Although we are almost in the midpoint of March, we continue to be excited about all the celebrations this month has to hold. Here are a few highlights of the month that we want to capture for your consideration:

• Women's History Month began March 1st and our scholars have been learning about powerful women past and present. Be sure to share with them the important women in your lives so they will know about the impactful women in their inner circles.
• IB Learner Profile of the Month: BALANCED: Students who are Balanced understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others. How are you encouraging balance in your life and the lives of your scholars? We will be exploring this concept this month.
• Pi Day: March 14 marks Pi Day, an annual celebration of the mathematical sign pi. It is the day where we celebrate mathematics and both rational and irrational thinking!
• EXCEL-ling In The Kitchen: Our favorite culinary activity is back on March 21st at 6:30 p.m. and YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE! Please keep your eyes open for communication from Ms. Reese with details and the shopping list!
• Cherry Blossom Festival: March 20 - 24th we will be celebrating all things spring, mathematics, and international relations with our very first Cherry Blossom Festival! More details coming!
• Ramadan: This celebration occurs the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. We are always mindful to be sensitive to the members in our community who recognize this holiday and may be fasting.
• Academic Rally: It's back! Our day of celebration and encouragement for our 3rd - 8th grade students who will be taking MCAP assessments in April will take place on Thursday, March 30th.
• Asynchronous Learning Day/Spring Break: Scholars will be utilizing its last of three scheduled "Asynchronous Learning Days." Students will learn from home. Instruction will be “asynchronous,” which means lessons will be shared without live instruction through Canvas or another virtual mode. This day will kick off our Spring Break and students will not return to the building until Tuesday, April 11th.

On Thursday March 2nd, we were honored to be visited by our District 4 Board of Education Member Shayla Adams-Stafford ! She has always been such a committed partner with our school, participating in virtual visits for back to school nights and quarterly awards programs, but this was our very first in-person visit (coincidentally, it was also Read Across America Day. )

She was beyond impressed by the students and staff of the school, and visited classrooms in K, 1st, and 4th grades. We appreciate her consistent support of the vision and mission of EXCEL Academy Public Charter School.

PARENTS - DID YOU KNOW THAT PASSING THE MCAP WILL BE A REQUIREMENT FOR GETTING A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA BY THE TIME YOUR CHILD GETS TO HIGH SCHOOL?

Yes it's true! And this should be the best time for you to understand your child's Individual Score Report (ISR) now to prepare and plan for your child's future. On Monday, March 27th we will be reviewing ISRs so parents and community members can understand what the reports say about the way scholars show up on test day and determine ways to support them moving forward. Please do not miss this opportunity - it may impact your families for generations to come. We look forward to seeing you there.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://pgcps-org.zoom.us/j/81415588575?pwd=RjZaRi9tdGhGM21JOUNzVThraDBwdz09

Meeting ID: 814 1558 8575
Passcode: 513667

Families - WE ARE BACK!! You asked and we are delivering! THIS TUESDAY we will be having the first of two in-person family events on March 14th at 6:30 p.m. for our elementary students in grades K-4. This date also coincides with our annual Pi-Day mathematics celebration! The second event for MS Prep and MS students in grades 5-8 will be at the same time on March 28th (registration details forthcoming.) For both events, we will have performances by our EXCEL Academy musician-scholars as well as a guest Artist-In-Residence.

We hope you will be able to join us - all students who attend will get a thank-you gift. Spaces are limited, so use this link to register (yes even chorus members should register) for the MARCH 21ST event below as soon as possible!

We invite you to join us for our 10th series of: “EXCEL-ling In The Kitchen.” Together, we will create a delicious meal for dinner. This fun activity is for all! If a student is participating, they will need parental supervision as we will be using the stove and other kitchen tools. We will send out the menu a week in advance via Class Dojo/School Messenger in order to allow you time to purchase the items. Please adjust the items based on the size of your family.

If you have any questions about substitutions (prior to us cooking together) please contact Mrs. Reese at monique.reese@pgcps.org. Happy cooking! We can’t wait to have you EXCEL-ing In The Kitchen with us!

Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Time: 6:00pm

Zoom Link:

https://pgcps-org.zoom.us/j/87196693937?pwd=dmNJeGZNakY3K21kSFB0K3Zta0dLdz09

Meeting ID: 871 9669 3937

We would like to thank all of the scholars and staff who donated to our Blankets for Turkey school-wide service project. We were able to collect 46 blankets total and we took them to the Turkish Embassy on Monday, March 6th. We were even able to deliver the bags of blankets inside the gates, which meant were were officially on Turkish sovereign land! A special thanks goes to the Gultekin, Henry, and Buck families for joining the "caravan of love."

(CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW FOR ALL OF OUR DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS!

We would like to thank all parents who supported their scholars with completing their Black History Month projects this month! Home projects is one way teachers communicate with families about the instructional program of the classroom. Although we realize the task was more involved than most academic tasks, we appreciate your staying in communication with the teachers to make sure your scholars had what they needed to produce a quality product. Below are a few snapshots from Ms. Green's 2nd grade class as they presented their projects.

March 2 was Read Across America Day—a special day to call attention to the efforts of educators, parents, and others who motivate and teach children to read. With an estimated 45 million people participating, Read Across America Day is the biggest reading celebration in the country.

At EXCEL Academy, it was a day to celebrate our love of reading and books - especially multicultural books. In the classrooms, students participated in various out-of-the-box reading activities. Building-wide, we were more than happy to give more than 50 books away in a drawing - one book for 10 students over five rounds - thanks to an anonymous benefactor.

So many smiles ... we hope to do it again REALLY SOON!

TutorMe is a FREE online tutoring platform available to our students. It provides 24/7 online tutoring that increases equitable access to personalized learning, supports teachers and students, and addresses learning loss. Their 1-on-1 tutoring gives students the tailored learning support they need to master concepts, build self-confidence, and excel academically. Features include live video and audio chat, asynchronous essay and paper review, and access through Clever.

To learn more about how to access Tutor Me or its features, please watch the student orientation below or click this link.

Click the button to see the current lunch menu as well as add money to your child's account.

*If you received notification that your child's lunch was paid through the Principal's Account, please send a NOTE with the money with your child when repaying so that the Nutrition Staff will allocate the money properly.*

SEED-EXCEL BOARD MEETING: MARCH 16, 2023

The next SEED/EXCEL board meeting will be Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. Updated information about EXCEL's Spring 2022 MCAP performance, new facility, and lottery status will be shared at that time.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86000758117?pwd=RGUxWWh5WkZpWm1xWWdiMmU0WWsrQT09

Meeting ID: 860 0075 8117

Passcode: 971074

By phone: +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

Meeting ID: 860 0075 8117

Passcode: 971074

This is a reminder for our parents whose children will need transportation in SY2024 (next school year) to place their deposits as soon as possible! Although our vendor has received applications they do not have the same amount of deposits. Your deposit now will help keep the current routes. Once the newly-accepted parents get their notifications in a few weeks and make their deposits, the routes could be changed. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Waterman of A&K Transportation at 240-508-5561.

• Click here to make a payment: https://www.mcssl.com/store/akfamilylearningplaceinc

• Click here to register if you have not submitted your application yet: Excel

• Monday, March 13th: MCAP Individual Student Reports begin to be sent home; PGCPS Fentanyl Community Meeting, Surrattsville HS @ 6:00 pm (see details here.)
• Tuesday, March 14th: Arts Integration Family Night, K-4 (in person) @ 6:30 pm
  
• Thursday, March 16th: SEED/EXCEL Board Meeting @ 6:30 pm (see information above)
  
• Saturday, March 18th: SATURDAY ACADEMY (targeted students.)
• Tuesday, March 21st: EXCEL-ling In the Kitchen @ 6:30 pm

EXCEL Academy Public Charter School develops compassionate lifelong learners through inquiry-based learning experiences. These experiences cultivate intercultural understanding through innovative teaching techniques and community partnerships, with rigorous and culturally engaging academic and social learning opportunities.

Email: excelacademy.pc@pgcps.org
Website: http://excelacademypcs.org
Location: 7910 Scott Road, Hyattsville, MD, USA
Phone: 301-925-2320
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EXCELAcademyPublicCharterSchool/
Twitter: @ExcelAcademyPCS