Greetings MMS Families,

I hope you are staying warm and holding up with the cold temperatures and inclement weather. Tomorrow, it looks like we will have some more snow, but we look forward to seeing everyone first thing Monday morning. We are in a critical learning period for our students and closing out the marking period in the next two weeks – please ensure your Mustang is staying on top of their grades and completing any missing/makeup work to finish the term.

We have some updates and reminders for the new year below – please review and I hope to see you at an upcoming MMS event!

Please note as well that we will begin our DC CAPE extension sessions for the school year in February. Teachers and staff will reach out to individual families to confirm student attendance and share details. If you have questions about your Mustang’s participation please reach out to their Math teacher. Here are the tentative dates:

Saturday School Proposed Dates for ELA & Math

2/1

2/8

2/22

3/1

3/8

3/22

3/29

4/11

4/26

Have a great weekend,

Cooke

Summer Bridge for New Mustangs 8.5-8.8 (Tu-Fri) – Yes – it’s a long way off, but we are always asked about Summer Bridge early in the year, and we are sharing our dates now so you can plan for your newest Mustang or share with feeder school partners and friends.

PTO Meeting for January – this coming Tuesday on 1.14 6:00pm – see below for the link – and also in person at 9:00am on 1.17! Same morning as Curbside Coffee – come on and hit up both!

LSAT Meeting for January – Coming up on 1.14 at 5pm – I will share a link and draft agenda next week.

Literacy Night is Coming! – 2.6 – this is a night for all families, staff, students and community members to come learn about how we are supporting literacy growth for our Mustangs and learn some great strategies to share and explore. We hope to see you all there!

2.11, 2.12 – ACCESS Testing – MLL Students – students will test and have an adjusted schedule.

4.28-5.9 – CAPE Testing – All students – our biggest test of the year – students will test each morning and have a modified schedule.

Make Up Picture Day – We will be hosting our make up picture day on Wednesday, January 22nd. Any students that were unable to take their picture during the fall picture day or those who would simply like to retake their picture will have the opportunity to do so immediately after school from 3:30 - 4:30 PM.

Parent Resource – REPEATED This Month – although this article is school focused, and of course MMS does not allow cell phones, I think there are some key ideas in here that can be used to engage our young people around multitasking/cell phone use. I plan to share with staff as well. “Avoiding the Pitfalls of Multitasking in School”

1.14 – LSAT Meeting – 5:00pm

1.14 – PTO Meeting – 6:00pm – PTO LINK

1.17 – Staff PD Day – No School for Students

1.20 – Holiday – No School for Students

1.27 – PD Day - No School for Students

1.6 – Literacy Night – Open to All Families/Community Members

2.11, 2.12 – ACCESS Testing – MLL Students – All students will test and/or have an adjusted schedule.

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

4.28-5.9 – CAPE Testing – All students –

6.6.25 – 4th Period – EOY Talent Showcase

8.5.25-8.8.25 – Tu-Friday - Summer Bridge for New Mustangs 8.5-8.8 (Tu-Fri)

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!

Thank you to our custodial team led by Mr. Johnson who did an exemplary job Monday and Tuesday getting in the building and ensuring it was safe, warm and our areas were clear. I came by the building Tuesday afternoon and was please to see how clear our sidewalks and common spaces were to ensure we were ready for entry Wednesday. This is more than I can say for many other sidewalks and areas in our community! Thank you team!

Thank you as well to all our staff who were present and on time Wednesday despite the rough commute and frigid temperatures. We were only short a few team members and were able to have a smooth and productive day in large part to the commitment and additional effort of all of those who made sacrifices and braved the weather to get in and support our young people. I was glad to see our commitment and camaraderie!

Student Shout out to Thomas S for sharing out his work in 8th grade ELA class when doing a rewrite adding details to help readers ‘imagine their scene’ at a New Year’s celebration. I enjoyed visualizing the experience thanks to his writing and was transported back to days (long ago) when I would have been in Times Square myself for the event.

Thank you to the Washington Wizards, Monumental Sports, Chancellor Ferebee and our coaches and players who all came together Wednesday after the snow days for practice and a chance to engage with and learn from some of the Wizards staff. It really warmed the building (and me after dismissal) back up to see our kids leaning in with professional coaches and having fun getting ready for Thursday’s games. We are looking forward to deepening this partnership and experience for our Mustangs!

Thank you, Mr. Dance who went to Eliot-Hine to support their staff and students, on Wednesday as they have been dealing with the loss of a student. These experiences create immeasurable grief for our young people, families and staff and I know the love and support from Mr. Dance meant a great deal to the EH community this week. Thank you, Mr. Dance, for your compassion and leadership!

Our Mustang Boys and Girls Bball teams had their final home basketball game this week on Thursday and our cheer team had their closing cheer sessions. We look forward to a strong close of the season, but thank you to our coaches, our security staff, Mr. Lee and all who helped us have a great home season! We were not victorious but our team had great spirit and played hard!

Some of our math team members are ‘building thinking classrooms’ by collaborating and sharing strategies to increase student thinking and problem-solving skills with innovative teaching methods. It has been great to see Ms. Parker, Mr. Stevens and Ms. Bax working on applying these strategies and visiting each other’s classes to share ideas and input!

Thank you, Ms. Sargent and team, 6 as well as our Powell extended family for coordinated their 5th grade student visit on Thursday! It was great to see so many familiar faces and host our future Mustangs here. Ms. Sargent shared this should out: Thank you for another wonderful 5th grade tour! The Powell students walked through ice and frigid cold to see what MacFarland has to offer, and I was proud we were able to share our Mustang warmth with them. Thank you to:

Ms. Castro – hosting and interpreting

Mr. Novoa-Marcano – helping me figure out how to get the PPT and screen going

Mr. Cooke – addressing and encouraging students

Ms. Batts and Mr. K – welcoming guests and supporting tour groups

Ms. Beckett – welcoming and presenting to students in the library

Mr. Steele, Mr. Norman, and Mr. Green – welcoming student onlookers into the gym

Mr. Ellison – keeping 3rd floor clear during the tours

And our students:

Sofia Aguilar

Jeffrey Bueso

Amanda Lemus

Daniel Lemus

Willie Pascual

Merlyn Ramirez

Alisson Zepeda

Our first day back on January 2nd might have had some tired folks in the building, but it was so great to see students leaping right back into learning with positive engagement and meaningful work. Some of the best classes I saw were that first day included Mr. Harvey, Ms. Vidal, Ms. Jones, Mr. LaRosa, Mr. Samper, Ms. Bax, Ms. Gibian, Mr. Stevens, Ms. McMillian, Mr. Hall and Mr. Owens’ rooms.

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

Next Curbside Coffee – January 17th

November PTO Meeting – January 14th – 6:00pm Virtually – PTO MEETING LINK; January 17th 9:00am in person at MMS

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.

Open Houses Coming Up – January 27th, 1pm, February 19th, 5pm - Please share with other families and feeder school families!!

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

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.