Mustang Matters

Greetings MMS Families,

I hope you had a great short week with your Mustangs – we had a full and busy one this week and are looking forward to another impactful week next week even though school is closed Tuesday. School is OPEN Monday though and we need 100% of our Mustangs present and ready to learn each day we are open next week. 6th grade is leading our attendance work at nearly 93% attendance – a big jump from last year – but we need to stretch toward 100% in all grades each day. Please support us by ensuring your Mustang is present and on time every day!

We had an outstanding Halloween day and celebration last Friday and there are a few highlights/shout outs that I want to feature here:

• 6th Grade Publishing Party.mp4 – as I shared last week this was a great hit with our students and we were so happy to have families join in this meaningful experience – check out the video highlighting this experience! Thanks Ms. Beckett for putting this together!
• Trunk or Treat 25.mp4 – The trunk or treat at Roosevelt was also a ton of fun! Thank you to Ms. Beckett for another great glimpse into this experience for our Mustangs!

The Remind App has been problematic across DCPS schools for the past week and we are actively engaging the company to ensure the issue is rectified (and Mr. Novoa-Marcan has been for months!) but we want to make sure families are still able to access information. As additional steps while Remind is acting up, please look for the following sources of information (including this newsletter!):

• The weekly message will also be sent out via Aspen and Blackboard Connect
• It will continue to be send on Remind
• Ms. Beckett will also be uploading it to the website weekly
• We are working to see if we can link it our Instagram as well

Please reach out to Mr. Novoa-Marcano if you are having any issues accessing communications!

Family Math Night (11/13) - Join us for a fun and interactive evening of hands-on math activities, practical tips, and family connections! DCPS Family Math Night will be hosted at Noyes ES (2725 10th Street NE) on Thursday, November 13 from 5:30-7:30 PM (dinner served from 5:30-6:00 PM). This event is part of DCPS’ Parent University series, designed to support student success by partnering with families. All are welcome—and yes, dinner is on us! Please see this flyer or newsletter blurb. POC: Quintin.Floyd2@k12.dc.gov

Have a great weekend,

November PTO Meeting – 18th, 6:00pm - MacFarlandMSPTO@gmail.com

Next Curbside Coffee – Friday, November 21st – out front 8-8:45

Picture Day is Coming! – We are hoping all staff will take an updated picture this year and we need folks to message to students and families to look their best and be present on Monday, November 24th for Picture Day!

Parent Resource - November Resources – Gratitude Challenge! – please see the calendar from our Wellness Team for a different gratitude task each day of the month. All students who participate fully will join us for a celebration at the end of the month so keep a copy of their calendar to track their progress!

PTO Liaisons have been coordinated to support each grade level and grade level families. You can expect to see them at PTO meetings and connect with them if need be. For 25-26 SY the staff liaisons are:

- 6th Grade – Jessica Gibian – jessica.gibian@k12.dc.gov

- 7th Grade – Fadwa Hussein – fadwa.hussein@k12.dc.gov

- 8th Grade – Sarah Riggen – sarah.riggen@k12.dc.gov

In addition, the family Grade Level Liaisons for this year are:

• 6th Grade – Anita Rechler and Julie Gallo – rechlera@gmail.com, julie.schwenk@gmail.com

• 7th Grade – Patrique Smellie – pacamp01@gmail.com

• 8th Grade – Nidia Dence – nidia.dence@gmail.com

A huge thanks to all of our liaisons for this year, and a reminder to all families: be sure to join the PTO’s WhatsApp or email list if you haven’t already (see info at the bottom of this message)!

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 AP Ojeda for supporting and facilitating the Open House for prospective families on Monday while school was closed! It was great to have some folks turn out and get to see our building and connect with AP Ojeda and learn about MacFarland. The more opportunity we get to share our great work and great student experiences the more impact we can have on our community! Let’s keep getting more Mustangs!

Shout out to AP Dance for another key step in the work of collecting our future Mustangs on Wednesday when he attended the Whittier Middle School Fair! The more chances we get to connect with families as I shared above the better! Thank you AP Dance for hauling yourself up there and representing MacFarland!

Shout out to our Math Team who coordinated the November First Friday breakfast today! It was a great feast and a great chance to connect with one another to close out the week. Special shout out to Ms. George for sneaking in even when we she was supposed to be off work to make sure that her team and MacFarland family was taken care of. It was a needed way to close out the week.

Another great staff to staff shout out from Ms. Raphael this week:

Hello, my wonderful teammates!I wanted to the time to highlight you both in our MMS Wellness Newsletter! Thank you in advance Dr. Lee. Ms. Bax, please forward this to your lovely substitute, Ms. McBaxagall!

The love and time you've dedicated to your classroom put a smile on MY face. I can't even imagine the warm feels your students' experience under your care.

Thank you from me and the wellness team! 🙂

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

Next Curbside Coffee – Friday, November 21st – out front 8-8:45

November PTO Meeting – 18th 6:00pm - MacFarlandMSPTO@gmail.com

Open House Dates: if you would like to support an Open House please reach out at least one week prior!

Also, please share with any potential MacFarland families!

• Monday, November 3rd, 2025 - 11:00am-12:00pm
• Thursday, December 11th, 2025 - 5:30pm- 6:30pm
• Thursday, January 8th, 2026 - 5:30pm -6:30pm
• Monday, January 26th, 2026 - 5:30pm-6:30pm

Empower your family with tools to navigate the digital world! Based on the trusted Common Sense Media curriculum, this series offers short videos, parent tip sheets, and family engagement guides to help parents support their kids in making healthy, informed choices online. From media literacy to digital well-being, each resource is designed to spark meaningful conversations and build lifelong habits for safe and responsible tech use.

Social media and websites often show us things they think we’ll like, based on what we’ve clicked on before. This can trap us in a loop of similar posts and videos, called a filter bubble, without us even noticing. When we only see one side of things, it can shrink our understanding of the world. In this lesson, students will explore how filter bubbles, echo chambers, and confirmation bias work together to shape what we see, believe, and share online. Through real-life examples, they’ll learn how to spot these patterns and practice ways to break out of them. The goal is to help students think more openly, ask questions, and explore different viewpoints—so they can grow into thoughtful, informed digital citizens.

Before watching, please print out the attachments

Bursting the Filter Bubble.mp4

The Peoples Congregational United Church in Christ is working with the MacFarland community to provide families with food for the Thanksgiving holiday. If you would like to receive food please contact Edgar Novoa-Marcano via email at edgar.novoa-marcano@k12.dc.gov or text (202) 794-2628 or by informing the main office at (202) 671-6033.

The Thanksgiving distribution will take place on Friday November 21st, from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM at the Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ located at 4704 13th Street NW. If you are unable to pick up the food during that time, please let us know so that we can make alternate arrangements for pick up.

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La Iglesia Congregacional Unida de Cristo del Pueblo está colaborando con la comunidad de MacFarland para proporcionar alimentos a las familias durante el tiempo del Día de Acción de Gracias. Si desea recibir alimentos, comuníquese con Edgar Novoa-Marcano por correo electrónico a edgar.novoa-marcano@k12.dc.gov, por mensaje de texto al (202) 794-2628 o llamando a la oficina principal al (202) 671-6033.

La distribución de alimentos para Acción de Gracias se llevará a cabo el viernes 21 de noviembre, de 10:00 a. m. a 1:00 p. m., en la Iglesia Congregacional Unida de Cristo del Pueblo, ubicada en 4704 13th Street NW. Si no puede recoger los alimentos durante ese horario, por favor avísenos para que podamos coordinar otra entrega.

Dear MacFarland community, as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) tightens its stance on food support to families, MacFarland is seeing more pull on our food pantry that supports students and families year-round.

Most of the items that are typically used to support families have been depleted. If you have any unexpired, non-perishables in your pantries and cupboards, please think about supporting our families with these items. Protein meals (including beans, and other grains, canned fish/meat) are of value to our families. With every school break comes more stress for families; because we’re a school community that supports the whole child, this is our way of ensuring care beyond the walls of the school campus.

If you are able to support, you may drop off the non-perishable goods in the main office, so that we can sort, store, and support families immediately in need.

Thank you for all that you do to support our school community.

The Petworth Library will be closing for a building refresh project on December 12th and we will likely be closed for the remainder of the school year. For more information please visit the link below:

https://www.dclibrary.org/news/petworth-library-renovation

The goal of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Safe Routes to School

(SRTS) program is to get more students walking and biking to school and doing so safely.

Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts in this anonymous, 10-minute survey to

help us customize our programs and services around the challenges faced at your school.

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8271328/58f491c68c8e

A través de nuestro programa de Rutas Seguras a la Escuela (SRTS) del Departamento

de Transporte del Distrito (DDOT), queremos conseguir que más niños vayan a pie y en

bicicleta a la escuela y que lo hagan de forma segura.

Le pedimos que participe en esta encuesta anónima de unos 10 minutos y comparta

con nosotros su opinión y experiencia para que podamos adaptar nuestros programas

y servicios a los retos a los que se enfrentan las personas.

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8271328/1a5e102c9600

NEW ATTENDANCE EXCUSE NOTE PLATFORM: Families can now submit attendance excuse notes via the Aspen GO (Parent Portal). Step-by-step instructions attached below.

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.

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

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.