Principal's Message Jan 29- Feb 2

Dear Peabody and Watkins community,

We made it to the half-way point! Today is the end of Term 2 and Monday begins the 2nd half of our year. We're now closer to summer than we are the first day of school. It's odd how it kind of feels like it with this 70-degree day 🫠

Our staff reflected on our successes and expressed some gratitude to their teammates during some of our professional learning time today before we jumped into teaching, learning, and more. Caregivers: I encourage you to ask you children and yourselves the same questions: what are some things you're most proud of at this mid-point of the year? How can you express gratitude to the people that helped you come this far?

One thing I'm grateful for is our incredible community. Earlier in the week I was celebrating how we honored Dr. King's legacy and our city-wide essay winners and this week, I was to celebrate our ability to just have fun together. The Peabody Jammy Jam this week was so. much. fun. Thank you PTA leaders and dozens of caregiver volunteers that made the party such a success. We danced, we bounced, and we pizza'ed until the last "bounce" call was made and it was such a joy to be together just having fun.

Report cards should be published on Aspen by February 9 and paper copies will be sent home by February 13. The next caregiver conference day is in March, but caregivers can always inquire about their child's progress at any time.

Please see below for more information about:

• Cluster Family Game Night!
• Peabody, Watkins, and Stuart Hobson Open Houses
  
• Recurring Reminders
  

Link to our cluster calendar!

Quick look ahead. Click above to see details:

Hello Families,

We look forward to welcoming new families to our schools. Please promote the below flyers broadly within your networks.

Peabody is implementing an Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias curriculum extension this school year. For more information, visit our website
https://www.capitolhillclusterschool.org/equity-inclusion

Next week we read: A Book Chosen by Classroom Teacher

Some discussion questions you could have with your child at home are: What book did your teacher read? How were the characters different or same as each other? As you?

Families - please check the lost and found to claim any of your items. The lost and found is in the vestibule adjacent to the gym - the door students use to arrive and dismiss. All remaining items will be donated on January 26th.

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

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