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From PTA President Vince Morris
Hi fellow parents,
Here's what happens at the Cluster Classic on May 17th:
Kids get active. Parents get active. See old friends. Meet new friends. Listen to music. Eat too many bananas. Cringe in a Porta-potty. See teachers in yoga pants. Raise $ for our children & school. Watch Jason do his thing. Hand out medals to sweaty runners.
I've been running it since before I had kids and it only gets better! If you for some unearthly reason have not yet registered will you do it today? Remember you can walk the course. We can always use more volunteers so that's an option too. Get involved!
Enjoy your week and see you Sunday!
Vince Morris
President, Capitol Hill Cluster School PTA and father of Stuart-Hobson 7th-grader and 5th- and 3rd-graders at Watkins Elementary
Learn about our school and take a look at what the PTA does for students
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Countdown: 7 Days
Volunteers Needed ASAP!
The Capitol Hill Classic is less than a week away and we need YOUR help! Our dedicated Cluster family and community volunteers help make the Classic a success each year.
We still have over 50 volunteers slots to fill, so we are calling on ALL of you to lend us a hand. You can bring a friend to help out and sign the kids up for community service hours as well.
Please consider helping out by signing up to volunteer for a 2-3 hour slot and also by spreading the word to your friends, family, and networks! Click here to sign up.
2 More Days for Student Sponsorship
There are still two days to set up your scholar’s own fundraising page and ask for donations from friends and family. All donations are tax-deductible, and remember that if your student raises $40 or more in pledges on or before Wednesday she or he gets a free race registration. The coupon code for free race registration will be emailed to you. Contact Jill Wasserman at pledges2015@capitolhillclassic.com for any questions about the *Classic Pledge Program*
"Like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter & Instagram at @caphillclassic
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Update from the Cluster LSAT
Nominations for open positions on the 2015-16 LSAT:
A parent rep slot for each campus is open on the Cluster's Local School Advisory Team, along with a community rep slot. Learn more about the LSAT and the open positions. If you are interested in nominating yourself, find the nomination form here. New LSAT parent reps will be voted on at the June 3rd PTA meeting (though you do not have to be a PTA member to vote).
Update on the Peabody/Watkins principal selection:
The Cluster principal interview panel has submitted their questions to DCPS and is awaiting feedback from DCPS. After the Cluster panel’s questions are approved, DCPS will assemble a group of 3-4 candidates to send to the Cluster interview panel (date TBD).
Minutes from the April 1 LSAT meeting are up on the LSAT Web page.
-- Sonja Walti and Danielle Keemer Edmond
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Community Meeting regarding
Watkins Modernization on May 19
DC Department of General Services (DGS) is hosting a community meeting to update everyone on progress related to the building modernization. The meeting will take place May 19 at 6 p.m. in the Watkins Library. DGS will share updated drawings for the modernization (which can be seen on the DGS Web page) and explain the timing of window replacement over the summer. This will be the last community meeting this school year regarding the modernization. Please attend this important meeting.
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4th Annual Family Reading Night & PTA Meeting: Wednesday, June 3, 5:30-7:30 PM
in the Watkins Cafeteria & Library
![]() Each year, before we break for the summer, we celebrate reading and kick off our summer reading program. This year, our summer reading theme is all about heroes (and combating the summer slide): Up Up and Away – Read Every Day!
On June 3, join our three Cluster Librarians and PTA for the 4th annual Family Reading Night – a fun event to kick off summer reading. Read more on the Web site about all of the activities planned and make sure you put it on the calendar NOW!
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Peabody News
Poppin' With Talent Indeed!
Staff Appreciation Month is off to a great start thanks to the families in Pre-K3. On Friday afternoon teachers and other staff found a popcorn bar stocked with amazing flavors. Thank you families!
Foodprints Students: Watching, Picking, Washing, Eating!
Ms. Christie reports students are busy at work in the gardens and beginning to reap the benefits of their efforts. There is abundance of lettuces, so this week students worked weeding, harvesting and washing lettuce, and then bagging it to take home.
Have a Rising Kindergartener?
Pre-K4 parents are invited to attend an information session about Kindergarten on Wednesday, May 27. Please join kindergarten teachers after morning drop off from 9 to 10 a.m. in the Peabody cafeteria.
Clay Bowl Open House Coming Soon: May 20
Peabody students are very excited about the Clay “Knee Bowl” Open House to be held on Wednesday, May 20, from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Art Room at Peabody. Parents and families are invited to come out and see all the amazing bowls on display.
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Watkins News
Ms. Pergerson Out On Medical Leave
Watkins music teacher Ms. Pergerson will be out on medical leave for the remainder of this school year and then will return to Watkins for the beginning of the next school year 2015-16. While she is out, we have a long-term substitute teacher, Mr. Jabari Anderson, who will be filling in for the rest of the school year. Mr. Anderson taught music theory at Duke Ellington and is a classically trained pianist interested in becoming a full-time teacher. He met with Ms. Pergerson before her leave and shadowed her for a day to learn the routines, observe her instructions, and plan upcoming lessons together. We are so pleased to have a great temporary replacement for our wonderful Ms. Pergerson! We wish Ms. Pergerson a healthy and speedy recovery and look forward to her return in August.
Masterpieces by Watkins Artists To Be Included in Cluster Art Show May 20
On May 20, there will be an art show at Stuart-Hopkins that also includes work by Watkins students. Featured projects/work from each grade will be shown, as well a a few collaborative works that entire grade level contributed to. So far, the show will include: 1st-grade Mixed Media projects showing real and implied texture, 2nd-grade mixed media projects focusing on warm and cool colors, 3rd-grade prints that show contour lines, 4th-grade Keith Haring-inspired paintings that show movement, and 5th-grade collaborative works that show the history of Freedom quilts, working from a grid and collages showing the elements of art.
Ms. Reintgen is doing her best to feature as many works as possible. Check out Ms. Reintgen's Twitter account so see some of the exciting artwork students are creating.
Student Arrival
![]() Just a friendly reminder that the building opens at 8:05 a.m. for students to enter the building each day for breakfast. We want to make sure all of our students are safe and supervised. Our staff is not on duty until 8:05 a.m. and we have noticed many students who arrive earlier than 8:05 go to CVS or hang out unsupervised and we want to make sure they are safe. Students should be entering through the main entrance or the D Street entrance (grades 4-5).
myON Update
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:
- Ms. Jones’ 3rd-grade class- 178 hours
- Ms. Moxley’s 3rd-grade class- 143 hours
- Ms. Kellogg’s 4th-grade class- 143 hours
- Ms. Toor’s 4th-grade class- 135 hours
- Ms. Perna’s 2nd-grade class- 103 hours
- Ms. Johnston’s 5th-grade class- 99 hours
- Mr. Miller’s 4th-grade class- 95 hours
- Ms. Parler’s 1st-grade class- 95 hours
- Ms. Padilla’s 4th-grade class- 89 hours
- Ms. Hanock’s 4th-grad class- 86 hours
Top Students for Time Reading on myON:
- Samara Winston
- Nasir Riddick
- Dongyu Weng
- Kevon Gray
- Wesley Parr
- Miguel Lyles-Rosario
- Alice Heese
- Justin Braxton
- Bailey Surber-Hook
- Sulayman Khokar
Panther Pride
![]() Don’t forget to talk to your child about Panther Pride, which stands for Positive Attitude, Respect, Integrity, and Dedication to Excellence. We hand out Panther Paw tickers from students who are caught showing Panther Pride! Each week we raffle off brand new published books!
Volunteers at Recess with Coach Brian
![]() We would love more parent volunteers at recess. Check out the times below and come play with us!
1st Grade- 11:15-11:45 a.m.
2nd Grade 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
3rd Grade 12:00-12:30 p.m.
4th Grade 1:35-2:05 p.m.
5th Grade 12:30-1:00 p.m.
For the next month employees from the company Salesforce will assist with recess. Salesforce is a national sponsor of Playworks.
Save the Date: Parent Gallery Walk of Watkins STEM Exhibits June 5 at Payne Elementary
The parent gallery walk for the STEM Fair is on June 5 at Payne Elementary (1445 C Street Southeast) is from 6-7 p.m. The showcase is for all students to bring their projects to show off their work whether or not they made it to the judging. The awards from the STEM fair will be given out that night as well.
A reminder for parents: the judging portion of STEM fair on June 5 during the day is not for parents – it’s for judges only so students can give their presentations and answer judges questions.
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Stuart-Hobson News
Honor Society Members Tour Capitol Building With Congresswoman
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DC Education Innovation Fellows Visit
Our Math and English teachers welcomed more than 20 innovating DCPS and DC Charter teachers and school leaders last Monday. The Fellows observed how we use Blended Learning in our classrooms to change the way students learn in the classroom. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and they said that Stuart-Hobson teachers have implemented the Blended Learning model better than any of the 21 middle schools they’ve visited nationwide. This is a great testament to the hard work and innovation of our Math and ELA teachers at Stuart-Hobson!
Florida Educators Visit to See Academic Leadership Teams at Work
Stuart-Hobson hosted eight teachers, principals, and superintendents from Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) who were seeking to learn about high-functioning Academic Leadership Teams (ALT’s). They were so impressed with our ALT and classroom teachers during their visit, as well as their observations in Ms. Green's and Mr. Plaisted's classrooms. This visit, combined with three visits from the Hochman Foundation and three Blended Learning Open Houses this spring, indicate that Stuart-Hobson is now THE middle school that DCPS wants to showcase for great instruction.
Watching History Fly By
The entire 7th grade made a quick trip over to the West Lawn of the Capitol on Friday to view more than 50 vintage aircraft conduct a flyover on the Mall. The flyover was to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Allies victory in Europe.
Teachers Treated Well -- As They Should Be!
The staff enjoyed a great Teacher Appreciation Week! Teachers received T-shirts, daily prize drawings, and a catered lunch from Moe’s Southwest Grill, all made possible with the help of our fantastic PTA!
Buy Your Tickets Now for the 8th Grade Dinner Dance & Cruise
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Prom on the Potomac: Sail with your friends on the Spirit of Washington
When: Friday June 12
Where: 600 Water Street SW
Departure Time 6:30 p.m., return Time: 10 p.m Cost: $75.
The event sold out last year and is expected to this year as well. Note that partial payments are accepted. Please submit your cash or money orders made out to SHMS to Ms. Brock in the main office.
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What You Need to Know: Cluster Communications At Your Service
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LOOKING AHEAD . . .
IMPORTANT PTA DATES FOR 2015
Capitol Hill Classic, May 17
Family Reading Night & PTA Meeting, June 3
Renovator's House Tour, October 17
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Each year, before we break for the summer, we celebrate reading and kick off our summer reading program. This year, our summer reading theme is all about heroes (and combating the 
Just a friendly reminder that the building opens at 8:05 a.m. for students to enter the building each day for breakfast. We want to make sure all of our students are safe and supervised. Our staff is not on duty until 8:05 a.m. and we have noticed many students who arrive earlier than 8:05 go to CVS or hang out unsupervised and we want to make sure they are safe. Students should be entering through the main entrance or the D Street entrance (grades 4-5). 
Don’t forget to talk to your child about Panther Pride, which stands for Positive Attitude, Respect, Integrity, and Dedication to Excellence. We hand out Panther Paw tickers from students who are caught showing Panther Pride! Each week we raffle off brand new published books!
We would love more parent volunteers at recess. Check out the times below and come play with us!
