PreK Experts Visit - Calle Ocho Campus
Message from Kristin Scotchmer, Founding Executive Director
AcademicsNEW! MAP Testing - Next Three Weeks
Student Online Accounts Credentials
Admissions Season Has Come for Siblings of Students Enrolled at Mundo Verde
5th Grade Families - DC International School Transfer Preference
NEW! DCI School’s Strategic Planning for Growth
Events & ActivitiesNEW! Celebrating Black History Month! Panning Meetings Each Thursday
Board Meeting - RSVP Form and Agenda Available - Jan 18
NEW! Coffee with the J.F. Cook Campus Principals, Submit Your Questions in Advance! Jan 31
NEW! Coffee with the Calle Ocho Campus Principals, Topic: Calle Ocho Growth / Construction Plans - Jan 31
Communications, Information & QuestionsNEW! A Heartfelt Thank You to The Wonderful Supporters
Don’t Be Silent! Complete This Month’s Survey - Tell Us What You Think About Racism & Inclusion
NEW! School Calendar: Third Trimester End Date Correction
NEW! Lost and Found - Labeling Items Is Encouraged
Food in Classroom Celebrations
Health & SafetyNEW! Lice Case Reported in First Grade and Kinder - J.F. Cook
School ServicesNEW! January School Menus Available With Nutrition Facts
Community AnnouncementsOSSE: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards for Feedback and Public Comment Session
J.F. Cook Campus Families: News From Padres
School Calendar and Upcoming EventsSY23-24 School Calendar
Jan 15: Holiday - SCHOOL CLOSED
Jan 26: All Staff PD Day - NO SCHOOL for Students
MESSAGE
Dear Mundo Verde Community,
I am grateful for all the support our school community showed during the challenging week we all experienced.
I am thankful for how our teachers and staff performed during the evacuation and early dismissal with speed, kindness, and professionalism, understanding correctly at the time that we were facing a real threat to safety. Our staff demonstrated that they are not only qualified to teach and guide our students through their academic and socio/emotional development, but also through real life experiences.
I am thankful for parents and caregivers for understanding these circumstances and supporting our team’s immediate response and thereafter the need to prepare as a team–all with the only purpose of treating our students with the utmost care during this emergency as well as when welcoming everyone back into the school buildings.
I am thankful for our students who show us in every possible way how they are on track to be successful and compassionate global stewards of their communities, embracing the wonderful and sometimes very complex realities of our world.
We have always been, remain, and will continue to be a resilient and vibrant community working together as crew.
With much appreciation,
Kristin Scotchmer
Executive Director
ACADEMICS
Next Three Weeks
In the next three weeks, all students from Kinder through 5th grades will take the Measures of Academic Progress assessment (MAP). MAP is an assessment to measure their Math, English, and Spanish growth and proficiency.
Our instructional staff uses this as one data point to help inform instruction for all students. Click on the images to enlarge them.
On Monday, January 8, all families should have received the login information and instructions for some of the online platforms used at the school. These platforms (Raz-Kids, Zearn Math, and BeeReaders) are complementary to regular instruction.
If you need support accessing any of these platforms, please email platforms@mundoverdepcs.org.
Siblings of students enrolled at Mundo Verde may apply with sibling preference through the MySchoolDC.org common lottery. You can indicate on the application that a sibling is currently attending Mundo Verde. Mundo Verde has generally been able to accommodate admissions for all of our students with younger siblings, but sibling, preference does not guarantee entry. The application deadline is March 1, 2024.
Fifth graders have the opportunity to receive transfer preference for enrollment at DC International School (DCI) for 6th grade on the MySchoolDC.org common lottery. Apply today!
In cases where demand exceeds available spaces, selections are determined by lottery among those with preference. This preference is only granted to families who apply by the deadline of March 1, 2024!
Over the last several months, member schools of the DC International School (DCI) consortium, including Mundo Verde, DC Bilingual, Elsie Whitlow Stokes, LAMB, and Yu Ying, have met to research and discuss the future of our relationship. The reality is that each member school has steadily grown (or has plans to grow) to serve more students; reaching a ceiling in DCI’s current home at Walter Reed.
Executive leadership from each of the member schools will participate in DCI’s strategic planning process, elevating the voices of students, families, and staff through this process. DCI anticipates completing a strategic plan within the current school year. At the end of that time, DCI will share their plan and the criteria they will use to determine expansion, providing more clarity to the timeline and process for growth.
To read the letter sent to 4th and 5th grade families this week with information regarding available seats in the coming two years, click here (ENG / SPA).
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Planning Meetings Each Thursday at 8:30pm
Over the month of February, caregivers and school staff from both campuses will partner to celebrate Black History Month.
In collaboration, Padres, Comunidad, and Affinity Group for Caregivers of Black Students have adopted the national Black History Month theme –African Americans and the Arts.
If you would like to participate in planning events throughout the month and/or with the culminating event, please join them for planning meetings each Thursday evening at 8:30pm. You can join at this link.
If you are unable to join the meetings, you can reach out to Erin Pitts (ekpitts@gmail.com) to learn about volunteer opportunities.
January 18, 6:30-8:30pm
The Mundo Verde Board of Directors will hold a regular Board meeting on Thursday, January 18. All regular and special board meetings are open to the public, providing the opportunity for stakeholders to observe board operations. The meeting will take place virtually from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.
To read the full board meeting agenda, click here.
To observe the board in action at this meeting, please complete this registration form. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information to join the meeting.
For questions related to the meeting, email board@mundoverdepcs.org.
January 31, 8:45am - Zócalo
Submit Your Questions in Advance!
Parents and caregivers are invited to join Principals Johanna and Natalie for their Coffee in person at the Zócalo on Wednesday, January 31 at 8:45am. Save the date!
Submit Your Questions in Advance!
To help us use our time together most efficiently, we invite you to submit your questions in advance using this form: J.F. Cook Principals Questions Form.
We look forward to seeing many of you there!
January 31, 8:45am - Zócalo
Topic: Calle Ocho Growth - Construction Plans
Parents and caregivers are invited to join Principals Michelle and Liz for their Coffee in person at the Zócalo on January 31, 8:45am. Save the date!
Submit Your Questions in Advance!
For this session, Principals Michelle and Liz will focus on Calle Ocho growth and construction plans.
If you have questions related to these topics, please include them on this form: Calle Ocho Principals Questions Form.
We look forward to seeing many of you there!
COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION & QUESTIONS
Who kicked off our Fieldwork Campaign during the holidays, raising $5,000!
Your generosity is already propelling us towards transformative experiences for Mundo Verde students. While we are grateful for this great start, we still have ground to cover. Let's build on this momentum and invite others to join our mission. Every contribution, big or small, counts in shaping the future of over 1,000 young minds. Together, we are creating a lasting impact. Thank you for being the spark that ignites a year of meaningful fieldwork adventures!
Missed out in December? No worries! This stage of our campaign runs through January. Be the catalyst for a year of growth, curiosity, and global responsibility. Your support matters – make a difference today and be part of building a great future for our students! Act now at https://bit.ly/FieldworkSY24, starting at just $5.
Tell Us What You Think About Racism & Inclusion
Do you think the school is paying too much, too little, or about the right amount of attention to issues of race and inclusion?
You should have received an invitation on Thursday, January 11, to participate in the January survey. (If you did not, please check your spam folder.) These ‘pulse’ surveys can be answered via the web or a text message, and are sent from Possip.
The deadline is Monday, 01/15
Please complete it now!
It only takes a minute
If you haven’t already completed the January survey,
click your preferred language now to have your voice heard: English | Spanish
Third Trimester End Date Correction
As we reviewed our plans and school calendar for the remainder of the school year, we noticed a discrepancy on the Third Trimester end date. The Third Trimester end date was originally scheduled for May 24 and has been corrected to be June 14 now which is also the last day of school.
Labeling Items Is Encouraged
All students’ clothing and belongings should be labeled for identification. Teachers should take time often to remind students to leave no trace and claim their belongings from the hallway and the classroom. Any articles found in and around the school are kept in a lost and found bin on the front desk of each campus.
Before taking any item from the Lost and Found bin, please make sure it belongs to your children, since many items could look alike. Any unclaimed articles are donated to appropriate community-based organizations periodically during the school year.
If snacks are brought for a celebration please remember that, as a junk-free and nut-free school, Mundo Verde does not allow soda, candy, tree nuts, peanuts, or junk food. In order to accommodate the allergies and dietary limitations of all our students, families must coordinate with the classroom teacher before purchasing or bringing any snacks to school. Should a food or snack violate our allergy policy, we will not allow it to be served.
See this Bringing Food To School Guide in English or Spanish for more information
HEALTH & SAFETY
SCHOOL SERVICES
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Jan. 18 - Virtual
On Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) released a draft for Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards for feedback and public comment.
OSSE invites school, family, and community participation in the upcoming stakeholder engagement feedback session on the standards. These sessions will provide opportunities for participants to learn more about SEL and why it is important for students in schools. Participants will experience a facilitated walk-through of each standard and aligned indicators.
SEL is the process through which students and adults activate knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. RSVP Here.
Virtual Session:
Thursday, January 18, 6:00-7:30pm
NEW! First Happy Hour of the New Year!
Jan 17, 5:00pm - La Cosecha
On Wednesday, January 17, 5:00pm, join Padres for the first Happy Hour of the New Year! They will gather at La Cosecha (1309 5th Street NE) to raise funds for our 5th grade capstone trip to Puerto Rico, this is for the whole Mundo Verde community, not just 5th grade! Participating vendors are donating a percentage of proceeds; a Colombian artist, Claudia Forero, is donating paintings for auction; 5th grade students will sell handmade crafts, and former parent and teacher chaperones will share insights into last year’s trip. Please join, learn more about this unique Mundo Verde experience, and help to reach the fundraising goal!
Upcoming Events:
Jan 15: Holiday - SCHOOL CLOSED
Jan 16-19: MAP 1st to 5th Grades
Jan 18: Board Meeting
Jan 22-25: MAP 3rd to 5th Grades & Kinder (JF Cook)
Jan 26: All Staff PD Day - NO SCHOOL for students
Jan 29: MAP Kinder (Calle Ocho)
Jan 31: Coffee with the Principals (Both Campuses)