SHMS Family Newsletter

Greetings Stuart-Hobson community,

We have promoted the class of 2024, class trips are done, and all athletics and extra-curricular activities have wrapped up for the year. While we still have one official day of school left this year our focus has shifted to summer work and the 2024-25 school year.

During the summer months the newsletter will come out less frequently, usually once every two weeks, until teachers and students return in late August. In addition to the updates below, please keep checking as we will keep you updated about summer experiences and important information to prepare for the upcoming school year.

Thank you to everyone in our school community for working together to make this year engaging and fantastic for all of our students. I am excited to rest, recharge, and prepare so we can make the most of next school year as well. I wish everyone an engaging, safe, and rejuvenating summer break!

Warm regards,

Eric Fraser

Principal

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Monday

• Last day of school year 2023-24 for students!
• DC Go-Go Legends Summer Send-Off Concert for students, staff, & families, SHMS field, 2:00 - 4:00 PM (closed to the public)
  

Tuesday

• Records-keeping and Professional Development Day, last day for 10-month employees

Wednesday

• Juneteenth Holiday observed, schools closed

Thursday

• Happy summer break students, teachers, and families!

Friday

• Happy summer break students, teachers, and families!

Upcoming Dates

• June 26-July 31, Summer School and Enrichment Programming, 9:00-12:00
• July 4th, Independence Day observed, schools closed
• July 5th, No summer school or programming, schools closed for students
• July 14, After-School All-Stars (ASAS) registration opens for SY 2024-25, 12:00 PM (noon)
• August 5-9, Panther Pride Academy (Summer Bridge for rising 6th graders), 9:00-4:00
• August 26, Welcome back students! First day of school year 2024-25!
• September 2, Labor Day observed, schools closed

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 Ms. Swann:

Coaching Openings:

Boys & Girls Cross Country (Fall), Indoor Track (Winter), and Track and Field (Spring), Head and Assistant Coaches

Girls Soccer

Please see below for team specific QR codes and sites and direct any questions about athletics to our Athletic Director, Ms. Dreka Swann, dreka.swann@k12.dc.gov

Congratulations to regular season champions and runners-up in the DCIAA middle school baseball championship, the SHMS Panthers! Thank you Coach Curry and Coach Harrison for supporting our amazing team this year and giving Deal MS a run for their money in the championship game!

As with all school years the shift to summer break often signals a change of plans for some staff members. For a variety of reasons, we do not expect the staff members below to continue with us in the Fall and I want to thank them all for their service to our students and families, whether for one year or one decade. Thank you Mr. James Walker, Ms. LaToya Eccles, Mr. Malcolm Evans, Mr. Devin Howard, Ms. Alexandra Munzing, Ms. Latoya Clark, Mr. Jar'Mel Taylor, Ms. Tyler Smith, Ms. Riley Grime, Ms. Ciera Johnson, and Ms. Tomicula Williams. Please share your gratitude with these staff members and join me in wishing them the best of luck in their next opportunities!

Thank you to Mr. Herr for organizing the second annual Climate Symposium for students from his 6th grade Science classes and to the many families and community members who joined us to learn from our students and their work!

We are 85% of the way to our annual enrollment target and still have one day left to achieve our goal of having 90% of all students enrolled by the last day of school, please take a few moments to submit your paperwork or contact the main office for enrollment support!

Updated calendars for DCPS are available at this link.

SY 2023-24 Calendar

SY 2024-25 Calendar

All school meal menus can be found here and the middle and high school menus are here.

Registration for the school year after-school programming with After-School All-Stars (ASAS) will open on July 14th at 12:00 PM (noon) with the link shared in the SHMS newsletter. As always, the limited spots are filled on a first come first served basis and enrollment is completely managed by ASAS and separate from the Panther Pride Academy (summer bridge) mentioned elsewhere and below. This year, ASAS is reserving approximately 40 spots for 6th graders and roughly 20 spots each for 7th and 8th grade in after-school programming.

Again next year, we expect programming to run daily from 3:30-6:00. ASAS also manages any waitlists and requests for technical support. We are also excited that ASAS will continue to be 100% free for students who attend.

Please note that after completing the registration form you will likely receive an automated message that your enrollment was "received". This does NOT mean that you have secured a spot but that your application is on file with After School All Stars. ASAS will follow-up with families in the future to confirm who has a seat and who has been waitlisted.

Please reach out to Mr. Evroy Marrett with any questions or requests for more information at evroy.marrett@afterschoolallstars.org.

Encourage your student to make one final pass through the lost and found on Monday to claim any items. The clothes rack is still full of hoodies, winter coats, sweaters, and other jackets. Any items that remain will be collected, cleaned, and donated by the PTA later this week.

Stuart-Hobson’s Special Education Department has intentionally designed a learning community that encourages shared participation and decision-making by providing access to opportunities and resources while dismantling barriers.

Through authentic leadership and service to all, we meet the needs of an evolving and diverse student body by fostering creativity, flexibility and positivity. We work in a manner that fosters trust for all through effective, honest communication and accountability.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s IEP or access to learning please email our Special Education Coordinator, Tamara Hunter at tamara.lovelock@k12.dc.gov

We are excited to offer Grades 5-8 DCPS students a host of summer enrichment opportunities. Families can register their children here. Programs run 3-5 weeks. Please encourage families to sign up; many seats are still remaining.

POC: 6-12summerlearning@k12.dc.gov

Math 6 Readiness is an in-person course for rising 6th graders attending Stuart-Hobson next school year. Students will revisit essential skills in preparation for Math 6 in the fall and get an early introduction to math class expectations at Stuart-Hobson.

The course runs from Monday, July 22 - Thursday, July 25 and Monday, July 29 - Thursday, August 1, from 9:30 - 11:30am. Students meet at Stuart-Hobson and are expected to attend each day.

The class has a maximum of 25 students. After the first 25 students have registered, additional students will be placed on a waitlist. Families will be contacted when space opens.

Please register here. Registration closes on Friday, June 21 at 5pm.
Final details will be emailed to families in early July.
Please email Ms. Latagan at mariecrist.latagan@k12.dc.gov with any questions.

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

You can find previously released newsletters and information here.

The most current version of the Student & Family Handbook is linked on our website.

Yearbooks are here! If you did not order online, you can pay for and reserve one by bringing in $21 (cash-exact change) to Ms. Smith at morning entry OR afterschool in room 314. Please note that the remaining supply is limited!

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 your school enrollment team (Ms. Swann, Mr. Howard, or AP Turner).

Please fill this form out to refer a student for mental health, behavioral health, or MTSS services at Stuart-Hobson Middle School. Referrals are reviewed weekly and a counseling team member reach out to you.

If you need assistance with this form, please contact Ms. Molly Smith at molly.smith@k12.dc.gov.

For mental health or behavioral health emergencies, contact ChAMPS at 202-481-1440, the DBH Access Helpline at 1-888-7WE-HELP, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or call 911.

Referral Form Link

We want to thank Ms. Clara Hargrove for her many years of service to the students, staff, and families of Stuart-Hobson Middle School and congratulate her on a new opportunity at Eastern High School!

To provide continuity of support with student attendance documentation and data entry, please make note of the following changes to procedures at school for communicating and capturing student attendance:

1. Please submit any excuse notes/requests to Ms. Swann (dreka.swann@k12.dc.gov). Families are encouraged to copy guidance counselors and/or grade level APs on those updates and requests so we can assist with informing teachers and locating student work for students who are absent.

2. Our guidance counselors and social workers, Ms. Smith and Ms. Wittschen, will assist students and families who experience patterns of challenge with regular school attendance. Please reach out to any of them proactively if your student is struggling to attend school or class regularly.

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