Mustang Matters

Greetings MMS Families,

I hope you and your family have had a safe and positive week and the post-election experience has been peaceful for you. We know that many of our families and Mustangs may experience additional stress, anxiety, fear, and other emotions because of the election this week. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team for assistance if your Mustang or you needs support, has questions or needs resources. We remain a united family at MacFarland, supporting one another with love and compassion.

This coming week there is no school for students on Monday, and we have some other important events the remainder of the week. Please see the reminders and updates below, and I look forward to seeing many of you soon.

Be well,

November PTO Meeting – Tuesday, 11.12, 6:00pm – Virtual – please anticipate a link from the PTO soon! The PTO will also have a follow up meeting Friday morning at 9:00am in person in the MacFarland Parent Center.

November Curbside Coffee – Friday, 11. 15 – 8:00am – front steps.

FY 2026 (School Year 25-26) Budget Forum (11/12) DC Public Schools (DCPS) is excited to partner with the DC Local School Advisory Team Collective (DCLC) to convene a public budget forum on Tuesday, November 12, 6 -7:30 p.m. at Brookland Middle School (1150 Michigan Avenue Northeast Washington, DC 20017). The evening will provide opportunities to hear from DCPS Leadership and participate in a discussion about the budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26).

FY 2026 (School Year 25-26) Public Budget Hearing (11/20) DC Public Schools (DCPS) will convene a public budget hearing on Wednesday, November 20, at 6 p.m. The purpose of this virtual hearing is to gather input from families, staff, and the community to shape the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 (School Year 2025-2026) budget. Register here to listen or testify for the DCPS FY26 Public Budget Hearing. POC: CEO.Info@k12.dc.gov

Children’s National Hospital “A Family Affair” Event (11/9; 12/7) We are excited to share that Children's National Hospital will be hosting free health events on Saturday, November 9, 9:00a.m.-3:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 9, 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at THEARC West Building (1801 Mississippi Ave, SE, Washington, DC 20020). The event will include:

• Pediatric immunizations
• Adult screenings
• Health education
• Dental screenings
• Well child appointments

Please share this information with your families, especially those with children who need immunizations.

POC: Andrea.Allen@k12.dc.gov; Your Attendance Specialist

11/25 – All Day – Picture Day

12.18 – 4th Period/5:00pm for families – Winter Arts Showcase

4.9.25 – 4th Period/5:00pm for families – Spring Arts Showcase

6.6.25 – 4th Period – EOY Talent Showcase

Mustang families,

Below is the calendar of faculty meetings for the school year. There will be no afterschool activities on these days.

24-25 Faculty Meeting/PD Days Dates:

• February 5th
• March 5th
• April 2nd
• May 7th
• June 4th

Afterschool programming began on Monday 9-9-2024. Tutoring and clubs commence at 3:30 and end at 4:45. Students will have supper then go with their perspective teachers. All students will be dismissed at 4:45 to go home.

Students will need to fill out the emergency contact form prior to attending after-school activities. Students will also be able to list their club choices on the emergency contact form.

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 shout out to the Inner Core Team/Roosevelt Culinary Team for Monday’s ‘First Monday’ breakfast this week for our PD day! I missed the First Friday connections but the food was great and it was good to get some time on a slower day to see folks sit, eat, connect and relax a little bit. Looking forward to the December First Friday and thank you again Inner Core team for the love!

Thank you as well to Mr. Ring and Ms. George for our PD opening activities on Monday as well. You may not have been aware but both team members were demonstrating strategies to generate thinking in our classrooms. Mr. Ring’s card selection entry is a way to randomize groups when they enter a space – a great way to mix up your groups on a new project day. Ms. George’s thinking tasks were utilized to provide multiple pathways to a solution which generates more discourse and opportunity for sharing beyond just the ‘right answer’. Thank you both for getting us started with some thinking and connection Monday!

We had multiple instructional walks this week, with our Supt. Instructional Walk on Thursday visiting our ELA and SS team members and more visits to our SS and Global Studies classrooms during Friday’s Global Studies Walk. Thank you to our hosting teachers for showing the great work we are doing in these content areas each day.

Via email or by appt. – lucas.cooke@k12.dc.gov

Next Curbside Coffee – November 15th

November PTO Meeting – November 12th – 6:00pm Virtually; November 15th 9:00am in person at MMS

Produce Plus is a DC based program that approves families to receive money to directly use at farmer's markets around the city. Please use the link below to enroll:

FRESHFARM: Produce Plus Enrollment Form 2024 (google.com)

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

📌 THIS MONTH'S WELLNESS DISCUSSION 📌

November: Gratitude and Kindness – Encourage practices of thankfulness and acts of kindness within the school community.
Recognizing the role of intentional adults to foster a positive school environment to enhance mental well-being and mindfulness practices with our scholars.

📌 LA DISCUSIÓN SOBRE BIENESTAR DE ESTE MES 📌

Noviembre: Gratitud y bondad – Fomentar prácticas de agradecimiento y actos de bondad dentro de la comunidad escolar.
Reconocer el papel de los adultos intencionales para fomentar un ambiente escolar positivo para mejorar el bienestar mental y las prácticas de atención plena con nuestros estudiantes.

https://secure.smore.com/n/4gxta

*Newsletters can be translated to any preferred language using the translate button at the top.

*Los boletines se pueden traducir a cualquier idioma preferido usando el botón de traducción en la parte superior.

Please use this form to refer a student to the MMS Wellness Team. / Utilice este formulario para referir a un estudiante al equipo de bienes.

https://forms.office.com/r/S6pRi9yLRt

WELLNESS TEAM MEMBERS: Ms. Raphael, Social Worker Ms. Virginia, Mary’s Center Therapist Ms. Kent, Psychologist Ms. Sargent, 8th grade counselor Ms. Castro, 7th grade counselor Mrs. Thompson, 6th grade counselor LAYC: Ms. Rachel & Mr. Raul

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.