Dear Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization members,
1. W6PSPO will meet on MONDAY, October 17 (not our regular third Tuesday of the month) at 7 pm. Literacy will be the focus of our discussion. We will be joined by Karla Reid-Witt from Decoding Dyslexia who will discuss the Addressing Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties Amendment Act of 2020; K.C. Boyd who will discuss the pending legislation The Right to Read Amendment Act of 2021; and Kevin Washburn (Director Library Programs), Jennifer Carpenter (Director Special Education Inclusion), and Shareen Cruz (Reading Specialist) from DCPS. We will also be joined by Melissa Hoppmeyer who will discuss the Maury PTA’s City Advocacy Committee. We will also discuss the upcoming W6PSPO elections.
If you registered for a previous W6PSPO meeting, the link you received for that meeting will work for this and future W6PSPO meetings. If you don’t already have the meeting link, you can register at
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAudOqsqDorHdOqNZKiWVfvLL0TPp_az3Wp. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
2. Right to Read Conference
It is timely that after our W6PSPO literacy discussion, there is a Right to Read virtual conference that is open to the public! Join @EdReformNowDC, @DDyslexiaDC, and a host of panelists in an engaging discussion on what must be done to improve literacy outcomes. Please share this information with your school communities.
Right to Read – What’s At Stake? – October 26, 2:30 pm
What Do Educators Need to Know About Reading? – October 26, 6:30 pm
What Do Parents Need to Know About Reading? – October 27, 6:30 pm
3. DCPS Librarians need your support!The Right to Read Amendment Act of 2021 was presented last fall by CM Charles Allen. This bill ensures that a full-time, certified librarian is staffed in every DC school. If the bill passes, it would stop the negative cycle of excessing librarians and provide consistency in staffing and library service for all DCPS students. The bill has the potential to expire in the council. Librarians, parents and supporters need to testify at the upcoming Teacher/Principal Turnover Hearing for the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, October 25th at 1pm. The deadline to register is October 21 at 5 pm. Sign up here.
4. Pollinator Garden Support – The Monarch Sister Schools Program is looking to start more pollinator gardens in DC, and work with teachers to use them as outdoor classrooms, offering lesson plans that help connect students with nature and reinforce STEM learning through hands-on activities. If your school doesn’t have a pollinator garden, and is interested in starting one, please contact me and I will connect you with the Monarch Sister Schools staff.
5. Walk and Roll to School Day – Thank you to everyone who came to Walk and Roll to School Day last Wednesday. The J.O. Wilson cheerleaders rocked, the Maury cross country team did a fantastic job helping lead the warm-up activities, and the Eastern High School Marching Band was their awesome selves. Special thanks to Sandra Moscoso who did the lion’s share of the organizing. Check out the photos from the day on flickr.
Other Local “good stuff”
In case you haven’t heard, the Eastern Marching Band received over $130,000 in donations this weekend from around the world after The Washington Post ran a story about them!!!
Have you been to Hill Center lately? DOWNLOAD this sampling of October events and programs, many of which are family, kid, and teen friendly! Please consider passing this along to your school communities.
Hope to see you on Monday.
Suzanne Wells
Ward 6 Public School Parents Organization 