Earth Day Celebration - Calle Ocho Campus
Speak Out to Support Equal & Fair Funding for Charter Schools - From Kristin Scotchmer
AcademicsNEW! SY23-24 School Calendar Updated: Winter Break Dec 22 - Jan 5
This Week! Sustainability Week - April 10-14
Earth Day Celebration at JF Cook Campus - Apr 14
Need Support With the Re-enrollment Process?
Events & ActivitiesThis Week! Coffee with the J.F. Cook Principal: “Neighborhood Safety” - April 14
Communications, Information & QuestionsWant to Follow the Calle Ocho Campus Growth?
School ServicesSY22-23 Summer Program: Secure Your Slot! - Deadline: April 15
It is Time for School Services Payments! Due on the 10th of Every Month
Extended Day Program Updates
Community AnnouncementsNews From Padres - J.F. Cook Campus Parent/Caregiver Organized Group
School Calendar and Upcoming EventsFamily Handbook
SY22-23 School Calendar
MESSAGE
From Kristin Scotchmer
Dear Mundo Verde Families/Caregivers,
I want to highlight my concerns for how the proposed DC budget for the upcoming fiscal year will affect Mundo Verde staff and students. Mayor Bowser’s proposed budget provides more than three times as much funding to increase staff compensation for DCPS educators ($207 million) as it does for charter school educators ($59 million), even though the number of students in each sector is roughly equal.* As you know a critical factor in retaining teachers is ensuring that their compensation is appropriate to the work. While Mundo Verde has made good strides in improving compensation in recent years, the school’s ability to continue to improve compensation and to compete with DCPS for staff depends on the funding we receive from the District.
On Wednesday Director of Data and Accountability Rodrigo Salgado, and 5th Grade ELA Teacher at Cook Campus and DCACTS Acting President Kelley Ukhun joined me and 100 other witnesses asking the City Council to provide equitable funding for charter school staff and students.
Please join me in public action to support equal and fair funding for charter school staff and students. Our goal is to have as many members as possible in our school community (including parents, teachers, leaders and board members) reach out directly to the City Council, pointing out the funding inequities in the proposed budget, and pushing for common sense fixes. Before April 12, please do one or more of the following:
Sign this petition in support of fair teacher compensation today!
Share this 30-second video about education inequities in DC with friends, family, and colleagues
Tell DC Council directly to support equity for DC’s Public Charter School Students and Educators - Click HERE
Send written testimony to the Committee of the Whole no later than April 12 in support of equitable funding cow@dccouncil.gov. Watch some of yesterday’s hearing or read some of the testimony, if you’d like to get a sense of how to do this.
Call or write to share with your Councilmember what you love about attending a charter school https://dccouncil.gov/councilmembers/
As over 100 witnesses in the April 5 public hearing explained, Mayor Bowser’s proposed budget provides DCPS with more than three times as much funding to increase staff compensation for educators ($207 million) than it does for charter school educators ($59 million) even though the number of students in each sector is roughly equal.* (See a few numbers in the chart below)
All educators deserve fair and competitive compensation for the hard work they do to support and educate our students all year long - regardless of the type of school in which they work.
In Community,
Kristin Scotchmer
| Sector/ Factor | DCPS | Public Charter Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Students | 52,873 (52.5%) | 47,918 (47.5%) |
| Forward pay | $59 million (60.2%) | $39 million (39.8%) |
| Back pay | $148 million | $20 million (11.9%) |
| Total | $266 million (77.8%) | 59 million (22.2%) |
ACADEMICS
Winter Break: Friday, December 22 through Friday, January 5
We have done some additional work to better align our calendar to DCI and DCI member schools. As a result, we are altering our winter break. Families with siblings in DCI will now see that winter break better aligns with both DCPS and DCI SY23-24 calendars.
Click here to see the SY23-24 School Calendar Updated
April 10-14
Mundo Verde is celebrating sustainability this week!. Teatro de la Luna is presenting environmental-themed plays at each campus (April 12 at Calle Ocho and April 13 at J.F. Cook). Students will also celebrate We Love Earth Spirit Week, make Earth Day pledges, go on nature-related field trips, write letters to representatives, create art, and a lot more! We look forward to our students celebrating sustainability during their instructional day.
Spirit Week: We Love the Earth, April 10-14
Support your children in showing their love for Mother Earth by dressing either in a color that coordinates with the themes below, or going wild in full costume!
Monday: Powered by the Sun! Dress up like sunshine!
Tuesday: Garden theme! Our school gardens are home to many plants and creatures who make our school a beautiful place to be. Let the garden inspire your outfit.
Wednesday: Water Conservation
Thursday: Dress us as future YOU! You can make the world a better place now and in the future. What do you think you’ll look like as a future environmentalist?
Friday: Inspired by Mother Earth! Come to school dressed as something inspired by the natural world or as Mother Earth herself.
April 14
Calle Ocho students had so much fun celebrating Earth Day last week, and now it is time for J.F. Cook students to participate with their grade level peers in activities for fun and learning! This celebration will take place during the instructional day. Students will engage in different activities – making trash art, planting seeds, getting faces painted, and more! There will also be activities related to grade-level expeditions led by experts!
Each grade level will come outside the school building for 75 minutes and then rotate through several stations of activities related to their expedition learning. Families/caregivers may sign up for your child's grade level/class or stay for multiple sessions or all day if you want! The grade level shift times include 15 minutes to help setup and 15 minutes to help clean up.
We would love to have family/caregiver support as volunteers! Please consider signing up here to help with face painting, art, gardening, and supporting students with transitions.
Deadline for Returning Students: May 5
Deadline for New Students (1st round): May 1
Office Hours - Daily 9:00am-4:30pm
For any questions related to the re-enrollment process, please contact Miriam Bonilla, Admissions Manager, at admissions@mundoverdepcs.org, or call the front desk of either campus - J.F. Cook Campus (202) 750-7060 and Calle Ocho Campus (202) 803-8967, Monday to Friday, 9:00am-4:30pm.
Please, make sure you complete all of the necessary paperwork indicated on the email sent to you on March 31. For a list of acceptable documentation as Proof of DC Residency click here (English / Spanish). Please note that current students seeking re-enrollment DO NOT have to go through MySchoolDC. Siblings of current students accepted for a new space will be able to be included in the same re-enrollment form as long as they have been matched to Mundo Verde through MySchoolDC.
Reenrollment Deadlines:
RETURNING students - May 5
NEW students - May 1
Note on Siblings of Current Students: While it is possible for a sibling of a current student to not be matched in the initial round, we expect all siblings to receive an offer by the end of June.
For more information, visit the Returning Students section on the school website.
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
“Neighborhood Safety”
April 14, 9:00-10:00am
Parents and caregivers are invited to join Principal Netta for her Coffee with the Principal on April 14 from 9:00-10:00am for a special opportunity to discuss neighborhood safety concerns with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
For this session, Principal Netta will have a special guest, MPD Commander James M. Boteler, to talk about the neighborhood safety concerns. Commander Boteler oversees the eight Police Service Areas in the Third District where the J.F. Cook Campus is located, near the center of the city.
Mundo Verde exercises school safety procedures to ensure that protocols are in place within school walls and also on campus; these include fire drills and lock down drills. However, the neighborhood environment and safety requires external support from MPD and District officials.
We look forward to seeing many of you at the coffee o hear from and be heard by the MPD!
COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION & QUESTIONS
Visit the Calle Ocho Campus Growth webpage on the school website. On this webpage you will find weekly updates on the Calle Ocho growth. From meetings and neighborhood agreements, DC PCSB approvals, presentation of the plans, to design and building advancements. Our most recent update can be found below:
**March 31 - After a public bidding process and a thorough review, Mundo Verde has chosen to work with Gilbane Construction as the general contractor for the construction of our 817 Varnum St NE building. Among the factors that set Gilbane apart are 1) sustainability expertise, 2) commitment to DEI, 3) community engagement strategies, and 4) commitment to transparency in pricing.
To read more Calle Ocho construction updates, click HERE.
SCHOOL SERVICES
Deadline: April 15, 2023
Those families who have submitted the Summer Program Interest Form and have a reserved slot are encouraged to secure your slot by making a deposit fee of 25% by April 15 using the Infinite Campus Parents Portal.
If you have any questions about the summer program, please email summer@mundoverdepcs.org.
Due on the 10th of Every Month
School services payments allow us to offer quality services, it is time to make your monthly payments to avoid receiving payment alerts.
To learn how to pay for snacks, lunch, and extended day program, visit the Paying for School Services section in the Family Portal on our school website.
The Extended Day Program Unit 2 is ending on April 14. During unit 2, students focused on exploring healthy eating and healthy lifestyles.
Families will have the opportunity to view the student work during the end of unit expos to be held this week.
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
J.F. Cook Campus Parent/Caregiver Organized Group
Volunteers Needed for Earth Day Celebration
Padres is spreading the word to recruit volunteers for Earth Day Celebration on April 14! Sign up now and contact Meg Newman with any questions at megan.newman@gmail.com.
Upcoming Events:
Apr 10-14: Sustainability Week at Mundo Verde
Apr 14: JF Cook - Coffee with Principal
Apr 14: JF Cook - Earth Day Celebration
Apr 17: Holiday, SCHOOL CLOSED
April 18-21: Spring Break, NO SCHOOL for students and teachers
May 5: Calle Ocho - Coffee with Principal
May 8-10: 4th grade Nature Bridge Overnight Trip
May 12: JF Cook - Coffee with Principal
May 18: Board meeting