Greetings MMS Families,

Happy Friday! Happy last week of school! As we get ready for the last ‘week’ of school (Three more days!) this will also be our last Parent Message for the year. It should contain all needed information for the last week and the start of the summer. As usual I will begin resending Parent Messages the third week of July – July 14th week. Until then, I will be available via email until 6.26 then offline until 7.14. We have had a really strong year overall – early data is showing us that and there is a lot to be proud of. Thank you for all of our partnership and support in helping our Mustangs and MacFarland Middle School grow. Have a great summer!

So this last week let’s have a strong and fun last three days with our Mustangs! Please note that all normal rules apply for the last three days of school. Students should not bring any unusual items to school such as water toys etc. Let’s have a fun and safe these last few days.

We have some HUGE end of year shout outs and celebrations, and since it’s the End of Year I’ve gotten rid of all of the rest of the pieces of the email except for shout outs below! Enjoy reading them to close out the year, and have a great weekend!

Cooke

Please see the attachment below for community resources and events for food, housing, employment, and more.

This is an exciting opportunity for our graduating 8th graders The 2025-2026 High School Internship (HSIP) Application is Open!!!

If you are a DC Resident, moving to high school, and will be between the ages of 14-21, you can apply for the High School Internship Program! This program provides work-based learning opportunities during the school year. Participants will have the opportunity to earn money while gaining valuable work experience, develop the skills necessary to succeed in today’s workforce, and gain exposure to in-demand career fields.

Click HERE to apply.

Slots are limited so please apply now!

Greetings MacFarland Families,

Enrollment season has officially kicked off and you can now re-enroll your child for the 2025-2026 School Year! On behalf of the entire Mustang family, we would like to thank you for the opportunity to educate your child this school year, and we look forward to continuing our work together next year.

Your student has had some amazing experiences this year, such as the 7th grade trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, skating excursions, trips to Dave and Busters, the Shakespeare Theater and numerous opportunities to participate in an array of extracurricular programing such as our drumline, broadcast journalism club, and many more! We also can’t forget the awesome Winter Arts Showcase and grade level Honor roll celebrations. We can’t wait to have even more exciting experiences together next year.

MacFarland teachers, staff, and leadership are already thinking about next year, and you can help us prepare by completing re-enrollment for your child for the upcoming 2025-2026 School Year. If you’ve already completed re-enrollment, we want to thank you for doing so! All families are encouraged to re-enroll early to increase the likelihood of securing their chosen electives for the coming year! To re-enroll, please complete the following three steps:

1. Complete the DCPS enrollment packet.

2. Provide proof of DC residency.

3. Submit the completed enrollment packet and proof of DC residency to your school.

We are happy to help you in any way so that you can check re-enrollment off your summer to-do list. If you have any questions about enrollment, please call (202) 671-6033 or email macfarlandmsenroll@k12.dc.gov.

If you need help completing the enrollment process, you can sign up for an appointment through the link below:

• Select a Date & Time - Calendly

We will also be available for walk in assistance during the regular school hours (8:00 AM - 4:30 PM) on a first come first serve basis.

Thanks again to you and your family for being part of our school community. It is an honor to serve you, and we look forward to continued partnership with you and your child next year.

Regards,

Principal Cooke

Saludos Familias de MacFarland,

¡La temporada de inscripciones ha comenzado oficialmente y ya puede reinscribir a su hijo/a para el ciclo escolar 2025-2026! En nombre de toda la familia Mustang, queremos agradecerle la oportunidad de educar a su hijo/a este ciclo escolar y esperamos continuar trabajando juntos el próximo año.

Su hijo/a ha tenido experiencias increíbles este año, como la excursión de séptimo grado al Museo Nacional de Historia y Cultura Afroamericana, excursiones de patinaje, visitas a Dave and Busters, el Teatro Shakespeare y numerosas oportunidades de participar en diversos programas extracurriculares, como nuestra batería, el club de periodismo televisivo, ¡y mucho más! Tampoco podemos olvidar la increíble Exhibición de Arte de Invierno y las celebraciones del Cuadro de Honor de cada grado. ¡Estamos deseando compartir aún más experiencias emocionantes el próximo año!

Los maestros, el personal y el equipo directivo de MacFarland ya están pensando en el próximo año, y usted puede ayudarnos a prepararnos completando la reinscripción de su hijo/a para el próximo ciclo escolar 2025-2026. Si ya completó su reinscripción, ¡le agradecemos por hacerlo! Se anima a todas las familias a reinscribirse con anticipación para aumentar la probabilidad de obtener las asignaturas optativas que eligieron para el próximo año. Para reinscribirse, complete los siguientes tres pasos:

1.Complete el paquete de inscripción de DCPS.

2. Presente un comprobante de domicilio en DC.

3. Entregue el paquete de inscripción completo y el comprobante de domicilio en DC a su escuela.

Con gusto le ayudaremos en todo lo que pueda para que pueda tachar la reinscripción de su lista de tareas del verano. Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre la inscripción, llame al (202) 671-6033 o envíe un correo electrónico a edgar.novoa-marcano@k12.dc.gov.

Si necesitas ayuda para completar el proceso de inscripción, puedes hacer una cita a través del enlace abajo:

Selecionar una fecha y tiempo - Calendly

Estaremos disponible para ayudarles también durante las horas normales de escuela (8:00 AM - 4:30 PM) de forma de primero en llegar primero en ser atendido.

Si tienes preguntas o preocupaciones pueden llamar a la oficina al (202) 671-6033 o mandar un correo electrónico a macfarlandmsenroll@k12.dc.gov.

Gracias nuevamente a usted y a su familia por formar parte de nuestra comunidad escolar. Es un honor servirle y esperamos seguir colaborando con usted y su hijo/a el próximo año.

Atentamente,

Director Cooke

8th Grade Students/Parent Opportunity - If you are a DC Resident, moving to high school, and will be between the ages of 14-21, you can apply for the High School Internship Program! This program provides work-based learning opportunities during the school year. Participants will have the opportunity to earn money while gaining valuable work experience, develop the skills necessary to succeed in today’s workforce, and gain exposure to in-demand career fields. Click HERE to Apply.

REMINDER - Summer Bridge for New Mustangs 8.5-8.8 (Tu-Fri) – Yes – it’s a long way off, but we are always asked about Summer Bridge early in the year, and we are sharing our dates now so you can plan for your newest Mustang or share with feeder school partners and friends.

At DC Public Schools, we want every student to feel loved, challenged, and prepared to positively influence society and thrive in life. To reach this ambitious goal, every student needs to be in school every day. However, too many of the young people in our city are not coming to school every day.

The Office of the State Superintendent’s (OSSE) finds that one in four kids in DC are chronically absent from school – which means missing 10 percent or more of the school year. At some DCPS high schools, three out of four students are chronically absent.

DCPS believes that every day counts.

Students, families, and the community must be empowered to track our progress in helping every young person get to school. By being transparent about our challenges, our city can work together to reduce the barriers that too many students and families face.

Definitions

• Truancy: Measures the percent of students aged 5-17 who are considered truant. To be “truant” means that a student has 10 or more unexcused absences from school – with or without – parental knowledge, consent, or otherwise securing prior approval from the start of the school year.
• In-school Attendance: Measures the average percent of students who are attending school.
• Chronic Absence Rate: Measures the percent of students who miss 10 percent or more days in a school year from the start of the school year.
• Attendance Entry Rate: Measures the percent of classes for which a school has entered attendance.
• 60/40 rule: Students are considered legally absent for the day if they miss more than 40% of their classes.

Regular school attendance is critical for academic success. Our goal is to ensure that every student attends school regularly and on time. Daily presence in school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success, starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families can continue to play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school—excused or unexcused—they can fall behind academically. Your child is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent—which means missing 18 or more days in a school year. Research shows that:

Children that are chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. By 6th grade, chronic absence is a warning sign for students at risk of dropping out of school. By 9th grade, good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8th grade test scores.

Questions/Concerns:

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Ms. Claribel Salgado via email at claribel.salgado@k12.dc.gov or by phone at (202) 671-6033.

Attendance Excuse Notes:

If your student is absent for a legally approved reason please complete the Attendance Excuse Form at the link below.

https://forms.office.com/r/CzHTTvJCM9

Alternatively, if you are unable to submit the form you can email Ms. Claribel Salgado (claribel.salgado@k12.dc.gov) or direct your student to turn in their excuse note or official documentation to the main office.

Parent Resource – REPEATED - As a new administration moves into our federal government, we know that some of our vulnerable communities and families may have concerns or seek information related to possible immigration actions. We have attached multiple resources for our families to review and are actively collaborating with our partner schools and central office to offer more workshops and resource support. If you have any questions or a specific need, please reach out to Mr. Novoa-Marcano – edgar.novoa-marcano@k12.dc.gov

8.5.25-8.8.25 – Tu-Friday - Summer Bridge for New Mustangs 8.5-8.8 (Tu-Fri)

Shout Outs and Celebrations: Please check out a few shout outs to MacFarland community members who are embracing our belief that we are one MacFarland!

A huge and ongoing shout out to Ms. Lee for all her phenomenal work, thoughtfulness, coordination and inspiration to coordinate multiple 8th grade events again this week. The 8th grade dance was an amazing evening for our promoting class, with a red carpet, phot ops, good weather and a ton of love and camaraderie with our students and staff. We also had a scavenger hunt and BBQ, the 8th grade awards ceremony and promotion rehearsal for our big evening this coming week. Team 8 led by Ms. Lee has truly been going above and beyond to close the year memorably with our 8th grade students – it is a lot of work and a lot of long nights. It’s deeply appreciated by all of our staff, families and mainly our Mustangs! Thank you Ms. Drummond for all the hard work for the 8th grade awards night – it was beautiful and positive and it seems like so many new standards have been set this year for 8th grade end of year activities!!

Team 7 will execute what to my knowledge is our first large scale Saturday Field Trip tomorrow! Due to an error with the bus company they were unable to go on their original date but rallied and we had so many staff volunteer to go on their Saturday to make this trip happen I am truly awed. Thank you Ms. Nelson and Coach Walston for persevering and coordinating with Team 7 to make this fun experience happen for our students. I know they will have an amazing day tomorrow!

Team 6 has also been closing out the year with a round of awesome events for our 6th graders. This week they had two trips and a Field Day as well as an awesome awards ceremony Tuesday morning! I thoroughly enjoyed the spirit and joy they had led my emcee Mr. Knotts – it brightened my day. They also shared a much deserved thank you to Ms. Parker for her exemplary leadership of Team 6 this year and her coordination of all of these trips, experiences and more for Team 6.

AND TEAM 6 ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!! During the Award Ceremony on Tuesday our special guest Mr. Dohmann let us know that we had the most growth of ANY MIDDLE SCHOOL for the number of students on grade level for iReady math at the end of the year. We went from 17% on grade level at the beginning of the year to 39% on grade level at the end of the year – amazing growth! Great job 6th math team – Ms. D. Parker, Ms. A. Parker, Ms. Pearson, Mr. Thompson, Ms. Vidal, Ms. McMillian and Coach George!

We got an update on our Global Education students and have another huge celebration! Mr. Cordoba shared this great celebration of the work of 6th grader Abigail Reina!!!!

I am thrilled to share that Abigail Reina has been selected as the Global Education Student of the Year for DC Public Schools!

This prestigious award recognizes one exceptional student from among 23 outstanding nominees across the entire district. Abigail’s dedication to global citizenship, intercultural understanding, and leadership in advancing global education initiatives has truly set her apart.

Her achievement reflects not only her personal commitment and hard work, but also the collaborative efforts of our educators and school community in fostering a globally-minded learning environment.

This recognition is especially meaningful, as it marks the second consecutive year that a student from our school has received this award — a testament to the sustained excellence of our global education program and the dedication of our entire learning community.

Please join me in congratulating Abigail on this well-deserved honor. We are incredibly proud of her and look forward to seeing how she continues to inspire others through her global leadership.

Our PTO had their final meeting for the school year on Tuesday evening and it was great to know many of our team will be returning next year to continue the support and collaboration with MacFarland to create great experiences and partner in our school’s growth. Thank you again Ms. Appleberry for your leadership this year and these past few years to continue to strengthen our family engagement and progress as a school.

The majority of our 8th grade class engaged in both community service and feeder school support Wednesday thanks to Ms. Castro and her efforts to coordinate the Inaugural 8th Grade Readers trip to have 8th grade students read to young scholars at our feeder school Truesdell for Story Time. The kids at MMS really enjoyed and felt proud of their experience and it is a great annual event to build community and agency with our outgoing 8th graders. Thank you Ms. Castro for starting a great new tradition!

8th grade ELA students shared their artwork and creative concepts for To Kill a Mockingbird on Wednesday. I had a chance to see some of the pieces being developed and thought they looked pretty good, but when the students explained the thoughtfulness and symbolism of their art I was so impressed! It was a great way to bring their learning full circle and have a chance to do something fun and creative!

Registration is open now for Day Eight’s free summer Writing Camp at the Shepherd Park Library. Enrollment is first come first served. We are pleased to be providing five week-long camp sessions this summer beginning June 23rd and running through to July 25th. A maximum of 16 campers are enrolled per week. We are looking forward to camp weeks filled with inspiring youth expression, laughter, art, and community building, and we would love for your family to be a part of it. To learn more or to submit a registration request, visit: https://dayeight.org/register-for-2025-summer-writing-camp-at-the-shepherd-park-library

https://www.galatheatre.org/paso-nuevo

Paso Nuevo is GALA's free, year-round program offered to high school students between the ages of 14 and 19 during Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. This is a bilingual, inclusive theatre education program incorporating acting training, playwriting, and mentorship. Students can earn community service hours, receive performance stipends, go on field trips, and train for future employment and leadership opportunities.

Paso Nuevo offers singing, acting, stage makeup, music and guitar, podcast production, web series production, and much more! To learn more about the program and its history, click here.

Participating students have had the opportunity to perform at The Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, The DREAM Project, and The White House.

• https://dcps.nutrislice.com/menu/macfarland-middle-school

The allergy season is here and many individuals who suffer from frequent asthma attacks are beginning to feel the impact of the various allergens and irritants in the air. For students and families, we are sharingthis link to Children’s National -- https://www.childrensnational.org/get-care/departments/impact-dc-asthma-clinic -- as a resource for helping to manage your students’ asthma related-illnesses. If your child suffers from asthma, be sure to complete and submit the Asthma Action Plan and Medication Plan and Procedure to the Nurse. The Anaphylaxis Plan must be completed for acute allergy sufferers who need to be administered an Epi-pen. Also, if your child is on any medication during school hours—including over-the-counter medications—a Medication Plan and Procedure Form must be completed and submitted to the Nurse along with your child’s Medication Treatment Administration Form, signed by your child’s primary care physician. All these documents must be provided to the Nurse by parents, along with the medication/s your child is taking during school hours. Students are not permitted to self-carry or self-medicate. All the forms mentioned in this message are attached, for your convenience.

For Mental Health Support Resources in English and Spanish for Students, Parents, and Teachers. Topics include: Stress, Grief and Loss, Anxiety, Suicide and Self-Harm, Healthy Relationships, Social Media, and much more! -- Mary`s Center (maryscenter.org)

This school year, DCPS is partnering with Children’s National Hospital to support our students’ health and attendance through the Collaborative for Attendance Resources in Education and Health (CARE-H); CARE-H is now available in all DCPS schools. Through this program, parents or guardians can give permission to DCPS to securely share attendance information with their child’s doctor(s), nurse(s) and medical office staff. This information will help these healthcare professionals to provide special outreach and medical attention to children that might be missing school and their families. Information about this initiative can be found here.

POC: Andrea.Allen@k12.dc.gov

The MacFarland PTO has set up an email list for discussion and connection among current and enrolled MacFarland families. Any family member or guardian of a MacFarland student can join by either of these methods:

Attention families, anyone with a child that would like a Kids Ride Free SmartTrip Card can sign up for one in the main office. We will process and distribute on a rolling basis.