Hearst Weekly Update

One look in the Washington Post over the last few months and particularly over the weekend shows that our school system is facing a series of troubles right now. In this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous time for our district, our job at Hearst remained unchanged, to be the best little school in the district by focusing on educating the whole child. We do this by integrating social emotional learning with a rigorous curriculum, exposing kids to the arts, encouraging a healthy living and an appreciation for the world around us, and by collaborating with one another. Our goal is for all members of our community to be resilient, inclusive, service-oriented, and empowered to pursue their dreams and their passions. Please know that our staff remains committed to our kids and our community in these challenging times for our district. We cannot and will not let these distractions impact our mission and our focus on providing the best education to every Hearst Owl who walks through our doors.

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

The 2nd Annual Cupid’s Kids campaign was a success! The DC Office on Aging team would like to thank you and your students for your help in making this a success! This year we had 9 local elementary schools and 6 local Girl Scout troops create 1,000 handmade Valentine’s Day cards. With the help of our DCOA volunteers we made goodie bags that included a handmade card and blank thank you card for the senior to send to the students [note: these were on display in the main office last week] or Girl Scout troop. The cards were delivered to homebound seniors with their meals. On Valentine’s Day, the EAC team had the chance to deliver some of the cards and capture their smiles!

Please use this form (https://goo.gl/forms/r05ykqbp69kcF9GR2) to register for the DCPS Clearance event that will be held at Hearst on Wednesday, March 7, from 3:00-5:00pm. In order for the event to occur, we need a minimum of 25 pre-registered volunteers, meaning you’ve completed the Volunteer Clearance Application (https://octo.quickbase.com/db/bg37a864v​ ) and this google form at least two days before the event. In order to be fingerprinted, all those attending on March 7th must also bring a negative TB test result from a test administered within the last twelve months.

On February 12, 2018, the Trump Administration eliminated funding for the DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) program in its Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Request to Congress. Established nearly two decades ago in 1999, DCTAG was created to expand higher education choices for college-bound residents of the District of Columbia by providing grants of up to $10,000 toward the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public colleges throughout the US, Guam and Puerto Rico.

Currently DCTAG is helping DC students attend over 300 colleges and universities nationwide. Since its inception, the program has served over 26,000 students - many of whom would not have enrolled in college without the program. By terminating funding, the administration would be adding unnecessary roadblocks that may prevent students from achieving their dreams and will limit their ability to pursue diverse career goals .

Our College & Career Coordinators, School Counselors, and DC CAP Advisors are supporting graduating seniors in completing their FAFSAs, DCTAG, and applying for Financial Aid. We encourage all seniors and current college students to show the importance of DCTAG by completing your application for SY18-19. All of the information about submitting their application is available on the OSSE website at https://osse.dc.gov/dctag.

Visit https://dcpsgoestocollege.org/resources-toolkits/ and sign up for the DCPSDollars4College Newsletter for more information on financial aid and scholarships. We will post updates on DCTAG on both the website and the newsletter.

DCTAG is worthy of continued funding as an investment in our future. We call on Congress to approve this investment in higher education for DC students.

Please, sign the petition at this link www.savedctag.dc.govto urge Congress to fully fund DCTAG in the FY2019 budget.

Thank you!

Best,

Office of Family and Public Engagement
District of Columbia Public Schools
1200 First Street, NE (12th floor)
Washington, DC 20002
T: (202) 719 – 6613

The PTA Corner took an unexpected break last week due to the flu and would like to offer a belated ‘thank you’ to Cory and Mat Levine for opening up their house and hosting a wonderful pre-auction wine party. A great time was had by all and for many of us it answered the years-old question of “I wonder who lives in that house with the great porch?” Go Owls!

Upcoming Events:

• Enrichment: Spring Enrichment is right around the corner. Please contactenrichment@hearstes.org if you would like to teach a class.
• PTA Meeting: The PTA will hold its next regular meeting on Wednesday, February 21 at 6pm in the library. Pizza and childcare will be available for all potty-trained kids. To sign up, please click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Dbm0kkXBjLWlAVZDZF6zfmcMF9B_aZbWkUX_vGsdoew/edit
• SAVE THE DATE – AUCTION: The annual Hearst auction is just one month away and will take place the night of Saturday, March 3 at Washington Hebrew Congregation, so line up your babysitters now! Order your tickets at this linke: https://hearstes.schoolauction.net/2018/tickets/ticket_sales
• Auction Items Needed: We need your help! Did you receive too many Starbucks/Giant/hot yoga gift cards? Get a gift for the holidays that isn't quite your taste but might be someone else's? Own a business or are friends with a business that have goods or services that can be donated? Have a vacation home that you rent out? If you said yes to any of those questions, then please consider donating your items to the auction block. Donations are tax deductible! If you have an item or are willing to solicit for items, please use this link to submit with your donations:https://hearstes.schoolauction.net/2018/donate_items/new
• PI Day: Do you like Pi(e)? The PTA does. Our March monthly meeting will take place on March 14 – AKA Pi Day. Email Judy Goodstein at jgoodstein@segalco.com and let her know what type of pie you will be bringing!
• Teacher Appreciation Week: The PTA is looking for parents to volunteer to coordinate Teacher Appreciation Week in May. Please reach out to Amanda Provost at amanda@wydlerbrothers.com.
• Family Fitness/ Fun Run: The Fun Run is back! This time it’s with the British School on May 6. If you’re interested in helping out, please contact Judy Goodstein at: jgoodstein@segalco.com

Have a great week!!

It is a sad fact that all children need to know how to deal with tragic events—and their parents and caregivers need to know how to help them cope. This month's Report to Parents, "Helping Children Cope With Tragedy," offers families tips for how to help their child cope in the wake of a disaster or tragic event.