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The ribbon-cutting at beautiful, beautiful Eastern High School is tomorrow, Wednesday, August 25th at 10:30 a.m.
Please join the Mayor and the Chancellor, Eastern alumni, teachers, students, and lots of Eastern fans in front of the building for this great event!
You’re invited to join the Capitol Hill Public School Parents Organization (CHPSPO), Sports On The Hill (SOTH) and the Eastern Market Metro Community Association (EMMCA) for a Ward 6 Democratic Council Candidates Forum on Tuesday, August 24, at 6:30 pm at the Southeast Library.
Councilmember Tommy Wells and candidate Kelvin Robinson will share their views on school and community issues impacting Ward 6. WTOP journalist Mark Segraves will moderate the discussion.
Learn more about CHPSPO, SOTH, and EMMCA on the web at:
http://chpspo.org
http://sportsonthehill.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EMMCA
Capitol Hill Public School Parent Organization
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
6:30 – 8 pm – Brent Elementary (301 North Carolina)
6:30 p.m. Welcome and introductions
6:35 p.m. August 24 Ward 6 Councilmember Candidates Forum (Barbara Riehle)
6:45 p.m. Meeting with Ward 6 School Board Candidates (Suzanne Wells)
6:55 p.m. DC-CAS Scores for Capitol Hill Schools
7:00 p.m. Healthy Schools Program (Suzanne Wells)
7:05 p.m. August 31 DCPS Food Service Roundtable (Laura Marks)
7:10 p.m. Local Foods and School Garden Week October 11 – 15 (Laura Marks)
7:15 p.m. October 6 Walk-to-School Day (Amanda Bassow)
7:20 p.m. By-laws Discussion and Articles of Incorporation (Barbara Riehle and Sherry Trafford)
7:50 p.m. Next steps
Next CHPSPO Meeting: September 21, 2010
Upcoming Events:
Ward 6 Councilmember Candidates Forum
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
6:30 pm
Southeast Library
DCPS Food Service Roundtable
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
6:30 pm – 8 pm
Peabody ES Library (4th Floor), 425 C Street, NE
Sponsored by the following Organizations
Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization (CHPSPO) http://chpspo.org/•
Eastern Market Metro Community Association (EMMCA) http://sportsonthehill.com/•
Sports on the Hill (SOTH) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EMMCA/
The Capitol Hill Green Schools Initiative will be hosting a roundtable discussion on DCPS food services, the Healthy Schools Act, support for school gardens and schoolyard greening.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
6:30 pm – 8 pm
Peabody ES Library (FOURTH Floor), 425 C Street, NE
Joining us from DCPS will be:
Jeff Mills, Director of Food Services
Diana Bruce, Director of Health and Wellness
Paula Reichel, Program Coordinator, Office of Food and Nutrition Services
We’ll also have Andrea Northup from the DC Farm to School Network in attendance. Bring your questions and concerns to what I’m sure will be a lively and interesting discussion.
FACEBOOK: Capitol Hill Green Schools Initiative
TWITTER: CHGSI
The Hill Is Home covers the Hill middle school effort:
http://www.thehillishome.com/2010/08/hope-or-hold-your-breath/
The DC Youth Orchestra Program (DCYOP) is in the process of moving in, and will hold Orchestra Day at Eastern on Saturday, September 11. To learn more about the DCYOP, go to: http://www.dcyop.org/.
Community members have been invited to tour Eastern and have good things to say about the facilities. Read about this here: http://www.thehillishome.com/2010/08/eastern/.
For information on the Academic developments around Eastern (including International Baccalaureate), go to DCPS: http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Parents+and+Community/The+Future+of+Eastern+High+School.
Exciting times at Eastern Senior High School!
10-11-10 to 10-15-10: Local Foods and School Garden Week
Mark your calendars, on October 11-15 DC Farm to School will celebrate the passage of the Healthy Schools Act, and fresh, seasonal, local foods and school gardens in schools and cafeterias District-wide! They’ll send around more information soon for schools interested in participating, and about community events (including garden tours, VIP speakers, educational programs and more). Would you like to help organize the event? Email Andrea at (andrea at dcfarmtoschool dot org).
August 03, 2010
RAISING THE BAR: DCPS Takes First Step to Dramatically Improve the Quality, Taste and Nutrition of School Meals
School System Launches Two Pilot Food Service Models to Bring Fresh and Local Food to 14 Schools
Contact: Jennifer Calloway | (202) 535-1096
WASHINGTON, D.C. – District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) will launch two pilot food service models that will bring fresh and local ingredients to 14 schools –dramatically improving the taste, quality and nutrition of the meals served. DCPS is committed to transforming its food service program to offer the highest quality food for students at the best price and has awarded contracts to two vendors: Revolution Foods will provide fresh portable meals to seven schools; and DC Central Kitchen will provide meals made-from-scratch to seven schools.
Each vendor participated in a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process that included a taste test with students and school staff. Vendor proposals were evaluated on numerous criteria including vendors’ capacity to implement specifics of the pilot programs and taste and quality of their menu offerings. DC Central Kitchen gained evaluative points for its unique model of procuring local foods and transforming that food into healthy, appetizing meals. Revolution Foods demonstrated its unique marketing efforts to encourage students to try its healthy food options.
“Children who eat nutritious meals are not only healthier, they are also better learners,” stated Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. “This administration is committed to providing healthy food in schools as one of the crucial supports needed for children to achieve at the highest levels.”
DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee added, “As a mother of two DCPS students, I hear daily about the challenges we face in the cafeteria. Whether it’s taste or variety, I know all too well the impact and impression school meals make on our students.” She continued, “Three years ago, we made a commitment to balance taste and nutrition with a comprehensive food service program that offers the best value to the city. This is a major step forward.”
Chartwells-Thompson, the school system’s current food service vendor, will retain its service contract to provide meals for 108 schools. DCPS and Chartwells’ regional staff have redeveloped and taste tested over 200 of Chartwells’ menu items in preparation for the new school year.
All three vendors will be required to purchase at least 20 percent of their ingredients from within 120 miles of the District. Local sourcing will enable DCPS to serve more fresh fruits and vegetables year-round, which will improve the overall taste and quality of each meal. Local food costs less, and buying local helps reduce DCPS’ carbon footprint, because less fuel is used to move the food from producer to customer.
The total expenditure on all three contracts is expected to be cost neutral. DCPS will continue to evaluate the service provided by all three vendors during the course of the school year and determine the most effective way to provide DC students with nutritious, high quality food service going forward.
Today, August 3 from 7-8 p.m. at 1200 First Street NE–Tony Tata, Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Mills, Director of Food Services, and Diana Bruce, Director of Health and Wellness will host a Food Services Round Table to discuss the school system’s vision for supporting the health and wellness of students. This is a public event at DCPS headquarters open to all DCPS families and community members.
LIST OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
From Scratch: DC Central Kitchen Fresh Portable Meals: Revolution Foods
Kelly Miller Middle School Amidon-Bowen Elementary School
Thomas Elementary School Hearst Elementary School
Burrville Elementary School Anacostia High School
Aiton Elementary School Eastern High School
Kenilworth Elementary School Johnson Middle School
Marshall Elementary School Peabody Elementary School
Prospect Learning Center Woodrow Wilson High School
***DCPS Director of Food Services Jeffrey Mills is available for interviews. Please contact Jennifer Calloway at (202) 701-9364.***
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DCPS hosted a community meeting for the Ward 6 community (for all families of children attending Ward 6 schools) on Thursday, July 29 @ Maury Elementary.
Attendance was pretty impressive for a mid-summer meeting (50ish participants).
The presentation and all supporting documents (Collaboration Team, Survey feedback and Summary of plan for each individual schools) will be available on the DCPS site: http://www.dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/building-on-momentum
A few highlights that impact all schools:
Congratulations to DCPS, the Capitol Hill community and to CHPSPO for this huge step towards excellence across all middle schools!
Ward 6 Public School Parents Organization