Principal's Message April 22-26

Folks, we made it! Spring Break is here, much later than ever, and our students and staff are now on a much-deserved break from school. I hope families have fun, loving experiences planned. This week started with an incredible solar eclipse - thank you PTA for the glasses at Watkins; thank you to our friends at Brent for Peabody's glasses - and ended with a cozy pajama day! We also want to shout out our 5th graders who began their state testing journey and completed the DC CAPE for Science this week. Way to go 5th graders!

When we return, we are in the sprint to the end of school, which is even earlier this year. The last day of school is June 17 (yes, a Monday). I want to draw your attention to some key events:

Enrollment is happening now!

Enrollment can be completed via paper or online (preferred). To complete online enrollment, visit https://aspen.dcps.dc.gov/aspen-login/go. Returning families will login to the platform using their Parent Portal credentials. If you do not know your Parent Portal credentials or need to update your email address, please email shelia.roy@k12.dc.gov or tanisha.montgomery@k12.dc.gov. A valid email address is required to use online enrollment.

• April 24 is Watkins' last open house for all lottery matched or rising 1st grade families. Peabody Kindergarten parents are very much welcome!
• April 25 is Peabody's last open house for all new families. Returning families are also welcome.
• May 1, 3- 5pm - Virtual Office Hours: Join this Teams meeting for online enrollment support from our registrars. Online: https://tinyurl.com/EnrollHRS

DC CAPE: 3rd - 5th Graders

Formerly PARCC, DC CAPE testing has already begun for 5th graders. More details are below, but here's a glimpse at the schedule. Please send students to school on time everyday, and especially during testing.

• April 23 - 25 - ELA for 4th graders
• April 30 - May 2 - ELA for 3rd and 5th graders
• May 7 - 9 - Math for 4th graders
• May 14 - 16 - Math for 3rd and 5th graders
• Make up testing with be ongoing on Mondays and Fridays and other non-testing days through May 22.

The Capitol Hill Classic - Big Fun and Fundraiser!

The Capitol Hill Classic is coming up on May 19! The Classic is our biggest community event and an amazing way to pridefully contribute to our schools. The 10K, 3K and Fun Run (around Stanton Park – great for kids to run on their own) all begin at Peabody and traverse through our neighborhoods. Some classes organize to run together. The event is also the Cluster's biggest fundraiser of the year with proceeds benefiting our kids and classrooms, but anyone is welcome to run! Please share this information with your friends, family, and neighbors. Sign up here: https://www.capitolhillclassic.com/registration.

Please see below for more information about:

• 3rd-5th Graders DC CAPE - prepare at home
• Recurring Reminders
  
• Peabody, Watkins, and Stuart Hobson Open Houses
• Peabody Anti-Racist, Anti-Bias Curriculum Extension read aloud and reflection
• FoodPrints
• Watchdogs - come visit for the day!

Link to our cluster calendar!

Quick look ahead. Click above to see details:

Greetings DCPS Families! As we prepare for the launch of online enrollment, the District will be centrally resetting the passwords for all users who have not accessed the ASPEN Parent Portal on March 25. The email will be titled "Welcome to the ASPEN Parent Portal". Please test and save these credentials, as families will use the same log in ID email and password to access the online enrollment platform starting March 29. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Montgomery or Mr. Roy.

Peabody is implementing an Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias curriculum extension this school year. For more information, visit our website https://www.capitolhillclusterschool.org/equity-inclusion

Nex week we will read: Our Skin by Meg Madison, Jessica Ralli, and Isabel Roxas.

Some discussion questions you could have with your child at home are: Continue the conversation about skin color. Try this suggestion from the authors: Every person has a unique skin tone. You can talk about skin tone in the same way you notice all the parts of your body. Introduce different skin colors during playtime when you may already be talking about physical attributes like size, shape, and color.

Staff Reflection: Reflection Jamboard Link

As you may know, we are encouraging us to reflect as a staff throughout our equity work. Below is the reflection for this week's read aloud.

DC CAPE (formerly PARCC) is starting soon! As usual, 3rd-5th grade students will take the DC Science assessment (5th grade only) and DC CAPE for ELA and Math.

The science test includes 4 units that will be completed in three testing days. The ELA and Math tests include 3 units each that will be tested one day at a time. We have been preparing at school and caregivers can help students prepare at home by

• Re-emphasizing the importance of doing their best on the test
• Be aware of the testing dates and ensure a good night's sleep
• Come to school on time and eat breakfast
• Practice at home

Below is our testing schedule:

April 9 - 11 - Science for 5th graders

April 23 - 25 - ELA for 4th graders

April 30 - May 2 - ELA for 3rd and 5th graders

May 7 - 9 - Math for 4th graders

May 14 - 16 - Math for 3rd and 5th graders

Make up testing with be ongoing on Mondays and Fridays and other non-testing days through May 22.

Hello Families,

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

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.

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

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