Smith at molly.smith@k12.dc.gov or 202-671-6010

National Junior Honor Society Application

The application to join the SHMS National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) will open on Monday, October 21, 2024. The application deadline is Monday, November 18, 2024 by 3:30pm.

Please click the following link to be directed to the application: https://tinyurl.com/SHMSNJHS2425

Why join NJHS?

National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is an organization that recognizes middle school students who excel in scholarship, character, citizenship, leadership and service. Stuart-Hobson middle school students who are eligible must be current 7th or 8th graders AND have a minimum of a 3.5 cumulative GPA (calculated on final grades for the prior school year SY2024-2025). Applicants must complete the required application, and must demonstrate leadership skills, good character, and excellent school citizenship.

For questions, please contact either Ms. Schimmerling (jessica.schimmerling@k12.dc.gov) or Ms. Wilson (alexis.wilson@k12.dc.gov)

Families! Please share this information with your SHMS scholar:

It’s the most wonderful time of the year - time for the Scripps National Spelling Bee! The first round of our spelling bee is online. It will be a multiple-choice test that interested students take on a computer. Students will listen to a word and select the correct spelling. If you would like to participate, the first step is to register for the Scripps National Spelling Bee's online testing platform by visiting https://online-test.spellingbee.com You will need Stuart Hobson's zip code to register - 20002. The deadline to register is midnight December 2nd, 2024.

Please see the linked study lists for:

6th Grade Spelling Words

7th Grade Spelling Words

8th Grade Spelling Words

Please use these lists to help your scholar prepare for our first round spelling bees which will occur the week of 12/9/24.

Also, students can play spelling and vocabulary games with all 450 words from the 2025 School Spelling Bee Study List for free! More information is available on how to download this from the App Store and Google Play when you register.

The Final SHMS Bee will be in person this year, in early January.

Please reach out to Ms. Abou-Samra with any questions: Nancy.abou-samra1@k12.dc.gov

The 2024-2025 Athletics’ Participation packet has been released. All students must complete a participation packet every school year. Additionally, the medical forms must be completed within the prior 365 days. We encourage you to have your healthcare provider complete these forms before the school year and attach them to your participation packet. If your student’s UHC has been updated recently, you are encouraged to complete the participation packet as soon as possible.

English Participation Packet

Spanish Participation Packet

Universal Health Certificate (UHC).

Students with certain medical conditions may also need to complete an Asthma Action Plan or an Anaphylaxis Action Plan

Please note that it is not necessary to submit a new participation packet for each season. A complete packet includes the DCIAA forms filled out in their entirety along with a Universal Health Certificate that was completed within the last year. ALL STUDENTS MUST HAVE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED AND APPROVED BEFORE PARTICIPATION.

SHMS Athletics is seeking to hire coaches for the following teams. Professional and coaching résumés can be sent directly to Coach Drakeford.

Coaching Openings:

Indoor Track (Winter), and Track and Field (Spring), Head and Assistant Coaches

Please direct any questions about athletics to our Athletic Director, Coach Drakeford, latavia.drakeford-allen@k12.dc.gov.

Below please find food service menus for breakfast and lunch for this week!

Do you have questions about mental health and behavioral health services at Stuart-Hobson? Would you like to talk to one of the counseling staff about support services for your student? Submit a request via https://bit.ly/referralSHMS or contact SHMS Social Worker Bernadette Wittschen at bernadette.wittschen@k12.dc.gov.

**The information below is new or an updated version of something announced previously! **

You can find previously released newsletters and information here.

Email: stuart-hobsonms@k12.dc.gov
Website: www.stuart-hobson.org
Location: 410 E Street Northeast, Washington, DC, USA
Phone: 202-671-6010
Twitter: @StuartHobsonMS

Important Links

Aspen DCPS Student and Family Login

Attendance Excuse Template

Capitol Hill Cluster Website

DCPS School Calendar SY24-25

DCPS School Mental Health Resources
Stuart-Hobson Special Education and 504 Plans

Stuart-Hobson Communications Plan - SY2024-25
Stuart-Hobson Uniform Policy

Stuart-Hobson Food Service Breakfast-Lunch-Supper Menus
Stuart-Hobson Behavior Expectation Matrices
Stuart-Hobson Student and Family Handbook