Hearst Family Update
May 9, 2021
Principal's Message
Good afternoon, Owl Families,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for an amazing Staff Appreciation Week! You've outdone yourselves this week and I think I can speak for all of our Hearst staff when I say we're feeling the love! There's no denying that this year has been hard and exhausting for us all and through it all we've collectively, as families and Hearst staff, done our best every day to meet the challenges before us. I continue to be incredibly grateful to work alongside such a stellar Hearst team and in such a supportive school community!
Thank you for your continued partnership and Happy Mother's Day to those who are celebrating,
Jen
About Us
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
News and Announcements from Hearst
Upcoming Key Dates
- Wednesday, May 12 - PTA Meeting, 5-6:30
- Wednesday, May 19 - LSAT Meeting, 4:30-5:30
Quick Updates
- Please take a moment before the end of the day on Tuesday, May 11 to complete this quick survey about our family engagement thus far this term: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=7kagKk6zM0qSt5md8rwKMrokwfOwIAhEmZryty8pQBJURU9GU1E0TlUxMk02WFJKQlEySkhYODVNRy4u
- Reminder: If your kids are taking home devices, please remember to send them back with devices the next day. While we have some extra devices we can loan to kids for a day, these are limited and we do not want your child to miss out on any learning experiences because they forgot their device at home.
- Reminder: The school parking lot is for Hearst staff use from 8:00-3:30, Monday through Friday. Please do not park in the lot during these hours.
- Reminder: as of 4/17/21 all 2-5 CARE seats are filled. If there are seats that become available over the course of Term 4, I'll share this information with families in an update.
Reminder: Any non-staff members who would like to come to the building to pick up materials, switch out a device, etc., must have an appointment in order to come into the building. Please email Ms. Johnson (kestaganer.johnson@k12.dc.gov) or call (202-282-0106) to set up an appointment if you need to come into the building for any reason. Thanks!
Supporting Students' Social Emotional and Mental Health
The mental health team is excited to continue their series of virtual social, emotional support groups that we starting offering to students in March. Each session will be conducted by Ms. Brown, the school social worker and by our school psychologist, Ms. Dewerd. Groups will occur weekly via MS Teams and will be designed to target student's skills and needs by pairing grade levels. During these groups, we will be teaching students about self regulation, particularly mindfulness and the benefits of incorporating these practices into their daily routine. We will also utilize these sessions to teach useful executive functioning skills. Each session will occur during non- instruction periods, so that everyone who wants to, can attend. Sessions will also be recorded, to increase accessibility. By giving your child permission to participate, you are also consenting to the recording. If you or your child do not wish to be recorded, please feel free to disable your camera function. The good thing is, students will not have to participate interactively to benefit from each session!
The updated Term 4 schedule for the groups by grade level is included below as well as the links to join:
- K-1 - Tuesdays from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM Click here to join the meeting
- 2-3 (Option A) - Mondays from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM Click here to join the meeting
- 2-3 (Option B) - Wednesdays from 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM Click here to join the meeting
- 4-5 (Option A) - Thursdays from 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM Click here to join the meeting
- 4-5 (Option B) - Fridays from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM Click here to join the meeting
Reminder: Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Below is information about arrival and dismissal procedures in Term 4. One important note is that some of our arrival and dismissal times coincide with the arrival and dismissal of Sidwell Friends, across the street. Please remember to be good neighbors and not use their side of the street for parking or drop off during our arrival or dismissal. For the safety of all, please make sure that you are not attempting 3-point turns on 37th Street or pulling into the Hearst drive way to turn around. Thanks!
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
Morning Arrival - All arrivals will occur at the main entrance of the school facing 37th Street. Arrivals are staggered according to the schedule below:
- 8:15-8:30am – K CARE+, 1st CARE+
- 8:30-8:45am – PK CARE, K IPL, 3rd IPL, 5th IPL, 2nd-5th AM CARE
- 8:45-9:00am – 2nd IPL, 4th IPL, CES, 2nd-5th CARE
Morning Dismissal – All morning dismissals will occur at the main entrance of the school facing 37th Street. Each group will have a specific dismissal location that will be marked with a sign. Please wait in these areas for your children. Dismissals are staggered according to the schedule below:
- 11:30-11:45 – K CARE+, 1st CARE+, 3rd Grade IPL, 5th Grade IPL
- 11:45-12:00 – 2nd Grade IPL, 4th Grade IPL
- 12:00-12:15 – PK CARE, 2nd-5th CARE (Wednesdays only)
Afternoon Arrival - All afternoon arrivals will occur at the main entrance of the school facing 37th Street. Dismissals are staggered according to the schedule below:
- 12:15-12:30 - K CARE+, 1st CARE+
- 12:30-12:45 – 3rd Grade IPL, 5th Grade IPL
- 12:45-1:00 – 2nd Grade IPL, 4th Grade IPL
Afternoon Dismissal - All afternoon dismissals will occur at the main entrance of the school facing 37th Street. Each group will have a specific dismissal location that will be marked with a sign. Please wait in these areas for your children. Dismissals are staggered according to the schedule below:
- 3:15-3:30 – CES, 2nd & 3rd PM CARE
- 3:30-3:45 – PK CARE, K IPL, K CARE+, 1st CARE+, 3rd IPL, 5th IPL, 4th & 5th PM CARE
- 3:45-4:00 – 2nd IPL, 4th IPL
Wednesdays
Morning Arrival - All arrivals will occur at the main entrance of the school facing 37th Street. All students should arrive during the 8:15-8:45 window.
Dismissal - All dismissals will occur at the main entrance of the school facing 37th Street at 12:00pm (noon).
Reminder: Hearst Playground
This means that AM only kids will be unable to use the playground after they dismiss for the day and PM only kids will be unable to use the playground before they start class.
Additionally, please refrain from coming by the playground to visit when your kids are at recess. What we've seen happen is that a child will run over to the fence to see their parent and other kids follow and before we can stop them, come within 6 feet of the adult, potentially exposing them and complicating any required contact tracing. Thanks for your understanding and support in keeping our community safe!
News and Announcements from DCPS
DCPS Mask Policy
Reminder: Foxhall/MacArthur Updates from DCPS
- The public survey is now live at bit.ly/FoxhallMacArthurSurvey (in Spanish at: bit.ly/FoxhallMacArthurEspanol). Thank you to Karin, Melody, and Kishan for the close review and to all of you for your great feedback during our last CWG meeting. The survey will be open until Wednesday, May 19, 2021.
- In an effort to ensure that people are aware of this process and the options being considered, DCPS will host a Community Listening Session on May 17, 2021, from 5:30-7:30PM to hear from stakeholders on the Foxhall and MacArthur options.
- At this Community Listening Session, DCPS will provide a short presentation before providing time for community members to provide testimony. People should register at bit.ly/FoxhallMacArthurRSVP to attend this meeting or to provide testimony.
- Depending on the number of individuals interested in testifying, we may not be able to accommodate all requests. For those members of the public who are not able to testify during the meeting, they are able to submit their testimony for the record by email to dcps.planning@k12.dc.gov or by mail at 1200 First Street NE, Washington D.C. 20002.
- This session will be streamed live on YouTube for anyone to watch.
Reminder: Reopening Community Town Halls
Join Chancellor Lewis Ferebee on Wednesday May 12 (English) and May 19 (Spanish) at 5:00pm for Community Telephone Townhalls on the DCPS Reopening for School Year 2021-22. Register at bit.ly/DCPSReopening!
Únase al canciller Lewis Ferebee el miércoles 12 de mayo (inglés) y el 19 de mayo (español) a las 5:00 pm para Foro Abierto Telefónico Para la Comunidad de DCPS para el año escolar 2021-22. Regístrese en bit.ly/DCPSReopening!
Reminder: Parent University
DCPS Parent University is a workshop series facilitated by the Communications and Engagement Office. The workshops are an opportunity for families to share strategies and learn new ones from each other and DCPS Central Office teams.
Subtitles are provided for each session. RSVP below or at bit.ly/dcpsparentursvp.
Universidad para Padres de DCPS es una serie de talleres facilitados por la Oficina de Comunicaciones y Participación. Los talleres son una oportunidad para que las familias compartan estrategias y aprendan nuevas de otras familias y de los equipos de la Oficina Central de DCPS.
Se proporcionan subtítulos para cada sesión. Confirme su asistencia a continuación o en bit.ly/dcpsparentursvp.
Upcoming Sessions (Sign Up Below)/Próximas sesiones (Regístrate abajo):
May 13th
Join our partner Everfi as they share tips on getting you and your family tips on money management.
Getting Ready for Pre-K3: Tips for a Smooth Transition into School!
May 26th
Getting Ready for Pre-K3: Tips for a Smooth Transition into School!
Reminder: New COVID Quarantine Protocols for Staff and Students Starting Term 4 and Travel Guidance for Spring Break
Staff and students who travel to high-risk states (list available here) may only return in-person to school after:
• Self-monitoring and limiting daily activities—including not attending school – for 10 days, OR
• Self-monitoring and limiting daily activities – including not attending school – until tested for COVID-19 (within three to five days after return from travel) and receiving a negative result.
• They do not have any symptoms consistent with COVID-19 AND they have tested positive for COVID-19 and completed their isolation period within the last 90 days, OR
• They are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (two weeks/14 days after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine).
OSSE and DC Health have released this COVID-19 Travel visual to share with staff and families. If you have any questions, please email healthservices.dcps@k12.dc.gov.
Reminder: Impact Aid Survey – Amendment Deadline (5/30)
News and Announcements From Other Organizations
Next W3EdNet Meeting on May 10 at 7pm: Council Chair Phil Mendelson
The next meeting of the Ward 3 - Wilson Feeder Education Network (W3EdNet) is on Monday, May 10 at 7pm via Zoom (link below). We are very happy to host Council Chair Phil Mendelson. This is an opportunity to have a conversation with him about reopening schools, school budgets, overcrowding in Wilson feeder schools, school oversight and governance, and other education topics (we ask that you only raise education topics).
We will be taking questions from the chat during the meeting, but would welcome any questions that you would like to share with us ahead of time. Please send them to w3ednet@gmail.com.
The registration link for the Zoom meeting is:
https://interactivestrategies.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIlcuyvrz4qH9YNG1JcH1fNkOOnV2asiBdY
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
At our June meeting we will hear from the new DC Education Research Collaborative.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Melody, Karin, and Brian
******************************************************************
The Ward 3 - Wilson High School Feeder Pattern Education Network (W3EdNet) is a group made up of PTO Board and LSAT members as well as other interested community members. We aim to work together to support schools in the Wilson feeder pattern, host community events of common interest, and advocate for better schools across the city.
Website: https://www.w3ednet.com/
Twitter: @W3EdNet
Email: w3ednet@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/W3EdNet
Future W3EdNet Dates:
Monday, June 7 -- DC Education Research Collaborative