Hearst Family Update
October 4, 2020
Principal's Message
Good afternoon, Hearst Families,
Thank you to the families who have completed our Term 1 Midpoint Survey. Your feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and I appreciate your suggestions on what we can do to make virtual learning even better for our Owls through the end of Term 1. If you haven't yet completed the survey, we're extending the deadline and ask that you please complete the survey found here by Monday at 5pm, after which we'll share the results with staff.
As we move into the second half of Term 1, we have several goals for our kids that we'll be focusing on now and through the end of the Term:
- Students are active members of the learning community
- Students are fully engaged academically: their stamina and capacity for working independently and collaboratively is growing; they’re taking on more complex work, they’re continually being appropriately challenged, both individually and as a class; their successes, big and small, are reinforced
- Students are more self-sufficient: like a true team, the class is trying hard to follow daily routines; the rules continue to serve as the anchor for behavior; students genuinely encourage and support one another
Thank you for your partnership and support and I hope you're having a wonderful weekend,
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
- Friday, October 9 - Parent Teacher Conference Day (no school for students)
- Monday, October 12 - Indigenous Peoples' Day (no school for all)
- Week of 10/13 - Official start of small group instruction
- Tuesday, November 3 - Election Day (no school for students & teachers)
- Friday, November 6 - Professional Development Day (no school for students)
Quick Updates
- If your child has items in the school from last year that were left in March, please pick them up by 10/16 or they will be discarded. As a reminder, through Term 1, the school building will be open from 8:30-4:30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for students and families to pick up learning materials. Please contact Ms. Johnson (kestaganer.johnson@k12.dc.gov) with any questions.
- Last week we wrapped up the vast majority of our Beginning of Year (BOY) testing. This coming week, please be on the look out for assessment reports with details on how your child did on these tests.
- A simple tech tip that's helped many - be sure that at the end of your child's live sessions, you are closing Teams and that at the end of the day, you are shutting down your child's device. From our experience thus far, this solves the vast majority of the glitches and issues with Teams.
- Reminder: All parents/guardians must complete the Student Technology Responsible Use Agreement School Year 2020-21 found here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=7kagKk6zM0qSt5md8rwKMrokwfOwIAhEmZryty8pQBJUN1NPTDkzNVAzQUo1NVhPNk5NUDQzMkVFNC4u. This new mandate from DCPS and we thank you in advance for your cooperation.
ANET Assessment for 3rd-5th grades
This year, students in 3rd and 5th grades will be completing the ANet interim assessments in ELA and Math. The interim assessments provide quick and actionable data to teachers on what students have learned.
Our first round of ANet will be during the week of 10/13 and students will be completing the assessments during independent work time on the dates listed below.
- ANet ELA - Independent work time, Tuesday, 10/13 (10/14 if additional time needed)
- ANet Math - Independent work time, Thursday, 10/15 (10/16 if additional time needed)
Before the Assessment Date
- Review the online platform before your child starts their first ANet assessment. Consider watching this 7 minute video to orient to the tool: bit.ly/Guide2-5
- Ensure your child is able to log in and can view their assigned assessment.
- Students should access the ANet platform via Clever (listed under “Assessment Tools”).
- If your student is unable to log into the site via Clever, please contact their homeroom teacher for login credentials for the ANet website (login.achievementnetwork.org)
More information can also be found in the attached “Family Guide to Taking ANet Assessment at Home.”
Aspen Family Portal Access
Parents are DCPS’ number one partner in supporting students’ academic success, and DCPS must provide families with accurate and timely access to information on student academic and social emotional progress. To that end, DCPS will launch the Aspen Parent Portal for Elementary Schools in October.
The purpose of the Parent Portal feature in Aspen is to establish open communication between teachers and families, allowing them to more easily work as a team in supporting each student’s learning. The Parent Portal provides families more information about what occurs in the classroom, helping them become better equipped to support their child’s strengths and areas of growth. In SY2016-17 DCPS launched the Aspen Parent Portal in grades 6-12. This fall, DCPS plans to expand Parent Portal to grades K-5.
The goals of incorporating the parent portal at the elementary level are to:
- Ensure a virtual, and therefore expedited, experience for sharing report card grades at the end of Term 1 and moving forward.
- Share up-to-date attendance data.
Reminders Regarding Student Attendance Requirements
It is critical that students log into Canvas each day - including Wednesdays - as this is their official record of attendance. Students will be expected to log into Canvas each school day at least once between 6 am and 11:59 pm. Attendance will be recorded based on the student activity in Canvas each school day between 6:00 am and 11:59 pm. Any activity within Canvas will automatically transfer to Aspen and translate into attendance for that day. Activity within Canvas includes logging into Canvas, clicking on the link for the day's activities, clicking on a Teams meeting link, opening a course, or working on a assignment in ClassNotebook within Canvas. Please ensure students are not logging into Teams only; this will not register their attendance as present. For more resources, see the DCPS ReOpenStrong Attendance page.
If a student experiences a tech issue and cannot access Canvas that day, please email attendance@hearstes.org to have their attendance recorded for that day. Review the full attendance guidance on the #ReopenStrong website and watch a recap of this week’s Parent University on the topic.
Reminder: Kids Ride Free Cards
Vaccination Reminder
Help your kids #StayOnTrack and ready for school-entry with on-time vaccinations.
School has started, remember to send your child's immunization records to manik.hinchey@k12.dc.gov.Make appointments with your health care providers and provide the proper documentation before the start of in-person school (tentatively beginning on November 6, 2020). See here for a list of required immunizations. Even though classes are virtual, we will be reaching out to all students who are missing immunizations certification over the coming weeks.
Por favor ayuden a sus hijos a mantenerse vacunados y listos para el regreso a la escuela.
La escuela ha comenzado, recuerde enviar los registros de vacunación de su hijo/a a manik.hinchey@k12.dc.gov. Haga citas con sus proveedores de atención médica y proporcione la documentación adecuada antes del inicio de clases en persona (tentativamente a partir del 6 de noviembre de 2020). Consulte aquí para obtener una lista de las vacunas requeridas. A pesar de que estamos comenzando en forma remota, nos comunicaremos con todos los alumnos a los que les falta el certificado de vacunas.
News and Announcements from DCPS
Reminder: DCPS Meal Site Updates Effective 9/24
Please review the up to date meal service Q & A information below. You will notice two updates from what was previously communicated at the start of the school year. Effective Thursday, September 24th DCPS meal site locations will expand meal service to allow all DC youth ages 18 and younger to receive free breakfast and lunch meals until December 31st. Additionally, to limit the number of trips families need to make to the meal sites, DC youth ages 18 and younger, or parents/guardians on their behalf, may receive up to 3 breakfast and 3 lunch meals at a time.
For a comprehensive and up to date list of DCPS meal site locations, as well as information regarding additional food resources and weekly grocery distribution, please visit coronavirus.dc.gov/food.
School Meals Q & A
Who is eligible to receive meals through a DCPS Meal Site?
Any DC youth ages 18 & under can receive free breakfast and lunch meals at DCPS meal sites through December 31st, 2020.
How do youth ages 18 and younger get meals?
DC youth ages 18 and younger may receive up to 3 breakfast and 3 lunch meals daily at one of the 47 school locations. Parents/guardians are welcome to pick up meal packs on behalf of youth. To ensure the safety of other meal site attendees and staff please follow guidelines outlined by the Mayor’s Office and DC Health regarding coronavirus when visiting meal site locations.
What do meals consist of?
Breakfast and lunch meals will meet the USDA Child Nutrition meal pattern requirements based on each program. Meals consist of an entrée, fruit serving and/or vegetable serving, and a milk. If a student requires dietary accommodations, please contact DCPS Food & Nutrition Services at dietary.forms@k12.dc.gov, or request the dietary accommodations form from staff at any open meal site.
How much do meals cost?
Meals will be free for all DC youth ages 18 and younger through December 31st, 2020.
The following meal prices will be in place starting January 1st, 2021 for students enrolled at non-CEP schools. Students enrolled at CEP schools, and those who have been approved for Free and Reduced Meals (FARM), will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch.
Breakfast: Free
Lunch: $3.00
For students enrolled at non-CEP schools, Free and Reduced Meal (FARM) applications must be completed every school year to determine your student’s eligibility for FARM benefits. Families that believe they may qualify for FARM benefits are still encouraged to apply online now at https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application, in person at a meal pick-up site, or at their local school to prevent any disruption in meal service and qualification for any additional benefits.