4th Grade Expo JF Cook Campus: Energy and Us
Juneteenth - A Testament to and Celebration of the Unyielding Spirit of a People
Giving Thanks June 2023 - From Kristin Scotchmer
AcademicsNEW! Last Family Update of the School Year 2022-23
First Week of School & School Calendar 2023-24
Events & ActivitiesJoin Our Fifth Graders Promotion Ceremony on Facebook Live! June 20
Communications, Information & QuestionsNEW! June Board Meeting Recording
School ServicesNEW! Outstanding Balances in Infinite Campus
Extended Day Program Updates From JF Cook Campus
Community AnnouncementsEnjoy This Summer FREE Bilingual Family Concerts With 123 Andrés!!
School Calendar and Upcoming EventsFamily Handbook
SY22-23 School Calendar
SY23-24 School Calendar
Jun 19: Holiday, SCHOOL CLOSED
June 21: Last Day of School - Dismissal time at 1:00pm. The Extended Day Program will run as usual
MESSAGE
“The significance of Juneteenth is, thus, part of a continuum of moments where African Americans have advocated for their full participation in American citizenship and commanded the maintenance of the memory of our history and culture in the face of resistance and racism.” – Angela Tate, The National Museum of African American History and Culture Curator of Women’s History
“… the proliferation of Juneteenth events is taking place at the same time as the banning of critical race theory and curricula focused on slavery’s lasting effects. It is impossible to celebrate Juneteenth and simultaneously deny the teaching of America’s foundational legacy.” - Kellie Carter Jackson, The Atlantic (June 18, 2021)
January 1, 1863 marked the day that President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation would take effect, marking a major turning point in the hard fought battle to end slavery nationwide. But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas and announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state were free by executive decree, two months after the end of the Civil War and nearly two a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas. The Emancipation Proclamation marked “only the beginning” of our country’s work to deliver on the promise of equality(*).
Although only recently in 2021 designated became a Federal holiday to mark the end of slavery in the United States, Juneteenth has been recognized for over one hundred and fifty years in Black communities across the United States. A combination of "June" and "nineteenth," the day is also known as Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day, and Jubilee Day. (The National Museum of African American History and Culture)
Juneteenth commands each of us to honor the courage, strength and determination of Black Americans, and to consider the progress made and the work yet to be done to build a more equitable, just, and inclusive America. With that commitment in mind, families/caregivers will find below resources for honoring the resilience of Black Americans and for talking with children of all races and backgrounds about Juneteenth, along with two core readings for adults to reflect on race and privilege.
Resources for Talking to Children: English
Juneteenth Digital Toolkit | National Museum of African American History and Culture
Understanding & Celebrating Juneteenth - National Museum of African American History and Culture
20 Inspiring Activities To Celebrate Juneteenth - We are teachers
Talking to Young Children About Juneteenth - Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum
Resources for Talking to Children: Spanish
Juneteenth Diversas Historias Americanas - Diverse American Stories
La Importancia de Juneteenth - Language Workers 4 Black Lives, Solidarity network of translators, interpreters, and language activists creating multilingual resources and providing language support for #BLM
Qué es el Juneteenth y por qué se celebra - Clarín, sitio de noticias de Argentina
Para Adultos / For Adults
The Role of Privilege (ENG) / El Rol del Privilegio (SPA)
The Intersectionality Wars (ENG) / Las guerras de Interseccionalidad (SPA)
(*) President Biden’s remarks after signing the bill creating the federal holiday in 2021, "the truth is, it’s not — simply not enough just to commemorate Juneteenth. After all, the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans didn’t mark the end of America’s work to deliver on the promise of equality; it only marked the beginning.”
From Kristin Scotchmer
There is much to be grateful for as our community brings the 2022-2023 school year to a close this coming week.
Tuesday’s 5th grade promotion ceremony celebrates the hard work of 68 students and families/caregivers in their Mundo Verde journey, whose learning has been supported by over 60 individual educators over the last eight years.
In the last three weeks, the school celebrated the learning of 938 students with expos across both campuses, welcoming families and friends to participate in showcases from this spring’s eight different expeditions: trees (PreK), animals and habitats (Kinder), our roles in producing /reducing waste (1st), geological changes on Earth (2nd), our rights and responsibilities to water (3rd), living within our means (4th), and design thinking (5th).
Every one of our 235 staff members work extraordinarily long hours to deliver an incredible experience for each of Mundo Verde’s 938 students – whether substitute teachers or cross-campus leaders, whether new to the community or experienced, whether the principal or the person responsible for feeding food to students or for nourishing students’ minds and hearts, or keeping students safe or scheduling events, or keeping track of addresses, assessments and grades. I am deeply grateful for the service of our staff and it brings me tremendous joy that at least 88 percent of them firmly intend to return to continue in service to their Mundo Verde for the 2023-2024 school year.
Mundo Verde’s parents and caregivers support students in innumerable ways; parents/caregivers are at times happy and at other times frustrated; parents/caregivers love the school and our ambitious educational model, and yet at times may doubt whether this is the right model for their children. I am grateful for each family/caregiver for your hard work and diversity of views.
I recognize the deep passion expressed by the 3rd grade parents that protested outside our J.F. Cook campus on Wednesday and Thursday the same days as our 4th and 5th grade expos. I understand the drive to be a part of our continued improvement – and I know we still have work to do to ensure that each and every student benefits from the promise of the Mundo Verde educational model at its best.
The school’s seven board trustees volunteer their time and skills to help the school navigate what has been an exciting, busy, productive, and at timesturbulent year. I appreciate the board’s determination to listen well, ask questions to understand deeply and make decisions for the long-term interest of our school and community. I also offer my thanks to the eleven parents/caregivers that applied and are being considered for service on the board for the coming two years.
The school’s facilities and finance committee, including school leaders and board members, spent the last two years working on a comprehensive long term facilities and financing plan for the school. Thanks to this diligent effort we have stabilized long-term facilities financing at an average interest rate of 3.6 percent, purchased the 4401 8th Street Calle Ocho main building, and recently purchased three acres of land to round out the space needs of the Calle Ocho campus. These steps ensure that all of our students and staff will have access to quality indoor and outdoor learning spaces!
Are we there yet? No. The road ahead is not simple and improvements need to be made. Though our job is not done, we have accomplished much together and there is tremendous promise in what more we can still do, together. I will be sharing more on that path forward in the coming weeks, in the meantime, all my gratitude and best wishes for a rejuvenating and restful summer break.
In community,
Kristin Scotchmer, Executive Director
ACADEMICS
You will begin receiving the Family Update again in early August 2023 with important information to support families in preparing for the new school year.
Expect to receive communications from the school throughout the summer with information about play dates, welcome meetings with your teachers, and plans for the following school year.
Below, you will see the schedule for the first week of the new school year.
Thursday August 24, 2023 - First day of school for grades Kinder through 5th
PreK staggered schedule:
Thursday August 24, 2023 PreK-3 only
Friday August 25, 2023 Prek-4 only
Monday August 28, 2023 Prek-3 & Prek-4 combined
The school calendar for 2023-24 is available here in English and Spanish.
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Tuesday, June 20, 10:00am
Mundo Verde is excited to celebrate the class of 2023! Fifth graders and their families are invited to the ceremony on June 20, 10:00am at Audi Field, and the whole school community is invited to join them virtually on facebook live HERE.
Students will be recognized for their accomplishments as learners and community stewards at Mundo Verde as they look ahead to a successful transition to middle school.
COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION & QUESTIONS
The Mundo Verde Board of Directors meeting recording from Thursday, June 15, is now available here in English.
The recording of this board meeting will be available until Sunday, June 25, 2023.
You can also find this video on your ParentSquare calendar.
SCHOOL SERVICES
As the school year comes to an end, we remind you to visit the Infinite Campus Family Portal to check if you have an outstanding balance for school meals, snacks, and the Extended Day program. To check your payment history you can go to “Account” and then “Payment History”.
On June 20, the Extended Day Program will host Unit 3 Expos at JF Cook Campus this week for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to ask their children about their completed projects. Students will hold classroom celebrations and bring home their projects.
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
123 Andrés will be in the DC-metro area with FREE Bilingual Family Concerts this summer!
Latin Grammy-winners 123 Andrés are Andrés and Christina, native Spanish-speakers who present an interactive bilingual show that celebrates language and culture. Through music and movement, children sing about letters, numbers and more, and by the end of the show the whole family will be moving and singing. Get ready for this high-energy show – a truly authentic family celebration.
Concerts Days:
Alexandria
Upcoming Events:
Jun 19: Holiday, SCHOOL CLOSED
Jun 20: 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony
Jun 21: Last Day of School
Aug 24: First day of school for grades Kinder through 5th
Aug 24: First day of school PreK-3 only
Aug 25: First day of school Prek-4 only
Aug 28: PreK-3 & PreK-4 combined