Principal's Message Oct 30 - Nov 3

Dear Peabody and Watkins community,

I hope all caregivers and teachers were able to connect around our students' achievement and well-being this week. Thank you teachers for preparing and meeting with every family that attended. And thank you to our families for balancing watching your kids while also making time to meet with our teachers. A strong partnership between families and school makes for strong outcome for our students.

Our Peabody Book Fair is NEXT WEEK! Please spend a little extra time at drop off and pick up to shop our book fair on the 1st floor.

We are also excitedly preparing for our first Spirit Week (Oct 30 - Nov 3.). Feel the spirit early by participating in our Cluster Kickball game, Oct 29 (see flier below). On Oct 31 we will have our annual Book Character Parade at both campuses and at Watkins we'll celebrate our Anti-Bullying Door Decorating Contest and Poster and Essay Campaign.

For Watkins families: to see whole-school announcements on ClassDojo, please use this link. It's come to our attention that not everyone received it the first time.

We are preparing to honor Veteran's Day in November. We're asking all families that can spare or print a picture of their service/family member, their service, and the relationship to the Peabody or Watkins student (for example: "John Smith, WWII grandfather of Judy, 2nd Grade"), we are working on something to share in the future. Please bring those pictures and descriptions into the main office or your homeroom teacher.

Link to our cluster calendar!

Quick look ahead. Click above to see details:

Watkins will host author Sean O’Brien on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. to discuss the first book in his new series, White House Clubhouse, which follows the adventures of two First Daughters. O’Brien is a Capitol Hill neighbor who has worn many hats: White House speechwriter, congressional chief of staff, comedy performer, and professor. A former Watkins parent, he conceived of the story while watching his children at the Watkins playground.

Books, which will be signed by the author, must be pre-ordered. East City Bookshop is offering staff and families a 10% discount. Books must be ordered by Friday, Nov. 3 to ensure delivery at the event.

Act now and order online:

1. Go to www.eastcitybookshop.com

2. Create or log into your account

3. Search for White House Clubhouse and add it to cart

4. At check out, type in WATKINSSO1 in the “Promo Code” box and choose the “Pick up in-store” option

(books will be delivered to Watkins for the visit)

5. In the notes section, please type Watkins School Visit + your student’s name, grade, and

homeroom teacher for inscription and delivery

Please take a moment to look in the Lost and Found area as it is filled with many items students have left at school. The rack and bins are located in the entry way on C street. Thank you!

The library is hosting three after-school clubs:

• Harry Potter Club (2nd, 3rd and 4th graders)
• Dog Man Club (2nd and 3rd graders), and
• Library Club (4th and 5th graders).

Membership lists have been posted at school and on ClassDojo. Ms. Langley will communicate about clubs on ClassDojo. Ms. Langley can be reached by text at 202-200-2492 and email cory.langley@k12.dc.gov.

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