Mustang Matters

Greetings MMS Families,

I hope you and your family are doing well and staying warm in the cold weather. This time of year can bring a lot of joy but also a lot of challenge, stress and strong emotions. We are working to navigate these challenges with our Mustangs but also want to send a message of support to our families as well. If there is a need for support that you or your family are experiencing, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I hope to see many of you at an upcoming event and hopefully we can connect and bolster one another’s spirits.

REMINDER - The Winter Arts Showcase is coming soon! Please see the attached flyers and note the time for family attendance on 12.18 will be 5:30-8:00pm that evening with doors opening at 5:30 and performances beginning at 6:00pm. This event is open to the MacFarland community so please feel free to invite your friends/neighbors etc. Please note that students must be accompanied by a parent for the evening performance, but all Mustangs will be able to see the show during school hours.

PTO, LSAT and Ward 4 Meetings this coming week – Please note that we have our PTO and LSAT meetings this coming Tuesday, 12.10 and the Ward 4 Education Alliance Meeting 12.12. Please see the link below for the PTO meeting!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87587205009?pwd=q6uJpJy1jaxjXN8eazGNN2SQlIbD25.1#success

School Pictures Update – please see the message from Lifetouch regarding school pictures: Dear parents - School pictures are ready! To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number. All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card. More about the Smilesafe program here. Thank you!

Have a great weekend,

Cooke

Hi from the MacFarland PTO! Please remember your PTO and help support the MacFarland community during this season of giving! Here are three ways you can help:

👕Our T-shirt and hoodie fundraiser is live! These make great gifts AND can be worn as uniforms in the appropriate color for your student's grade level. Visit the site here: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/macfarland-gear

❄️Visit the Ward 4 Schools Winter Market at MacFarland this Saturday, December 7 from 10AM to 2PM. Our school is hosting this year and you can find food, drinks, and crafts for sale while you mingle with fellow Ward 4 families!

🎁Finally, you can donate to the PTO via Venmo @MacFarlandMSPTO or by Paypal here. ***If you would like your donation to be earmarked for winter staff appreciation, please make a note with your donation!*** It's a great way to recognize your school community as 2024 draws to a close - teachers and staff are a HUGE part in creating a warm and welcoming MacFarland! 😄

______________

¡Hola de parte de la Asociación de Padres y Maestros (PTO) de MacFarland! Recuerden a su PTO y ayuden a apoyar a la comunidad de MacFarland durante esta temporada de donaciones. Estas son tres formas en las que pueden ayudar:

👕¡Nuestra recaudación de fondos con camisetas y sudaderascon capucha está en vivo! Son excelentes obsequios Y se pueden usar como uniformes en el color apropiado para el nivel de grado de su estudiante. Visite el sitio aquí: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/macfarland-gear
❄️Visite el mercado de invierno de las escuelas del Ward 4 en MacFarland este sábado 7 de diciembre de 10 a. m. a 2 p. m. Nuestra escuela es la anfitriona este año y puede encontrar comida, bebidas y artesanías a la venta mientras se relaciona con otras familias del Ward 4.

🎁Finalmente, puede donar a la PTO a través de Venmo @MacFarlandMSPTO o por Paypal aquí. ***Si desea que su donación se destine al reconocimiento del personal y maestr@s, ¡deje una nota con su donación!*** Es una excelente manera de reconocer a su comunidad escolar a medida que el año 2024 llega a su fin: ¡los maestros y el personal son una GRAN parte en la creación de una escuela acogedora!

SY 24-25 Impact Aid Survey (11/1-12/22) - The SY 24-25 Impact Aid Survey went live on Friday, November 1. Every year, DCPS asks families to complete this survey to generate additional federal funds. This year’s survey will be fully electronic using the Seamless platform and will be open through Sunday, December 22. Please encourage all families to complete one survey per child, not per household, in their preferred language. The electronic surveys and our FAQ document can be found on the Impact Aid webpage. POC: DCPSImpactAid@k12.dc.gov

FINAL REMINDER - Children’s National Hospital “A Family Affair” Event (12/7) We are excited to share that Children's National Hospital will be hosting free health events on Saturday, December 9, 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at THEARC West Building (1801 Mississippi Ave, SE, Washington, DC 20020). The event will include:

• Pediatric immunizations
• Adult screenings
• Health education
• Dental screenings
• Well child appointments

Please share this information with your families, especially those with children who need immunizations.

POC: Andrea.Allen@k12.dc.gov; Your Attendance Specialist

See DC Health’s December Pediatric Vaccine Opportunities Calendar, with updated opportunities posted on their website.

• Children’s National Vaccine-Only Appointments at the following locations are available Mondays through Thursdays in December from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. See the December Calendar for rotating Saturday appointments. Call 202-476-2371 to schedule an appointment.
• Anacostia: 2101 MLK Jr. Ave. SE
• Columbia Heights: 3336 14th St. NW
• Shaw Metro: 641 S St. NW, Suite 200
• Shepherd Park: 7125 13th Place NW
• THEARC: 1801 Mississippi Ave. SE
• Grubb’s Pharmacy SE at 1800 MLK Jr. Ave. SE has vaccine appointments available Mondays through Fridays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and closed on Dec. 25. For appointments, call (202) 503-3610.
• Cedar Hill Urgent Care - GW Health at 2228 MLK Jr. Ave. SE has vaccine appointments available daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closed on Dec. 25. For appointments, call (202) 715-4444.
• Dec. 7: Children’s National is hosting A Family Affair, a community health event for families that include pediatric immunizations on Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Children’s National THEARC West Building at 1801 Mississippi Ave. SE. Appointments are highly encouraged. Register for a Dec. 7 appointment here, and see flyers in English and Spanish.
• Dec. 7 and 14: Both EdFEST events this year will have pediatric vaccine appointments available by appointment only. Upon registering for EdFEST, vaccine appointment links will be shared in the confirmation email. More information about EdFEST is available here.
• Saturday Dec. 7: EdFEST (Grades 9-12) will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Eastern High School, 1700 E Capitol St. NE. Register here.
• Saturday Dec. 14: EdFEST (Pre-K 3 - Grade 8) will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at DC Armory, 2100 E Capitol St. SE. Register here.

Parent Resource – NEW This Month - “How the Ivy League Broke America” – I found this to be an interesting read and I am sure folks will have many opinions. What most struck me was the suggestion of different core values we should focus ourselves and our society on. Worth reflecting on as we transition into the new year.

12.7 - 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. EdFEST (Grades 9-12) Event Program - Eastern Senior High School

12.10 – LSAT Meeting – 5:00pm

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

12.11 - MacFarland MS Open House - 5:00pm - 6:00pm

12.14 - 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Register for EdFEST (PK3 – Grade 8) - DC Armory

12.18 – 4th Period/5:30pm for families – Winter Arts Showcase

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

6.6.25 – 4th Period – EOY Talent Showcase

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!

A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO MS. SARGENT AND AP BATTS who were able to coordinate and support Wednesday’s visit from Dorothy Height ES! This was our first feeder school visit of the year and it was so great to see and hear future Mustangs visiting and exploring the building!! Here as well is the thank you Ms. Sargent sent shouting out the team: I really appreciate how all of you jumped in with sincerity and focus – and especially in supporting my own disorganization. The elementary students were impressed by the school, well-behaved, and interested in learning. The students who helped (all DHE alum) were also great – Mekelit, Sarahi, Taylor, Danna, Ahmir W., Alison and William W.

Big Basketball team shout outs to our boys and girls teams who both won their opening games on Tuesday this week! If was a great start to the season and great evidence of the Coaching influence of Coaches Green, Thomas, Steele and Owens. The cheer team set the atmosphere in the gym and got it rocking! They were outstanding thanks to the work of Coach Walston and Ms. Simmons. Basketball games are must watch events! Thank you as well to the huge number of staff that came out with a special shout out to the Culture and Climate Team who were almost all there the entire evening!!!

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving we had a MAJOR event at MacFarland when we host nearly 300 students, staff and families for the November Washington Urban Debate League. This was a major event and required a ton of logistical support and clean up. Thank you to our custodial team – Mack, Dakota, Johnson, Maria for all of that work and Ms. Salgado and Ms. Walker-McLean for the coordination, support and presences!!!

We also had multiple field trips in the past couple of weeks that require a lot of planning and collaboration to execute! Ms. Lewand coordinated a trip to the Mosaic Theater, the World Language Team brought students to Planet Word on the Monday before the break and our 8th grade team had an Honor Roll incentive trip on Tuesday before the break to go to the movies for our nearly 90 Mustang scholars who made Honor Roll!!! More trips coming in the next two weeks – thank you teams!

Picture Day was another operational task that needed many hands this past week. Thank you to the Inner Core Team for their flexibility in bringing their classes down and Mr. Novoa-Marcano and Ms. Walker-McLean for their work ensuring it all went smoothly!!

Shout out to Ms. Castro and our partners at Coolidge HS for coordinating a learning experience for our 8th graders about Early College Academy. From Ms. Castro: The presentations went smoothly. Our students were engaged and asked key questions about the program and application. I am very proud of them 🤗 Ms. Castro will also be hosting lunch and learn and other additional experiences for our 8th graders to learn and get exposure – please see her notes and thank you Ms. Castro for this work!

Debate Team Shout Out – Here is the most recent set of debate team shout outs from the last tournament including trophy winners Nicole and Norman! Here is the shout out from Coach Gibian: I'm back with more great debate updates for inclusion into the various grade-level newsletters! This past Saturday, November 23 right here at MacFarland the kids competed in their second debate tournament of the year. We had a few new faces joining us for this tournament which was great to see. Results are below (total of 3 rounds):

· Allizon Fuentes and Mathilde Ngoie won one round

· Kerenna Teimbou and Abla Bedzra won one round

· Emma Dence and Santiago Lopez (1st time competitor) won one round

· Chantal Banabassa and Brendan McCray (1st time competitor) won one round

· Zoe Currie / Jaiden Hemsley went 2-1, beating teams from Center City Petworth and Eliot Hine. They finished 16th, the best team outside the trophies.

· Norman Yeakey and Nicolle Allen continue to dominate and won all 3 of their rounds!

· Nicolle Allen placed 3rd overall for individual speaker and Norman Yeakey placed 2nd overall for individual speaker.

· Nicolle Allen / Norman Yeakey went undefeated, finishing 2nd overall. They defeated teams from John Francis, El Haynes, and Stuart Hobson, including getting perfect scores in one of their rounds from WUDL alumna and Inspired Teaching Coach Aniya Peay.

The kids have been so amazing and working so hard, so please congratulate them when you see them!

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

Next Curbside Coffee – December 13th

November PTO Meeting – December 10th – 6:00pm Virtually – PTO MEETING LINK; December 13th 9:00am in person at MMS

Greetings Families of 8th Grade,

We are writing to share some new and repeat information regarding upcoming High School Season events.

• EdFest is THIS WEEKEND! [Link to register - https://edfest24-9-12.attendease.com/registration/form]
  • Saturday, December 7th from 10 am – 1 pm at Eastern Senior High School (1700 East Capitol St NE, Washington, DC 20002)
• Columbia Heights Education Campus Open House
  • Tuesday, December 10th at 3101 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
  • See attached flyer and/or reach out to Mr. Galvan at Edilberto.Galvan@k12.dc.gov for more information.​​​​​​
• Coolidge High School Cool Lights Open House & Middle School Basketball Night
  • Wednesday, December 11th at 6315 5th St NW, Washington, DC 20011
  • Cool Lights Open House is from 5 – 7 pm. [Link to register - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cool-lights-coolidge-high-school-open-house-tickets-1064847550689]
  • Middle School Basketball Night – JV at 4 pm, Girls at 5:30, and Boys at 7 pm
• Dunbar High School Open House
  • Thursday, December 12th from 5:30 – 7 PM at 101 N St NW, Washington, DC 20001 [Link to register - https://forms.gle/W4ZVoQgFasWv9pRL7]
• Duke Ellington School of the Arts - Pre-Audition Workshop Sign Ups
  • Link - Pre-Audition Week Workshop

We hope you all are able to attend one or more of the events. Reply with pictures of you and your student(s) at any of these events to participate in a gift card raffle!

Sincerely,

Team 8th Grade

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saludos a las familias de 8.º grado:

Les escribimos para compartir información nueva y repetida sobre los próximos eventos de la temporada de la escuela secundaria.

• ¡EdFest es ESTE FIN DE SEMANA! [Enlace para registrarse: https://edfest24-9-12.attendease.com/registration/form]
  • Sábado 7 de diciembre de 10 a. m. a 1 p. m. en Eastern Senior High School (1700 East Capitol St NE, Washington, DC 20002)
• Jornada de puertas abiertas del campus educativo de Columbia Heights
  • Martes 10 de diciembre en 3101 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
  • Consulte el folleto adjunto o comuníquese con el Sr. Galván en Edilberto.Galvan@k12.dc.gov para obtener más información.
• Jornada de puertas abiertas Cool Lights de la escuela secundaria Coolidge y noche de baloncesto de la escuela secundaria
  • Miércoles 11 de diciembre en 6315 5th St NW, Washington, DC 20011
  • La jornada de puertas abiertas Cool Lights es de 5 a 7 p. m. [Enlace para registrarse: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cool-lights-coolidge-high-school-open-house-tickets-1064847550689]
  • Noche de baloncesto de la escuela secundaria: JV a las 4 p. m., niñas a las 5:30 p. m. y niños a las 7 p. m.
• Jornada de puertas abiertas de la escuela secundaria Dunbar
  • Jueves 12 de diciembre de 5:30 a 7 p. m. en 101 N St NW, Washington, DC 20001 [Enlace para registrarse: https://forms.gle/W4ZVoQgFasWv9pRL7]
• Duke Ellington School of the Arts - Inscripciones para el taller previo a la audición
  • Enlace - Pre-Audition Week Workshop

Esperamos que todos puedan asistir a uno o más de los eventos. Responda con fotos de usted y sus estudiantes en cualquiera de estos eventos para participar en un sorteo de tarjetas de regalo.

Atentamente,

Equipo de 8.º grado

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.

Produce Plus is a DC based program that approves families to receive money to directly use at farmer's markets around the city. Please use the link below to enroll:

FRESHFARM: Produce Plus Enrollment Form 2024 (google.com)

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

📌 THIS MONTH'S WELLNESS DISCUSSION 📌

November: Gratitude and Kindness – Encourage practices of thankfulness and acts of kindness within the school community.
Recognizing the role of intentional adults to foster a positive school environment to enhance mental well-being and mindfulness practices with our scholars.

📌 LA DISCUSIÓN SOBRE BIENESTAR DE ESTE MES 📌

Noviembre: Gratitud y bondad – Fomentar prácticas de agradecimiento y actos de bondad dentro de la comunidad escolar.
Reconocer el papel de los adultos intencionales para fomentar un ambiente escolar positivo para mejorar el bienestar mental y las prácticas de atención plena con nuestros estudiantes.

https://secure.smore.com/n/4gxta

*Newsletters can be translated to any preferred language using the translate button at the top.

*Los boletines se pueden traducir a cualquier idioma preferido usando el botón de traducción en la parte superior.

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.