New at Watkins Elementary
Watkins General Information | Watkins Teachers | Watkins Administrative Team
- CHCS Launches Winter Reading Program: Reading Takes You Out of this World!
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!
- CHCS School Food Information
Food Accommodations
Students with special dietary needs including food intolerances and allergies should submit Students with Special Dietary Needs Form to their school’s nurse. The Dietary Needs Form must be signed by a licensed medical provider, unless the student is requesting an accommodation for lactose intolerance, in which case the signature of a parent or guardian is sufficient.
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2011-12 Meal Prices
Elementary (Pre-K-5th grade) Lunch $1.35 Secondary (6-12th grade) Lunch $1.60 Adult Breakfast $3.00 Adult Lunch $4.00 Meal Payment
Students and school staff can pay for meals three ways:
- By bringing cash or check made payable to the D.C. Treasurer to the cafeteria staff before, in between, or after meal periods.*
- By paying with a credit or debit card at mylunchmoney.com**, an online prepayment service.
*As of August 22, 2011 DCPS will no longer be taking cash during meal service
**Parents or guardians will be charged a $1.95 fee per transaction._________________________________
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Watkins Salad Bar Menu (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays — all grades)
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- Fall Sales Fundraisers: Ecotulips and Greenraising
Please do your part to help meet our goal of $15,000 for our school!
This year we have two terrific programs: Ecotulips offers organic bulbs grown in Virginia; Greenraising offers a range of environmentally-friendly products from wrapping paper to water bottles to jewelry to gifts. Both programs have great products you can be proud to sell to your neighbors, friends and family. Parents should have received a packet home with your child(ren) on Sept. 29. Orders are due by Thursday, October 20.
Questions? E-mail Mandy Bassow at abassow@gmail.com. Thanks and happy selling!
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ONLINE PURCHASE INFORMATION:
ECOTULIPS
1. Visit www.ecotulips.com and pick out your organic bulbs.2. Go to your Shopping Cart and enter the Coupon Code: “clusterschool“ on the right hand of the screen.3. Proceed to checkout : Double check your order. Under your subtotal you should see: “Coupon clusterschool-$2.95″. If you don’t see it, there is a space to add your code at the bottom right. Then wait for your bulbs to arrive in time for fall planting.GREENRAISING1. Visit www.greenraising.com .2. On the left side of the screen, where it says “My Affiliate”, click on “choose”. For the state, select “Washington DC” and for the affiliate, select “Capitol Hill Cluster School PTA – 2123”.3. Now you’re ready to shop! Choose from the categories on the left, or simply browse. When you’re ready to checkout, you can create a login, or skip the registration and checkout like you would at Amazon or any other online store. Then wait for your order to be delivered directly to your home._____________________
SAMPLE FAMILY & FRIENDS EMAIL FOR ONLINE SALES:
Hello Family and Friends!
I’m hoping you can help me raise some money for my school, the Capitol Hill Cluster School. The Cluster School is a unique D.C. public school that strives to ensure that graduates value the arts, community involvement, diversity, and a healthy lifestyle, and have the critical thinking, writing, problem solving, and interpersonal skills needed to attend the high school of their choice, in preparation for success in college and life. This year we are selling great environmentally-friendly products through two companies, and 40% of all online sales go directly to support the terrific programs at my school!
Ecotulips
Ecotulips are the only American source of organic, pesticide-free tulip bulbs – and they are grown locally in Virginia. You can choose from over 40 varieties of tulip bulbs, along with other organic flower bulbs!! But hurry, this offer only lasts until October 20, 2011! Follow these simple steps:
1. Visit www.ecotulips.com and pick out your organic bulbs.2. Go to your Shopping Cart and enter the Coupon Code: “clusterschool“ on the right hand of the screen.3. Proceed to checkout : Double check your order. Under your subtotal you should see: “Coupon clusterschool-$2.95″. If you don’t see it, there is a space to add your code at the bottom right. Then wait for your bulbs to arrive in time for fall planting.Greenraising was started by the parents of elementary school children who watched how their school’s parents associations struggled each year to raise the funds necessary to provide an excellent education, and who bought their share of cookie dough and magazines to help that happen. At the same time, they noticed that their children were coming home with concerns about the environment, pollution, global warming and living conditions in the world, and were feeling helpless to change things. A little research yielded a host of small things each family could do to help the situation, and a light bulb went off (well, technically a compact fluorescent bulb). Greenraising was created to help solve both problems: raise money for schools and give children an opportunity to learn that their actions can change the world. To shop at Greenraising.com, following these simple steps:
1. Visit www.greenraising.com .2. On the left side of the screen, where it says “My Affiliate”, click on “choose”. For the state, select “Washington DC” and for the affiliate, select “Capitol Hill Cluster School PTA – 2123”.3. Now you’re ready to shop! Choose from the categories on the left, or simply browse. When you’re ready to checkout, you can create a login, or skip the registration and checkout like you would at Amazon or any other online store. Then wait for your order to be delivered directly to your home.Thanks so much for supporting my excellent school!!Sincerely,
[your name]
- Watkins FoodPrints Program Featured on NBC4
NBC4 Consumer Reporter Liz Crenshaw aired a piece on Sept 22 during their 5 pm newscast featuring FoodPrints students and the Watkins vegetable garden. Check out the video on the website http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Menu_Makeover_Washington_DC-130370963.html
Or watch it here:
- 9/21: FoodPrints Day At Foggy Bottom Whole Foods
FoodPrints students in the Watkins Garden
Support the Watkins FoodPrints program by shopping at the new Foggy Bottom Whole Foods Market on Wednesday, September 21, and 5% of the day’s sales will be donated to the program. FoodPrints works in partnership with FRESHFARM Markets to integrate the Watkins vegetable garden into the school curriculum to inspire children to learn about where food comes from, and the importance of eating fresh, nutritious, seasonal foods. Donations will be used to directly support FoodPrints’ hands-on gardening and cooking activities and the program’s move to its permanent home in the soon-to-be-finished Watkins Food Lab & Teaching Kitchen.
Foggy Bottom Whole Foods Market
2201 Eye Street, NW
202-296-1660
8 am – 10 pm
- News on FoodPrints
NBC News 4 Reporter Liz Crenshaw interviewed Watkins Elementary students participating on a FoodPrints class in the school garden.
FoodPrints teacher Jennifer Mampara has been busy coordinating with contractors working to complete the school’s new Teaching Kitchen by the end of September so students can start cooking their fall harvest. Meanwhile, each first grade class has “adopted” a squash.
- Watkins Elementary School
Watkins is thrilled to welcome Assistant Principals Suriya Douglas Williams and Jennifer McCormick! Ms. Douglas Williams has skillfully led the Peabody Campus for the past several years and we are excited for her to bring her outstanding leadership to Watkins. Ms. McCormick is coming to the Cluster School from the Uncommon Schools in New York where she developed a strong background in teaching and a proven track record of raising achievement. For more information about the Cluster School’s administrative team, please see the letter below from Principal Clemens.
___________________________________________________________________Hello Cluster families! In my first four weeks on the job, I have been working hard to get to know our schools while DCPS has put me through the paces along with other new-to-DCPS principals.
One of my key priorities has been hiring top quality talent for our open positions. I have also been making sure our administrative team is organized to best serve the needs of our students – and I want to share new assistant principal staffing assignments with you.
I am keeping the capable, hardworking team of Olutayo Ayodeji and Katie Franklin in place as Assistant Principals at Stuart-Hobson. Our middle school needs leadership continuity as we work to make major improvements in student achievement and test scores during this critical year.
I have asked Assistant Principal Suriya Douglas-Williams to move to Watkins to work her magic on our learning community there. I appreciate Suriya’s wealth of DCPS experience as well as her collaborative leadership style. I am also thrilled to welcome Jennifer McCormick to Watkins as a new Assistant Principal. Jennifer comes to us from the Uncommon Schools in New York where she developed a strong background in teaching and a proven track record of raising achievement. I am confident that Suriya and Jenn will make a very strong team to lead Watkins in the academic pursuits and challenges of the coming year.
I will oversee the Peabody Campus with the assistance of Lead Teacher John Burst, who will work closely with Melissa Smith and the Peabody leadership team. John will also continue to lead School-Within-School, which will remain a distinct and autonomous program. I am impressed with the strength of our team at Peabody/SWS and look forward to building on the teacher-led approach of our early childhood programs.
Our new configuration will allow for two administrators at each campus with my presence at all three on a rotating basis. At this juncture, I am planning to spend Mondays at Peabody, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Stuart-Hobson, and Thursdays and Fridays at Watkins.
I will provide more updates on new staff hires and assignments soon. In the meantime, I hope to see many of you at Beautification Day on Saturday, August 20 from 8am – 1pm at all three Cluster campuses. We have important projects lined up to get each campus ready for students.
Please enjoy the final weeks of summer. I am looking forward to August 22 when I can help welcome all of our students back to school!
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Dawn Clemens
PrincipalCapitol Hill Cluster School, Where Every Child Achieves
Peabody Early Childhood Campus–202.698.3277
Watkins Elementary Campus–202.698.3355
Stuart-Hobson Middle School Campus–202.671.6010
www.capitolhillclusterschool.org - Watkins FoodPrints Program Scores Major Fundraising Win!
In an amazing come-from-behind win, the Watkins Elementary FoodPrints Teaching Kitchen project sailed past its $60,000 Kickstarter goal yesterday with minutes to spare, raising $33,000 of the $60,000 total in only two days!! We received 470 pledges from as far away as Australia and all across the United States, but a special thanks is due to the Cluster community for the outpouring of financial support as well as the personal appeals through email, calls, blogs, Tweets, Facebook posts and more that pushed us over the finish line. This was a very ambitious goal and the Cluster should feel extremely proud of the way we pulled together to make this happen.
We will pass along updates on construction plans as we have them, but in the meantime, we will continue our fundraising efforts. Kickstarter charges a 5% fee for hosting our campaign, so additional gifts will go toward our $3,000 tab with them. Donations are 100% tax deductible and can be mailed to:
FRESHFARM Markets
PO Box 15691
Washington, DC 20003
(please note FoodPrints on your check)Thanks again for your support! We couldn’t have done it without you!
- Watkins Elementary School
On January 13th, the Watkins 4th grade class gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to recite Martin Luther King Jr.’s August 28th, 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. Each student took a turn reciting a line while standing on the precise spot where Dr. King gave his famous speech. They followed the powerful speech with lively performances of “We Shall Overcome” and “Wade in the Water”.
Reciting King’s speech is a Watkins 4th grade tradition, but this year the program was expanded into a school-wide learning initiative. In every Watkins classroom, students read, discussed, and wrote about King and his legacy. After studying the civil rights movement, every Watkins class headed to the Mall carrying handmade signs reading “Peace”, “Let Freedom Ring”, and “Go Watkins 4th Graders!”. If you missed the speech on the Mall, you can watch it in its entirety on a video captured by a Cluster School parent here. You can also read about the event and watch a video on the Fox 5 News website here.
- Watkins Students Create Monument Museum
The Watkins Elementary School cafeteria was transformed into a mini-museum in early December as third graders showed off their hand-made models of area monuments and historic sites. The students, who are studying the Civil War, were assigned to re-create a site as it appeared in either 1860 or today. Students wrote reports and, at the Monument Museum, fielded questions from teachers, parents, and friends.
- DCPS Youth Local Wellness Policy
DCPS Wellness Policy
The DCPS Wellness Policy applies to all schools and includes guidelines for snacks and meals offered and sold at school, nutrition education, and physical activity. DCPS Food Services strives to adhere to all aspects of the Wellness Policy in an effort to maintain and promote student and school wellness. - Montessori on the Move
Like any 20-something it’s time for the Montessori program at Watkins Elementary to move on and out. That’s right, the Montessori program, which turned 20 this year, is moving into its own building – the old Logan School at 215 G Street NE – whose large space will allow for a much needed expansion. (The Montessori program at Watkins Elementary has been bursting at the seams for years – getting hundreds of applications each spring for about 20 open slots.) The move is planned for the 2011-2012 school year.
But the move is not only a good thing for Montessorians. The space left by the vacating program will allow Watkins Elementary to bring back 5th grade, which is now housed in Stuart-Hobson Middle School. This in turn will provide space for rising 6th graders from Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School to feed into Stuart Hobson – all part of the school system’s goal of strengthening Ward 6 middle schools.Speaking of which, there is a chance that the Montessori move and expansion will include a middle school, also known as an Erdkinder program. An announcement on this is expected in the early part of 2011. In the meantime, cheers to turning 20 and moving on and out!
To learn more about the Montessori program, please visit www.watkinsmontessorischool.org.
- Become a Watkins Reading Buddy
Take a SMALL amount of time out of your week and make a BIG difference in a child’s life by becoming a Reading Buddy. Volunteer to read with a child at Watkins Elementary School from 9:00am to 9:30am, 11:30am to 12:30pm, or after-school between 4:00pm and 6:00pm any school day. It’s easy, it’s fun and it’s the best way to build literacy in children. This year we are in particular need of Reading Buddies who are fluent in Spanish to support our students who are learning English as a second language.
To be a Reading Buddy, please sign in as a volunteer at the front desk and check with any of the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade classrooms to be assigned a buddy. The teacher will provide you with recommended books, or you and your buddy can choose books from the library, where you can read together. To be an after-school Reading Buddy, please check in with Ms. Freeman (thennie.freeman@dc.gov), Watkins’ after-school program coordinator. Questions? Contact caryn.ernst@gmail.com.
- Watkins Arts Integration Partner Wins Award
The Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT), a Watkins arts integration partner organization, received the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from first lady Michelle Obama this week. Each year, Watkins 4th graders participate in YPT’s In-School Playwrighting Program. Students explore playwrighting, revision, and performance with professional playwrights, actors, directors, and teaching artists. During a series of standards-based, in-class workshops students explore the mechanics of language, drama, and self-expression, culminating in the creation of their own original play. Read more about the award in the Washington Post here.
- Stop in and visit our gardens
Students at the Capitol Hill Cluster School are as likely to find their classrooms outdoors as inside. Our extensive gardens are living classrooms that support lessons on art, science, math, literacy, and geography. Stop by and visit our gardens at each campus: play, explore, relax, and learn.
Peabody Early Childhood Center
The gardens at Peabody were developed nearly fifteen years ago. There are sixteen distinct areas wrapping around three sides of the school building and edging the playground. The gardens include a diverse array of plants, including many native trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers that promote biodiversity and attract pollinators such as insects, butterflies, and birds. Students use them for everything from art projects to science lessons.The newest, the Louise Chapman Children’s Garden, was dedicated in Spring 2010 in honor of retiring teacher Louise Chapman’s enduring passion for gardening with children. This “Edible Schoolyard” area features thirteen raised vegetable beds, allowing each classroom to design, plant, maintain, and harvest its own garden. An additional nine boxes near the playground were just completed in August. This Playground Garden is being used with the school’s new garden-based literacy curriculum, “The Story of Food: Growing Healthy Readers,” which features hands-on gardening projects, field trips to local farms, a focus on nutrition and healthy eating, basic ecology education, and classroom cooking experiences for students.
Watkins Elementary School
The Watkins Living Classroom is a labor of love begun over twenty years ago by parent Molly Dannenmaier, who had the vision and energy to transform what had once been a neglected, weed-choked space into what is now a thriving garden program. Work in this space is continued today by Master Gardener and former Cluster parent Barbara Percival. In one of the most active school garden programs in the city, Watkins students grow healthy food in the Edible Schoolyard (modeled after Alice Waters’ original “teaching garden” in Berkeley, California) which they later cook and eat.They also engage in hands-on learning about the impact plants, and people, can have on the Chesapeake Bay and Anacostia Watersheds in the Wetland Garden, and observe how seasonal and other climate changes affect plants in the Gardens of the Seasons. Finally, students study the way that plants, animals, and insects depend upon each other for food, shelter, and reproduction in the Wildlife Garden and can let their imaginations run wild in the Dinosaur Garden, playing among plants that haven’t changed in (literally) eons!
Stuart-Hobson Middle School
Stuart-Hobson’s garden program is the Cluster School’s newest, but it is no less ambitious than those at Watkins and Peabody. In 2006, Stuart-Hobson students won a garden design from local non-profit DC Appleseed for their submissions in an idea competition entitled Solving DC’s Problems. The nationally-known naturalist landscape design firm of Oehme, van Sweden and Associates developed a plan for a Native Plant Garden that could become a habitat for native birds and insects, and also memorialize beloved sixth-grade science teacher Nancy Cunningham, who died in 2002.Phase One of the garden was completed last year and now hosts monarch butterflies. Phase Two, to be called the Bird Walk, will incorporate a student-made fused-glass birdbath, bird feeders and houses, and a patio and bench, all nestled among native plantings. Phase Three, a Water-Permeable Path coming from the school’s entrance will follow as funding becomes available. The tile mosaic overlooking the garden was created by students as a part of an arts integration project.
In addition, a sloping concrete wall was replaced by a Terraced Garden helping prevent storm water overflow, a major cause of pollution in the Anacostia River, and teaching students about the ways to better manage storm water in urban areas.
Our Partners
The Capitol Hill Cluster School garden program has been made possible by the tireless efforts of parents and former parents, teachers, students, community members, and volunteers from numerous organizations, as well as contributions of time, money and expertise from groups including the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, Casey Trees, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Concern Inc., the DC Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardener Program, Environmental Concern, Frager’s Hardware, FRESHFARM Markets, Greater DC Cares, Hands on DC, Lands & Waters, Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region, and the National Wildlife Foundation. The Cluster School owes them an enormous debt of gratitude for making the gardens grow and helping the students grow their understanding of the natural world.
