Greetings MMS Families,

We had another interrupted week this past week, but still some meaningful days and got some key tasks done such as our first day of ACCESS testing. We had a great trip for our 7th graders as well to the African American History Museum and some fun on the day before Valentine’s Day – we hope you and your Mustang enjoyed the day off and we will see them Tuesday as there is no school Monday.

Black History Month continued this week with our Black History Month Spirit Week – shout out to all of the staff and students who participated! Our culminating experience details will be shared by Mr. Cordoba and the team this coming week. I wanted to share this article that I thought was an interesting reflection on brining Black History Month to life for our students: Three Tools to Help Teach About Black Historical Figures in a Modern Light | KQED. Shout out as well to our 7th grade team who took the majority of the grade to the African American History Museum on Thursday despite the rainy weather to have more experiential learning this month.

Tuesday ACCESS Testing - We will resume and conclude our full school ACCESS testing Tuesday as Wednesday’s snow day required us to reschedule. Please remind your student Mustangs!

Have a great weekend,

Cooke

At DC Public Schools, we want every student to feel loved, challenged, and prepared to positively influence society and thrive in life. To reach this ambitious goal, every student needs to be in school every day. However, too many of the young people in our city are not coming to school every day.

The Office of the State Superintendent’s (OSSE) finds that one in four kids in DC are chronically absent from school – which means missing 10 percent or more of the school year. At some DCPS high schools, three out of four students are chronically absent.

DCPS believes that every day counts.

Students, families, and the community must be empowered to track our progress in helping every young person get to school. By being transparent about our challenges, our city can work together to reduce the barriers that too many students and families face.

Definitions

• Truancy: Measures the percent of students aged 5-17 who are considered truant. To be “truant” means that a student has 10 or more unexcused absences from school – with or without – parental knowledge, consent, or otherwise securing prior approval from the start of the school year.
• In-school Attendance: Measures the average percent of students who are attending school.
• Chronic Absence Rate: Measures the percent of students who miss 10 percent or more days in a school year from the start of the school year.
• Attendance Entry Rate: Measures the percent of classes for which a school has entered attendance.
• 60/40 rule: Students are considered legally absent for the day if they miss more than 40% of their classes.

Regular school attendance is critical for academic success. Our goal is to ensure that every student attends school regularly and on time. Daily presence in school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success, starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families can continue to play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school—excused or unexcused—they can fall behind academically. Your child is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent—which means missing 18 or more days in a school year. Research shows that:

Children that are chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. By 6th grade, chronic absence is a warning sign for students at risk of dropping out of school. By 9th grade, good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8th grade test scores.

Questions/Concerns:

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Ms. Claribel Salgado via email at claribel.salgado@k12.dc.gov or by phone at (202) 671-6033.

Attendance Excuse Notes:

If your student is absent for a legally approved reason please complete the Attendance Excuse Form at the link below.

https://forms.office.com/r/CzHTTvJCM9

Alternatively, if you are unable to submit the form you can email Ms. Claribel Salgado (claribel.salgado@k12.dc.gov) or direct your student to turn in their excuse note or official documentation to the main office.

LSAT Meeting – LSAT Team - please hold Thursday 2.20 5:00pm as a ‘just in case’ time!

We have some great arts events/experiences Ms. Lewand is coordinating in the coming weeks:

Wednesday 2/19 and Thursday 2/20 During Lunchtime: Broadcast Journalism Club will be filming for Black History Month in the hallway near the lunchroom.

Wednesday February 26th at 9:05 (Throughout A1) and Tuesday February 25th at 2:02 (Throughout B4): 8th grade Art students will be walking around MacFarland taking photos of their "Everyday DC" as part of the annual Everyday DC Photography Symposium.

Anti-Racist/Student Empowerment Work – as we continue to work to strengthen our school community and our work in this vein there are some important next steps being coordinated with our partners We Wil All Rise:

• Student Focus Groups are scheduled for February 26th between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the MacFarland Barber Shop. Each group will consist of 6-8 students.
• Teacher/Staff Focus Groups: These are scheduled for March 19th, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., with 6-8 participants per group. If you are interested in participating please email Edgar/Cooke directly.

Dear Families,

I hope this message finds you well. As you may know, February is recognized nationally as Black History Month. At MacFarland Middle School, we are excited to honor the rich history, culture, and contributions of the Black community through a series of events throughout the month.

In recognition of this important occasion, we are planning an Afro-African-Caribbean Food Festival along with activities designed to celebrate and educate our students about Black culture and history. We would be delighted to have the parent contributions and participation to support this event. This event is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday 2/26, but is dependent our whole school community bringing it to fruition.

We believe that parent and community involvement would greatly enhance the success of our celebration. Specifically, we are seeking for support in the following areas:

• Food Tasting: Encouraging families/community members to setup a table with staple dishes, beverages and items to present their cultures.
• Donations: Cash or food/drink items to help celebrate our students.

We look forward to the possibility of collaborating with you to create a memorable experience for our school community.

Warm regards,

Mr. Cordoba"

8th Grade/All Parent resource from Ms. Castro – please see attached HS Season One-Pager in English and Spanish.

Greetings Families,

High School Season has transitioned from On-Time Lottery Applications to Post-Lottery Applications. What does this mean? This means that every high school application received starting from 12:00 am February 4th, will be reviewed in the order that is submitted.

In total, we had 119 applications submitted with 115 on time and 4 post-lottery applications. Of these applications, we had a total of 203 applications to selective high schools! For the first time, due to the abundance of applicants, we will be hosting Phelps Architecture Construction and Engineering High School staff on Thursday, February 27th for in-person interviews and timed essays. Recommenders have been and continue to work hard on their recommendations. Our deadline is Monday, February 10th. Reminder that results are released on Friday, March 28th.

It is our recommendation that every student complete high school research and applies to at least one high school. While this is our recommendation, we understand that many of our students want to enroll at Roosevelt. With this in mind, we will be visiting next week on Wednesday, February 12th. If a secondary visit is needed, it will be scheduled at our earliest convenience. Additionally, we have also rescheduled our visit to Dunbar to Wednesday, February 26th.

Thank you all so much for your continued support!

REMINDER - Spring 2025 Panorama Surveys Open February 24 (3/28) The Spring 2025 Panorama surveys for students, families, teachers, staff, and school leaders will run from Monday, February 24 to Friday, March 28. Administration details will be sent next week. Student-level SEL data will update in the Student Success platform on an ongoing basis throughout the survey, while SEL scale results will be available immediately after the survey closes.

REMINDER - Summer Bridge for New Mustangs 8.5-8.8 (Tu-Fri) – Yes – it’s a long way off, but we are always asked about Summer Bridge early in the year, and we are sharing our dates now so you can plan for your newest Mustang or share with feeder school partners and friends.

REMINDER -2.11, 2.12 – ACCESS Testing – MLL Students – students will test and have an adjusted schedule.

REMINDER - 4.28-5.9 – CAPE Testing – All students – our biggest test of the year – students will test each morning and have a modified schedule.

REMINDER – Last OPEN HOUSE - February 19th, 5pm - Please share with other families and feeder school families!!

Parent Resource – REPEATED - As a new administration moves into our federal government, we know that some of our vulnerable communities and families may have concerns or seek information related to possible immigration actions. We have attached multiple resources for our families to review and are actively collaborating with our partner schools and central office to offer more workshops and resource support. If you have any questions or a specific need, please reach out to Mr. Novoa-Marcano – edgar.novoa-marcano@k12.dc.gov

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

4.28-5.9 – CAPE Testing – All students

6.6.25 – 4th Period – EOY Talent Showcase

8.5.25-8.8.25 – Tu-Friday - Summer Bridge for New Mustangs 8.5-8.8 (Tu-Fri)

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!

Shout out to Mr. Novoa-Marcano who continues to work on actively forwarding our anti-racist/student empowerment work. This week even on the snow day he met with our partners at We Will All Rise to plan some exciting upcoming events and focus groups. This work is at the heart of our continued journey to be One MacFarland. Please reach out if you’d like to lean in further or support in any way!

Our first day of ACCESS testing was largely a success thanks to the hard work, attention to details and flexibility of our ACCESS team and our teachers, staff and Mustangs. Thank you to Ms. Vallano and AP Ojeda for leading these efforts as well as coordinating make up testing on Thursday. We look forward to another smooth day of testing to ‘wrap up’ on Tuesday!

Custodial Shout Out for Wednesday! As usual any time we have inclement weather it is our custodial team who must still report to ensure the building is clear, clean and safely operating. Thank you team for doing this work again and efficiently so we could all return to the building with everything looking clear and great!

LSAT Shout Out for their input and flexibility during our short meeting this week. As we are expecting to have budget information soon, this team will be kept on their toes with a likely quick turnaround, but their consistency in meeting all year has us in a good position for meaningful collaboration.

PTO Shout Out as our PTO team had their February meeting this Tuesday evening AND facilitated our flower sale fundraiser this week. The team continues to work to support our students and school community – hope more staff are able to join the March session!!!

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

Next Curbside Coffee – TBD – we are working on coordinating with our next in person PTO meeting.

February PTO Meeting – 3.11 – 6:00pm - PTO Meeting

City Kids Wilderness Project is a DC-based youth development nonprofit that offers 6+ consecutive years of entirely FREE out-of-school time programs focused on utilizing outdoor spaces and experiences to build social, emotional, leadership, and college and career readiness skills to small cohorts of DC-based middle and high school youth in both the DMV area and Jackson Hole, WY. We take our youth to do everything from whitewater rafting to rock climbing to hiking in the Grand Teton mountains!

City Kids is currently recruiting our next cohort of 6th grade youth for the SY24-25 program year.

Please see below to learn more about the City Kids program, including what we look for in 6th grade applicants:

• The City Kids Journey: 90 second overview video of the City Kids Program
• City Kids Annual Report
• City Kids Recruitment Flyer

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.

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

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.