06-01-2020 - CHEC BULLETIN

CHEC BULLETIN
A weekly update on our professional learning community

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CHEC bulletin for Week of May 25, 2020
STUDENTS HEADING TO CAMP HORIZONS - GOODBYE SY 2019-2020
MARIA TUKEVA’S (MT) MESSAGE:
MEETINGS THIS WEEK:
All Departments and SLC’s send individual notifications of their meetings
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Monday,  June 1, 2020
Record Keeping and Grading Day – Grades are due  by 5:00 pm

Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Schoolwide PD – Focus on Culture of Achievement – Specific schedule announced by Monday afternoon
3:00 pm Faculty Meeting

Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Schoolwide PD – Focus on Shared Leadership – Specific schedule announced by Monday afternoon
3:00 pm ALT Team Meeting

Thursday, June 4, 2020
Schoolwide PD – Focus on Academics – Specific schedule announced by Monday afternoon
3:00 pm Reopen DC Focus Group

Friday, June 5, 2020
Schoolwide PD – Focus on Shared Leadership – Specific schedule announced by Monday afternoon

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DCPS Reopen Strong PD – June 8-19

THANK YOU TO ALL FOR MAKING SCHOOL YEAR 2019-2020 A SUCCESS

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire school community – students, parents, faculty and staff – for coming together in unity to pursue our school mission, in spite of the many obstacles and barriers we faced due to the COVID 19 Pandemic.  Your pride, poise and perseverance allowed us to keep the focus on learning, and to support one another during these difficult times.  We have been able to use our creativity and determination to transition to a whole new mode of education. We know that more important work awaits us.  as we are called upon to also respond to issues of social justice that are in the forefront of our community and nation at this time.

As a school, we are committed to “developing leaders in the quest for social justice.”  This aspect of our mission is now needed more than ever before.   As celebrate the end of the year, and reflect upon what worked, we must begin also to plan for even greater unity, solidarity and focus in the coming school year.

Thank you Griffins and Knights, for all you do.



SHOUT OUTS

  • Shout out to all of the CHEC team for amazing digital portfolio presentations!
  • Shout out to Coach A  for a great job coordinating the High School and Middle School Athletic Banquets!
  • Kudos to Ms. Penn, Ms. Peddyreddy, Mr. Henggeler, Mr. Mann, and the IT/Engineering Academy for a great Awards Night!
  • Kudos to Pankaj, Ms. Nimer, Ms. Crivelli, and Ms. Carino for continuing to find a way to get the funds to our neediest families!
  • Shout out to the Dean Team and all who have participated in IG Live CHEC In!
  • Kudos to all members of the ALT team for their CONTINUED work on our needs assessment and for planning our PD!
INSTRUCTION:
A CHEC MOMENT WITH MS. SPINKS
The school year is over, and we are now entering the phase of reflection and planning for a hybrid opening in School Year 20-21.

INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR
The Instructional Calendar is a living document that houses all the major curricular requirements, assessments, and schoolwide events.  The Instructional Calendar has now been updated to reflect the most recent information.

Please view the Instructional Calendar here
OPPORTUNITIES:
A CHEC MOMENT WITH MS. CARINO
UPDATES FROM:  I ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP TEAM I DONORS CHOOSE I GrantEd I YOGA WEDNESDAYS  I SCHOOL ENROLLMENT I OFFICE DEPOT GIFT CARDS I DC ARTS AND HUMANITIES EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE I TYLER MANNING - FINANCIAL CONSULTANT I PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT LINK I LIBRARY UPDATE I OFFICE DEPOT GIVE BACK I NEWSELSA


ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP TEAM

The Academic Leadership Team (ALT) consists of all administrators, LEAP leads, Department Chairs, and any interested faculty or staff.  Meetings are held twice a month.  The ALT team designs and monitors the Comprehensive School Plan.  All are welcome to attend, either for one meeting or for all.  

The last ALT meeting was Wednesday, May 27 at 8:00 am.   The team continued the process of completing the Needs Assessment for our Comprehensive School Plan, by moving into Breakout Groups on TEAMS.  The agenda and minutes are posted on TEAMS.  The next ALT team meeting will be Wednesday, June 3 at 3:00 pm.  Our agenda will include continuing work on the Needs Assessment for the Comprehensive School Plan, and planning for short term and long term Professional Development.



MR. TALARICO HAS A PROJECTED FUNDED BY DONORS CHOOSE!

Congratulations to Mr. Talarico - his classroom project "Urban Students Need Contemporary Novels by Writers of Color" was recently funded.

The resources for this project include:

  • Lost Children Archive: A novel x 15
  • Salvage the Bones: A Novel x 15
  • The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears x 7
  • The Water Dancer (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel x 15
  • Dominicana: A Novel x 8
  • Knitting the Fog x 15

MY PROJECT

Our students are facing many technological inequities that make online learning, especially reading instruction very difficult. Even when E-books are available, they are difficult to come by and are often canonical books by white writers. In these trying times, our students need to see their identities celebrated on the page. I wish you could see how much our students love reading and how excited they become they will receive a new book.

You have the opportunity to further instill a love of reading in our students by exposing them to diverse contemporary voices that challenge preconceived notions and systems that have for too long impeded the progress of our brilliant students.

Our students are still coming to school to pick up lunch. With your help, they will also be able to pick up books that will help them complete their summer reading project. With school ending early, our students are potentially facing three months without learning. A high summer reading turn in rate will be key in preventing even further learning losses during these trying times. The key to a high summer reading turn in rate is putting books in the hands of students, especially books that connect to their experiences and cultures. These books will go on to become a permanent part of our Independent Reading initiative, with hundreds of students benefitting from your generosity. I have no doubt that these books will inspire our students to continue to speak the truth to power and demand that their voices be heard.



MR. AGUILAR HAS A PROJECT FUNDED BY GrantEd
 
 
Mr. Aguilar applied for and received a May 2020 GrantEd grant!  He was granted the funds in the amount of $496.64 for 38 books total (30 English Version and 8 Spanish Version) of "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez.




YOGA WEDNESDAYS

Set up your space!
 
All are welcome – pet, spouses, partners, kids and parents!



1. Join with audio and turn the volume up.
2. You are invited to turn your video on so that we can see you and connect as a community.
3. After class, you will be unmuted and have some time to say, "Hi" to your fellow yogis

Looking forward to practicing with you!



SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
 
As you may have heard, DCPS has begun the SY 2020 -21 Enrollment Process for all students. In the last many years, CHEC has always been one few DCPS schools that consistently met the Enrollment Goals. CHEC Enrollment Team has always relied upon the help of Teachers, Counselors, Social Workers, Librarians, Aides and Administrative Staff to help us achieve our Enrollment Goals. Enrollment is the main driving force behind School Budgets and Staffing.

Goal for SY 2020 – 21: We have to be fully enrolled by the time school opens (date is yet to be announced). Total projection for CHEC next year is 1520.

Timeline: We have to re-enroll all our current students by May 29, earlier if possible. All students by first day of school next SY.

POC: Any questions or issues with Enrollment, please reach out to CHEC Registrar Ms. Paige at darnetta.paige@k12.dc.gov
Due to the current crisis, Enrollment process is going to look very different as safety of families, students and staff is the number one priority.

Main points below:

Enrollment is going to be online, via an online tool called Seamless Docs. DCPS has already sent parents have already been sent the information and we will keep messaging as well.
All students – current and new students have to enroll.
Parents can simply go on to Seamless Docs, create an account and upload documents. Documents can be uploaded as pictures, files, etc.

https://enrolldcps.dc.gov/ - is the link parents can access to go to the Enrollment App. They can select from the 6 language options.

Parents will need an email address to create an account.

There will be a dedicated phone number and email address for CHEC parents to contact regarding Enrollment. We are waiting to hear back from DCPS on this. For now, please contact Ms. Paige at darnetta.paige@k12.dc.gov

In the next few weeks, we will be messaging to parents via Robocalls, KiNVO and emails about enrollment. As in the past, we will also announce incentives for Students, Teachers and Grade Levels in order to get to our Enrollment Goals.

I thank you for your support in advance. Please let Ms. Paige and I know if you have any questions.

Be safe.
Pankaj



OFFICE DEPOT GIFT CARDS

I hope everyone is well and safe! Please see the attached flyer regarding $50 gift cards from Office Depot for distance learning supplies.  Please note that it must be used by May 29, 2020.  The e-gift card will come from officedepotgiftcardsupport@cashstar.com.  Only WTU and select CSO members will receive this (same people that received the $200 gift card at the start of the school year).  If you do not receive your electronic gift card by May 1 to your DCPS e-mail, please contact the e-mail addresses contained within the flyer.




DC ARTS AND HUMANITIES EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE

We hope that you're doing well. In order to best support our school partners in these uncertain times, the DC Collaborative is excited to announce the launch of our online Distance Learning Resource Database. These resources encompass curricular guides, virtual field trips, and other educational activities to enhance students' at-home learning experiences. We hope that you're able to use the resources in your distance learning efforts.

Please feel free to share this resource with other educators and parents in your community. We know this is a challenging time on many fronts and we  will support you and your students in any way that we can. Do let us know if you have any questions, feedback, or additional resources to share.

Stay safe,
Clarissa

Clarissa Heartsfield
Manager of School Partnerships
DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative
Office Hours: Monday - Friday: 8AM - 4PM
#CollectiveImpact #CollaborativeEffect #ArtsAndHumanitiesForEveryStudent
202.470.6467 ext. 1 (p)

Starting Monday, March 16th
DC Collaborative Daily ZoomChats will take place daily at 11:00am to provide arts and humanities education community updates and opportunity to chat with DC Collaborative staff in response to COVID-19: https://zoom.us/j/8531648236



MESSAGE FROM TYLER MANNING - FINANCIAL CONSULTANT

Donors Choose is a great resource for all teachers. You can receive a mini grant to support a special project or initiative.  Please see some of our recent Donors Choose grantees! You can reach out to them for support in obtaining your own grant!

I hope you are staying safe! I am sure you have a lot on your mind right now as a result of this COVID-19 chaos. I wanted to inform you that as a financial consultant with AXA Equitable, one of the approved providers of the supplemental retirement plans for DC, I am doing brief phone appointments with faculty and staff to help them get a better handle on how this market volatility affects their:
1. DC Pension
2. 403b supplemental retirement plan
3. 457b supplemental retirement plan
 
If you think you may benefit from this information, I have attached a PDF that provides insightful and contextual perspective to all this craziness. If there’s another way I may be of assistance, please let me know!
 
Kind Regards,
 
Tyler Manning
Financial Consultant
Equitable Advisors
3141 Fairview Park Drive, Suite #250
Falls Church, VA
C: 240-688-6371




GREAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEWSLETTER LINK
Here is a link for a monthly newsletter from OSSE about PD opportunities for a bunch of subjects/areas.
Please take a look … it may have something they could use!   http://eepurl.com/gBFkKw

It has ELL, SpEd, SEL, H & PE, RTI, literacy, math and more.


LINCOLN LIBRARY UPDATE

Antiracist Advocacy Summer Reading List
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi shared an image of a stack of books to read if you're looking to explore antiracism and race issues. That list can be found here with a few additional titles.



BELL LIBRARY UPDATE

Sending peace and love your way as we navigate unfamiliar personal and educational territory.  This is an unprecedented time.  Taking this time to practice constant self-love and care is essential.  Washingtonian Taraji P. Henson's, Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, named after her father, is offering (5) COVID-19 Free Virtual Therapy sessions (please review eligibility).

WTU has partnered with FOX5, its sister station, FOXPlus WDCA-TV to air lessons on television.  In celebration of National Library Week, several librarians have presented lessons.  Because its National Financial Literacy Month, I chose to present on Financial Literacy.  The lesson airs this morning at 10 AM.

I had the great pleasure of distributing sanitized text books to Ms. Lainez' amazing students...please see the attached Show and Tell video.  Bell High School Library picture album coming soon!   

As we get ready to re-introduce the 25 Books Campaign, just in time for the summer,  be on the lookout for author talks and additional programming that will be located on the Bell Library website.  Also, check out the website for updated resources and tabs!  

Steven Blackburn from District Administration has compiled an impressive list of 200 + K-12 resources, please take a look!

Come ALL! The Bell Library Virtual Book Club kicks off Thursday, April 30th at 2 PM.  Bring your favorite book and food.



OFFICE DEPOT GIVE BACK
Office Depot has a Give Back to Schools program that provides 5% credit from people's purchases to help schools buy supplies throughout the year. Below is more info and our school ID numbers that people can share at in-store or online check out.  The site provides graphics to share online as well.

Lincoln: 70020154
Bell: 70229484
CHEC: 70020156


'Simply make a purchase of qualifying school supplies, provide your school ID at checkout and your school will receive 5% back in credits for FREE supplies!'


FREE ON LINE RESOURCES AND PD OPPORTUNITIES

newsela

Your teachers now have free access to our entire new product suite through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. That includes Newsela ELA, Newsela Social Studies, Newsela Science, and The Newsela Social-Emotional Learning Collection. All teachers at your district will begin receiving getting started emails from Newsela within 7 days. Please get in touch with your Newsela representative or reply back to this email if you would like to pause emails from Newsela at this time.

We created this distance learning toolkit to help you activate your community for distance learning. For additional support, we invite you to join our upcoming office hours. Register for the time that works for you.

High school students, like everyone else, are cooped up at home. So The New York Times came up with a smart plan to help those students kill time, stay informed and maybe drum up some more readers. Through a deal with Verizon, the Times will offer students and teachers in U.S. high schools free digital access to NYTimes.com. The deal is from now through July 6. (Here are the details to sign up.)
It's from the Poynter news media daily update.

ELLEVATION

As distance learning becomes the new norm for students across the country, a lot of families are playing an increased role in the day-to-day education of their child(ren).
The home-school connections added to the Ellevation Distance Learning activities allow educators to engage family members to share in the learning process.



Check out this just released instructional activity that allows multilingual learners to benefit from educational opportunities at home.

Sincerely,
Your Ellevation Team
CLIMATE:
RESOURCES:
RESOURCE CORNER FOR EDUCATORS
VIRTUAL EDUCATION RESOURCES FROM FORMATIVE

Hello CHEC Team,

I hope you and the educators at Columbia Heights EC are safe and well at this time! We know that your virtual classroom environments are essential to the future success of your students, so we have some new resources to share with you. Please pass these along to your team:


Take care and stay safe,
Sarah

Sarah McGull
Success Manager
Formative




Hi Team,
 
 
 
I hope all is well with you and your family. Attached are the infographics for next week's extracurricular activities.




























CHEC Counselors Weekly

Please find the CHEC Counselor’s Weekly news at this link (English), and this link Spanish.

RESTORATIVE:
Hi CHEC Family! The Culture team will highlight Positive OutLook and Celebrations this week. We have held a POSITIVE outlook on learning from home! At home, we have adjusted to learning virtually and collaborated with our colleagues and student via Zoom, Teams, FaceTime, Instagram, etc. We have PERSEVERED to learn what we do not know; we reflected and requested assistance when needed. We have won many short races and will continue to win.  Let us continue to run this marathon and build self- confidence, persist with perseverance, and support the students and staff along the way! Celebrate your selves and your students all week.

We are still actively hosting RJ circles each day between 12p and 1p w/ the culture team for both MS and HS students. We are also offering Staff Support Circles on Wednesdays at @3pm and Fridays at 8 am on TEAMS. We are pushing to have 100% of students, and staff members receive SEL resources to enhance relationships, build community, and support their emotional health. Please join us as we offer our support to staff during this challenging time and encourage our students to participate in our RJ check-ins. As Griffins and Knights, we stand together!

Last but not least, follow us on IG checdc

Best,
Ms. Bowens














WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE
Even though sports have officially ended for the 2019 - 2020 school year, the work behind the scenes in preparation for the next season hasn't ceased.  In celebration of all the work that our coaches and student athletes do, we will honor a coach or student athlete every week. in our bulletin moving forward.

This week we honor one of our senior student athletes, Jessica Valencia.  



Jessica Valencia came to the United States in 2015 from El Salvador, where she joined the CHEC family, attending Lincoln Middle school.  Life at CHEC initially was very difficult for Jessica as she struggled academically due to her limited English proficiency.  But Jessica was able to preserve with the help of friends and teachers.  Per Jessica words, "Since I didn’t know the language I felt alone and unmotivated but thanks to Mr. Galvan that at that time he was teaching English as a second language I was able to learn English faster than what I thought!"  By the time, Jessica reached high school, her attitude towards school changed and she became a much better student as she got involved in several extracurricular activities.  Jessica began to excel academically, earning honor roll and student of the week several times and currently has a 3.81 cumulative GPA.  Jessica has not only excelled in the classroom, but she has excelled on the field of play.  Her sports career started with soccer, where she started for four years., but it did not end there.  Jessica has also bowled, golfed, ran cross country, and has been one of our best softball players for the past three years.  According to Jessica, playing sports allowed her to do more than just have fun, it allowed her to feel as she was a part of a family.  Jessica stated, "being a part of a team is like binge part of a family because everyone is looking for one goal and everyone support each other!"  As a result of her stellar academic performance and plethora of extracurricular activity, Jessica has received the DCSAA scholarship for being one of the most outstanding senior athletes in the city.  She also has been awarded the DC CAP STEM scholarship.  Jessica will use both of these scholarships while she attends Marymount University in the fall.  Jessica, your CHEC family salutes you!  We can't wait to see all the wonderful things you will accomplish!

If you are interested in joining the CHEC athletic department, as a student-athlete, coach, and/or supporter, please contact athletic director, Desmond Alexander at desmond.alexander@k12.dc.gov!


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