Team Kathmandu: Week 21

Fri., Feb. 13: No School, Professional Development Day

Mon., Feb. 16: No School, Presidents' Day

This very short week in Geography we continued to study barriers to education. On Thursday students worked on a Nearpod about the Taliban and Malala and on Friday had a lesson on the Rohingya and access to education for refugees. We will finish our case studies on Monday with Neeraj and Jefferson. Next week students will learn about the UN, its purpose, and its challenges. They will also learn about the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Toward the end of the week students will learn how to read a data table and use that information as evidence in a claim and then be assigned a country for our simulation. Students will be working in pairs, as double delegations to write a speech for our simulation.

Last week I paused our CEAs and, instead, for homework, asked students to please share questions they had from two contacts in Nepal by Friday. One is a native woman from Kathmandu and another is a Peace Corps teacher about 150 miles from Kathmandu. Students were asked to share questions they have about what they saw in the videos and the pictures that were shared. The questions have been so thoughtful and will be forwarded on to the respective individuals for their responses. I’m really proud of the questions and observations that have been asked by our Team Kathmandu students!

CEAs will resume next week, with CEA #14.

In studying SSEA, Amelia R. suggested we host a series of teas during recess. Please see the student invite attached. All Kathmandu students are invited to participate. The announcement is also in Canvas>Geography>Announcements.

With this year’s new 10:1 student–teacher ratio for field trips and our large 6th grade class, we are building a parent chaperone list to ensure we can fully staff upcoming trips. Joining the list does not commit you to any specific trip—it simply lets us know you’re open to being contacted when chaperones are needed. All parent chaperones must be fully cleared as DCPS volunteers, so families who are interested should review the clearance process here: https://dcps.dc.gov/page/volunteer-our-schools. If you would like to be added to our possible chaperone list, please reach out. Even expressing interest is extremely helpful as we plan future experiences for our students. Thank you for your continued support!

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! 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 began writing, creating, and solving one and two step inequalities in preparation for RCT testing. Students determined eligible for our SMAC program (specifically the virtual component) based on iReady MOY Testing were sent invitations (resending this weekend). Next week students will work on calculating numbers using order of operations.

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.

Study guides 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 conceptualizing operations containing positive and negative integers. Next week students will continue to work on expressions and equations containing positive and negative integers in preparation for RCT testing.

Students determined eligible for our SMAC program (specifically the virtual component) based on iReady MOY Testing were sent invitation.

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 (Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays) to complete multiple lessons weekly.

Study guides 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.

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.

We will hold a virtual meeting on December 9 at 6:30 pm to share information about SMAC and the virtual/asynchronous option for math acceleration this summer. Please join using this link - https://bit.ly/2026SMACINFO

• 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!

We survived the snow! We haven’t reached our weather unit yet to discuss how sleet is formed, but here’s a preview: sleet occurs when snowflakes pass through a warmer layer of air and melt, then refreeze as they enter the colder layer of air closest to the ground.

During this very short week, students explored Earth’s place in our universe by investigating constellations. They are currently working on creating a story about a constellation they have “discovered”. This assignment is due on Monday - see Canvas for instructions.

Next week, we will spend some time examining the life cycles of stars and then explore the relationship between mass and gravity. Students will practice their graphing skills to illustrate this relationship.

We will also continue our Term 3 roots. Our roots for next week are:

• centric = in the center (think: heliocentric, concentric)

• *grav = heavy (think: gravity, grave)

• *luna = moon (think: lunar, lunatic)

• *astro = star (think: astronomy, astronaut)

• -ology = the study of (think: biology, psychology)

Keepers: deci, centi, milli

Have a great weekend and stay warm out there!

shanishka.johnson@k12.dc.gov

Ms. Johnson's list SY25-26

Book time to meet with me

Well, this week we shoveled snow, went sledding, and hopefully stayed warm. On Thursday we took some time to check out everyone’s Term 2 book projects which were especially engaging as many were board games. Congrats to Graham for making the most popular board game of the day (see picture to the right).

As a note, whenever school is cancelled, I do not expect students to do the work at home that we were going to do in class. All of that just gets pushed back a day, or two, or maybe three. I would rather they get a good book (Sora is always available) and spend some time reading. Here's what Team Kathmandu students, families and staff have been reading: Padlet.

Next week, we will do everything we had intended to do this week. This includes reading chapters 7-9 of The Giver, with a focus on tone, how the protagonist is affected by events, and how that affects his relationships with others. Additionally, students will take the Unit 3 Skills Test 2 for a formative grade.

The February reading challenge is Historical Fiction. What will you be reading?

Katy Byrns

katy.byrns2@k12.dc.gov

Politics & Prose Wishlist

This week, we got a lot of snow! Next week, we will begin our next unit on integers and inequalities.

By Monday 2/2 students should be at 21 lessons passed. 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.

Please note that I’ve also uploaded a document for all the notes for our first unit to the class Canvas page and I will continue to periodically upload future notes as we progress.

brandon.shufelt@k12.dc.gov

Read the library newsletter for February! Check out great opportunities for reading challenges, using DCPL databases, Black History Month resources, and more at the link below:

https://app.smore.com/n/x3k0a

Thanks,

Stephen Reichlen

Library Media Specialist

Deal MS – DC Public Schools

stephen.reichlen@k12.dc.gov

Is your child looking to meet some new friends? Or maybe they just want to join an afterschool activity. You can find the current list of Deal Clubs in the document below.

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.

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.