Principal's Message October 2-6

Dear Peabody and Watkins community,

Today marks the end of the beginning of the year testing window. Our teachers have completed all of the reading and math assessment that are required for our K-5 students. (PreK teachers have a longer time to collect data on our youngest learners.) Our teaching teams are engaged in the critical process of data analysis to ensure that learning opportunties are rigorous and accessible to all learners. Caregivers will hear about their child's data soon and October has some important dates for our school to engage with families. Please mark you calendars for...

Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 19. We will will have sign ups out to caregivers by October 12. As usual, caregivers can request a conference at any time. Conferences will be virtual or in-person based on caregiver preference.

Curriculum Night on Oct 24 at Watkins for K-5 families. This night will will offer families activities to do at home that align with how we are teaching your children at school.

And importantly, let's remember the fun coming our way, starting with the launch of the Cluster Cup tonight! It's starts at 4pm today! See directions below.

Our teams and families are getting ready for Walk and Roll to School Day, Oct 4 at Lincoln Park. Join other schools communities and ours before 7:45 to walk and roll together to Peabody and Watkins. We'd love to have a huge team. Last year was a blast for our families that participated!

Link to our cluster calendar!

Quick look ahead. Click above to see details:

Please join our city's artists at Art all Night in Anacostia! In addition to fun events for adults and students, you are supporting local artists, including one our of community's caregivers, Dietrich Williams. Learn more below or click here.

Back by popular demand, we are restarting the Watkins WatchDOGS (Dads [& Others] of Great Students) Volunteer program!!

What is WATCH D.O.G.S.?
WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads [& Others] Of Great Students) is a family and community engagement educational initiative.

What is the goal of a WATCH D.O.G.S. program?
To provide positive caregiver role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important.


Who are WatchDOGS and how does WATCH D.O.G.S. work?
WatchDOGS are fathers, mothers, grandparents, and uncles/aunts who volunteer for at least one day each year at an official WATCH D.O.G.S. school. WATCH D.O.G.S., a K-12 program, invites caregivers to volunteer at least one day at their child’s/student’s school for part or all of the day during the school year. Identification will be checked upon entrance.

Is this program only for Dads?

Absolutely not!! We welcome all caregivers to volunteer.

What do WatchDOGS do (while they are at school)?
During the day, WatchDOGS may read and work on flash cards with students, play at recess, eat lunch with students, patrol the school entrances and hallways, assist with traffic flow and any other assigned activities where they actively engage with not only their own students, but other students as well. Many school principals have reported that the mere presence of a WatchDOGS volunteer dramatically reduces reports of bullying. On the day of their participation, WatchDOGS participants are given a brief review of their involvement and they wear an official WATCH D.O.G.S. name tag identifying them as a WatchDOG.

What days can I volunteer and how do I sign up?

WatchDOGS participant days will be every Wednesday. Please sign up at least a week in advance so we can notify school administration and teachers of your visit using this link to the WatchDOGS sign-up list: https://signup.com/go/xxkWcuc

We want all students and families to have the best possible experience at our school. Part of that experience includes caregivers being able to have agency, information, and support to solve problems. The attachment below should help do just that. I will speak on this document and my approach to communication and problem solving at Back to School Night. For now, keep this doc close for when you have questions!

You can also find it here on our website.

All meetings will start promptly at 8:05AM. See below for details.

• 4th and 5th graders meet Wednesday mornings in the 3rd floor Common Area
• 1st and 2nd graders meet Thursday mornings in the 2nd floor Common Area
• 3rd Graders meet Friday mornings in the 2nd floor Common Area.

Before Care providers and the Security Team will receive a list of students who participate on the Math Team. If your student has breakfast at school they will pick up their tray before our lesson begins and then report to their area.

Since we have so much to coordinate on Math Team mornings, please indicate your students’ participation by emailing Ms. Goedeke, janice.goedeke@k12.dc.gov, unless you have already indicated your student’s participation on the interest survey, by Monday, October 2nd. In your email please include:

• Caregiver’s name and contact information
• Student’s name and homeroom teacher
• Any additional information teachers need to know about your student’s participation.

We look forward to a great year of math fun!

Ms. Goedeke, Ms. Josephs and Ms. Mackie

We want all students and families to have the best possible experience at our school. Part of that experience includes caregivers being able to have agency, information, and support to solve problems. The attachment below should help do just that. I will speak on this document and my approach to communication and problem solving at Back to School Night. For now, keep this doc close for when you have questions!

You can also find it here on our website.

October 13

3rd grade 9:15am

2nd grade 10am

October 18

5th grade 10am

4th grade 9:15am

October 27

1st grade 9:15am

Click here to join the meeting - we will use the same link to access ALL of the grade level meetings.

Make sure you are checking class dojo for sports updates from Athletic Director, Coach Drakeford. Please send sports questions her way on dojo or latavia.drakefod-allen@k12.dc.gov.

Peabody and Watkins teachers have some big plans and big wishes for your kids and their classrooms this year. Please consider fulling some of those wishes from their wish lists.

Hello parents and guardians! We're back again for another year of FoodPrints at Peabody and Watkins Elementary and we are looking for parents to volunteer in our classroom and garden!

We'll have a maximum number of four (4) slots available for parent volunteers for each class. We'll be adding more dates in the coming weeks so be sure to check back frequently if you don't see your child's class as yet. Please reach out if you have any questions to ms. Natasha natasha@ffm.org at Watkins and Ms. Aubryn aubryn@ffm.org at Peabody.

The sign up genius also has the schedule for classes.

Thanks again for your support of FoodPrints!

Peabody caregiver sign up

Watkins caregiver sign up

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