Hearst Weekly Update

Good evening Owl Family! I hope that everyone had the opportunity to disconnect and recharge over this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Although Thursday is the day that we set aside for giving thanks, like many of you, I keep a gratitude journal and every day write down at least three things I appreciate or am grateful for in my life. While there are always personal things that make my list each day, inevitably, there is always something from Hearst on the list too. Some days I write about a conversation or interaction with a student, but more often I write about one of our staff. They are an amazing group of educators who work tirelessly on behalf of our kids and you and I am privileged to work with them each day. As a community, we also have a lot to be thankful for, including a new addition to our Owl family. Congratulations to Ms. Morales and Mr. Zamora and welcome to the family, Kevin! Thank you for your continued support and safe travels to those of you on your way back to the city today.

Upcoming Events:

• Thursday, November 30 - Principal Chat 2:45-3:15, Chorus Concert 5:30-6:00, Literacy Night 6:00-7:30
• Friday, December 1 - No School for Students
• Wednesday, December 6 - Math Night 6:15-7:30

Email: attendance@hearstes.org
Website: www.hearstes.org
Location: 3950 37th Street Northwest, Washington, DC, United States
Phone: (202) 282-0106
Facebook: facebook.com/hearstes
Twitter: @hearstes

Ms. Burleigh's class has finished their new rocks and this week and next Mr. Stacey's class will be completing their rocks. Mr. Levin's homeroom will begin making rocks next week as well. My goal is to have each student in the school make a rock before the end of the school year, and I need your help to make this a reality. Especially before the ground freezes and snow begins to fall, I hope all Hearst community members will find large, flat rocks to bring in to our Kindness Rocks donation bin, a milk crate near the security desk in the lobby. For more information about the project, please visit http://thekindnessrocksproject.com and please take a moment to appreciate the kids' kind messages on your way into the front door of the school.

Health and attendance are undeniably linked. Please share this flyer with your elementary school community to help parents and school staff better understand when kids should come to school (avoiding unnecessary absences) and when they should stay home (to avoid getting others sick). Also, please remind your teachers and other school staff that this is the time of year to be extra diligent about hand washing to avoid the spread of colds and other illnesses.

Attached here you will find another health-related resource that can be provided to families of students with more chronic health conditions. This parent letter outlines school-based resources available to families in order to minimize absences due to health-related concerns.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact the DCPS Health and Wellness team at healthservices.dcps@dc.gov.

Please be advised that WMATA will implement a partial Red Line closure November 25 – December 10. During this time, Takoma Station will be closed and there will be no service between Fort Totten and Silver Spring. Limited free shuttle buses will operate between Fort Totten, Takoma, and Silver Spring stations. Please distribute and post the attached flyer and advise students and families to allow extra travel time and to get to and from school. Families can determine best travel options by visiting WMATA.com or by calling Metro Customer Service at 202-637-7000.

Last year's FY18 Budget Guide is also available online, including program requirements, position costs, and more. For a deeper dive into Local School Advisory Teams (LSATs) and their role, please refer to the resources online here.

Hello Hearst Owls! We hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday. There are a lot of events around the corner and the PTA could really use your support. There's a role for everyone!

Upcoming Events:

• Auction Committee Meeting: The Auction Committee will be meeting Monday, December 5 at 6:30 at the Tenleytown Whole Foods (2nd floor). All are welcome to join. If you can't attend but have an idea you would like to share, please contact Christina Burnett at clipp_10@yahoo.com or Kim Cooper at kzaikov@gmail.com.
  
• Holiday Luncheon Co-Chairs Needed: The annual holiday luncheon for students and staff is set to take place on Thursday, December 21 at Hearst but we need parents to volunteer to organize it. Please reach out to PTA Co-President Judy Goodstein at jgoodstein@segalco.com.
• Politics and Prose: If you like books, this is the community event for you. And if you don’t, please buy some books anyway and donate them to the school! Coming on January 28, we will have a fundraiser at Politics and Prose, with 20 percent of the proceeds coming back to the Hearst PTA. The fundraiser will take place that day from 10am-8pm and there will be a table set up downstairs with teacher wish lists!
• SAVE THE DATE – AUCTION WINE PARTIES: The first pre-auction wine party will be held on Saturday, January 6 and will be hosted by the Long Family. The second pre-auction wine party will be held on Saturday, February 10 and will be hosted by the Levine Family. Get those bottles of wine ready and more information will be available in the coming weeks.
• Parents Night Out: Looking for a night out? How about Friday, January 26? Drop your kids off in the Hearst gym from 6pm-10pm and they will eat pizza, play games and watch a movie with four of our outstanding Hearst teachers. The charge is $20 per kid for the entire four hours. We are capping this at 60 Hearst students and their younger potty-trained siblings who are at least three years old. In order to sign up, you must find PTA Vice President Jolyon Bowman on the playground and hand him the cash.
• SAVE THE DATE – AUCTION: The annual Hearst auction will take place the night of Saturday, March 3, so line up your babysitters now!

Event Details:

Ward 3 Special Education Workshop (Office of the Student Advocate in conjunction with the Ward 3-Wilson Feeder Education Network, Ruth Wattenberg, Ward 3, DC State Board of Education, and Wilson High School)

Date: Monday, December 11, 2017

Time: 7-8:30p

Location: Wilson High School, 3950 Chesapeake St. NW, Washington, DC 20016

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ward-3-special-education-workshop-tickets-40115170555?aff=es2

Questions? Contact student.advocate@dc.gov or 202-741-4692

Agenda:

1. Welcome (10 minutes) - Ward 3-Wilson Feeder Education Network, Ruth Wattenberg, and Office of the Student Advocate
2. Know Your Rights Overview (15 minutes) - Note: this will be a discussion of the law, with an emphasis on important points all parents need to know (led by the Office of the Ombudsman)
3. Introductions of Table Facilitators (10 minutes)
4. Individualized Mini Table Sessions (45 minutes – three 10-15 minute rounds) - Note: this portion will be set up will be in the World Café model, each office will have its own table to share with participants more about their office and answer parent questions
5. Wrap Up/Additional Questions/Closing (10 minutes)

Organizations scheduled to have tables:

(1) The Office of the Student Advocate

(2) Office of the State Superintendent of Education

- Office of Dispute Resolution

- Specialized Education State Complaints

- Parents from the OSSE State Advisory Panel on Special Education

(3) Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education

(4) DC Public Schools

- Division of Specialized Instruction

- Grievance Team

(5) DC Special Education Cooperative

(6) Children’s Law Center

(7) Advocates for Justice & Education