
Principal Berkowitz
Reflect on the Positives

Spring is approaching and the weather is just one of the many reasons to be optimistic, joyful and happy. I’m enjoying the sun and taking time to reflect on all the positives in life. I encourage you to do the same!
UPDATES
Headlines:
Excuse Notes and Student Attendance
Upcoming Open House- March 16th
Parent Group- Race, Class and Equity Family Survey
Excuse Notes and Student Attendance
In the event that your student needs to miss school, please be reminded that all excuse notes should be submitted to emailed to our attendance teams. All DCPS legal excuse reasons remain the same as last school year.
Watkins: WatkinsESenroll@k12.dc.gov
Peabody: PeabodyESEnroll@k12.dc.gov
Looking for QUICK feedback on Peabody Winter Reading Challenge
Peabody families, If your family DID or DID NOT participate in our Peabody Winter Reading Challenge this past winter, we would LOVE your feedback! Below is the link to a super fast questionnaire that could help us organize future reading initiatives that do the most to excite your children around reading and to inspire all families to read as much as they can fit into their days! Thank you in advance for your time and your honest feedback! Happy reading, Ms. Bloom and the Peabody Literacy Team
Link to the questionnaire: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=7kagKk6zM0qSt5md8rwKMlfw2EOql5FDlxIuaxVr3llUN1hCRE5VRDRRR0NLV0RCNVpaSE9aMjBSUC4u
Upcoming Open Houses - Parents please share!
On March 16 we will host open houses for both schools. Please share this flier with anyone who may be interested in joining our school community.
Parent Group – Race, Class and Equity Family Survey
Our RCE group is putting this survey in the field. It is only for parents of students in the cluster and will be communicated to families this week. If you click on the link, there’s an intro on the survey to provide context. In short, the data will be used to make our cluster a more inclusive place for all students and families.
Reminders
Survey Overview
There are a number of different surveys in the field right now. I hope this can clarify the what and the why:
Race, Class, Equity Family Survey – this is a parent-created survey for only the Capitol Hill Cluster Community to help inform and advance our efforts for equity and inclusivity.
The STUDENT Panorama Survey is a survey all 3rd-5th grade STUDENTS take to provide feelings on their sense of love, challenge, and preparedness aligned to the DCPS vision. Please have your child complete one if they have not already.
The FAMILY Panorama Survey is a survey all FAMILIES are encouraged to take to their perspective on the above. Please complete one!
Peabody & Watkins "Thursday Field Trips" for our Virtual Learners!
The Cluster PTA is happy to announce live "Thursday Field Trips" for our virtual learners in the month of March! Starting on March 11th, Peabody & Watkins virtual learners are invited to attend science-based 30-minute field trips organized by the Cluster PTA, FLEX, and the Stamford Science Center.
These live "field trips" will be available from 11:30am-12:00pm on March 11th, 18th and 25th over Zoom.
More details to follow early next week!
Announcing Peabody’s March Virtual Parent/Child Chapter Book Club
Ms. Houghton (PreK 4 teacher) and Ms. Bloom (Librarian) are happy to announce a 3-session chapter book club open to all grades at Peabody for the month of March (4:15-5pm on Tuesday March 9, 16 and 23). The book we’ll read is “Zoe and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows” by Asia Citro, a great story that mixes real science with some fun fantasy! It is also the first in an 8-book series so if it’s a hit, there’s more fun to follow! Here is the link to sign up. At the time of this writing, DC Public Library has 13 hard copies (but most are out on loan) and 2 eBook copies (both available) and SORA has 10 total eBook copies, but only 2 currently available. We are happy to ensure that all families wanting to participate in the club, have a copy of the book. Just reach out with any questions to rachel.houghton@k12.dc.gov or susan.bloom@k12.dc.gov. Hope you and your student(s) can join us!
Youtube and Content Restrictions on DCPS-Issued Devices
We understand that several students that have DCPS devices have been unable to access some YouTube and teacher content that has been shared for asynchronous instruction. DCPS has blocked the usage of sites that may contain inappropriate content for our students. We do understand this can create difficulties and we are currently working to implement a plan to support the issue. We hope to have an update soon. Thank you for your continued patience and partnership!
Log Into Canvas Daily, Including Wednesday
Families should log into Canvas every day, including Wednesday to be marked present. It is very important to note that although live instruction does not take place on Wednesday, students still need to log-in. Daily log-in should take place between 6am and 11:59pm. If you miss a day or something prevents you from logging on, email our attendance team.
Watkins: WatkinsESenroll@k12.dc.gov
Peabody: PeabodyESEnroll@k12.dc.gov
Submitting excuse notes: During virtual learning, all excuses notes should be emailed to our attendance teams. All DCPS legal excuse reasons remain the same as last school year.
Watkins: WatkinsESenroll@k12.dc.gov
Peabody: PeabodyESEnroll@k12.dc.gov
Community Messages
Parent Group – Race, Class and Equity Family Survey
Our RCE group is putting this survey in the field. It is only for parents of students in the cluster and will be communicated to families this week. If you click on the link, there’s an intro on the survey to provide context. In short, the data will be used to make our cluster a more inclusive place for all students and families.
Click on the following to link to our website pages for updates on the following community groups:
Local School Advisory Team (LSAT)