Hearst Family Update
March 11, 2022
Principal's Message
Good afternoon, Owl Families!
As you may have seen today's update from the Chancellor, as of Wednesday, March 16, masks will be optional in outdoor and indoor school settings for students, staff, and visitors. Masks are recommended for immunocompromised individuals when COVID Community Levels are Medium and know that masks may be required again for all if the Community Levels move back to High. There are changes to how contact tracing will occur as well as changes to PK testing, namely that PK weekly testing is highly encouraged for PK but not required starting this coming Sunday.
While some in our community may welcome these changes, I know that others may be wary of them. In addition to sharing the submitted Hearst budget for the coming school year at Tuesday's PTA meeting, I'll also be discussing the updated health guidance that was issued today and answering questions that you have. Know that as we discussed with kids when the outdoor mask mandate was lifted, we will again be discussing with kids that families are making individual choices with regarding to wearing masks indoors and outdoors at school and that we, as a community, will respect those choices. Please help us in sharing this message by having a conversation with your child(ren) over the next few days to address what your family’s plan is for masking. Help your child(ren) understand that:
- Masking is a family decision and is made between children and parents
- It’s important to respect each individual and family’s decision to mask or not mask.
As always, thank you for your continued support and I hope that you enjoy the 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
- March 15 - PTA Meeting, 7:00pm
- March 16 - LSAT Meeting, 4:30-5:30
- April 1 - School Year 2022-2023 Enrollment Opens
- April 11-15 - Spring Break
- April 18 - PD/Records Day for Staff (no school for students)
- June 27 - Last Day of School for Students
- June 28 - Last Day of School for Staff
- July 5 - August 5 - DCPS Offers Summer Programming for Students (see Chancellor's 3/7/22 email to families for additional details)
- August 29 - First Day of SY22-23 for K-5
- September 1 & 2 - First Days of SY22-23 for PK
FAQs from Families
Enrolling for School Year 2022-2023
Support Students' SEL Needs
Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen an increase in the number and types of SEL supports that students need and we support students' SEL needs through a variety of programming. We use Responsive Classroom as our SEL foundation and this school year, have layered on additional supports through a program called Zones of Regulation.
In the same way that some students require more intensive academic supports that others, we know that some students require more intensive SEL supports. For students for whom this is the case, Ms. Sartin, Hearst social worker, and Ms. DeWerd, Hearst school psychologist, meet with them in smaller groups/individually to provide those supports. Additionally, after conducting focus groups and empathy interviews with students our Hearst Design Lab Team is piloting additional SEL supports across the school.
If you have a specific concern about issues that your child has raised or raises, please be sure to reach out to your child's teacher(s) to discuss these issues. Feel free to also loop in Ms. Sartin, Ms. DeWerd, Dr Chen (grades PK, 1, 3, 4), and me (grades K, 2, 5, CES) as well so that we are aware of the situation and if your child reports bullying, definitely loop us in so that we can conduct a bullying investigation. Know that in our April PTA meeting, we'll be sharing additional SEL resources and information with families. In the interim, below are helpful tips for supporting kids who have experienced trauma. Additionally, following are links to a helpful article to support families in understanding the difference between bullying and rude or mean behavior: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bullying_b_2188819 and the difference between bullying and conflict: between https://www.verywellfamily.com/conflict-and-bullying-difference-460495.
Reminder: Health Certificates and Medication Orders
Reminder: Hearst Yearbooks on Sale
Yearbooks are on sale for pre-order! The early bird special is $25 until the end of March. After that, each book is $30. The yearbooks will arrive near the end of the school year. Please do not pay for shipping; click the free shipping to the school! The Hearst yearbook contains portraits of each homeroom class and some candid photos from the year. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Boyle and Ms. Schiers at ashley.boyle@k12.dc.gov and sarah.schiers@k12.dc.gov
Every year we sell out of yearbooks; don't let it happen to you. Reserve your copy today!
https://freedphotography.simplephoto.com/prepay/44607122?code=HEARST22YBEB
CODE: HEARST22YBEB
Reminder: The Return of the Hearst Auction- Volunteers Needed!
Reminder: Asymptomatic Student Testing on Wednesdays
Starting the week of 11/8, our asymptomatic testing time will move to 9:45am on Wednesday. During a typical week, we will pull test a random sample of approximately 25% of students who have not opted out of testing. Knowing that some students in this group will not be able to produce a sample or their saliva sample will be rejected, this will allow us to ensure we are hitting the goal of testing 20% of our students each week. Know that we will attempt to test at least one student from each homeroom each week. Here are a few things to know about asymptomatic testing :
- Teachers will be provided with names of students to be tested and those students will be escorted by staff to our testing location.
- Because the test is a saliva test, students identified for testing cannot eat, drink, chew gum, or have on chapstick an hour before their testing window.
Families of kids who are tested will receive notification that their child was tested and information on how to access the online portal where they will be able to view results. Your child may indicate that they were pulled for testing but they were not given a letter with online portal log in information. If this is the case, this means that your child did not produce enough saliva to fill the test tube. Please reach out to Ms. Johnson (kestaganer.johnson@k12.dc.gov) with any questions and/or if you would like to opt your child out of asymptomatic testing. If you wish to opt-out your student from receiving any COVID-19 test at school, you must complete the available at osse.dc.gov/page/school-based-covid-19-testing and email it to the school at kestaganer.johnson@k12.dc.gov.
The website to access results is: https://shieldt3k12.pointnclick.com/ and our Agency Code is: HearstES and the website . As a parent, you should be able to enable notifications be sent to you if a testing result is available for your child.
We believe that the email you use to register on site has to be the primary contact's email used to enroll your child. You will also have to wait at least 12 hours until after the student was tested for the agency code to work.
News and Announcements from DCPS
DCPS Parent University
You are invited to join DCPS Parent University virtual sessions this spring RSVP and explore all the sessions at bit.ly/dcpsparentursvp.
- 3/15- Let’s talk through DCPS Summer Learning Plans
- 3/16- Black Joy: Talking to Young Children About Race
- 3/22- 9th-11th Grade Guide: Using the Guide to Reach Your Goals
- 3/29- Worry and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: Strategies to Help Kids Cope
- 4/5- Transition Planning: Preparing for Life After High School
- 4/19- Summer Learning: Going Beyond the Classroom
- 4/20- Stronger Together: Moving from Fear-based Parenting to Social Justice Parenting
- 4/26- Assessment Guide for Families: What is my Child Taking this Spring
- 5/3- Finding Ways to Recharge and Support Your Child's Learning
Reminder: Pre-K Test to Stay Pilot Expands
Over the last few weeks, we have been utilizing a test-to-stay protocol for a limited number of positive cases in classrooms with our youngest learners who are not yet eligible for the life-saving vaccine.Beginning this week, if any positive COVID-19 case is reported in a Pre-K classroom, all students in that classroom will be participate in the test-to-stay pilot.
Through a mix of at-home and in-school testing, Pre-K students will be tested at least two times within a week should there be a positive case reported in their classroom.
The test-to-stay pilot program is designed to keep our youngest learners safely in the class with rigorous testing and limit the disruption that classroom closures have on families. However, there may be times when operational impacts may require a class to transition to virtual learning for a period.
As a reminder, all students who are fully vaccinated may continue to attend school in-person if they are identified as a close contact. We encourage all eligible students to get vaccinated as best way to avoid serious illness and to be able to continue to attend school in-person.
Reminder: Ready for Pre-K! Sessions Hosted By Dr. Traci Baxley (2/16, 3/16 & 4/20)
News and Announcements From Other Organizations
Reminder: DPR To Open Registration for Spring Programs on Tuesday, March 1
CONTACTS:
DPR Customer Care: (202) 673-7647
Media Contacts: Michael Tucker Jr. (202) 717-4242 michael.tucker@dc.gov
Nolan Treadway (202) 257-5266 nolan.treadway@dc.gov
DPR Opens Registration for Spring Programming
Baseball, T-Ball, Double Dutch, Flag Football, Urban Gardening, & Therapeutic Recreation Among New Spring Offerings
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) announced that the registration for 2022 Spring Programs will begin on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at Noon.
Among the programs to open for registration include an array of out-of-school time and youth development activities. DPR will offer Spring Break Camp during District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Spring Break and a DCPS Fun Day on April 18, a DCPS professional development day. DPR will also continue to offer Young Ladies on the Rise and Young Men, Future Leaders for ages 6-12, and Supreme Teens for ages 13-19.
Registration will open for new spring sports, including baseball, t-ball, double dutch, and flag football, along with the return of popular favorites like soccer, pickleball, tennis, and cheerleading.
Additionally, residents will have an opportunity to register for urban gardening, therapeutic recreation, aquatics, dance, music, and senior programs-focused programming. DPR will also add combat sports to its lineup of fitness classes, including Bootcamp, combat sports, spin, yoga, and Zumba.
Residents are encouraged to create an account online with DPR’s registration system in advance to save time once program registration opens. Create an account here: dpr.dc.gov/DPRaccount.
For more information and a complete list of DPR programs, visit DPRprograms.com.
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Social Media:
DPR Twitter: @DCDPR
DPR Instagram: @DCDPR
DPR Facebook: facebook.com/DCDPR
DPR Website: dpr.dc.gov
Next W3EdNet Meeting: Tues., Mar. 8 at 7pm via Zoom -- Budget Forum and Presentation on Kids and Social Media
The next meeting of the Ward 3 Education Network (W3EdNet) is on Tuesday, March 8 at 7pm via Zoom (link below).
We plan to have two topics:
- A budget forum where we share experiences with school budgets and tap the group's collective expertise. Please try to send at least one representative from your school to the meeting.
- A presentation by Jeremy Joseph (Key LSAT) on Kids and Social Media
Register in advance for this meeting here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Upcoming meetings (note date changes!):
- Monday, April 4 at 7pm, Topic/Guest TBD (Zoom link)
- Tuesday, May 10 at 7pm, Topic/Guest TBD (Zoom link)
- Tuesday, June 7 at 7pm, Topic/Guest TBD (Zoom link)
We are also hoping to host a Ward 3 Council race forum on education issues. Details to follow!
We look forward to seeing you there.
Melody, Karin, and Brian
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The Ward 3 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 local High School feeder pattern, host community events of common interest, and advocate for better schools across the city.
Website: https://www.w3ednet.com/
Twitter: @W3EdNet
Deal Ice Hockey
Does your 5th grader play ice hockey? Did you know Alice Deal Middle School has an ice hockey team, entering its 5th season in 2022-23? If your rising Deal middle schooler is interested in being a part of the Alice Deal Middle School Ice Hockey Team in fall 2022, please reach out to Don Fishman, Deal hockey coach and Deal parent, at dfishman@washcaps.com. Thank you.
Don