P.E. Class - J.F. Cook Campus
NEW! Rapid Test Required For All Students After February Break
Reviewing Existing Covid-19 Policies
Covid-19 Vaccination Info Session Hosted by Parents - February 15
Weekly Covid Dashboard
Weekly Class Status
City Covid-19 Testing Initiatives -PreK and Kinder Students: Families Must Submit Test Results Weekly
Free KN95 Face Masks for Pick Up in DC Covid-19 Centers
Events & ActivitiesNEW! Coffee with Principal Netta -J.F. Cook Campus, March 11
Communications, Information & QuestionsNEW! Eager for School Wide News?!
UPDATED! Possip Results
UPDATED! Engagement Opportunities: Leadership Office Hours - February 25
Community AnnouncementsUPDATED! Black History Month - Don’t Miss This Week’s Activities!
Affinity Group for Caregivers of Black Students’ Meeting with DCI - February 14
NEW! Comunidad Playdates - Calle Ocho Campus
UPDATED! Revival of MV PADRES/Caregivers Group - J.F. Cook Campus
REMINDER! Please Bring Reusable Water Bottles to School
UPDATED! Masks Have Been Ordered -We Need Your Support For The KN/KF94 Mask Effort
School Calendar and Upcoming Events
Feb 21 - Holiday, SCHOOL CLOSED
Feb 22 & 23 - Mid Winter Break, NO SCHOOL for Students & Teachers
Feb 24 - Professional Development NO SCHOOL for Students
Feb 25 - Parent Teacher Conferences, NO SCHOOL for Students
HEALTH & SAFETY
As part of the city’s initiative for a safe return from break, all students, regardless of vaccination status or recent previous Covid-19 infection, must submit a negative rapid antigen test result on Sunday, February 27 prior to returning to school on Monday, February 28. Rapid tests will be distributed to students this week on Thursday 2/17 and Friday 2/18.
The submission form will be available from 8:00am-1:30pm on Sunday, February 27 for families to submit negative rapid antigen test results.
OJO! Any positive result should be emailed to covid19@mundoverdepcs.org.
All students will be checked on Monday before entering school. If you do not submit a result prior to 1:30pm on 2/27, your child will not be allowed in the building on 2/28. If you miss the deadline on the 27, you will need to wait until 8:45am on the 28 to submit the form with your child’s negative result in order to attend school on that day. Mundo Verde will not be testing onsite.
The Department of Health released, on January 31, significant changes in updated Covid-19 guidance for schools. Mundo Verde is currently reviewing the new guidance with an eye to balancing our values of equity and staff capacity. Pending our review, please continue to follow the existing policies we have in place. We will announce any changes prior to returning from February break and ask you to please save your questions until we have completed our review and made any necessary adjustments.
Hosted by Parents
February 15, 7:30pm
Mundo Verde Parent Hosted Covid-19 Vaccination Info Session February 15 at 7:30pm.
Have any hesitation or questions about getting the Covid-19 vaccine for your children? Interested in learning more about the Covid-19 vaccine? Register now for our next Covid-19 vaccine information session led by Mundo Verde parents! This session will provide an opportunity to hear the latest updates about the new Covid-19 vaccine available for kids 5-11, current vaccination rates in the city and at Mundo Verde, and for open discussion with parents/caregivers and subject matter experts. Register here by February 11.
Please reach out to piyengar@gmail.com with any questions.
For up-to-date information and statistics on how we are containing the spread of Covid-19, visit the Health & Safety section on the website.
REMINDER! Rapid Test Required Weekly For All PreK and Kinder Students: Families Must Submit Test Results to Citywide Platform
Parents/caregivers should test children on Sundays, report all results (negative and positive) in the citywide reporting portal, and notify Mundo Verde directly of a positive test result if necessary. The portal link goes live on Sunday mornings, at 6:00am and remains open until Tuesdays at 5:00pm.
REMINDER! Other City Covid-19 Testing Initiatives: Program for Confirmed Close Contacts of a Positive Covid-19 Case
Close contacts may request up to two test kits, containing one PCR test each. You may register using this form for close contacts, please fill out a separate form for each kit you request. Click here to see the instructions in English or Spanish.
in DC Covid-19 Centers
DC residents can pick up two KN95 Face masks free per day at any Covid-19 Center. Click here to find Covid-19 Centers in DC.
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
J.F. Cook Campus
March 11, 11:00am-12:00pm
J.F. Cook Campus families and caregivers are invited to join Principal Netta on Friday, March 11, 11:00am-12:00pm for a virtual coffee.
Principal Netta looks forward to defining Restorative Practices, how it is used in school and how to support students at home. We will also have time to answer questions that have come to us from our families and caregivers. To help us best plan for our time together, we invite you to submit questions in advance using this google form. We look forward to seeing many of you there!
COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION & QUESTIONS
The February 11 Executive Director letter includes updates on the following topics:
Actively celebrating Black History Month
Emerging good news amidst the ongoing challenges of Covid-19
Recruiting highly qualified staff and supporting staff wellness
Adding space to our Calle Ocho campus for Fourth and Fifth grades
Expanding our communications & engagement efforts
For details on each of the above updates, please read more at this link!
Uncertainty continues to weigh heavily on many Mundo Verde families/caregivers responding to the January Possip survey. While a sizeable plurality (62%) nonetheless describe themselves as ‘mostly happy,’ the remaining respondents are roughly split. Fielded during the Omicron surge, the survey recorded 27% of respondents as ‘happy’ and 37% ‘unhappy.’ Overall, families at Calle Ocho Campus report being happier than those respondents at the J.F. Cook Campus.
For graphical representation of the data from our January survey, please see this link. For comparative data with our just completed February survey, please see this graphic, that shows a significant positive shift: 44% of respondents in February describing themselves as ‘happy,” a jump of 17% from the January results.
In terms of the underlying values that drive policy and operations, roughly two-thirds of respondents believe the school has been able to stay true to its values while 38% think the school has its values during the pandemic. Even as the schools’ systems for managing Covid are working well, responding to the virus requires separation - which runs counter to the school’s core values. In order to protect the health of the community overall, unvaccinated students are asked to quarantine and students in the same class are separated during hybrid and virtual learning. While necessary today, separation runs counter to our enduring commitment to inclusion.
Leadership Office Hours on February 25
While nothing digital can replace this in-person contact, this month we are adding another digital opportunity for families and caregivers to meet and talk with school leaders. Our first set of simultaneous office hours will be on Friday, February 25 when Executive Director Kristin Scotchmer, J.F. Cook Principal Roynetta Douglas and Calle Ocho Principal Jenn Koaukeou will each be offering 10 minute 1:1 slots between 9:00-10:30am (extended!), followed by a 20 minute block for "walk-ins" from 10:30-10:50am (updated!). Time slots are available on a first come, first serve basis.
Instructions for Sign-Up
If you would like to participate in office hours, please email Olivia Michael at omichael@mundoverdepcs.org with the following subject heading: "Office Hours with ____" and enter the name of the leader with whom you'd like to meet, either Kristin, Principal Jenn, or Principal Netta. In the body of the email please include a brief description of what you'd like to discuss. For each leader, there are nine 10-minute slots between 9:00-10:30am, and they will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.
If you do not get an individual slot of time, a registration link for the "walk-in office hours" time between 10:30-10:50am will be sent to your email. You can also register for "walk-in" office hours with the following links:
Kristin: bit.ly/MVRegistrationKristin022522
For questions, please contact Olivia Michael at omichael@mundoverdepcs.org.
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Don’t Miss This Week’s Activities!
Enjoying the opportunity to socialize and get to know members of the Mundo Verde community, over 140 families from both campuses have participated as we recognize Black leaders, Black culture, and Black heritage.
The excitement continues this week with:
Hand Dancing on Thu, Feb 17, 6:00-7:00pm (Zoom Link here)
If you like salsa or swing, you'll love DC Hand Dancing. Join us for a Hand Dancing demonstration and class with the National Hand Dance Association's President Jacque Ballard and award-winning dance partners Markus & Tren of Stuck on Swing.
A celebration of Black Health and Wellness in DC would not be complete without acknowledging and featuring the work of Black health providers and scientists in our community. We hope you’ll enjoy watching our Mundo Verde students interview the health providers and scientists that they call mom, dad, aunt, uncle, friend, and Mundo Verde staff. All interviews can be viewed here.
Please take the opportunity to review the program in Spanish and English for more information about each event this week and activities that you can use at home or in the future to help celebrate this month.
February 14, 6:30–7:30pm
This Monday, February 14, members of the Black Student Union at DC International (DCI), their staff advisor, and an administrator will join us to discuss the International Baccalaureate program, student experiences at DCI, and supports for Black students. Affinity group members and their Mundo Verde students, as well as other interested families, are encouraged to attend. DCI has asked that we share questions ahead of the event. Please submit questions here.
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86074376965
Zoom Meeting ID: 860 7437 6965
Please join Comunidad’s first Calle Ocho Campus playdate on Sunday, February 27 at 10:30am-1:00pm at Barry Farm Recreation Center Playground (1230 Sumner Rd SE, Ward 8) for the first monthly school-wide play-date. The goal is to build community by connecting families through informal gatherings.
Comunidad is Mundo Verde Calle Ocho Campus´ caregiver group. We strive to build community by uplifting the school’s ESPICA values through justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
We are all Comunidad and you are where it all starts.
To connect: comunidad.calle8@gmail.com or text/call 202-922-6272.
Thank you all who joined the meeting on February 8. We had a fruitful and open conversation about revival of PADRES, and the challenges and opportunities ahead. If you missed the meeting, please review the meeting notes or go over the presentation.
And most importantly - get involved! We need volunteers this Spring for: (1) Community Building and Social Events, (2) Organizing Spring Elections, (3) Engaging School Leadership and Diversity Groups, and (4) Financial Definition. Sign up here.
Remember that at Mundo Verde, we are a crew, not passengers!
Join our communication channels:
Padres email group: https://groups.google.com/g/mv-cook-pto
Facebook: Parents Group (both campuses)
WhatsApp: Padres Group
Bottles to School
Please make sure that your children are bringing their reusable water bottles to school each day. Every time you help your child choose a reusable water bottle instead of a single-use plastic one, you're keeping plastic out of our landfills and out of our oceans – and modelling what it means to be a sustainability leader!. Learn more about the plastic pollution crisis here and be part of the solution by ensuring that your children remember to bring their reusable water bottle to school!
Reach out to our Sustainability Manager Carissa at ctiradomarks@mundoverdepcs.org if you are unable to provide a reusable water bottle for your children.
An order has been placed for KF94 masks, known for having a better fit, higher filtration, and offering more protection. We are looking for a few more volunteers to help us create packages to send home and develop messaging and outreach to parents. If interested in volunteering contact Isadora Carreras at icarreras@mundoverdepcs.org.
Upcoming Events:
Feb 14 - Affinity Group for Caregivers of Black Students’ Meeting with DCI
Feb 15 - Covid-19 Vaccination Info Session Hosted by Parents
Feb 21 - Holiday, SCHOOL CLOSED
Feb 22 & 23 - Mid Winter Break for Students & Teachers
Feb 24 - Professional Development NO SCHOOL for students
Feb 25 - Parent Teacher Conferences NO SCHOOL for students
Feb 28 - Mar 4 - Spirit Week at J.F. Cook Campus
Mar 10 - Board Meeting with Public Comment
Mar 11 - Coffee Principal J.F. Cook Campus
Mar 25 - Coffee Principal Calle Ocho Campus