Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. It is such an honor to represent you next year as Capitol Hill Cluster School’s PTA president. A big “Panther” thank you to outgoing President Vince Morris, Vice President Beth Bacon, and the entire board for their service. It was a great year for the Cluster!
One of the cornerstones of the Cluster School philosophy is family engagement and activism. Our school's growth and success is directly related to the time and talent donated by parents as volunteers and as PTA members. Thank you for all you've done to support our school!
As we wrap-up this year and look forward to the next (well, not just quite yet!), we invite your continued involvement by joining the PTA and volunteering for our amazing school. Consider serving as a room parent, volunteering for one of our community events or fundraisers, or contributing your ideas for how to make our schools a great place to learn. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, I would love to hear from you!
I hope you enjoy your summer and look forward to working with you!
Lisa Miller, President
Peabody/Watkins Principal Named: Welcome Principal Elena Bell
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The Cluster community is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Elena Bell as the new principal for Peabody and Watkins. Ms. Bell was highly recommended by the parents, teachers and community members on the selection panel, and we are excited to welcome her to the Cluster.
Earlier this year, DCPS officials informed the school community that they would be adding an additional principal to the Cluster, specifically to lead Watkins and Peabody. Dawn Clemens will continue as the principal for Stuart-Hobson. Read more about the decision to add a principal to the Cluster and more about Ms. Bell's background here.
Watkins Modernization Update:
City Council Final Budget Vote This Tuesday
Window Replacements Start Soon: May 22!
On June 16, the District Council will hold its final vote on the 6-year Capital Improvement Plan budget that includes $30 million for Watkins (FY16 & FY17). With those funds, the total budget allocation for the Watkins modernization is $39.4 million (FY14-FY17). This is the final step to secure funding for Watkins (after the Mayor included it in the Capital budget, and the Council Committee on Education and Council of the Whole made no adjustments).
Beginning June 22, the windows will be replaced on the academic wing of the building. DC Department of General Services (DGS) will also complete some interim work on the HVAC over the summer. All work will be complete prior to the beginning of school in August. The rest of the renovation (replacement of the multi-purpose room/cafeteria wing and a gut renovation of the academic wing) will be completed in 2016-2017. The renovation concept plans can be seen here.
Watkins Farmers Market Open Each Wednesday
The Farmers Market at 13th and E Streets S.E., across from Watkins Field, has resumed and runs each Wednesday from 3:30-7:30 p.m. through the fall. The market accepts cash, credit, debit, WIC/Senior FMNP, SNAP/EBT, as well as Produce Plus.
Summer Reading Programs for Peabody & Watkins Students
Ms. Bloom and Ms. Renwick want to make sure our young readers are doing just that over the summer vacation. Look in your child's folder this week for information about the reading programs as well as book recommendations and other resources for enhancing reading with your children. The kids will also love the snow cone reading logs to keep track of their reading accomplishments!
Peabody News
Moving On Up: Kindergarten Graduation
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Kindergarteners entertained family and friends at the "Moving Up" ceremony at Stuart-Hobson on Friday afternoon. They performed many songs including a Mr. Hoffman favorite: "My Own Two Hands." Principal Clemens, Scott Harding and Ms. Houghton spoke to the class and their beaming parents. Onward -- and Go Panthers!
Spanish Music DC -- Solid Gold for Summer Singing
Did you get your cd of Spanish songs taught to Peabody students this year? It's chock-full of melodies that will help your child remember what they learned over the year, and you might even find yourself singing along. Many thanks to all the parents who helped though out the year with singing songs and reading stories featured in videos on the Peabody Specials Web site.
Watkins News
Want to Get the Scoop on Teachers and Admin For Next Year? Can you believe we are in our last month of school? The year has really flown by! Administrators have been interviewing new staff and making plans for next year. We are excited to share some of the great things happening next year. Read more here on the Web site. There's also a staff flyer so you can get a sneak peak of all the new faces coming in the fall.
Get Ready, Set .... for Field Day is June 15
Mr. Deak has been working hard to make a fantastic field day that is a mixture of traditional field day and some carnival activities! Some stations include the dunk tank, balloon blaster, obstacle course, basketball, moon bounce, and more! Here are a few reminders:
Wear sneakers and socks
Bring your own water bottle with water
Wear sunscreen
Wear comfortable clothing
Parent volunteers are welcome to come and join the festivities: grades 3-5: 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m., and grades 1-2: 12:30-3 p.m.
Summer myON Don't forget you can log in in to all of the blending learning programs Watkins has over the summer including Reflex, First in Math, and myON. Don't forget to check out books in the library but you can also read books online with myON.
In case you forgot how to login, the information is below.
www.myon.com/login
School name: Capitol Hill Cluster
Username: Student ID #
Password: student
The Leaderboard
Check out the leaderboard below who have logged the most minutes on myON! Congratulations to our top classes and students.
Top Classes for Time spent on myON:
1. Ms. Jones’ 3rd-grade class
2. Ms. Kellogg’s 4th-grade class
3. Ms. Johnston’s 5th-grade class
4. Ms. Toor’s 4th-grade class
5. Ms. Moxley’s 4rd-grade class
Top Students for Time Reading on myON:
1. Samara Winston
2. Jamie Morris
3. Nasir Riddick
4. Samia Hammond
5. Wesley Parr
Time to Register for Aftercare for Next Year The OSTP Afterschool Program Registration is open now through Aug. 19. Please talk to your after-care workers if you have any questions. Watkins students in grades 1-4 received their personal ID number and a letter explaining the on-line registration process last week. You can register online here.
Stuart-Hobson News
Here They Come: Rising 6th-Graders Welcomed On Wednesday, Stuart-Hobson hosted over 50 parents and students at our annual Rising 6th Grader Night. Parents and students alike learned about the academic, social, and extra-curricular activities offered at Stuart-Hobson. Parents and students took tours of the school and learned all about life at Stuart-Hobson from teachers and the Admin team. Additional information will soon be sent home, so no worries if you weren’t able to join in.
Welcoming 6th-Graders from Other Hill Schools
In the last 14 days Stuart-Hobson has welcomed rising 6th-grade students from Watkins, Ludlow-Taylor, and JO Wilson to Stuart-Hobson on three different “buddy days”. Students learned about the school from other students, teachers, and staff. They also got to take tours of the building and ask many burning and insightful questions. This was the first of several steps they will take on the way to becoming Stuart-Hobson Panthers. The next step for many will be our Panther Pride Academy for all rising 6th-graders, Aug. 4-7. Students will experience four days at Stuart-Hobson learning about the school and coming together as the House of Clemens. The House of Clemens will compete against the House of Turner (rising 8th-graders), and the House of Miller (rising 7th-graders), but our students first become Panthers at Panther Pride Academy. More information will be mailed home soon!
Been There, Done That: 7th Grade Visited NYC
Panthers on the move: On June 12, most of our 7th-grade students traveled to New York City on the 7th-grade class field trip. This was also partly a reward for winning the House Trophy after a fierce competition with the House of Miller (6th grade). Next Thursday the 8th-grade class will travel to Colonial Williamsburg on their class trip.
4th Street Student Entrance Now Open
Our new student entrance provides a wonderful new space to welcome students into the school. On June 1, Stuart-Hobson opened its new student entrance on the 4th Street side of the building. Students enter solely through this side in the morning, and it has significantly changed the morning routines (and traffic patterns) at our building. We’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well students and parents have dealt with the transition, and we look forward to starting our next school year with this as our main entry point into the building for our students.
8th-Grade Prom, A River Cruise to Remember
Last Friday night our 8th-grade students were dressed to the nines as they celebrated their coming promotion with a prom. Students and faculty enjoyed a dinner and dancing cruise on the Potomac in what has proved to be one of our most fun events of the year.
What You Need to Know: Cluster Communications At Your Service
Communication is a highly valued tool here at the Cluster. Here are a variety of ways to make sure you have all the information you need each week.
Join a Campus-Specific Listserv There are Yahoo group listservs for each campus. It's a helpful way to have an online dialogue about school activities and events. You may even find a gently used nap-mat! Here's where to start.
PTA Communications You can find out the latest and greatest about the Cluster on Facebook and Twitter and on the Web site, www.capitolhillclusterschool.org.
