FRIENDSHIP FAMILYNEWS - · PDF fileDear Parents/Guardians and Families, It was lovely to see...

Dear Parents/Guardians and Families,

It was lovely to see so many parents/guardians at our Open Houses and Back to School Nights.

We are especially grateful because we know parents have to juggle numerous responsibilities as chaperones for their children’s activities day in and day out. We also know that the more parents participate in their children’s education the better students perform academically. During the Back to School Nights, after an introductory announcement from principals and staff and performances from students, the parents went through their scholar’s daily schedules and met their teachers. Parents reviewed their children’s schedule and began their adventure through the roads of Friendship Public Charter School. During each class period, which lasted only 6 - 10 minutes; parents were able to get a feel for their children’s teachers and class curriculum. Parents were seen navigating traffic on the roads, which students like to refer to as “hallways.”

I, as a greeter, aided lots parents who needed to be pointed in the right direction. Besides classes, various clubs were promoted and refreshments were served in the cafeterias. The night concluded at 8:00 pm, with tired parents/guardians, and even more exhausted teachers. Judging from the appreciative phone calls and emails from parents, our Back to School Nights were useful and informative for parents/guardians. Our first 3 months of school have gone great and students are adjusting well to their new classes, teachers and friends. I encourage all of you to join in on the excitement and keep the momentum going for the school year!

Respectfully,

Gail B. SivelsDirector of Parent Relations and Sponsored Programs Cancer Survivor

FAMILYNEWSFRIENDSHIP

FALL2015

Greetings from the Director

Parent Involvement Policy ......... 2Friendship Bullying Policy ......... 2Using Data ................................. 3Annual Title I Meeting ................ 3UDC Dual Enrollment Program .. 3Nurses Corner ........................... 4

You Do Have Time .................... 5Building Positive Parent Relations ................................... 5Friendship Parent ...................... 6College, Getting In Staying In .... 6Friendship Parent Advisory Council ..................................... 7

Serving the Community and Beyond ...................................... 8Angela Morton Joins Friendship .................................. 8Friendship Nutrition Services .... 9Quarterly Learning Contract ......10

IN THIS ISSUE

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCERA W A R E N E S S M O N T H

2

FRIENDSHIP PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL PARENTNEWS

Friendship Public Charter School follows the parental policy guidelines in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In consultation with teachers, principals, program administrators, and parents from each campus of participating children, a draft parent involvement policy was created. Friendship welcomes the participation of parents in support of student learning and recognizes that parental involvement increases the opportunities for student success. It is the policy of Friendship to foster and maintain ongoing communications with parents concerning their opportunities for involvement, their children’s eligibility for special programs, their children’s educational progress, the professional qualifications of their children’s teachers, and the status of the children’s schools. Friendship strives to provide this information in an understandable and uniform format, in a language that parents can understand. To the

extent practicable, Friendship will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents

with limited English proficiency, parents with disability and parents of migratory children. Communications with parents will, at all times, respect the privacy of students and their families. The current parent involvement policy can be found on our

website at www.friendshipschools.org. All parents were invited to provide suggestions

and ideas on how to improve the parental involvement policy for the 2015-2016 school year.

Please review the policy and provide any suggested changes to Ms. Gail Sivels, Director of Parents Relations and Sponsored Programs at [email protected] or speak to your PAC President at your school’s PAC meeting.

When schools work together with families to support learning, children are inclined to succeed not just in school, but throughout life.

Friendship Public Charter School defines bullying as any severe, pervasive, or persistent act or conduct whether physical, electronic, or verbal that:

1. May be based on a youth’s actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, intellectual ability, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, disability, source of income, status as a victim of an intra-family offense, place or residence or business, or any other distinguishing characteristic, or on a youth’s association with a person, or group with any person, with one or more of the actual or perceived foregoing characteristics; and

2. Can reasonably be predicted to:a) Place the youth in reasonable fear of physical harm to

their person or property;b) Cause a substantial detrimental effect on the youth’s

physical or mental health;c) Substantially interfere with the youth’s academic

performance or attendance; or

d) Substantially interfere with the youth’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by an agency, educational institution, or grantee.

The purpose of the Friendship PCS Bullying Policy is • To protect the dignity and safety of the Friendship PCS

community • To identify and prevent incidents of bullying, harassment

and intimidation• To provide appropriate remedies for victims of incidents

How to report an incident?By mail: to 120 Q Street, NE, Washington DC 20002 C/O Charisma Hodge, Compliance Specialist

By Email: [email protected]

By campus: Complete an incident report form in the main office.

Please note that bullying investigations take up to 30 days to make a determination. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact

FRIENDSHIP PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL

Parent Involvement Policy

Friendship Bullying Policy

3

SPRING2015 FRIENDSHIP PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL

Annual Title I MeetingThroughout the months of October and November, Friendship PCS will be hosting several hosting Annual Title I meetings at each campus. The purpose of the Title I annual parent meeting is to provide information to parents of participating children about the Title I program and their right to be involved in their child’s education. Participants will of the meeting will receive the following:• a description and explanation of the school’s

curriculum,• Information on the forms of academic assessment

used to measure student progress, • proficiency levels students are expected to meet, • Information on district and school district

parental involvement policy• Information on the right of parents to become

involved in the school’s programs and ways to do so;• Information on rights parents have to request

opportunities for regular meetings for parents to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children.

University of the District of Columbia Dual Enrollment ProgramFriendship Collegiate Academy (FCA) students are able to earn college credits while still in high school. FCA, currently has 25 students enrolled in the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). Students participate in these courses outside of the regular school day. These courses allow students to not only earn college credits but also to apply them to accelerate their high school coursework. A recent graduate was able to earn 16 credit hours from UDC, which transferred to her current college and she now is on track to graduate from college a semester earlier. Students are selected to by their Academy Director to participate in the program. After the selection process, students must take the Accuplacer College Readiness assessment. Students meeting the assessment requirements as defined by UDC are then able to submit an application for enrollment. The deadline for the spring 2016 semester application is October 22, 2015. Please contact Ms. Gafford, at [email protected] if you need additional information.

Using Data to Prepare Our Scholars for the Road Ahead October 1st, Friendship school staff from all campuses gathered at Friendship Collegiate Academy to participate in the first Data Talk Day of the 2015-16 school year. Grounded in data, staff discussed, analyzed, and collaboratively developed action plans aimed at helping students master standards.

More than 250 teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, and other staff shared best practices and resources to boost student learning. Together, teams analyzed what is working and what is not, planned for improvement, and assessed the impact of implementation.

Zachary Morford, Director of Performance Management, explained the importance of the Data Talk Day, “The best teachers use data every day to adjust instruction to meet the needs of our scholars. Whether data is from last week’s assessment, yesterday’s exit ticket, or their engagement in their classwork, teachers use student data to provide each scholar with what they need at that moment to learn the material.” Tools like data talks help prepare our scholars for success in college and beyond.

4


Nurse’s CornerHealth TIPS for Children with Asthma As fall begins students are now starting to settle in for the new school year. In addition to all required school supplies and new uniforms, parents of children with asthma need to make extra preparations to assure that their children are taken care of safely at school. With proper preparations, you can reduce the impact asthma has on your child at school. Children with asthma should be able to join their classmates in almost every activity at school. Below are a few tips to help parents of children with asthma prepare for the new school year.

Asthma Action PlanAsk your doctor for a written Asthma Action Plan for the school. This plan should include; what medicine to use to treat asthma symptoms and changes in peak flow zones, what medication to use as a pretreatment before exercise, emergency telephone numbers and a list of things that make your child’s asthma worse.

Meet With School StaffPlan a meeting with your child’s school nurse. Take the written Asthma Action Plan to the meeting. Review the Asthma Action Plan, use of the peak flow meter, medicines and things that make your child’s asthma worse.

Special School SuppliesKeep a peak flow meter, spacer and rescue medicine at school for your child. Make sure the rescue medicine has not passed its expiration date. Take these items home at the end of each school year.

For more information about asthma, allergies and resources, please contact Ms. Dianne Harris, M.S. Director of Health Services a 202-281-1700 or [email protected].

Note: This information is provided to you as a health note. It is not meant to be a substitute for consulting your child’s physician.

5

FALL2015 FRIENDSHIP PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL

We believe that field trips provide a valuable educational experience for students. The students’ experience “being there” and they are better able to connect their current learning to past and future experiences. Field trips increase student knowledge and understanding of a subject and add realism to the topic of study. Without the help of volunteer chaperones, most field trips would not be possible.

In order to help ensure that school-sponsored field trips result in safe and rewarding experiences for all participants, we are asking that all parents/guardians who are interested in becoming a Friendship chaperone and/or volunteer please sign up with your student’s teacher. There is a mandatory training for all chaperones and volunteers and you must complete the volunteer application on line on our Friendship web site at www.friendshipschools.org.

You work full time, take classes, and you have a life. But you’re also a parent, and you’re looking for a way to be a bigger part of your scholar’s world, to make a difference in your scholar’s life. Your participation in school activities demonstrates an active interest in your scholar’s

studies – a major boost to his/her self-esteem. Academic abilities may also improve as a result of your increased involvement in their school life.

Regular VolunteeringIf your schedule allows, you can sign up to be a regular volunteer at the school. Remember, regular doesn’t necessarily mean full-time. Even if you only have an hour a week to spare, invest that hour in your child by helping out at his school.

Occasional VolunteeringVolunteering doesn’t have to mean giving up all your free time. Even if you work forty hours a week and manage five kids full-time, you can still volunteer occasionally. There are plenty of opportunities for you to put your talents to work.

For more information about volunteering please contact Gail B. Sivels, Director of Parent Relations and Sponsored Programs at 202-281-1700 or email at [email protected].

In these days of dual working parents and super-busy lifestyles, makes it even more challenging to build relationships with families and involve them in school programs and activities. When parents are active in their children’s education, optimum learning is much more likely to occur. Nurturing a partnership with parents will strengthen and move programs towards excellence in care. Some simple ways FPCS is looking to create parent partnership are:

Parents and Teachers Working TogetherParents have good ideas. They know their children well, have their best interest in mind, and have taken a giant leap of faith by placing them in our care. Listening to their collective voice is a wise thing to do. Together parents and teachers can create a great environment for children.

Suggestion BoxesSuggestion boxes give parents an easy way to communicate, an unhappy parent a way to vent, a supportive parent an avenue for making helpful suggestions, and the happy parent a way to shower staff with compliments.

Parent SurveyA survey will tell us if a program effectively meets the needs of our families and what parents most liked about our program and services.

VOLUNTEERING AT YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL:

You Do Have Time

Building Positive Parent Relations

My name is Anise Walker. I am the proud parent of Adria Patterson, an 8th-grade scholar at Friendship Woodridge. I have a 10-year history with Friendship beginning before my daughter was old enough to join a Friendship school. I started by worked at the Woodridge Campus for two years and at Friendship Chamberlain Campus for about a year and a half as a Mental Health Clinician. After working as a consultant for charter schools, I saw firsthand, what schools, including Friendship, had to offer. As an educator, I knew I needed to be aware of what a good school looked like and what I need for my daughter. During my research to identify a school for my child, I did not see anything exciting. I started to notice what was going on in [Woodridge’s] building and what Friendship was doing for their students overall. It didn’t take long to realize, I wanted my daughter here. When she turned 3 years old, I enrolled her at Woodridge.

I have been very active in our Parent Advisory Council (PAC). I was PAC president until some medical issues made me take a step back. In March of 2012, I experienced my first stroke. My recovery was about six months. March of following year, I experienced my second stroke. For a

while, my daughter could not stay with me but during that time, Friendship showed me what true support means. I tried my best to stay involved and make sure that she was doing what she needed to do to succeed. The staff and the teachers at Friendship were extremely supportive. They rallied around my daughter and me to make sure we were ok. Gail Sivels, Director of Parent Relations, was so supportive during that time. She talked to my mother, she would call me to make sure I was ok and made sure other people were reaching out to me. She picked me a couple of times and took me to things just to make sure I was staying active. The teachers and principals at the time were patient with me when I asked questions about my daughter’s education. In total, my full recovery took about two to three years. During that time, I had a new view of Friendship. I had a stronger relationship with the staff and parents. Everyone made me feel like I still mattered. With the support of the staff, my daughter did not have to miss anything and even ended up skipping a grade. Even after the strokes, Friendship still kept me as a consultant, which I am doing now. It showed me, Friendship was invested in me as a parent and as a professional and in my daughter’s future. Adria wants to be a veterinarian. I know that Friendship will get her where she wants to be. My daughter and I are proud Friendship lifers!!!!

6


Friendship Parent – Woodridge Eagle

College, Getting in and Staying in For most high school students, the primary focus of college planning is in selecting and then successfully applying for admission. Getting into college is critical but staying in college is just as important. The‘retention’ factor is becoming more important to students, parents and colleges. How many students who start college actually complete their certificate or degree program? According to the Chronicle ofHigher Education (10/8/99), 26.4 percent of freshman who started at U.S. colleges in 1996-97, had dropped out by 1997-98. One key factor in retention is the student’s academic history. Simply put, students with better grades in high school are more likely to stay in college. More selective colleges are also better at keeping students on campus. For the student and parents, the key is to work hard to find a suitable college from the start. Good college planning while in high school is one of the best ways to help a student complete college. For more information on college preparedness and preparation contact your student counselor.

7


Friendship PACArmstrong Wayneisha Ballard, President monthly meeting date TBD

Blow Pierce Elementary and Middle Delores Battle, President meets 4th Tuesday of every month 6pm

Chamberlain Elementary and Middle Lori Brown, President meets 2nd Tuesday of every month 6pm

Collegiate Academy Angelia McDuffie, President meets 2nd Monday of every month 6pm

Friendship Online Elections to be held

Southeast Academy Elections to be held meets 3rd Wednesday of every month 6pm

Tech Prep Middle Elections to be held

Tech Prep High Angela Tindle, President meets 4th Tuesday of every month 6pm

Woodridge Elementary and MiddleMarcell Durham, President meets 3rd Tuesday of every month 6pm

What does PAC Stand For?The PAC (Parental Advisory Council) is organization that brings parents and teachers together to promote the education and welfare of our children. In support of this goal we raise funds for school supplies, educating parents, helping teachers to ensure that every child gets a high-quality education.

Why join PAC?We encourage every family to join Friendship PAC! Besides generally increasing your won child’s odds of succeeding at school you can get advice from other parents, you’ll gain a greater understanding of educational issues, you’ll be up to date on what’s going on at school, you’ll help improve schools for all students and you can influence important decisions.

How to join?That’s the easiest part! Anyone can join the PAC. Call your child’s school and ask for the name of the PAC president, or simply show up at the next meeting. You will be welcomed with open arms.

For more information, please contract Gail B. Sivels, Director of Parent Relations and Sponsored programs at 202-281-1700 or email at [email protected]

Friendship Parent Advisory Council (PAC)

8


Serving the Community and BeyondService-learning incorporates community service experiences into students’ school work and has long been viewed as a positive education reform option. In the words of a renowned and respected author, “…a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.” At Friendship Public Charter School Collegiate Academy, we feel the experience of serving others benefits the community and contributes to the growth of our students. It can also provide students with skills that will shape in their future educational and career choices. We consider community service to be an important complement to the students’ classroom work. Through the Community Service Program, students are encouraged to complete a minimum of 120 hours of community service by the time they graduate from high school. National studies suggest that students in effective service–learning programs:

• Improve grades

• Increase attendance in school

• Develop a sense of personal and social responsibility

Angela Morton joins Friendship as principal at Friendship Southeast Elementary Academy for this school year

Angela Morton joins Friendship Southeast Academy as principal in August 2015. Her career spans seventeen years of successful leadership and program development within public education working in both the Washington, D.C. and Delaware school systems. She began her teaching experience at Birney elementary school as a first grade teacher. During her teaching tenure she taught first, second and third grades resulting in increased student achievement each year. Deciding to extend her talents into school leadership, she applied and was selected as a Resident Principal through New Leaders for New Schools in 2004. Ms. Morton served as the elementary school principal at Smothers Elementary, located in southeast Washington DC. There she, along, with nine other principals co-founded the DC Collaborative Literacy Initiative. Most recently she served as Chief Program Officer for Delaware Leadership Project- Delaware’s first state approved alternative leadership certification program. Angela earned her Bachelor’s degree in Family Studies at the University of Maryland, and her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at Trinity University in Washington, D.C.

Principal Morton is excited to return to Ward 8, where she began her professional educational journey. She is proud to call herself a “Mighty Scholar” and is confident that Friendship Southeast will continue to soar to great heights.

9


Did you know that all kids eat free breakfast and lunch? It’s true!! Friendship Public Charter Schools participates in the USDA Community Eligible Program. More information is contained in the link below.

New Menus!! This year the Food and Nutrition Services focused on creating seasonal and fun menus with a healthy emphasis. All of our meals follow the USDA guidelines nutritional requirements and National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program requirements.

We brought in some new and exciting branded foods for breakfast, Jimmy Dean, Pillsbury, and Tyson. As well, we created some home-style and restaurant favorites for lunch, like; the open-faced turkey sandwiches, pulled barbecue chicken sandwiches, and mac and cheese.

We have also added a few special days on our menus throughout the month. Meatless Mondays and Breakfast For Lunch happens once per month and are a great change of pace for our kids and nutrition.

We have added health vending machines to each campus. These health vending machines show our kids that there are other alternatives to snacking than High sodium, high fat, and highly processed snacks. The healthy vending machines contain bottled water, organic snacks and drinks., and low sodium snack foods.

We are excited about the new changes and we are always looking to get better. If there are any questions please send questions to [email protected].

Here are some links to follow to encourage kids to make healthy choices all day. http://www.fns.usda.gov/sbp/school-breakfast-program-sbp http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/community-eligibility-provision http://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-program-nslp http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/nutrition-standards-school-meals http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Friendship Nutrition Services (FNS) NEWS

10


The QLC initiative is a collaboratively written agreement between, teacher, student and parent. This process encourages learners to take responsibility for their learning and to become “self-directed”. It defines each person’s responsibilities in the educational process. The QLC allows each student to have a personalized education plan and goals. The QLC uses student grade level proficiency as well as non-academic. Based on each child’s progress, the contract will include specific goals such as improving reading skills, attendance or working on behavior). The QLC is signed by the student, parents/guardians and teacher. Student progress is then monitored closely with the goal of ensuring students reach goals each quarter.

The QLC: An Important Tool for Students, Parents and TeachersA critical component of the QLC initiative is to understand College Readiness. Understanding core areas can help students recognize the challenges that they will face in college and identify areas where additional support and development may be needed.

Quarterly Learning Contract

Type of data on QLC Purpose Grade

MAP These formative assessments occur every 6 weeks and measure the degree to which students have learned that year’s standards. Teachers use this data to identify areas for re-teaching and make groups for differentiated instruction. The benchmarks are aligned to the common core.

K- 10

Benchmarks Students take this assessment 3 times per year. Teachers use these results to group students based on their current learning levels and to measure student growth relative to their peers national from the beginning of the year to the middle and the end of the year. It also projects college readiness down to grade 3.

10 - 12

PSAT The SAT is a college admissions test (along with the ACT). The PSAT is a Pre-SAT 10 - 12

SAT/ACT SAT- Scholastic Aptitude Test ACT-American College Testing

10 - 12

ACCUPLACER ACCUPLACER is a suite of tests that determines student’s knowledge in math, reading and writing as they prepare to enter college.

11 - 12

11


Last spring, DC students your child participated in the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment in English language arts and math. The new assessment, which replaced the DC CAS, is more rigorous and presents a fuller picture of student learning.

The student test scores released will establish a new baseline aligned with the Common Core State Standards adopted by the District. Your child’s score, as well as the school and district averages, may look lower this year. That is because the new test measures more complex, real-world skills, such as critical-thinking, writing, and problem solving. But just as we saw improvement over time on DC CAS, we are confident DC results will improve in future years. Home reports are expected in December for all students who took PARCC last Spring.

Please remember that standardized test scores provide only one measure of student learning. When combined with other measures, such as teacher observations and in-class work, the PARCC test provides a more comprehensive picture of student performance.

There will be workshops held at Friendship Public Charter School campuses free to all Friendship parents/guardians. Light refreshments served and child care available to parents who attend the workshop.

For workshop schedule for please go to our website at www.friendshipschools.org and click parent page or contact Ms. Gail Sivels, Director of Parent Relations and Sponsored Programs at [email protected] or 202-281-1700.

Our workshops offer practical skills and solutions, advice, and networking opportunities.

PARCC TESTING

MISSION STATEMENT

PARENT RELATIONS is dedicated to facilitating parent-school communications and community agency referrals; encouraging parent involvement in the school; fostering trust between parents and the education community; and fostering higher academic achievement through collaboration with school personnel. The primary goal is to EMPOWER parents to become active participants in the education of their children.

Donald L. HenseChairman, Friendship PublicCharter School

Pat Brantley Chief Operating Officer

Parent News is a newsletter published by the Friendship Public Charter School Office of Parent Relations. If you have information you would like to submit for inclusion in an upcoming issue, please contact:

Gail B. Sivels Director of Parent Relations and Sponsored Program202-281-1700 [email protected]

SCHOOL INFORMATION

Friendship ArmstrongPrincipal, Jeff Scanlon1400 P Street, NWWashington, DC 20002202-518-3928

Friendship Blow Pierce Elementary Friendship Blow Pierce Middle Principal Jeffrey Grant Grades Preschool – 8 725 19th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 202-572-1070

Friendship Chamberlain ElementaryFriendship Chamberlain Middle Principal Morrise Harbour Grades Preschool – 8 1345 Potomac Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 202-547-5800

Friendship Collegiate Academy Head Principal Peggy Jones Grades 9 – 12 4095 Minnesota Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20019 202-396-5500

Friendship Public Charter School On-LinePrincipal, John SloanWashington, DC571-405-2352

Friendship Southeast Academy Principal Joseph Speight Grades Preschool – 5 645 Milwaukee Place, SE Washington, DC 20032 202-562-1980

Tech Prep Middle and High School Principal Patrick Pope Principal Doranna Tindle Grades 6 – 12 620 Milwaukee Place, SE Washington, DC 20032 202-562-1681

Friendship Woodridge ElementaryFriendship Woodridge Middle Principal Rictor Craig Grades Preschool – 8 2959 Carlton Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20018 202-635-6500

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Friendship Board of Trustees 202-281-1700

Clinical Services Dr. Bronwen Millet, Director 202-281-1700

Food Services Dana Leach, Director of Food Service 202-281-1700

Corporate and Community Relations Sean Gough, Director 202-281-1700

Friendship Cares Office of Extended Learning Programs 202-281-1712

Alumni Affairs Ashref Elshazli,Coordinator aka Mr. E 202-396-5500

friendshipschools.org

Community Office120 Q Street, NEWashington, DC 20002

PRESORTEDFIRST CLASS

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

PERMIT #3070WASHINGTON, DC

FRIENDSHIP FAMILYNEWS - · PDF fileDear Parents/Guardians and Families, It was lovely to see...

Documents

Transcript of FRIENDSHIP FAMILYNEWS - · PDF fileDear Parents/Guardians and Families, It was lovely to see...