John Lewis Elementary School
Website: www.johnlewises.org
Location: 1335 Farragut Street NW, Washington, DC, USA
Phone: 202-576-6226
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDARS
January and February 2024 Family Events Calendar
**Please note that all school events are subject to change.**
You may also find the DCPS SY23-24 Calendar below:
SCHOOL PLAY UPDATES!
Our school play for this school year will be Willy Wonka, Kids! Auditions for Willy Wonka, Kids are happening on January 16th-18th and we are so excited to see our students' amazing performing arts talents! Interested students in Grades K-5 will need to audition for our school play, while all Pre-K students are automatically cast in the play if they would like to participate!!!
Our school play will not be possible without our parent and family volunteers, and we look forward to our John Lewis community coming together to create a magical, theatrical experience for our students! We will be hosting a parent meeting on Thursday, January 25th from 5:00-6:00pm and we welcome all talent!!!! Please be on the look-out for more information.
MIDDLE-OF-YEAR (MOY) ASSESSMENTS
When students return in January, they will be completing their Middle-of-Year (MOY) assessments. MOY assessments provide us with critical information on how our students are progressing toward mastery of the content being taught so that our teachers and staff can provide supports and extensions to students as needed.
In addition to ensuring that students arrive to school on time, here are some additional ways that can help students do their best on MOY assessments:
- Get plenty of sleep and rest (we recommend 8 full hours of sleep per night)
- Eat healthy breakfasts (since testing is usually done first thing in the morning on testing days)
- Provide encouragement (without adding to the pressure some students may already feel)
UPCOMING OPEN HOUSES: TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY! TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS!
As we begin to prepare for enrollment season, we will be hosting two in-person Open Houses in January for our potential new families.
- Thursday, January 11th 9:00-10:00am
- Tuesday, January 3Oth 5:00-6:00pm
Please feel free to share the dates with any families who may interested in becoming a John Lewis Tiger in the Fall!
STUDENT ATTENDANCE
Students are late after 9:15am. Students are expected to be at school every day, on time, and stay for the duration of the school day.
Please use this form to submit all attendance notes (absent, tardy, early dismissal, etc.). A note must be received within five (5) days after the first day of absence.
John Lewis Student Attendance Form
Please also review the DCPS Attendance Expectations.
While we do our best to update the attendance in the main office for late arrivals, students who arrive more than 15 minutes tardy may at times be erroneously marked as absent if the absence is not changed to a tardy once the late student arrives.
Please notify the main office by calling us at 202-576-6226 or emailing Ms. Cruz or Ms. Tidwell if you receive an incorrect absence notification and we will update this.
STUDENT HEALTH FORMS AND IMUNIZATIONS
DC Law requires each student attending a DC public school or public charter school to present valid written immunization certification, documenting that he or she has been successfully immunized in accordance with current Department of Health immunization requirements, to his/her school prior to the first day of classes.
Unless you obtain a medical or religious exemption, DC law requires your child to receive immunizations against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, mumps, measles, rubella, polio, Haemophilus influenza type (Hib), hepatitis B, and varicella in order to attend school.
Immunization compliance is documented by submitting a completed Universal Health Certificate to the school at the time of enrollment. If your child's health certificate has expired or will be expiring soon, please submit an updated DC Health Universal Health Certificate from your medical provider.
DC Health Universal Health Certificate
Please email your updated DC Health Universal Health Certificate to evelin.bercian@k12.dc.gov and shannon.tidwell@k12.dc.gov.
If your student has a medication plan, please use the Medication and Medical Procedure Treatment Plan form to detail your student’s medication and/or medical procedure plan to be administered at their school and return it to the Health Suite Personnel. The Health Suite Personnel will contact you to arrange medication/medical supply drop-off. For multiple needs, complete multiple sheets.
BEFORE AND AFTERSCHOOL REMINDERS
Before School Programming
Drop-off for JLES morning care is in the cafeteria on Gallatin Street, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Children will meet our morning care team and join their peer groups for activities. Students must be dropped off by 8:20am or they will have to enter the building at 8:40am with the rest of the students.
After School Programming
The after-school program hours are as follows:
Grades PK-1: 3:30-5:30pm
Grades 2-5: 3:30-5:50pm
We have had a recent increase in late student pick-ups from after school programs. Students in after school programming must be picked up on time. Late student pick-ups impact the safety and supervision of all students and significantly impacts staff and their families.
Failure to pick up your students on time will result in students being removed from after school programming.
STUDENT CELL PHONE POLICY
We recommend that students do not bring cell phones or other electronics (tablets, gaming devices) to school. We realize, however, that there may be instances in which a student needs to have his/her cell phone before or after school (for communicating with family, etc.). We have created a fair cell phone policy, and we ask families to respect this and reinforce it at home.
The usage of cell phones is strictly prohibited during school hours. In all grades, students may use their cell phones before entering the school building and after leaving the school building. This year, we will be reinstating our policy of collecting student cell phones upon entry into our building and returning them to students at the end of the school day. All students must power off and turn in their cell phones to a John Lewis staff member upon arrival each day. Students who violate this policy will have their phones taken and a parent will be called. An administrator will return the phone at the end of the school day. Multiple violations of this policy will require a parent or guardian to pick up the cell phone.
Please contact our main office at 202-576-6226 if you need to reach your student or in the event of an emergency.
AFTERSCHOOL PLAYGROUND USAGE
With the great weather, many families have been going to the playground after picking their child up at dismissal. As much as we love that students enjoy playing on the playground, the school grounds (including the playground and facilities in the school building, like bathrooms) are for school use only during the hours of 8:00am to 6:00pm. JLES has before- and after-school programs that use these facilities and, as I am sure you can understand given recent events, it is an issue of safety to have students not participating in afterschool programming on campus after they have been dismissed.
JOHN LEWIS SOCIAL MEDIA AND SCHOOL WEBSITE!
Please check out our school website with lots of updates, including our staff directory, school calendar, newsletters, and much more! www.johnlewises.org
Follow us on Instagram johnlewisesdc
Follow us on Twitter at @jlesdc
Please also visit our school store at:
https://logowearhouse.shop/john_lewis_elementary/shop/home to purchase all your John Lewis swag!!!!
BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MENUS
Please find the breakfast and lunch menus below. Students are permitted to bring their own lunches if they prefer.
SodexoMagic Elementary School Menus
*Some menu items are subject to change.
SCHOOL UNIFORM POLICY
Our school uniform is as follows:
Tops: White or light blue collared polos, button-down shirt/blouse, John Lewis logo tops
Bottoms: Navy blue (pants, skirts, jumpers, shorts)
Shoes: Closed-toe shoes and sneakers.
Please visit our school store at:
https://logowearhouse.shop/john_lewis_elementary/shop/home to purchase all your John Lewis swag!!!!
Blue jeans
Open-toed shoes, heels, Crocs, flip flops
Accessories (i.e. scarves, excessive and distracting jewelry)
For assistance purchasing uniforms, reach out to the Main Office at 202-576-6226.
We ask that students in Pre-K and Kindergarten leave an extra set of clothing in their classrooms.
"Spirit Week" is held on the last week of each month and students are allowed to be out of uniform on those days.
STUDENT ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL REMINDERS
Our doors will open at 8:40am for breakfast and student dismissal begins at 3:15pm. Students who are not registered for our afterschool programming must be picked up by 3:30pm.
Student Arrival
Students may enter our building at 8:40am. All students will enter the building through our Farragut Street entrance and will be directed to their grade-level lines upon arrival. Students are late for school after 9:00am.
Car riders will utilize our “Kiss and Ride” drop-off line on Farragut Street. John Lewis staff will be on-hand to support unloading students from cars in the “Kiss and Ride” line and to assist with traffic. There is no parking allowed in front of our building on Farragut Street. This space is reserved for student drop-off only. Please review the enclosed map.
Student Dismissal
Student dismissal begins at 3:15pm and students will be dismissed from assigned exits, based on their grade-level.
Pre-K: Farragut Street Exit
K – 1st Grades: Farragut Street exit
2nd - 5th Grades: Gallatin Street exit
If a student has a younger sibling, they should meet at the pick-up location of their younger sibling. All students must be picked up by no later than 3:30pm.
Early Pick-Up of Students
Our school hours for students are 8:40am – 3:15pm, Monday through Friday. We understand that Doctor's appointments and unforeseen circumstances may sometimes require that students be picked up early from school. Students who are being picked up for early dismissal must be picked up by 2:45pm. Students will not be dismissed between 2:45pm-3:15pm as they will be in transition.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: As you know, dismissal is one of our busiest times of day. To help our staff keep your child and their classmates safe, please remember the following procedures for dismissal:
- The dismissal zones map outlines the areas around the school that are designated for parking, student loading, and no parking. Pay special attention to the area that is marked as “student loading”—if you are in this area you are expected to stay in your vehicle and only exit to help load your child into the car. Please review this map and share it with anyone else who regularly picks up your child from school. There is no parking allowed in front of our building on Farragut Street or Gallatin Street.
- Under no circumstances, should you double park in front of the school building to allow your child to get loaded into your car. Farragut Street is narrow, and cars that are double parked, even for just a few minutes, prevent cars in our quick pick-up line from being able to exit and create space for other vehicles and can create unsafe conditions for students and families.
Thank you for doing your part to help keep all students in our JLES family safe!
SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS NEEDED!
We are always looking for support whenever we, inevitably, have staff absences and and we would love for parents or family members who are willing and available to serve as substitutes in our building! Please read the information below and reach out to AP Bryant at milton.bryant@k12.dc.gov if this is something you or a family member may be interested in.
DCPS will be accepting applications for candidates with 60 credit hours or more in lieu of a conferred degree and one or more of the following criteria:
- Candidates with 1 - 2 years' experience working with students in a classroom setting
- Retired teachers (DCPS and other US School Districts)
Applicants with less than 1 year of experience will be asked to submit a professional reference letter to substitute.dcps@k12.dc.gov.