Team Kendrick

Each year teachers on our team come up with a list of items we need for our classroom to make your child's learning experience enjoyable and more dynamic. Linked below you will find our team amazon wish list. If you decide to buy through this portal, items will be sent directly to the school and distributed within 48 hours to teachers. We collectively thank you for your support and any contributions. We currently are in need of red tickets and tissues. Our store workers say we are low on everything. Please feel free to use the list below, or send other snack or drink options to the school (3815 Fort Dr NW, Washington DC 20016) addressed to Team Kendrick.

Thanks to all who came out to support our Community Project Fair last week. It was fantastic! Students should currently be taking action on the service project. On 2/4, students will be starting to create their presentations for their project. Their presentations will take place the week of February 24-28. Presentations should be around 10 minutes in length and will count as a summative assessment in each core class (Math, I&S, Science, and ELA). All resources for this project can be found on students' class notebook in the content library. Please reach out to your students' advisory teacher or Ms. Daniels (Caitlin.Daniels@k12.dc.gov) with questions.

The deadline for students to submit high school applications on MySchoolDC.org is Monday, February 3rd. Any student interested in attending a selective DCPS high school must submit their application by this date.

Please note, many schools require a recommendation from Deal staff. The deadline for staff to complete their recommendations on MySchoolDC.org is February 10th, which allows staff a week beyond the student deadline to complete recommendations. The counseling team will monitor recommendation completions and ensure all recommendations are completed by the deadline.

With the start of the third advisory, we are officially at the halfway point of 8th grade. Where has the time gone? Who are these tall almost-high-schoolers walking our halls? What happened to those nervous 6th graders we met just two years ago?

As we look forward to our 8th graders' next big step, please save the following dates for promotion-related celebrations. Additional details, including logistics and costs, will be shared in the coming weeks.

• 8th Grade Spirit Week - March 3 to March 7

• 8th Grade Kings Dominion Trip - June 9 (all day)

• 8th Grade Promotional Dance - June 13 (5:00 - 7:00 PM)

• 8th Grade Promotion Celebrations (by team) - June 16 and June 17

Promotion celebrations will take place by team on June 16 and June 17. 8th graders will not have a typical school day for either of these days and will only report for their team's promotion. We look forward to celebrating this amazing class of students and will share more details soon.

As 8th grade students shift from PE to Art, we want our second semester students to have all of the same amazing supplies refilled from the previous semester. Please help out our art teachers replace any used or lost supplies using the following wish lists:

Ms. Hargreaves Wish List:

Amazon Wish List

Mr. Cunningham Wish List:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/368Y16JA3GQ30?ref_=wl_share

Mr. Lowder Wish List:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/IRPKFUJ90BY?ref_=wl_share

Please visit our 2025 Battle of the Books interactive newsletter for announcements, contact information and more. You can leave a question by commenting on one of the posts. Please note questions & comments will not appear until approved by one of the moderators. Bookmark this page and check back for updates. Many thanks!

Ms. Byrns, Mr. Kirschenbaum, Mr. Reichlen

Support our Jackson Reed colleagues performance of Murder on the 518! More information is available on the attached flyer.

Hello Team Kendrick, by Monday evening there will be grades posted in Aspen for students from my first week of jury duty. Please continue to check Aspen on a weekly basis to check in on how your student is doing on the assignments. As a reminder if there is a WS in Aspen that means that your student has not submitted the assignment.

Thank you all for your flexibility in my absence.

• Monday: Thomas Jefferson Legacy Short Response
• Tuesday: The Haitian Revolution
• Wednesday: The Louisiana Purchase
• Thursday: Manifest Destiny
• Friday: Lewis & Clark

Dear Parents and Students,

As I continue my recovery, I want to keep you informed about important updates regarding your child’s grades and what to expect in the coming weeks. Please read this carefully for details on finalized grades, upcoming assignments, and how students can stay on track moving forward.

Finalized Term 2 Grades & Grading Policies Moving Forward

Term 2 grades have now been finalized. In the coming weeks, students must continue to submit their work on time to avoid receiving a WS (Waiting on Submission) score in Aspen.

• Late Work Review: I will review Canvas for late assignments at my earliest convenience and enter grades regularly.
• WS Scores in Aspen: If a student has a WS, it means they had not completed that assignment by the time I reviewed Canvas and entered grades into Aspen.
• Resubmissions & Retakes: I am still not in the classroom, so if a student does not receive a satisfactory grade, they should take the second attempt (if available).
• Classwork: The two attempts will be averaged.
• Summative Assessments: Per DCPS policy, the highest possible grade on a retake is a C, unless the student retakes the RCT and earns a higher score.

In my absence, it is especially important for students to stay on top of assignments and for families to reinforce expectations regarding both behavior and academic responsibility.

Upcoming Term 3 Grades

The following assignments will be posted as Term 3 grades before Monday, February 3, 2025:

✅ Tuesday, January 21, 2025: IB SUM C - Gizmos: Feel the Heat
✅ Wednesday, January 15, 2025: PA: IB DESIGN C - Collision Theory
✅ Tuesday, January 28, 2025: Types of Energy and Energy Conversion (Reading & PhET Simulation)
✅ Wednesday, January 29, 2025: Potential Energy: What is it and What are the Types? (BrainPop)
✅ Wednesday, January 29, 2025: Black History Month - The Legacy of Henrietta Lacks
✅ Thursday, January 30, 2025 - Friday, January 31, 2025: Potential Energy on Shelves (Gizmo Simulation)
✅ Friday, January 31, 2025: Black Scientists and Inventors & Dr. Charles Richard Drew Reading

Upcoming Assignments & Important Dates

As we move forward in our Kinetic and Potential Energy Unit, here are the upcoming assignments for next week:

📌 Monday, February 3, 2025: Kinetic Energy: What is it and What are the Types? (New Quiz – 20 pts)

• Students will explore kinetic energy, its different forms, and how it applies to real-world situations.

📌 Tuesday, February 4, 2025: The Law of Conservation of Energy and Its Real-World Applications (New Quiz – 30 pts)

• This lesson will introduce students to the Law of Conservation of Energy, including examples of how energy is transformed but never destroyed.

📌 Wednesday, February 5 - Thursday, February 6, 2025: Sled Wars Gizmo

• Students will apply their understanding of kinetic and potential energy by experimenting with Sled Wars, a Gizmo simulation that explores how mass, speed, and energy interact.

📌 Friday, February 7, 2025: Black Scientists in Chemistry & Physics

• In recognition of Black History Month, students will read passages and answer reading comprehension questions on Dr. George Washington Carver, Dr. Marie Maynard Daly and Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson.

These assignments will continue building on our exploration of energy while integrating historical and real-world applications. Students should stay on top of their work to avoid WS scores in Aspen.

🚨 Reminder: I will be reviewing late submissions at my earliest convenience, but students must complete work on time to ensure it is graded promptly.

Support During My Absence

Originally, I planned to offer office hours for students; however, due to increased physical therapy appointments, I am no longer able to do so.

📌 Students may email me with content-related questions, and I will respond as quickly as possible.
📌 I will not be responding to emails about grades. Students should check Aspen and Canvas for assignment details and deadlines.

Extra Work for Students (Parent Request)

If you feel your child needs additional practice, you can require them to answer the following science-specific reflection questions in their science notebook for each daily assignment. These questions encourage critical thinking and real-world connections:

1️⃣ What prior knowledge about science concepts or processes did I use to help me understand this assignment? How did that knowledge guide my thinking?
2️⃣ What specific challenges did I encounter while working on this assignment (e.g., interpreting data, understanding scientific vocabulary, or completing simulations), and what strategies did I use to solve them?
3️⃣ What new science concepts or skills did I learn from this assignment, and how might I use them to explain everyday phenomena or solve real-world problems?
4️⃣ What further questions do I have about this science topic, and how can I use experiments, research, or other resources to find answers?

💡 How to Use These Questions:

• Have your child bring home their science notebook and discuss their responses with them.
• Students may also create notes based on optional study questions that will be provided with assignments.

These reflections will reinforce learning, promote scientific inquiry, and encourage meaningful discussions at home.

Classroom Expectations
As we begin the new year, let’s revisit our classroom expectations to ensure success:

1. Respect and Responsibility: Show respect to peers, the guest teacher, and our learning environment. Come to class prepared and ready to engage.
2. Timely Submission of Assignments: Submit all assignments on Canvas by the due date to stay on track and avoid unnecessary stress.

This week, students took RCT 4 as a timed writing assessment. Students will be scored and have the opportunity to revise their writing if they choose to. Students also worked on finding a theme this week. Students read and annotated "The Streak" in 145th Street Short Stories and worked to determine a theme for the short story.

Next week, students will read "Monkeyman" in 145th Street and work in small groups to track dialogue from the text that does 1 of 3 things: Reveal an aspect of character, provoke a decision, or propel the plot forward. On Tuesday, Students will use these details to create a visual representation of a chosen character from the story using the dialogue they found. Ending the week, students will focus on "Kitty and Mack" from 145th street and begin tracking dialogue and interactions that reveal character, move plot, provoke decisions, and reveal theme. This is in preparation for a summative assessment where students will look at this short story and a piece of poetry and analyze how each author develops similar themes.

Homework: Students also were assigned 2 Vocabulary and 2 Reading lessons in Dreambox Reading Plus this week.

Looking Ahead to Unit 3: We will start reading To Kill a Mockingbird in March! Please make sure that your student has a copy of the book that they can annotate inside of. These annotations will continue to be a part of their grade. The specific version of the book is linked here: https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-Harper-Lee/dp/0060935464/ref=sr_1_1?crid=J78SV4VS3DLS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qgt7OSnmeR36mUwyyfdAIvDnQWF1bV-S0JFojjZ3Zi6XBqQ6NodbCAaphzELiN4BxE3L7eeYDlOZUG67QeDjkoc8esLv7cu8L0RYRJklEt3dn4dc5li25QcV8Wi3LAtxFkGa4-S7xHtXKJFEsXJaMvcU46DL-7UTqDSstg7wdnRXkFNsleY0HCHi1JNyMV-LrYNFgD6Olimq_YM9IGEDx6T6WQCcyAkHtVF7Hu6cUgQ.VJSZlpBhWGcVaVl0PYjCJVqrNiedIAYkuOG7svjz3J4&dib_tag=se&keywords=to+kill+a+mockingbird+paperback&qid=1724170249&sprefix=to+kill%2Caps%2C89&sr=8-1

Homework: Students were assigned 4 reading plus lessons this week (2 Reading Lessons and 2 Vocabulary Lessons). Students also need to finish and submit their first drafts of their literary analysis essays by Monday, January 20th at 11:59pm.

This past week Algebra 1 students worked on learning about key features of quadratic graphs, the vocabulary associated with it and interpreting the axis of symmetry in projectile problems. This coming week students will work on factoring quadratic equations.

Math 8 students are currently working on solving multi-step equations with variables on both sides. This past week they also took a quiz on this topic. We will continue to work on this topic as it's very important to laying their mathematical foundation for Algebra 1. Information for the current unit can be found here.

If you would like to contact us, please feel free to do so using the links below. Expect a response from teachers, during school hours, within 1 to 2 business days, of the time your communication was received.

Teacher Email Addresses:

• Science: Charmaine.Thompson@k12.dc.gov
• History: Marlena.Wikander@k12.dc.gov
• English: Catherine.Cunha@k12.dc.gov
• Math: Brandi.Anderson@k12.dc.gov

🌐Website: alicedealmiddleschool.org

📬Address: 3815 Fort Dr NW, Washington, DC, USA

📞Phone: 202-939-2010