Peabody Expansion FAQ

What grades will Peabody have for School Year (SY) 2012-2013?  Where will these classes be located?

Peabody will have 3 PK3 (aka preschool) classes, 4 PK4 and 5 Kindergarten classes.  All PK3s will be on the first floor in classrooms with bathrooms.  One PK4 will be on the first floor as well.  On the second floor, there will be 3 PK4s and 1 Kindergarten class.  The third floor will house 4 Kindergarten classes.  The 4^th floor will continue to be in use as the Library and Art Studio.

How many spaces does Peabody have at each grade level?

The PK3 classes have 15 students with a teacher and an assistant.  For SY 12/13, we will be admitting 45 new three year-olds through the lottery process.  The PK4 classes have 20 students, also with a teacher and an assistant.  Of the 80 spots, 30 will be taken by returning students from PK3 and 50 spots will be filled through the lottery process.  At the Kindergarten level, we will have a total of 110 spots, with classes of 22 students.  We have 60 returning PK4 students and will fill the remaining 50 spaces through the enrollment and lottery process.

How will new students and families be welcomed to Peabody and the Capitol Hill Cluster family?  How can current families help?

As always, we will be holding an orientation for new families in May and a community potluck in September in addition to the first week of school conferences and Back to School Night.  As families come to Peabody to complete the enrollment process this spring, they will be given information on joining the PTA and Peabody listservs.  Each of the current classes will be regrouped for the next school year, so that each PK4 and Kindergarten class will be comprised of returning and new students.  Peabody’s commitment to Responsive Classroom philosophy will help each of these classes form their own community in the fall.

We would like to have a welcome committee made up of current Peabody families to serve as a point of contact for the new families.  If you have a child in PK3 or PK4 and would be available over the summer to be in touch with new families and to help organize the community potluck, please contact Melissa Smith (Melissa.smith2@dc.gov).

How is the Peabody staff preparing for the expansion?

Peabody has a strong building-level leadership team.  The team has already begun working on issues surrounding the expansion, including forming a personnel committee and fielding resumes, communicating facilities needs to DCPS and planning orientations for new and returning families.

As a part of the expansion process, the building-level leadership team and Principal Clemens have decided that PK4 and Kindergarten teachers will not participate in a looping cycle this year.  The Kindergarten teachers have devoted a significant amount of work to building a curriculum around the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and will continue this process next year.  The PK3 and PK4 teachers have perfected their team planning process and will be prepared to incorporate new staff members into their strong teams next year.  The Peabody staff plans to study different looping structures during the next year, with the possibility of adding loops again in SY 2013/2014.

What changes in personnel will occur as a result of Peabody’s expansion?

The current Peabody classroom teachers and assistants will be returning next year, as will our special subject teachers:  librarian Sue Bloom, Art teacher Katie Cushman and PE teacher Asa Davis.  Our wonderful administrative assistant, Ms. Turner, will be returning as well.   When we receive our budget from DCPS, we will be able to plan for additional personnel, including classroom teachers, assistants, special subject teachers and support staff. Our personnel committee has begun constructing interview questions and reviewing resumes to find great candidates for the new positions at Peabody.

What changes in facilities will occur as a result of Peabody’s expansion?

Our building is the home to our students and staff for up to 11 hours each day and we want to make sure that everyone is comfortable, with access to what they need.  We are planning some changes to facilities and routines.  The PK3 students will eat lunch in the classrooms and the PK4 students will eat in the main and middle cafeterias.  We have requested structural changes to the current nurse’s office so that it can be used as an additional cafeteria during the Kindergarten lunch period.  That space will also be used for PE during the morning and afternoon.

The building-level Leadership Team is making a list of furniture and equipment that will be needed for the PE space and the four new classrooms.  Principal Clemens is in regular contact with the appropriate people at DCPS to ensure that the building will be ready in August.

How do I obtain a spot for my child at Peabody and what is the enrollment process? 

The PK and out-of-boundary lottery process has begun and ends on February 27.  New and returning families should come to the Peabody office to complete the enrollment process by May 1.

Please refer to the following chart for more information.

===============================================================================

On Friday, February 10, DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced the relocation of the School-Within-School at Peabody to the Logan Annex beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.

SWS has shared space with Peabody for many years and nurtured hundreds of Cluster children at the beginning of their educational experience. We will miss working with their staff and interacting with SWS students every day. However, we are very happy for SWS as they embark on a new and exciting chapter for their school.

The Cluster looks forward to expanding Peabody’s successful and well-respected program throughout our entire building, and the opportunity it provides for both Peabody and SWS to create more high quality early childhood learning opportunities.

Planning is already underway to ensure a smooth transition, from gearing up to staff our new classes with excellent teachers and assistants to managing the behind-the-scenes work involved in expanding our school by one third.

DCPS invites the Peabody community to a meeting to discuss the expansion plans on Thursday, February 16 at 5:00 pm.  Please see the FAQ below from the Chancellor’s office for additional information about the plans for next year and what our current and future families can expect during the transition period.

Thank you for your support of our students and our school.

Dawn Clemens

Principal, Capitol Hill Cluster School

——————————————————————————————————————————

For more information, please see:

DCPS SWS Letter 2-10-12 PDF

DCPS SWS FAQ 2-10-12 PDF

——————————————————————————————————————————

Frequently Asked Questions

SWS Move to Logan Annex

1. What will be the SWS school boundary for SY12-13 and until a permanent location has been
identified?

SWS will not change its boundary for the 2012-13 school year, the school will continue to share a boundary with Peabody. SWS will remain with the same boundary until a permanent location has been identified.

2. Will SWS remain in the Capitol Hill Cluster for SY12-13?

No. SWS will become a stand-alone school, starting next school year. This means that SWS will be staffed as a school and benefit from the comprehensive school staffing model, including having its own principal. For this year’s lottery (Jan – Feb 2012), SWS, Peabody, Watkins, and Stuart-Hobson families will all receive sibling preference across all campuses. This preference will not carry over to next year’s lottery (Jan – Feb 2013).

3. What will be the school’s feeder pattern?

SWS will add a grade every year, starting with 1st grade next school year. The destination middle school will be determined once a permanent location is identified. We know now that it will not be Stuart-Hobson. There is no room at Stuart-Hobson to support an additional feeder school. The remaining options are Eliot-Hine MS and Jefferson MS. Both Jefferson and Eliot-Hine feed to Eastern HS.

4. What grades will be offered in the Logan Annex?

SWS will add first grade in SY12-13 and 2nd grade in SY13-14. An expansion to PS (3 year old) cannot be supported in the Annex, but we hope will be part of the expansion when SWS moves to a permanent location.

5. Can SWS families transfer to Peabody next year, if they do not want to move?

Currently, there is a school level policy that does not allow students in either Peabody or SWS to switch programs. Due to the move, SWS families will be given the opportunity to transfer to Peabody, without going through the lottery, for next school year. Peabody families who have children in both SWS and Peabody will also have the opportunity to switch to SWS, in an effort to limit the burden on families who must travel to two locations. This exception will only be made for next school year. Families interested
in doing this must inform their school leader as soon as possible.

6. When will the long-term site decision be made?

DCPS will engage the SWS community in this decision. We anticipate the community engagement process to begin in Spring 2013. A decision will be made no later than the opening of the lottery in January 2014.

7. Will SWS be located in the main Logan building?

No, Capitol Hill Montessori is located in the main building. The SWS program will be located in the Annex. There may be opportunities to use some space in the main building in year 2 (SY13-14) for auxiliary purposes, but we expect all classrooms will be in the Annex.

8. If there are enough Capitol Riverfront and SWS families to re-open Van Ness, why not do it now?

Some of you have presented compelling data that indicate there are enough students, between SWS and the Capitol Riverfront families, to support the opening of Van Ness now or next year. While we don’t doubt the commitment from SWS and the Capitol Riverfront community to fully enroll any classes at Van Ness, we believe that the DCPS inventory will change and the decision of where SWS should be permanently location should not be limited to the buildings we have available right now. Van Ness will
continue to be a long-term option we consider.

9. What are the next steps?

DCPS is committed to ensuring that the transition for families and staff goes as smoothly as possible, both for SWS and Peabody. Over the next several weeks we will work with schools on the following:

• Move logistics – packing, timeline, classroom set-up, inventory items that move/stay
• Space needs – identify space modifications and needs for Annex and Peabody
• Program development – With SWS expanding to first grade, it is important that the school leadership and staff are able to work on curriculum development and programming.

10. Who is the point of contact for transition/move questions?

All questions and concerns should first be taken to your principal. Claudia Lujan will be the central office point of contact for the move. She can be reached at claudia.lujan@dc.gov. She will be working closely with principals and instructional superintendents during the transition.

For kids, there are training opportunities with Girls on the Run, or with the Watkins Running Club during recess time. Anyone can run, laps are tracked for each student, and prizes are given at the end of each month.

If you are not planning to run, please stay tuned for volunteer opportunities leading up to the race, or on Race Day. You can also become a Race Sponsor.

Students enjoyed their veggies. The salad bar will continue on Thursday with the Sesame Crunch Salad, which comes with romaine, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, and crunchy sesame sticks!

You can sign up to help students make their salads here

Join the Washington Nationals and Cluster School Supporters in this great deal that raises funds for our School. Join us for the season home opener series when the Washington Nationals take on the Cincinnati Reds at 1:35pm on April 15, 2012 at 1:35 PM at Nationals Park!

(* ticket price includes: ticket, donation, handling and shipping. This great deal is open to anyone and everyone)

2011 Night out with the Nationals Tickets

1 Ticket $15.00 USD 2 Tickets $30.00 USD 3 Tickets $45.00 USD 4 Tickets $60.00 USD 5 Tickets $75.00 USD 6 Tickets $90.00 USD 7 Tickets $105.00 USD 8 Tickets $120.00 USD 9 Tickets $135.00 USD 10 Tickets $150.00 USD

Name of ticket recipient

Alice Waters and Barbara Percival get ready to tour the Watkins Edible Schoolyard.

On Friday January 2oth, 2012, Watkins Elementary School was honored to host a visit with Chef Alice Waters, chef, author, and the proprietor of Chez Panisse restaurant. Waters is an American pioneer of a culinary philosophy that maintains that cooking should be based on the finest and freshest seasonal ingredients that are produced sustainably and locally. Her commitment to food and education led to the first “Edible Schoolyard” at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley in 1996.

The visit was arranged through FRESHFARM Markets. Waters made time to visit Watkins Edible Schoolyard before her portrait was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery that evening. She toured the new FoodPrints Food Lab, and the gardens. According to Jennifer Mampara, she was especially delighted to see the new classroom, and even more, the Edible Schoolyard sign on the vegetable garden. Waters is in the process of tracking the programs that have been springing up around the country.

For more photos from the day, visit the Capitol Hill Cluster School facebook page.

Alice Waters in the Watkins Edible Schoolyard

Alice Waters visits Watkins FoodPrints Food Lab and discusses the curriculum, which is integrated into the science classes at Watkins Elementary School.

Mark Your Calendar for Two important upcoming meetings:
School Improvement Team Meeting: Wednesday January 11, 6:30 – 8:00, S-H Room 102

Attend a Public Presentation Of Draft Concept Plan: Thursday, Jan. 19, 6:30 – 8 pm, S-H Auditorium

The long-anticipated modernization and expansion of Stuart-Hobson Middle School will begin this spring – and now is the time for Cluster families to have a voice in decisions that will affect our children and our community for decades to come.  Don’t miss your opportunity for input!

• Learn about the developing Arts Integration and Museum Program from Principal Dawn Clemens.
• Get the first public look at the architect’s draft plans for a substantial renovation to the existing building and gymnasium plus the addition of an arts wing.
• Provide feedback that will help shape detailed design decisions.
• Find out how parents can show our support for sufficient funding so current Cluster students can fully benefit from the exciting improvements.

If you are interested in reviewing and giving input to the draft plan before it’s presented to the community, join the School Improvement Team for a meeting at Stuart-Hobson on Wednesday, January 11, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in room 102.

Capitol Hill Cluster School has launched a 3-campus winter reading incentive program, “Reading Takes You Out of this World!”  The program will span the next three months that lead up to Dr. Seussʼ birthday on March 2, 2012.  The goal: Cluster students will read — outside of classroom reading — a combined total of 1 million minutes over the 3 winter months!

All student “astronauts” will start at the sun and read across the universe from planet to planet until they reach Neptune.  For Peabody, SWS and Watkins families, students will move to a new planet each time theyʼve read 300 minutes.  Stuart Hobson reader astronauts will move to a new planet each time they’ve read 450 minutes outside of classroom reading. Those who reach Neptune before March 2 can dash around the Milky Way and do it all over again!

Fun theme-related prizes will be given to students as they travel the galaxy of reading, and some schools will be giving away a grand raffle prize to one of the participants who reaches Neptune. Peabody, SWS & Watkins will blast off on Monday, December 5 and Stuart-Hobson will blast off the following Monday on December 12.  Please support this program by encouraging your child to participate and to show you their reading logs.   Happy reading!