John Lewis Elementary School
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDARS
September and October 2022 Family Events Calendar
**Please note that all school events are subject to change, pending weather or revised COVID protocols
You may also find the DCPS SY22-23 Calendar below:
STUDENT IMMUNIZATIONS AND MEDICATIONS
Immunizations are required for all students who will be attending school. All families are required to submit health forms, including updated immunization records and Universal Health Certificates for each student. For SY22-23, all students must have updated immunization records on file with the school. Students who are not up to date on their immunization requirements by the 20th day of school, will not be allowed to attend school until we are in receipt of the appropriate immunization documentation. You may find more information at Vaccinations for Students - DCPS Strong. Please submit your student's completed health forms to:
Nurse Ayesha Nagaiya Habib, BSN, RN
202-576-5287 (Health Suite)
202-576-6226 (Main Number)
anagaiyaha@childrensnational.org
To support families with meeting these requirements, immunization pop-up clinics will be open at schools throughout August and September. DCPS school locations and hours of operation are listed below. To learn more, please visit:
https://dcpsstrong.com/vaccines/#school-immunization-clinics
Please also reach out to our school nurse, Nurse Ayesha, to discuss any medication or other student health information.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Please be on the lookout for additional information!
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL REMINDERS
Student Arrival
Students may enter our building at 8:40am. All students will enter the building through our Farragut Street entrance and will be directed to their grade-level lines upon arrival. Students are late for school after 9:00am.
Car riders will utilize our “Kiss and Ride” drop-off line on Farragut Street. John Lewis staff will be on-hand to support unloading students from cars in the “Kiss and Ride” line and to assist with traffic. There is no parking allowed in front of our building on Farragut Street. This space is reserved for student drop-off only. Please review the enclosed map.
Student Dismissal
Student dismissal begins at 3:15pm and students will be dismissed from assigned exits, based on their grade-level.
Pre-K: Farragut Street Exit
K – 1st Grades: Farragut Street exit
2nd - 5th Grades: Gallatin Street exit
If a student has a younger sibling, they should meet at the pick-up location of their younger sibling. All students must be picked up by no later than 3:30pm.
Early Pick-Up of Students
Our school hours for students are 8:40am – 3:15pm, Monday through Friday. We understand that Doctor's appointments and unforeseen circumstances may sometimes require that students be picked up early from school. Students being dismissed early must be picked up by 2:45pm. Students will not be dismissed between 2:45pm-3:15pm as teachers and staff are completing end of day activities and preparing students for dismissal during this time.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: As you know, dismissal is one of our busiest times of day. To help our staff keep your child and their classmates safe, please remember the following procedures for dismissal:
- The dismissal zones map outlines the areas around the school that are designated for parking, student loading, and no parking. Pay special attention to the area that is marked as “student loading”—if you are in this area you are expected to stay in your vehicle and only exit to help load your child into the car. Please review this map and share it with anyone else who regularly picks up your child from school. There is no parking allowed in front of our building on Farragut Street or Gallatin Street.
- Under no circumstances, should you double park in front of the school building to allow your child to get loaded into your car. Farragut Street is narrow, and cars that are double parked, even for just a few minutes, prevent cars in our quick pick-up line from being able to exit and create space for other vehicles and can create unsafe conditions for students and families.
Thank you for doing your part to help keep all students in our JLES family safe!
STUDENT ATTENDANCE
Students are late after 9:00am. Students are expected to be at school and on time every day.
To minimize disruptions to instructional time, we ask all teachers to take attendance at 9:00am prior to the start of the instructional block. While we do our best to update the attendance in the main office for late arrivals, students who arrive more than 15 minutes tardy may at times be erroneously marked as absent if the absence is not changed to a tardy once the late student arrives.
Please notify the main office by calling us at 202-576-6226 or emailing Ms. Cruz if you receive an incorrect absence notification and we will update this.
As a reminder, student dismissal begins at 3:15pm and ends at 3:30pm. Students who are not registered for our afterschool programming must be picked up by 3:30pm.
Students who are being picked up for early dismissal must be picked up by 2:45pm. Students will not be dismissed between 2:45pm-3:15pm as they will be in transition.
BEFORE AND AFTERSCHOOL REMINDERS
Before School Programming
The JLES Before Care is set up to provide support for families who need coverage before school. The program is offered from 7:30–8:40am. Our program is currently at capacity; however, you may sign up to be added to our waitlist and will be notified if a seat becomes available. If you are interested in registering for the program, please complete this link: https://forms.office.com/r/5A2WpJvhQN
Drop-off for JLES morning care is in the cafeteria on Gallatin Street, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Children will meet our morning care team and join their peer groups for activities. Students must be dropped off by 8:15am or they will have to enter the building at 8:40am with the rest of the students.
After School Programming
Afterschool programming includes tutoring, academic support, as well as social activities.
We have partnered with The Fishing School to provide after-school programming for students in Grades 1-5. Students must be registered in order to attend after-school programming. Our program is currently at capacity; however, you may sign up to be added to our waitlist and will be notified if a seat becomes available.
Afterschool application: https://dcps.dc.gov/afterschool
The after-school program hours are as follows:
Grades PK-K: 3:30-5:30pm
Grades 1-5: 3:30-5:50pm
Our building closes to students promptly at 6:00pm so that our custodial team can have ample time to clean and sanitize classrooms for the next school day.
Failure to pick up your students on time will result in students being removed from after school programming.
AFTERSCHOOL PLAYGROUND USAGE
With the great weather, many families have been going to the playground after picking their child up at dismissal. As much as we love that students enjoy playing on the playground, the school grounds (including the playground and facilities in the school building, like bathrooms) are for school use only during the hours of 8:00am to 6:00pm. JLES has before- and after-school programs that use these facilities and, as I am sure you can understand given recent events, it is an issue of safety to have students not participating in afterschool programming on campus after they have been dismissed.
JOHN LEWIS STAFF DIRECTORY
Our main office telephone number is 202-576-6226.
You may also email Principal Jackson and AP Bryant at:
You may find our full staff contacts here:
STUDENT CELL PHONE POLICY
We recommend that students do not bring cell phones or other electronics (tablets, gaming devices) to school. We realize, however, that there may be instances in which a student needs to have his/her cell phone before or after school (for communicating with family, etc.). We have created a fair cell phone policy, and we ask families to respect this and reinforce it at home. We also ask that parents DO NOT call or text their students during the school day. If you need to reach your child or if there is an emergency, please contact the main office.
The usage of cell phones is prohibited during school hours. In all grades, students may activate their cell phones before entering the school building and after leaving the school building. However, cell phones should be powered off as soon as students enter the school building and placed in backpacks prior to entering the building.
Students who violate this policy will have their phones taken and a parent will be called. An administrator will return the phone at the end of the school day. Multiple violations of this policy will require a parent or guardian to pick up the phone.
COVID-19 HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATES
PPE will be provided to schools and HEPA filters will be maintained.
We will maintain a Health Isolation Rooms (HIR).
We will issue classroom notifications in response to exposure.
We will continue Test-To-Return for opening of school.
We will continue to limit visitors to our schools and classrooms. There is no classroom entry for drop off/pick up.
Changes for SY22-23
Ask, Ask, Look/Entry Procedures has been discontinued.
Test-to-stay and quarantines for close contacts have been discontinued.
Staff will not be required to document daily health screenings.
Each school will have one PCT on site to support with COVID procedures with additional staff detailed based on need.
We will discontinue community (school-wide) COVID notifications but continue to publicly post cases by school on our website.
Only ECE students will eat in their classrooms. Other students will eat meals in the cafeteria/outdoors.
COVID Positive Individuals
Individuals who test positive for COVID (symptomatic or asymptomatic) should follow the guidance of their health professional but must isolate for a minimum of 5 days. The individual can return to school on day 6 or prior to day 10, if:
The individual tests negative on day 5 or later.
Symptoms are improving and the individual is fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.
The individual wears a mask up to day 10. (If a student cannot wear a mask, they must continue to isolate at home for the full 10 days.)
Individuals should continue to monitor symptoms for the full 10 days of the isolation period.
Symptomatic Students
Students who are displaying COVID-19 symptoms will be taken to our health isolation room. Our health isolation room is staffed by a patient care technician (PCT). The student's parent or guardian will be contacted and students will need to be picked up from school within an hour.
PARENT STAFF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION (PSCO) NEWS
As a reminder, our PSCO is using the newest A to Z software to communicate about meetings, events, and other opportunities for students and families. You can access this software here: https://johnlewispsco.membershiptoolkit.com/home. If you previously had an account on the older A to Z software, please be sure to use your same email address so that all of your information migrates over. If you are new to A to Z, you can just create an account.
Also, if you use Facebook, you can search "John Lewis ES PSCO Group” to join the PSCO Facebook group. Once a request is made, a current member of the group will approve the request. Please feel free to reach out to the PSCO if you have any questions.
FAMILY VOLUNTEER PROCESS
All volunteers, including parents, must complete the DCPS Clearance process before volunteer services can be provided.
Please review the guidance below to complete this mandatory process. Please note, there is no cost associated with obtaining a background check.
- Complete the DCPS Clearance Application.
- Complete the TB Risk Assessment Screening, imbedded in the DCPS Clearance Application. If directed, based on the results of your TB Risk Assessment Screening, provide TB test or chest x-ray analysis results to the DCPS Clearance team at dcps.clearance@k12.dc.gov.
JOHN LEWIS SCHOOL WEBSITE AND SCHOOL STORE
We are excited to announce the launch of our school website! You can visit our website at:
Please also visit our school store at:
https://logowearhouse.shop/john_lewis_elementary/shop/home to purchase all your John Lewis swag!!!!
BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MENUS
Please find the breakfast and lunch menus below. Students are permitted to bring their own lunches if they prefer.
*Given the nation-wide supply chain challenges, some menu items are subject to change.
