Dear Mundo Verde Families and Caregivers,
Sometimes I have to remind myself to breathe, and I know that I am not alone. Looking over my shoulder it is hard to see clearly all that has happened to us as a community; timelines are fuzzy, and what seemed important one day pales in comparison to what happened next. Pre-Covid life receded into distant memory and post-Covid life a long awaited and constantly evolving future.
Yet, this unusually warm February day seems to indicate that spring is on its way, and along with that, we have good news to share: from new staff hires and wellness, to glimmers of hope with Covid trends; from celebration of Black history, to plans for more space at Calle Ocho along with opportunities for to engage with leaders more intimately.
Our community is actively celebrating Black History Month. At the classroom level, teachers and students have been highlighting Black talent and contributions in history as well as right here in our own community, through bulletin boards, crew / morning meetings and interviews of our people. Families have been busy supporting this effort too! If you have not yet been able to participate, please click here to see the rich programming in English and Spanish organized by the parents of Black students affinity group to honor Black/African-American friends, family, colleagues and neighbors. Our students have also been hard at work interviewing Black health professionals within our community to learn more about Black/African-American contributions to public health. Click here to hear them share what they are learning, including how Kizzmekia Corbett led the team that developed the Covid-19 vaccine. As a white woman, I know there is so much for me to learn about and better understand Black history, as well as the experiences of the Black members of our community. Not just in February, but every day.
Emerging good news amidst the ongoing challenges of Covid-19. While schedules, testing, contact tracing, and disruptive shifts in learning modes vary day by day, we are seeing the region’s improving trends reflected in our own data:
More students on campus/ fewer in quarantine or virtual learning: Up from a low of only 15 classes open for the first week in January, 31 of our 45 classes are fully on campus this week! Down from a high of 25 the first week in January, only two classes are fully virtual. At this moment, a total of 52 students are quarantined (either positive cases or close contact unvaccinated students) - that is, 5.3 percent of our 978 students.
Far fewer positive cases: Our numbers are now reflecting the low numbers we were seeing last fall. From a high during the first week in January of 62 student cases and 42 staff cases to only 3 student cases and one staff case last week, we are crossing our fingers that this trend will hold.
Strong rates of vaccination among students: Seventy percent of Mundo Verde students in grades Kinder - 5th are fully vaccinated. By campus in grades Kinder-5th, Calle Ocho campus is 77 percent vaccinated, and J.F. Cook campus is 69 percent vaccinated. Compare this number with the 21 percent of DC residents ages 5-11 who are fully vaccinated (as of 2/7/2022).
If we are approaching a ‘new normal’, we realize that any ‘normal’ is one in which change is what we can count on. Indeed - as many of you know, there is new guidance this past week from the DC Department of Health, with options for making our policies and practices more flexible. We are carefully assessing the implications of all 23 pages of this new health guidance and meeting with DC health officials as we plan our next steps. While test-to-stay requires deep analysis and planning under the proposed guidelines, we are hopeful that there are steps we may be able to implement quickly to reduce the number of students who are out of school each day.
The full guidance is available in documents from the DC DOC (here) and the DC Office of the State Superintendent (here). Among the important details are updates to quarantine recommendations, guidance on test-to-stay, extensive new guidance on testing options, and new definitions for being "up to date" on Covid-19 vaccinations, which requires individuals 18 years and older to receive a booster dose when eligible.
Recruiting highly qualified staff and supporting staff wellness. After an enormous recruiting effort during the national “great resignation,” between October and today we have successfully added nineteen new people to our team – see their names / roles listed here! Please click here ENG / SPA to learn more about Dr. Joseph Rodriguez, our new interim Chief School Officer and Laura Fitzgerald Fonseca, Assistant Principal at J.F. Cook.
In addition to expanded one-on-one coaching across both campuses for our academic staff, an overall wellness program is underway as part of Mundo Verde's commitment to the physical and mental health of our staff, including yoga instruction and wellness time that provides all staff with the opportunity for extra dedicated personal time to rejuvenate, reconnect, and reflect.
Adding space to our Calle Ocho campus for Fourth and Fifth grades. Our students grow steadily older every year –and at Calle Ocho this means our physical space must grow to keep up with them. When we opened the campus to students, we knew we would need to add space to fit our school at scale, and have been planning accordingly. In order to keep up with our space needs, we will add no less than 15,000 square feet to what we have today at Calle Ocho campus. Over the past year, we have completed a range of studies that you can learn more about on our new and under construction Growth at Calle Ocho webpage.
We have identified a preferred option for growth that adds space with the acquisition of a property nearby our current building; talks are underway with the owner to see whether we can come to an agreement to purchase this property as a nearby annex to our current campus. The property would support our school-wide programmatic vision and student numbers, and ensure that our new classrooms are walking distance from the current campus. It would include plans for gardens and space for outdoor activities/play, onsite offices, and a full service commercial kitchen. Should this preferred option fall through, we are planning for back up options including one that involves adding classrooms by building onsite at 4401 8th Street NE.
We have selected a project manager as well as an award-winning architectural planning and design firm with deep experience in developing sustainable / green schools. Our finance and legal teams are actively evaluating viable financing terms. Along with staff, families and caregivers will have opportunities to share thoughts, ideas, and concerns, and we continue to be in active dialogue with the local community and ANC leaders.
Expanding our communications & engagement. It would be impossible for us to fully support our students without the expertise and support of caregivers. We are seeing so much energy across our two campuses in families coming together and are grateful for caregiver investment in the success of our school. As recently detailed in the family update, we are adding some new mechanisms for families, caregivers, and school leaders to connect. Leadership office hours are described here in English and Spanish, as are meeting details and sign-up process. This month, office hours feature me, Principal Jenn, and Principal Netta, creating an opportunity for family members / caregivers to discuss specific topics of keen interest one-on-one with school leaders. As this is a new engagement mechanism, please share with us your sense of how they work and how they might be improved. In addition, the board of directors is reimaging public comment - stay tuned for exciting developments which will be implemented on March 10.
For all the reasons mentioned above we are in a good place as we head toward Spring. Immense challenges, real worries, much is still to be done, and more unknowns are in our future. As a community, working together even when stressed or frustrated, we forge ahead every day serving and educating our students as compassionate global stewards.
In community,
Kristin Scotchmer
Executive Director