Principal's Message June 5 - 9

Dear Families,

June is here! Warmer weather, open pools, and tons of fun to be had at school. And still we are completing final assessments and need all students to attend school each day and show their Panther PRIDE. This time of year is fun but also stressful with all of the close out responsibilities for teachers and caregivers. Please continue to reinforce the high standard for learning and behavior each day... and enjoy your last few days of the school year!

I hope to see everyone at the Family Fun Night tonight at Stuart Hobson at 5pm!

We are also racing to the end of our school year - only 4 weeks left before the summer break. There are important end of year tests coming up as well and fun field trips, Field Day, and other events. Please take a close look at our cluster calendar and your teachers' updates for details on these fun close out activities.

Link to our cluster calendar!

Quick look ahead:

Details are being sent by our kinder and 5th grade teams, but our K and 5th grade promotions at Stuart Hobson are June 16 for 5th grade and June 20 for Kindergarten at 10am.

Our teachers, staff and leadership are already planning for next year, and you can help us prepare by completing re-enrollment for your child by May 1st. Thank you to all of the families who have already completed re-enrollment. If you haven’t, please visit https://enrolldcps.dc.gov to do so. Hard copies of enrollment forms will also be available in the main offices. In addition to the enrollment form, to complete enrollment, you will also need to submit your proof of residency document(s) per the instructions included in the enrollment packet and available at https://enrolldcps.dc.gov.

We are doing great with our enrollment, but not yet at 100%. Help us hit our target of 90% enrolled by June 1 by taking action now!

The Peabody Field Day Team is excited about this year’s event that will take place both on the school grounds AND at Stanton Park across the street. Students should wear shoes for active play, have sunscreen on, and have a water bottle in their classroom. Thanks to volunteers who have signed up. Even if you didn’t sign up, you are still welcome to just COME and help! All volunteers should come to the blacktop by the tricycle shed 15 minutes before the Grade Level Time Slot for which they are helping.

Times for Field Day Activities for each grade level:

PreK 3: 9:45 - 10:45 am

PreK 4: 11:00 - 12:00 pm

K: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

After all our caterpillar and butterfly learning, I am so excited to attend the 1-hour workshop on Pollinators and Native Plants that is happening this coming MONDAY, June 5, 5-6pm at Peabody. Two of Peabody’s expert master gardeners are generously offering this 1-hour workshop titled “Pollinators and Native Plants” on the Peabody playground. It is open to any Cluster School caregiver, participants will learn about pollinators and about growing plants which help them thrive. Registration is helpful but not required. Go to: bit.ly/3W4XgD7 Any questions, email Ms. Bloom susan.bloom@k12.dc.gov

We'll be celebrating the end of the school year with one last Peabody Pizza Party on Thursday, June 15th from 5:30-7 on the blacktop. All families welcome!

We'll have pizza, a book swap, a Cluster shirt swap and of course kids can go wild on the playground while we also celebrate our graduating Kindergarteners and Peabody teachers and staff that will be leaving at the end of the year.

For the book swap, plan to bring books you want to recycle out of your house to Peabody anytime starting Monday, June 12th and then let your student choose some new-to-them books at the party!

For the Cluster T-shirts, if your student has grown like a weed this year and you need a bigger size, please bring your old T-shirt and you can swap it out for a larger size at the party so you're good to go for the coming school year.

Cross your fingers for a sunny day and see you on the 15th!

Thank you for sending in small recyclables! Our engineers, designers and builders in the Library Maker Space Center need any of the following items: small boxes (from butter boxes to tissue boxes) and cardboard tubes (TP and paper towel). Many students LOVE to carry their creations to class in a bag, so we’ll take any spare plastic or paper shopping bags you want to pass along as well. Your students can put any of these items in a marked animal bin in the lobby of their floor or pass them to me during morning arrival. Huge thanks from Ms. Bloom!

The Library Club is planning a Summer Reading Book Exchange! The book exchange will be on Wednesday, June 14, during Field Day. To help support summer reading, we are asking for your donations of new or good-condition children’s books to give away at the Book Exchange. Library Club members will be stationed in the lobby in the mornings next week (June 5-9) to collect the books during arrival time. Please send in your books for collection next week!

At the Book Exchange, each student will have the opportunity to select one book, decorate a new bookmark, and (tentatively) meet a D.C. public librarian who will share information about DCPL’s summer reading program.

Also, please remind and encourage your students to locate and return any library books that they have at home. Next week (June 5-9) students will have library class. Students can return their library books during library class time or before school/after school or during breaks with their teacher’s permission.

Families - Please help make the 2023 Watkins Field Day a success! Below is a link to sign up for a shift - the teachers/staff need family support!

WATKINS FIELD DAY

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14

SIGN UP HERE

You DO NOT need to be an official "cleared" chaperone in order to volunteer. all caregivers are welcome!!!

If you have any specific questions about Field Day, please contact Coach Drakeford (Latavia.Drakeford-Allen@k12.dc.gov) or Coach Latney (Alyssa.Latney@k12.dc.gov).

Would you like to join your child's class in our gardens? Up to 4 caregivers can join each class on Wednesdays (Watkins only) and Fridays. Please sign up for your child's class only.

Peabody sign-ups

For the Watkins schedule, the 1st-3rd grade classes will go in the afternoon, so look for your child's afternoon teacher, not homeroom teacher on this schedule.

Waktins sign-ups

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