SHMS Family Newsletter

Greetings SHMS community!

I hope that all of our students and families had a peaceful and rejuvenating Spring break and you feel refreshed as we enter the last 9 weeks of the school year together! We are almost halfway through CAPE testing and the midway point of the final quarter will be here before we know it.

I have been reminding our teachers that while the end of CAPE testing and the final stretch of the school year is an end, it is also an opportunity to prepare students for the next school year. I hope that you can join us in communicating high expectations to our students for daily attendance, engagement, and hard work through the last day of school on June 18th. There will be plenty of opportunities to build community, have fun, and celebrate as the school year wraps up but I want us to take advantage of every opportunity for personal improvement as summer and school year 2025-26 approach.

Thank you to everyone who has enrolled or re-enrolled for next school year! I am so proud to report that we are making solid progress towards our enrollment goals. As of writing, we currently have achieved the following for each grade level:

Rising 6th: 30

Rising 7th: 61

Rising 8th: 40

While we expect to see everyone at school everyday, we want to make sure that our 6th and 8th graders are well-rested, well-fed, and punctual for their CAPE exams this week. I look forward to reconnecting with everyone and let’s have another fantastic week together!

Warm regards,

Eric Fraser

Principal

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Weekly Calendar

Monday, 4/21

• A great instructional day!

Tuesday, 4/22

• CAPE Testing: ELA 6 & Math 8

Wednesday, 4/23

• CAPE Testing: ELA 6 & Math 8

• CAPE Testing: ELA 6 & Math 8

Friday, 4/25

• Re-enroll at SHMS for school year 2025-26!

Upcoming Dates

• April 29-May 1, CAPE Testing: Math 6 & Math 7

• Friday, May 2 Cluster Family Fun Night @ Stuart-Hobson

• May 6 & May 8, CAPE Testing: Algebra I

• May 6, LSAT Meeting, 6:30-8:00 (virtual)

• May 26, Memorial Day observed, schools closed

The first two weeks of CAPE testing went very well—our students have showed up, arrived on time, and were prepared to do their best! Thank you to the entire Stuart-Hobson community for supporting these important assessments and setting our scholars up for success.

Week three of CAPE testing kicks off this Tuesday with our Math 8 students showcasing their math knowledge and our 6th graders knocking it out of park in ELA. Let’s keep the momentum going and make this week just as strong as the last two!

Stuart-Hobson’s budget—over $8.2 million—is directly tied to our student enrollment numbers, and each completed packet secures $17,372.88 in funding for our school. Re-enrollment is more than paperwork—it’s a commitment to protecting our programs, our staff, and our students’ access to high-quality resources. All enrollment packets are due by May 1, and completing yours today ensures our school receives every dollar it deserves. If we don’t submit these packets on time, we risk losing funding we cannot afford to give up. This is a moment where every family’s action makes a real, tangible difference.

To finalize re-enrollment, please click on the button below and complete enrollment!

Applications Open for the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Board (5/16)

Please share the following information with students who will be in Grades 9-12 in SY25-26: “Are you interested in representing your school and voicing your ideas to DCPS leadership? You’re invited to apply for the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Board! Board members engage with peers across schools, learn about the inner workings of DCPS, and help shape policies that directly impact students. Students must be in grades 9-12 in the 2025-2026 school year. Applications close at 11:59 PM on Friday, May 16, 2025. Apply now here.

POC: Courtney.Milot@k12.dc.gov

Stuart-Hobson Middle School celebrates March Madness with a Reading Plus competition to find the class with the highest average Reading Plus lessons at 80% or higher each week. We completed our play-in round the week of March 16th with Mr. Plaisted's 1st, 2nd and 3rd period classes along with Ms. Boccardi's 7th period moving into the next round. Families are asked to encourage their students to complete their Reading Plus homework each week. It is a schoolwide expectation that students complete 4 Reading Plus lessons each week at 80% or higher. The winning class will earn a Pizza Party and extra credit! Contact your scholar's English Language Arts teachers for more details.

DCPS is inviting families to complete a confidential and optional Athletics Interest Survey to help schools like Stuart-Hobson better understand student interest in sports. Your input will directly inform decisions about which athletic programs receive funding and support in the future. Whether your student is already active in sports or thinking about trying something new, we’d love to hear from you!

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:

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, lunch and snack for this week!

Virtual Stewards of Children® Training

VIRTUAL | FREE

Stewards of Children® is an evidence-informed training that teaches adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Through interviews with child sexual abuse survivors, experts, and treatment providers, Stewards of Children® teaches adults practical actions they can take to reduce instances of child sexual abuse in their organizations, families, and communities.

April 14 | 10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Register:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/gtP3Dx1fRMG80zZAWr9WAg#/registration

April 22 | 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Register:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/DilLMN6xQPycF74Dtsc_EQ#/registration

DON'T MISS THIS FREE WEBINAR!

From A.I to Gen Z and Beyond:

Protecting Kids in the Digital Age

April 30th from 1PM – 2:15 PM

In today’s hyper-connected world, keeping children safe online is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. For Gen Alpha and Gen Z, the internet is where they learn, play, and connect—but it’s also where threats can lurk in every swipe, scroll, and click. As a caregiver, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The dangers are real—but so are the solutions.

This Child Abuse Prevention Month, join CyberFareedah—Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and sought-after internet safety expert—and Safe Shores – The DC Children’s Advocacy Center for a powerful, eye-opening webinar that will shift the way you think about online safety.

Register Here:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/7417431044424/WN_BSsIAjjsSfaI3HtJB6d6Xg#/registration

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 Cluster is a strong community of families, and the PTA strengthens that community by working together to support our students and campuses. Joining the PTA is a great opportunity to learn more about our school, enrich the student experience, and meet new people. PTA dues help fund critical programs, as well as supplies for music, art, library, and athletics.

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