Team Kathmandu: Week 29

Fri. April 3: Last Day of Term 3

Mon. April 6: NO SCHOOL, Records Day

April 13-17: Spring Break

March 28-April 30: Math CAPE Testing

May 4-6: ELA CAPE Testing

Mon. May 25: NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day

Tues. June 16: NO SCHOOL, Juneteenth

Thurs. June 18: NEW LAST DAY OF SCHOOL*

*Change due to missed snow/weather days

This was a busy week in Geography. Students have been learning about global citizens in the Americas through portraiture. On Wednesday we had our post visit with the National Portrait Gallery in which students analyzed four new portraits (Yarrow Mamout, Indra Nooyi, the Apollo 11 Crew, and Michelle Obama). On Thursday, students applied their knowledge and understanding as they selected their own global citizen to write a letter to and make their own portrait of. Students had Friday as a work day and will continue to work on it Monday and Tuesday in class. The final summative is due at the start of class on Thursday. All directions have been given on paper and are also in Canvas. Next weeks students will watch a Discovery Atlas movie on Mexico (one of my faves!), take their Americas Map Quiz, and take the qualifying round of the GeoBee!

Thank you for the awesome postcards—both virtual and via snail mail! We are continuing to read them and post them on our map! So fun and impressive! Thank you for sharing the project with your family and friends and bringing the world to us!

Be sure to check out our GeoNewsletter, written by our own GeoScribes! It is also recently updated with information and photos from a friend in Nepal! Follow along and see the class through your students’ eyes! https://secure.smore.com/n/nbc3t

On Orientation Day students shared a song they would like to add to our class playlist. This Spotify playlist can be found here.

Pictures that are on our Kathmandu Can Do Attitude board can also be found here.

Amy Trenkle

amy.trenkle@k12.dc.gov

Classroom Wishlist

This week in Accelerated 6th Grade Math

This week students worked on solving surface area and volume in solving related word problems. This week students will work on calculating statistical questions and measures of central tendency.
. Please encourage your child should take advantage of iRecess (a quiet space to work and get help during recess MWF), our Virtual Classroom (www.framevr.io/brownmath after school help available upon request), and our Parking Lot (an in class means to submit requests, reminders, and questions) which are amongst various resources available to students outside of their normal class periods (and Advisory) to help towards success. Students should see me about any makeup opportunities. and those Students more than 4 lessons behind on iReady assignments (or multiple grade levels behind at MOY testing) are REQUIRED to report to iRecess to complete multiple lessons weekly (Mon/Wed voluntary on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those not reporting will have the parents contacted to make them aware. Students reporting with receive incentive opportunities. Students and Resources available from Illustrative Mathematics to assist families with the curriculum we are following can be found at https://im.kendallhunt.com/MS/index.html.

This week in 7th Grade

This week students worked on area, surface area, and coordinate reflection. This week students will work on calculating the volume of three dimensional shapes (pyramid) and solving related word problems.

Please encourage your child should take advantage of iRecess (a quiet space to work and get help during recess MWF), our Virtual Classroom (www.framevr.io/brownmath after school help available upon request), and our Parking Lot (an in class means to submit requests, reminders, and questions) which are amongst various resources available to students outside of their normal class periods (and Advisory) to help towards success. Students should see me about any makeup opportunities. and those Students more than 4 lessons behind on iReady assignments are REQUIRED to report to iRecess to complete multiple lessons weekly (Mon/Wed voluntary on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those not reporting will have the parents contacted to make them aware. Students reporting with receive incentive opportunities. Students and Resources available from Illustrative Mathematics to assist families with the curriculum we are following can be found at https://im.kendallhunt.com/MS/index.html.

Students will receive Spring Break packets.

Summer Math Acceleration Camp (SMAC)

As you may know, Deal offers an in-person math acceleration program each year for students who are currently taking Math 6 or Math 7. Students who demonstrate mastery of standards on the Middle of Year (MOY) i-Ready and the End of Year i-Ready (EOY) i-Ready by earning the required score will be invited to participate in SMAC 2026.

We will also offer a summer online asynchronous opportunity for students who will not be available for SMAC. To be invited to participate in the online asynchronous acceleration program students must earn the required score on the MOY i-Ready assessment and share the reason why they are not available for SMAC.

• SMAC Boost | June 22 - 25; 9:00 - 12:00 noon (must attend all dates)

• SMAC Dates | June 29 - July 23; 9:00 - 12:00 noon (must attend all dates)

• Asynchronous Math Acceleration Program (Zearn) | June 22 - July 23

Please direct all questions to DealSummerMath@k12.dc.gov.
Attached is Deal’s Math Acceleration Policy

Thank you for your support

-Mr. Brown marcus.brown@k12.dc.gov

Hello scientists!

Last week, students examined how nature’s quest to achieve equilibrium creates different weather conditions, and how weather fronts create specific atmospheric conditions.

We have moved our weather diary assignment to next week in order to help students track a very warm air mass that is predicted to be moving over DC during the middle of next week. Students will combine their observations of local weather patterns with next week’s focus on weather maps and forecasting.

Next Friday is also the last week of the 3rd quarter, and all late assignments must be turned in by that date. Please help your students look through their Aspen and their homework folder for any missing assignments!

Shanishka.Johnson@k12.dc.gov

Ms. Johnson's list SY25-26

Book time to meet with me

This week we started our Literary Analysis Essays about The Giver by drafting thesis statements and outlining body paragraphs and text evidence. Students then drafted (much of) their body paragraphs.

Next week we will add introductions, conclusions before we use a check-list to self-check and peer edit. Students will also complete end of unit reflections and bring those home at the end of the week to share and get signed.

End of Term: Last week is the end of Term 3. By the end of today (Friday, March 27), grades in Aspen will reflect EVERYTHING your student has turned in for Term 3 and what they will see on their report cards. If students plan on making up missed work or revising work they need to let me know. If they need to make up missing Quill lessons from past weeks, they may do so and I will check those on Friday, April 3rd.

Supply Request: Our classroom is in need of pencils and tissues! Any and all are welcome. Thanks so much! I know we all have a strained relationship with our friend Amazon, but here's the classroom wishlist as an easy way to donate.

Showcase of Student Work:

While we have had a physical bulletin board in class featuring student writing, I find that my printing cannot keep up with their writing and that families never get to see it. So, check out our brand new digital Writing Wall of Fame here: https://tinyurl.com/WritingWallofFame. Our first entries include work by Misa, Iban, Liam, Whitley, Nicky P., Rosie, Audrey, Xander, Nick C., An, Ingrid, True and Natasha.

Term 3 Book Projects are due today. You can see students' projects here: https://tinyurl.com/Term3BookPoems.

Katy Byrns

katy.byrns2@k12.dc.gov

This week we expanded our geometry knowledge into three dimensions by introducing cubes, prisms, and pyramids with the vocabulary words edge, vertex, and face. Next week we will continue practicing for the DC cape and begin practicing with volume and surface area.

By Monday March 30th students should have passed 29 iReady lessons. Please reach out to me if there is any issue with students completing the iReady lessons at home; students always have the opportunity to work on iReady during their recess. Pear assignments are opened on Mondays and Wednesdays and due Wednesday and Friday. Please check Pear to see students’ missing assignments.

brandon.shufelt@k12.dc.gov

Re-enrollment for SY 26-27 begins on Friday. ALL families must complete the re-enrollment process. Information about the DCPS re-enrollment process is available HERE. Additional enrollment information is available on the Deal website.

DCPS invites families to share feedback via the 2026 DCPS Family Panorama Survey. Please take the survey by April 3 https://surveys.panoramaed.com/dcps/family/surveys?language=en

The National Cherry Blossom Festival, in conjunction with Events DC, presents Blossom Kicks for Kids! We invite young designers residing in the District of Columbia in grades 5-8 to submit unique soccer cleat designs inspired by the National Cherry Blossom Festival springtime celebration. The top selected designs are then transformed into artistic creations on a cleat by the youth artists themselves, culminating in in a special showcase of the designs. Join this vibrant art initiative today!

https://app.smore.com/n/uxjamz

There is so much going on at Deal that I decided to push a second newsletter out to families for the month of March! See below for this month's special announcements! Read this edition to find out more about:

• The upcoming Battle of the Books competition update and sign-up links!
• A special TinkerCAD challenge for the Deal MS Spring production of Beauty and the Beast!
• A Spring writing contest with cash prizes!

Read more on the Library SMORE: https://app.smore.com/n/8nvyf

Thanks,

Stephen Reichlen

Library Media Specialist

Deal MS – DC Public Schools

stephen.reichlen@k12.dc.gov

Deal students will have the opportunity to sign up for our Deal Battle of the Books team in April this year. Until then, they can read the books! They have learned about the program from Mr. Reichlen during ELA library visits. They can borrow physical copies of the 10 books from ELA teachers and the library. They can borrow e-books and audiobooks from SORA and Libby (DC Public Library) or purchase personal copies. More information about the district competition and a list of the books can be found at the following link:

https://dcla.org/DCLA-Battle-of-the-Books

We meet once a month in my room, afterschool.

Learn more here: tinyurl.com/bcy5wea7

I did not learn how to do this until my son was in 8th grade, and man I wish I had figured out this trick sooner. You can change your settings on Aspen to send you an email whenever a grade is input for your child below a certain threshold. My husband and I use this function because we don't regularly check Aspen, but we do check email! So every now and then, we can ask our son what happened with a particular assignment or what his plan is for making up missed work. See attached document.

-Ms. Byrns

Beginning this year, families are required to submit excuse notes for students in Aspen GO—the mobile-friendly version of Aspen Parent Portal. The previously existing online system we used has been disabled.

Instructions on how to submit an excuse note are available below.

Submitting an Excuse Note in Aspen GO (Parent Portal).pdf - 443.2 KB (pdf)

Envío de una nota justificativa en Aspen GO (Portal para padres).pdf - 543.4 KB (pdf)

Soumettre une note d'excuse dans Aspen GO (portail parents).pdf - 489.0 KB (pdf)

በ‘Aspen GO’ (የወላጅ ፖርታልParent Portal) ላይ፣ ፈቃድ-ማግኛ ማስታወሻ (Excuse Note)ን ማስገባት.pdf - 504.7 KB (pdf)

在 Aspen GO（家长门户）中提交请假条.pdf - 507.6 KB (pdf)

Nộp Giấy Xin Phép Nghỉ học Trên Aspen GO (Cổng Thông Tin Phụ Huynh).pdf - 315.5 KB (pdf)

Additional information on how to use the Parent Portal can be found at dcps.dc.gov/page/parent-portal.

Congratulations to our IB Learner Profile Students of the Month, exemplifying THINKER: Natasha & Dane. Thinkers use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems. They exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.

Chloe & Gregory

As reflective students, they thoughtfully consider the world and their own ideas and experience. They work to understand their strengths and weaknesses in order to support their learning and personal development.

Congratulations to our December IB Learner Profile Students of the Month for Principled: Andrew and True. The IB Learner Profile states that a person who is principled is someone who respects the dignity and feelings of others, is honest and accountable, and accepts both responsibility for their decisions and the consequences that accompany them.

Congratulations to our IB Learner Profile Students of the Month, exemplifying CARING: Diosmar and Max. Students who are caring show empathy, compassion, and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and the world around them. From helping a friend, to picking up garbage after lunch, if you care, it will show!

Congratulations to our IB Learner Profile Students of the Month: Inquirers Amelia and Julian. The IB Learner Profile aims to develop students who are inquirers. Students who are inquirers nurture their curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. They know how to learn independently and with others. Inquirers learn with enthusiasm and sustain their love of learning throughout life.

Congratulations to our IB Learner Profile Students of the Month. This month Team Kathmandu teachers are highlighting the RISK TAKER learner profile: Matlida and Jairo. Risk takers approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; they work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. They are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.