Kelly Miller Middle School
April 30, 2020- Learning from Home Updates
Principal Message
This week started Term 4 and it is important that students continue to engage in learning from home via Teams and teacher office hours. Next week May 8th we will have a virtual parent town hall meeting to discuss the term 4 grading policy, enrollment for next SY, supporting you at home, and to provide time for you to ask questions regarding closing out school year 19-20.
More information about the parent virtual town hall meeting can be found below.
In Pursuit of Excellence,
Kortni Stafford
Principal
202.388.6870 (office)
202.425.8403 (cell)
Our Mission
Calendar
Upcoming Dates
May 2020
- May 1- DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ALL TERM 3 Work to teachers
- May 1- 6th Grade Family Meeting 12-1p
- May 8th- 7th Grade Family Meeting 12-1p
- May 8th- 8th Grade Family Meeting 12-1p
- May 8th- Kelly Miller Virtual Parent Town Hall Meeting 3-4p
- May 13- Term 3 report cards mailed home
- May 29- Last day of school for students
Upcoming events:
8th Grade Virtual Promotion- TBD
Updates
Enrollment for 20-21 SY
We are committed to opening enrollment as soon as possible to best serve our families and welcome new students to our community. An online enrollment process will be communicated next week.
For more information about enrollment, please visit enrolldcps.dc.gov or email enroll@k12.dc.gov.
Parent Virtual Town Hall Meeting
Meeting Agenda:
Welcome
Term 4 Grading Policy
Enrollment
Supporting your child with learning from home
Family Resources
Q&A
You will be able to join the meeting by clicking on the link below or calling in.
Meeting Link:
Call in information:
+1 202-539-1291 United States, Washington DC (Toll)
Conference ID: 484 197 380#
Friday, May 8, 2020, 03:00 PM
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RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Term 3 Grading
DCPS recognizes that students have different levels of access and support while experiencing learning at home and we will ensure students’ grades are not negatively impacted because of this. Teachers are offering students multiple opportunities to display mastery and engagement, and any work completed can only help a student’s academic status. Students should submit work as directed by their teacher, and all students will have until Friday, May 1 to submit any remaining assignments for term 3.
- For Secondary students in grades 6 - 12, weekly extra credit assignments will be graded. Teachers may also offer opportunities for students to repair or improve previously graded assignments through new tasks. While students may be encouraged to turn in extra credit work on a regular schedule for feedback, all work is due on May 1, and a student’s academic status will not be adversely impacted for assignments not completed.
For more information, please review the Learning at Home Grading FAQ.
How to submit work to Teachers?
FAQ:
- Please click the link below to see the list of assignments for each content area and grade level. Links to all handouts can be found on the assignments page.
How do I contact my scholars teacher?
- Please click on the link below to review contact information for each teacher at Kelly Miller
Term 4 Secondary Grading
To give all 6th to 12th grade students chances to improve their academic standing, term 4 grades will be weighted equally between Practice & Application and Participation; there will be weekly opportunities to earn extra credit; and work may be turned in at any time without penalty. While teachers will not administer exams during this time, we expect that students will participate in learning at home as best as possible. Students will receive term 4 grades on the A-F scale. If a student chooses to do no work in term 4, they could receive an “I” (incomplete) for the course.
Read more about term 4 grading in our FAQ for families, including calculation of final grades for full-year and semester courses, as well as guidance for Opportunity Academies.
Student Promotion and Retention
No student will be penalized from progressing to the next grade due to the absence of in-person intervention supports available during this period of extended school closures. By May 15, schools will reach out to the families of K-8 students who are not meeting promotion criteria to discuss what is in the best interest of the student for next year.
For school year 2019-2020, no student should be retained unless the family and school agree that it is in the student's best interest. In addition, students who have already been retained once should not be retained for another year even if the family and school agree that retention would be in the student's best interest.
Learning from home packets
All learning packets can be accessed HERE.
Upcoming Student Family Meetings
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade
Virtual Classroom Schedule
Virtual Classroom Expectations
Staff Contact Information for Virtual Learning
Virtual Learning Platforms
Parent and Student Resources
Meal Service During the extended break
Kelly Miller in partnership with Dreaming out Loud will also provide dinner meals daily for 3-5p in the front of the school building. Please see the flyer below for details regarding he dinner meal service.
Kelly Miller in partnership with Martha's Table will be giving out fresh produce on Tuesdays from 12-2p
What is Theraplay?
By Kimberly Ward, LICSW
DBH Clinician
Theraplay is effective for creating playful and caring child-adult interactions that fosters joint shared experiences. These activities can help with being able to improve relationships, engagement, and increase communication between parent and child. The interactions are personal, physical, and fun for everyone to experience healing and being together through Theraplay.
Theraplay interactions includes the following four essential qualities found in healthy parent-child relationships: 1). Structure: The adult, the leader in the relationship, creates organization and predictability for the child which communicates safety; 2) Nurture: The adult provides caring that can calm and soothe the child in a manner that makes them feel good physically and emotionally; 3). Engagement: The adult is present in a manner that the child experiences being seen, heard, felt, and accepted; and 4). Challenge: The adult supports the child in the acquisition and mastery of new skills, enhancing the child’s sense of competence and confidence.
Engaging in Theraplay helps parents to learn to play with their child in a way that establishes safety, increases social engagement, and supports the development of positive self-esteem.
There are many activities that are used to engage in Theraplay. However, I will only share a few. Parents, here are some activities that can be used to engage with your child:
1). Freeze Dance: Select an appropriate song from your phone and both the parent and child can dance while playing the music. Then when the song stops, freeze. Procced when the music plays again.
2). Beanie Toss: Parent and child can engage in sitting across from each other and holding their hands apart. Pass the beanie (you can use a stuffed animal or a ball as substitutes for this activity) back and forth and catch it.
3). Mirroring: Both parent and child will face each other and arms, face, or other body parts and parent will ask their child/children to move in the same way. Take turns being the leader with the other two people mirroring what each other is doing.
4). Hand Clapping Games: Check out the many versions on You Tube. You should have a few chants that you know well, for example, “Miss Mary Mack” or “A Sailor Went to Sea” which the parent can engage with their child. Also, you can use feet to clap as well.
5). Closed Eyes Drawing: Both parent and child will sit across from each other. Each has their own paper and pencil. Both parent and child must close their eyes. Draw a picture and then share it with each other. Ideas can include snowman, a dog, a cat, a house, a person, and etc.
6). Create a Special Handshake: Both the parent and child will make up a special handshake together and take turns adding new gestures. For example, high five, clasp hands, wiggle fingers, and so on can be completed.
7). Bubble Tennis: Parent will blow a single bubble high in the air between themselves and the child. Parent and child will continue to blow it back and forth between them until it pops.
8). Straight Face Challenge: Both the parent and child will face each other. Parent and child have to keep a straight face and try to make each other laugh. They will also take turns during this activity.
Additional Theraplay activities can be found on YouTube and are also listed here: http://www.burdenbasket.co.uk/media/files/Theraplay%20activity%20list%5B1%5D.pdf
COVID-19 Hotline
Free Internet Service at home
Internet Essentials Comcast’s
Internet Essentials (IE) program is offering families who meet certain criteria, two months of free internet service in response to coronavirus (COVID-19) related school closings. The fastest way to take advantage of the two-months free offer is to sign up from a smartphone, tablet, or computer at https://www.internetessentials.com/covid19
Xfinity Public Hot Spots
Xfinity has opened up all of their public hotspots to non-Xfinity customers. If you are within a coverage area, you can connect to the “xfinitywifi” WiFi, and accept the terms and conditions.
Visit https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/open-xfinity-wifi-hotspots for more information.
T-Mobile / Metro PCS Customers
As of March 13, 2020, all T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers who have plans with data will automatically have unlimited smartphone data through May 13 (excluding roaming).
Visit https://www.t-mobile.com/support/account/covid-19-updates#heading2 or https://www.metrobyt-mobile.com/ongoing-updates-covid-19#
customers for more information.
OCTO Free Public WiFi
The DC Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) has installed hotspots in every Ward to provide convenient, citywide Wi-Fi Internet access.
Visit https://octo.dc.gov/wifi to find the nearest public WiFi spot to you.
Please review our Updated Resource Guide for community support during COVID-19
Stay Connected
Website: www.kellymillerms.org
Location: 301 49th Street Northeast, Washington, DC, USA
Phone: 202.388.6870
Twitter: @kmmslions