Walk to School Day is Wednesday October 8 – Join us at Lincoln Park
Upcoming Opportunities to Meet Candidates
Dear Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization members,
While CHPSPO does not endorse or advocate for a particular candidate in the upcoming elections, we do want to forward information about opportunities to meet the mayoral and school board candidates.
CHPSPO will sponsor a Ward 6 school board candidates forum on Tuesday, October 14, at 6:30 p.m. at Eastern High School.
Efforts are underway by a city-wide coalition of education activists to organize a mayoral candidates forum focused on education issues. The date has not been finalized for this forum. I will send a message when the date is finalized.
This Saturday, September 6th from 9 – 10:30 am in Lincoln Park there will be Coffee in the Park with mayoral candidate David Catania. This event is hosted jointly by Public School Parents for Catania and Ward 6 for Catania. There will be coffee for adults, and some activities for kids.
If you become aware of any public forums for the mayoral candidates, please let me know about them. Thanks.
Suzanne Wells
District of Change: Making Schools Better for DC Event 10 Sept 7PM
Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 – 7 p.m.
Over the past few years, public education in D.C. has been transformed – from IMPACT rating for teachers, to school closings, to boundary and feeder changes, to major facilities improvements, to an explosion of Public Charter Schools. Have these attempts to close the achievement gap worked? Are D.C. schools better? Join us as we talk to principals from around the city and learn about their challenges and successes.
Join moderator Amanda Ripley, author of The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way, in discussion with panelists:
Scott Cartland, former principal, Janney Elementary School (Ward 3), current principal, Wheatley Education Campus (Ward 5);
Alexandra Pardo, executive director, Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School (Ward 8);
Andria Caruthers, principal, West Education Campus (Ward 4)
Please RSVP for this program over at EventBrite.
This program is part of the District of Change series of public conversations on the changing nature of the District. The series is produced by Slate editor David Plotz and author Hanna Rosin in conjunction with the DC Public Library Foundation.
Tennis on the Hill – Fall Registration Open!
Fall back into the swing of things with Tennis on the Hill fall classes. We want to see all of you on the courts, so please register today! CLASSES START THIS COMING WEEKEND. For the kids, we have Little Shots (11:30 AM and 12:30 PM sessions), Quickstart 1 and 2 (2:30 PM , 3:30, and 4:30 sessions), For the adults, we have Adult Beginner (12:30 and 1:30 ) and Adult Intermediate (2:30 PM and 3:30 PM). In addition, this spring we are offering a Parent and Me class for parents and youth ages 12 and up. This class will be similar to the adult beginner class. Remember, our popular Monday night cardio class and weekend match play will continue throughout the fall.
Tennis on the Hill is a non-profit Community Tennis Association (CTA), promoting and facilitating the playing and enjoyment of tennis as a means of healthy recreation and lifelong physical fitness for all ages, abilities, income levels, and backgrounds in the community of greater Capitol Hill and surrounding area.
Registration is available at www.tennisonthehill.org. You can also contact Eric Legg with any questions you may have: ericlegg (at) gmail (dot) com.
Support Children Living at DC General’s Homeless Shelter
There are hundreds of children living at the DC General’s Homeless Shelter, and many of them attend schools on Capitol Hill. The Playtime Project has organized a Back-to-School Drive to provide support for these children as they start the school year. As you shop for school supplies and clothes for your children, please consider purchasing extras to donate to this Back-to-School Drive. Many people have already generously donated, but the need is still great. Backpacks are particularly needed as are school supplies and uniforms.Uniforms: Homeless Children’s Playtime Project says that “School uniforms will become an urgent need almost as soon as the school year begins. There are over 500 children living at DC General without easy access to laundry facilities. The closest laundromat is nearly 1 mile from the shelter. When children don’t have enough uniforms to get them through the week, they’re often forced to attend school with a dirty and wrinkled uniform. Help us spread the word about this wish list:” http://amzn.com/w/SGKH8FLM7WFU
Playtime Project’s Backpack Drive 2014: Backpacks are very much needed for students in the next two weeks.
School Supplies Fall 2014: BecauseDCPS students are expected to bring in their own supplies:
CHPSPO Meeting Notes – August 12, 2014
Capitol Hill Montessori@Logan, August 12, 2014
Discussion on holding a Ward 6 School Board Forum
- Decided to hold a Ward 6 School Board Candidates Forum
- Petitions submitted by Tom Brennan, Mark Nayden, and Joe Weedon
- Suggested that we identify potential partners to cosponsor the forum: (VanNess parents group, NLPNA, Capitol Hill Group Ministry, Hill Rag, SESW CBCC, etc)
- Suggested we hold the forum at (Eastern)
- Discussed possible moderators
- Timing (2nd-3rd week October) October 7, 14 or 16
Mayoral Candidates Forum – CHPSPO will join education and community groups across the city to sponsor this event
Discussion on holding a Ward 6 Education Summit:
- Identify what people feel is lacking in the schools, identify how to fill those needs, and re-articulate the Ward’s commitment to schools
- Discussed that parents have been asked multiple times what they want. People want to see action rather than another “ask” session.
- Discussed the effort being undertaken by Companies for Causes, and the All Roads Lead to Eastern effort.
- Discussed the importance of involving teachers more in open houses.
- Will do a little more thinking around how CHPSPO can support the Ward 6 schools in planning for vertical integration among the feeder schools, and marketing of the schools through their websites, etc.
- Michael Moss, Walker Jones principal, discussed “backwards education mapping” effort that Wilson High School undertook a number of years ago that brought together the Wilson feeder schools to discuss vertical integration among the schools and ensuring that elementary school students are prepared for middle school, and middle school students are prepared for high school.
Walk-to-School Day Planning – Wednesday, October 8
Next CHPSPO Meeting: September 16, 2014
Upcoming Events
August 23 Beautification Day
August 25 First Day of School
September Student Assignment & School Boundary Plan to be released
October 8 Walk-to-School Day
November 4 General Election
CHPSPO Meeting on August 12
CHPSPO will meet on Tuesday, August 12, at 6:30 pm at Capitol Hill Montessori@Logan (215 G Street, NE). We will be discussing whether CHPSPO wants to sponsor a forum for the upcoming Ward 6 School Board election, a new idea about holding a Ward 6 Education Summit, and plans for Walk to School Day.
Attached is the agenda, and a proposal for the Ward 6 Education Summit.
Hope to see you on Tuesday.
If you’d like to have your name removed for the CHPSPO e-mail distribution list, please let me know.
Suzanne Wells
On Sunday, August 3, 2014 9:28 PM, Suzanne Wells <m.godec> wrote:
Wanted to give everyone a heads up that CHPSPO will meet on the 2nd Tuesday in August. We will meet on August 12 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. I will send around an agenda and meeting location in a few days.
Thanks.
Suzanne Wells
CHPSPO Meeting on August 12
CHPSPO will meet on Tuesday, August 12, at 6:30 pm at Capitol Hill Montessori@Logan (215 G Street, NE). We will be discussing whether CHPSPO wants to sponsor a forum for the upcoming Ward 6 School Board election, a new idea about holding a Ward 6 Education Summit, and plans for Walk to School Day.
Attached is the agenda, and a proposal for the Ward 6 Education Summit.
Hope to see you on Tuesday.
If you’d like to have your name removed for the CHPSPO e-mail distribution list, please let me know.
Suzanne Wells
On Sunday, August 3, 2014 9:28 PM, Suzanne Wells <m.godec> wrote:
Wanted to give everyone a heads up that CHPSPO will meet on the 2nd Tuesday in August. We will meet on August 12 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. I will send around an agenda and meeting location in a few days.
Thanks.
Suzanne Wells
At Back-to-School Time, Help Provide Uniforms for Homeless Children in Capitol Hill Schools
It’s back to school for our kids – and homeless kids living in a decrepit shelter just a few miles from the Hill.
When you buy back-to-school supplies and clothes for your kids, please consider buying uniforms for a few of the 100s of homeless children who attend public schools on Capitol Hill.
It’s easy to help: Buy one or more uniforms on Amazon and the items will ship directly to the Playtime Project (the organization districting them to DC General families): http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/SGKH8FLM7WFU/ref=cm_sw_su_w
With the ongoing news of terrible conditions at the old D.C. General Hospital (especially in the wake of Relisha Rudd’s disappearance), this uniform drive is something we can do to help children living day-to-day at a shelter just around the corner.
Ask a co-worker and a friend or neighbor to purchase a uniforms too. Purchases are tax deductible.
More info about the uniform drive here: https://www.facebook.com/ClothetheKidsCapHillUniformDrive
New uniforms for these kids WILL make a difference! They need a uniform 5 days a week and not only do they have the means to buy enough shirts and pants for 5 days, there is no clothes washing facilities at DC General, making it very hard to go to school in clean uniforms.
We understand from teachers and advocates for homeless kids that clean clothes (which this uniform drive provides) can help cut down on bullying (sadly) and improve the confidence and sense of dignity of the child.By Liz Festa and Beth Bacon
DC Cannot Afford the Luxury of Not Planning for Its Schools
The DC School Boundary and Feeder Pattern proposal, just released by the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), reflects widespread sentiment for high-quality, by-right neighborhood schools. Families in all wards want their children to have the choice to attend neighborhood schools that offer a balanced and rich curriculum—with the challenges and support their children need.
We commend the DME and the advisory committee for spending countless hours listening to thousands of parents across the city and debating how best to redraw school boundaries and reestablish coherent feeder school patterns. While some may be unhappy over particular lines or feeder patterns, no one should lose sight of the overall direction this proposal lays out for our city.
Now, much work lies ahead to ensure quality by-right schools in every neighborhood. Because of closures, or misguided reforms to create K-8 educational campuses, some parts of the city have no neighborhood elementary schools; others have no middle schools.
The proposal clearly shows that DC public schools (DCPS) and the DME are being thoughtful about planning to best meet the need, and obvious demand for, high-quality neighborhood schools. Indeed, the proposal, along with the funding formula to help the lowest performing schools, represent a necessary investment in achieving high-quality neighborhood schools everywhere in our city.
But all that good planning will come to nothing if we do not immediately deal with the elephant in the room: the lack of coordination and planning between DCPS and charter schools.
Longstanding neglect of our public schools—which the DME’s boundaries proposal and the funding formula seek to undo–emboldened Congress in 1995 to make DC a testing ground for the burgeoning charter movement. Less than 20 years later, 43% of our public school students attend charters funded with DC taxpayer dollars.
The current lack of coordination between charters and DCPS has had huge ramifications for public policy. Without a substantially growing student population, the creation of new schools, both charter and DCPS, has resulted in existing schools losing enrollment—and therefore resources. And those losses lead to failing schools and school closures.
This tremendous waste, in the name of competition, is not some logical by-product of educational checks and balances. It is a cost borne by all DC taxpayers and, worst of all, every one of DC’s public school kids.
Our city needs to use the DME’s new boundaries plan as the first step in collaborative public education planning with charters. Now is the time for our city to dedicate resources to strategically reopen neighborhood schools and to ensure all neighborhood schools get the resources they need. And it is time for charters to coordinate with existing schools, both charter and DCPS, to ensure that their innovations are brought to the kids who can most benefit.
DC parents want a system of choice schools, not school competition where our children’s educations are put at risk when any school lacks what it needs. A collaborative approach to running our public school system can create an environment in which every school, and therefore every child, has a fair chance to succeed.
Doing otherwise is just a luxury our city cannot afford.
Caryn Ernst, Capitol Hill Cluster School parent
Valerie Jablow, Capitol Hill Cluster School parent
Suzanne Wells, Tyler Elementary School parent
Ward 6 Public School Parents Organization 