Happy Friday MMS Families,

Welcome to Winter Break! I am wishing you and your mustang a peaceful holiday season as well as a joyous and prosperous start to your new year. We have had an amazing 2023 at MacFarland, and I am excited and energized for the new calendar year and the ongoing growth we will see in the new year.

I want to highlight a few essential elements for students when they return from break:

• All students must report back to school on Wednesday, January 3rd on time as we will resume full and normal school that day!
• When we return there are only about 3 weeks remaining in Term 2 – students must review their grades and engage in makeup work/etc. ASAP to ensure they make progress and finish Term 2 strong. Students who fail classes Term 2 will not be on track to promote to the next grade level.
• Students are expected to resume normal operations for school climate when we return. We have had a lot of fun with Spirit Week and celebrations, but these expectations will be reiterated immediately upon return:
• Students must report to school and class on time every day and each class period!
• Students will report to school is uniform and with required footwear.
• Students will eat food only in the cafeteria during assigned/approved times and will not bring food or drinks other than water to classes.
• Students will move quickly through the hallway to class, never running or playing around during transitions.
• We know these are small actions, but we want to universally remind students of these school practices to ensure we continue the great school climate we have established this school year. Thank you for your support in reiterating these expectations for student return!

I look forward to seeing many of you in the new year upon my return as well. Here are a few dates/times to highlight for connection moving forward:

January LSAT Meeting – January 9th – 5:00pm

January PTO Meeting – January 9th – 6pm – we will provide a virtual link as well!

Curbside Coffee – next session - Friday, January 12th – front steps!

Lastly, I want to take a moment to share best wishes and appreciation to RP Meliotis, now Principal Meliotis who is transitioning to his new role as the Principal of Oyster-Adams effective 1.2. It has been a great support for MacFarland to benefit from his leadership and collaboration. I am confident he will lead the Oyster community well and I look forward to connecting with him across our schools to learn as colleagues. Please join me in congratulating him and wishing him the best of luck in his new endeavor! Please see a message of farewell from him below.

Dear MacFarland Staff and Families,

As I bid farewell to this incredible community, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the unwavering support and collaboration that has defined our time together. It is with mixed emotions that I announce my promotion to the position of Interim Principal at Oyster Adams Bilingual School.

Our collective efforts have not only shaped the lives of our students but have also left an indelible mark on my professional journey. I am confident that the positive energy and dedication present at MacFarland MS will continue to thrive under the continued leadership of Principal Cooke and the admin team. There is a tremendously talented teaching team here at MacFarland who have taught me so much and I will forever be grateful for the lessons I have learned.

I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for both you and me. While I embark on a new chapter at Oyster Adams Bilingual, I carry with me the valuable experiences and lessons learned from each of you.

Thank you for being my source of inspiration, and I look forward to the continued success and growth of MacFarland Middle School. Please know I will always be a Mustang and if you ever need anything do not hesitate to reach out.

Warm regards,

Peter Meliotis

Have a great holiday and I will see you in the new year!

Are you interested in sharing a universe of STEM learning opportunities with middle-school age learners in Winter 2024? The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian invites you to join Youth Astronomy Network (YouthAstroNet for short), an online community of young people, educators, and scientists. Educators receive free online training, activity guides, and community support, and students will gain customized access to remotely controlled robotic telescopes and image-processing software tools to enhance their own (and NASA’s) astronomical images. Educators who take part in the project must be willing to participate in a research study that accompanies the program (to identify program factors that promote youth science identity and STEM career interest) and will receive $250 for this participation. Apply directly here.

UPDATE - Term 2 Progress Reports – Term 2 Progress Reports should be available for students this week in Aspen. Please review and follow up with your Mustang’s advisory teacher if you need support in helping them make needed progress.

• Friday, December 22nd – Tuesday, January 2nd – no school for students – Winter Break
• January PTO Meeting – January 9th – 6pm
• Curbside Coffee – next session - Friday, January 12th – front steps

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

Our Winter Concert and Celebration was a huge success! It was so great to see so many of our students and staff performing and excelling in their passions. What a wonderful way to close out our calendar year as a school community with joy and celebration! Thank you Mr. Guyton, Mr. Ring, Ms. Smith and all of the team members who supported and collaborate to make this show such a win! Shout out to all of our student and staff performers who made it an amazing experience!

Our last 2023 Mustbuck Celebration was a great celebration for our students and staff – we got to see lots of dancing and joy and the gym had a festive feel for the rest of the evening. It was great to see the Mustangs close the year together with some middle school joy and fun!

Shout out to our Basketball Teams and our coaches for a set of hard played games this week at Brookland and home against Jefferson. I am continually impressed by their growth and tenacity as we move through the season. I know we will have some upsets against teams in the playoffs and our girls’ team will build and improve to close the year and look toward next season. Let’s keep running hard Mustangs!

Last Saturday we had another food drive and donation event for our families and community with 135 families supported by the work of our team. Thank you Mr. Novoa-Marcano, Mr. Blair, Ms. Walker-McLean and Ms. Dos Santos for the support and attendance on Saturday for our families in need.

• Tuesday, January 9th – PTO Meeting – 6:00pm!

• Daily – MacFarland Front Steps – 8:15-9:00am; 3:30-4:00pm
• Next Curbside Coffee – Friday, January 12th – front steps!
• Via email or by appt. – lucas.cooke@k12.dc.gov

8th Grade Virtual Meeting

Pathways to High School:

Presentation for Students and Families attached below.

Mark your calendar for these important dates

December 9th, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. – Edfest sponsored by MySchoolDC. All high schools will be represented.

December 11 – Lottery Application Opens

February 1 – Application Deadline (please begin your application well in advance of January 31 to ensure accurate and thorough completion)

Anyone still interested in joining the LAYC After School program please contact Ms. Signe King, (signe.king@layc-dc.org, 202-455-8063). Additional information can be found in the attachments below.

In an effort to ensure all students have access to school uniform shirts we are asking families to donate any lightly used red, black, or white polo shirts. Please bring the clean and lightly used shirts that you would like to donate to the main office. We truly appreciate the support!

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. Please share this opportunity with your staff, and families.

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.