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MARCH
2009
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March 3rd
OCC Budget Committee Meeting
March 4th
Celebration of 1st O-A Sports Season
March 5th
5th Grade Parents Meeting re: Middle School
March 6th
Principal's Coffee
March 7th
Safe Routes to School Meeting
March 8th
Daylight Savings Begins
March 10th
OCC Board Meeting
March 11th
Kinder Parents meet with Monica, Art Rom
March 17th
OCC Community Meeting
March17th
St. Patrick's Day
March 18th
LSRT Meeting
March 19th
Middle School Parent Meeting
March 23rd-29th
No School
Spring Break
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APRIL
2009
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April 3rd
HALF-DAY OF SCHOOL
(school dismissed at
12:15 pm)
April 4th
**Oyster-Adams Annual AUCTION**
Katzen Arts Center,
American University
April 10th
SCHOOL HOLIDAY
April 13th
SCHOOL HOLIDAY
April 15th
LSRT Meeting
April 16th
DC Emancipation Day; SCHOOL HOLIDAY
April 21st
OCC Board Meeting
April 22nd
Earth Day
April 22nd
The Big Read
April 20th-May 1 DC-CAS for grades 3-8
April 27th-May 1st Elementary Science Fair (PreK - 5th Grades); Adams Campus
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MAY
2009 |
May is Pan-Asian Heritage Month!
May 2nd Oyster-Adams Fiesta/Raffle
May 5th
Cinco de Mayo
May 4th-8th Teacher
Appreciation Week
May 10th
Mother's Day
May 13th-14th
OCC Elections
May 15th
No School
Parent-Teacher Conferences; Teacher Appreciation
Pot Luck Lunch
May 15th
SCHOOL HOLIDAY
May 19th
OCC Board Meeting
May 20th
LSRT Meeting
May 25th
Memorial Day; SCHOOL HOLIDAY
May 27th
OCC Community Meeting
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JUNE
2009 |
June 10th
LSRT Meeting
June 15th
Last Day of School!
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MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL LIANG AGUIRRE
March 13, 2009
Dear Parents:
Some people say that madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The same applies for schools.
During this past year of great transitions and growth, the teachers, staff, LSRT and I-along with the help of many parents-have been working hard to redefine Oyster-Adams Bilingual School and to lay out a plan to grow into our new vision to ensure that all of our students receive an outstanding dual language education.
Last week you heard about the changes in staffing. This week, I present to you the dramatic changes we will implement next year in our dual-language model. Please click here to open the full document that explains the motivations and details of the program that I know will drastically improve the language immersion experience for all our students.
Dual Language Model 09-10
You will receive many more updates on program and curriculum in the upcoming weeks. I look forward to your feedback.
Enjoy the weekend.
-Monica Liang Aguirre
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Week of March 16th, 2009
IMPORTANT! DC-CAS DATES!
DC-CAS for 3rd-8th grade will take place April 20-24. In addition, all 4th-8th graders will have continued testing during the week of April 27-May 1. This is the real test. All of us-students, teachers and administration- have been working very hard to ensure that our student master the standards on the test. We need your support to make the testing weeks successful.
TIMELY and DAILY attendance is critical for our students to succeed on these exams and for us to demonstrate all that our students have learned this year. Please check your appointment calendars now and reschedule any medical appointments or other planned absences for 3rd-8th graders right away.
We need help with preparation: Testing weeks are very intense weeks for us as we work to administer the tests as smoothly and free of stress as possible, under very tight security conditions. We can use the help of some very detail-oriented parents to prepare all of the materials for the almost 300 students who will be taking the tests. If you are interested in helping with this very important project, please contact our Assistant Principal and Testing Coordinator, Ibis Villegas, at the Primary Campus or at ibis.villegas@dc.gov.
You will be receiving weekly doses of DC-CAS information from Ms. Villegas, in the upcoming weeks.
Pennies for Patients: Thanks to all the students who brought in their spare change, Oyster raised over $400 for the first week of "Pennies for Patients"! Remember, "Pennies for Patients" benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and will continue until spring break. The class that raises the most will receive a pizza party. The 2nd place class will receive a free PE & cupcakes. 1C is in the lead with $59 and KB is close behind with $58!
Thank you for your support in the fight against blood cancers!--Mrs. Barnes
Middle Grade Meeting: We are working hard to modify and improve our middle grades (6-8) program for place next year. Join us for a brief presentation on plans for next year regarding academics, extra-curriculars and Spanish immersion followed by Questions and Answers. Thursday, March 19, 6:00PM at the PRIMARY CAMPUS. (Because of parking difficulties at the Intermediate Campus, we will hold the meeting at the PRIMARY CAMPUS).
Love to run? We have Girls on the Run for the girls, but no opportunity to get the boys running. We're looking for someone who would like to run with the boys (ages 9 - 13) so we're ready to have a track & field team next year. If you're interested in creating a weekly running club for boys, contact Sandi Baer at the Intermediate Campus.
Oyster T-Ball!
Oyster Parent, Ralph Alswang, is forming an Oyster T-Ball Team this spring. The "Muckdogs" will be practicing once per week and will hold games on Fridays in April and May. There are 12 spots left open for the team. The team is for 5-6 year-olds and for some 7 year-olds if they have never played on a team before.
If you are interested, you can register at http://www.nwlldc.org/pages/registration.html
Please indicate that you would like to be on the Oyster Team the Muckdogs coached by Ralph Alswang. For more information, contact Raph at: Ralph@ralphphoto.com
6th Grade: This Week in Shine: Students will be divided into two groups - one boys and one girls - for the first of a two-part lesson on "Learning About Our Bodies." The lesson will include a video about puberty.
The Oyster-Adams Online Silent Auction is now open!
Visit: www.OysterAdamsAuction.com
CLICK HERE TO BID ON AUCTION ITEMS
OCA Scholarship Fundraiser and Baby Pool
Help support the OCA Scholarship Fund and celebrate the arrival of OCA Director Connie Artiga-Oliver's baby (due on April 15, 2009) and get a chance to win a cash prize!
Guess the gender, weight, birth date and time of Connie Artiga-Oliver's baby for a chance to win 25% of the proceeds from the fundraiser. The person or persons with the closest guesses wins! Tickets are $10.
For more information:
http://tinyurl.com/cxx52f
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Students from Colegio de Vizcaya and Oyster-Adams students enjoy an afternoon of ice-skating.
Update from Assistant Principal Ibis Villegas
March 13, 2009
Oyster-Adams community:
I want to update you about three important items:
Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me if I can answer any questions.
Oyster-Adams Spanish Immersion Camp
What? Spanish Language Immersion Camp "De-Dos" at Oyster-Adams Bilingual!
When? July 6th - 31st, 2009
Who? Current and Incoming PreK-8 Oyster-Adams students may be registered for one week at a time. A discount will be applied to students who register for all four weeks. Classes will be organized by the grades as close to each other as possible.
What time? There are two options:
1. Arts Camp from 9 AM to 3 PM. Sessions will focus on reinforcing Spanish language skills through visual art, dramatic art, creative writing and music. Classes will be led by experienced teachers from De-Dos Theater.
2. Arts Camp from 9 AM to 3 PM & Extended Day Camp from 3 PM to 6 PM. Extended Day will include trips to a nearby pool (days to be confirmed), walking trips, picnics and outdoor activities. Activities will be organized according to age. Extended day staff will be mainly OCA after-care counselors. All OCA personnel are certified in First Aid and CPR.
Where? Primary Campus: 2801 Calvert St. N.W. Washington D.C. 20008
Fees: Maximum cost per Oyster-Adams child is $815. This is a discounted rate for Oyster-Adams children enrolling for all four weeks:
Option A1: All 4 weeks of Arts Camp (9am-3pm) plus Extended Day 3pm-6pm $815
Option A2: All 4 weeks of Arts Camp (9am-3pm) only. $775
Individual week(s) out of the four weeks are an alternative option for which the rates are:
Option B1: Select week(s) of Arts Camp (9am-3pm) plus Extended Day 3pm-6pm $265/week
Option B2: Select week(s) of Arts Camp (9am-3pm) only $250/week
Limited financial assistance based on need is available. Contact Ibis Villegas for more information.
To register: 100% of the tuition or a $50 deposit (the remaining fee must be paid in full by April 15, 2009) must accompany the registration form to reserve your child's spot.
Click here to download the registration form: Camp Registration Form
Return the completed form with tuition check payable to OCA to the Main Office. Include your child's name and "De-Dos Camp" on the check. One child per form.
First come, first served, subject to availability. We encourage you to reserve your spot as soon as possible. Spaces available after April 15, 2009 will open up to non-Oyster-Adams students.
Questions?
Ibis Villegas 202-671-3111
Nicola Deas (Oyster-Adams parent) mail4nmd@yahoo.com.
DC CAS Testing
As the testing coordinator for both campuses, I will be sending you more information about this as we get closer. Here is the schedule:
FIRST WEEK OF TESTING:
Monday, April 20: Reading Sessions 1 and 2 for grades 3-8
Tuesday April 21: Reading Sessions 3 and 4 for grades 3-8
Wednesday April 22: Math Sessions 1 and 2 for grades 3-8
Thursday April 23: Math Sessions 3 and 4 for grades 3-8
Friday April 24: Make-up tests for Reading and Math for all applicable grade levels
SECOND WEEK OF TESTING:
Monday April 27: Science for grades 5 and 8
Tuesday April 28: Make-Up tests for Science for grades 5 and 8
Wednesday April 29: Composition for grades 4 and 7
Thursday April 30: Make-Up tests for Composition for grades 4 and 7
Friday May 1: Make-Up tests for any subject for all applicable grade levels
Student Support Teams
Student Support Team
At last Friday's Principal's Coffee, I gave a brief overview of a very important process that exists at Oyster-Adams that is designed to promote success for all of our students. Below is a summary.
The Student Support Team (SST) is a School-Wide System for Student Success. The SST process brings together the various professionals, including teachers, administrators, the social worker, and counselor, to work together to support students and their families with:
- Behavioral concerns
- Academic concerns
- Social-emotional concerns
The SST Team also convenes to discuss:
- Attendance/truancy concerns
- Graduation/promotion issues
Our goal is to:
- Reduce referrals to special education
- Improve academic achievement
- Improve school behavior, including school attendance
- Improve school-parental communication and relationships
- Improve teacher efficacy
- Increase collaboration in schools
- Use data for decision making
- Increase parental involvement
The process:
- Either a teacher or a parent fills out an "SST Request Form" due to an unresolved or urgent concern. These are available in front of Ms. Villegas' office at the Primary Campus and in the Main Office at the Intermediate Campus
- At the Primary Campus Ms. Villegas contacts the child's parent(s) to make a one hour appointment. Ms. Oviedo contacts families at the Intermediate Campus. Parents, the child's classroom teachers and the SST Team are notified and invited to attend.
- SST meetings are held on Tuesdays at the Intermediate Campus. Monica Liang-Aguirre is the Chair. SST meetings are held on Fridays at the Primary Campus. Ibis Villegas is the Chair.
- Parents and teachers articulate goals. An Action Plan which may include academic and behavioral strategies is developed by the SST Team
- Follow-up meetings are scheduled as needed
OCC UPDATE
March 13, 2009
Tuesday, March 17th -- OCC Community Meeting (1st Budget Meeting) at the Oyster Campus, at 6.15pm.
Dear Oyster-Adams families,
We urge the entire community to attend this important meeting on Tuesday, because this is when the OCC board will present you with our proposed budget for next year.
The main agenda item for this meeting is the budget for the next school year. We want to make sure that this budget is in line with your priorities, Oyster-Adams parents, so come to this meeting and hear about how we're proposing to use your money next year. We will tell you how much we would like to allocate to projects such as the OCA scholarship fund, extracurricular and enrichment activities for the Middle School, and classroom materials to support Spanish literacy in the lower grades, to name a few.
Principal Liang-Aguirre also will share with you the latest developments on the Elementary and Middle School and will talk about our new school mission. Sandi Baer, our upper-campus coordinator, will also give you the details about some of the new enrichment activities that we are proposing to fund in the Middle School.
Finally, we're going to give you a short explanation of how we are changing the format of the budget this year to make it easier for everyone in the community to read and understand and give you an update on our fundraising efforts.
This is an informational session, but we're also asking for your input, which is very valuable to us. Please ink the date on your calendars and attend. This is an excellent opportunity for you to advise us of your priorities for how the OCC funds are used in the school. This meeting will be held in Spanish, with translation available. Childcare will be provided, and pizza can be bought for $1 a slice.
Many thanks, and see you there -
Maribel Jimeno and Claire Taylor
OCC Co-Chairs
LSRT UPDATE
March 13, 2009 The Oyster-Adams Local School Restructuring Team (LSRT) is an elected body comprised of administrators, teachers, parents and a community representative. We meet monthly to advise the administration on instructional, budgetary and operational issues. The annual agenda for each LSRT is mostly determined by internal and external realities. This year has been no different. August brought year two of our Middle School expansion, Sra. Liang-Aguirre, (aka Monica, as we all know her) as our new principal and an entire school system under renovation. We had tools to work with though: parent surveys and focus groups from the summer, teacher surveys, the middle school task force, and so much more. Thanks to you all, the LSRT agenda for this year is as follows: Oyster-Adams Bilingual School Mission StatementWe spent the first two months engaging the school community on the development of a mission statement. This was key because we knew that substantive projects: curriculum, extra-curriculars, and our dual language program needed to be anchored in a statement that expresses our values. We met in groups with teachers, parents and other stakeholders which resulted in the following statement:
"Oyster-Adams is an inclusive community of learners dedicated to academic excellence and creativity that develops globally responsible leaders who are bilingual and biliterte in Spanish and English."
Comprehensive School Plan (CSP) and Annual Budget DCPS has changed both the name and the format for this 2-year plan. Each school is expected to engage their LSRT or other designated body on the development of the plan. The LSRT has worked with Sra. Liang-Aguirre to finalize the CSP which is pending final approval. The CSP's key goals for the next two years are stated below:
- Increasing reading and math scores for low socio economic students and English language learners.
- Developing a cohesive vision for the school, including mission, instructional philosophy and an academically rigorous dual language curriculum that provides clear guidelines on standards and approaches for PK-8.
- Developing inclusive parental mechanisms that will encourage all parents to participate in school activities and functions.
The school budget is tied to the CSP implementation strategies. Both the CSP and the budget will be available upon final approval from DCPS. LSRT ElectionsElections for the 2009-2010 LSRT will take place in the month of May. If you are interested in working on the school vision and policy with only one meeting per month, think about running for a seat. For more information on the LSRT go to oysterbilingual.devis.com. Additional information about the elections will be provided in early May.
Thank you to all of the 5th grade parents who attended our session last week on plans for the middle school. I recognize that the transition from elementary school to middle school is a big one for your families and we look forward to navigating this time with your child.
Next week, we will hold another meeting for all current and rising middle school students to give an overview of our plans for the upcoming year. This meeting will be similar in content as the 5th grade meeting. Please join us!
Clarification regarding in-boundary and out-of-boundary enrollment for Deal and other Middle Schools
At our 5th grade parent meeting last week, it was brought to my attention by a parent that there were some conflicting messages being given at Deal regarding current Oyster-Adams students' right to attend Deal. I have conferred both with DCPS and with Principal Kim at Deal to make sure that we all have the same understanding. Please note the following:
1) As a current Oyster-Adams student, your middle school "of right" is Oyster-Adams.
2) If you are within the boundary of Deal or any other middle school, you also have that school as your school of right (i.e. you can choose which school you'd like to attend).
3) You may transfer into that second school of right at any time, not only at the beginning of the 6th grade.
4) Deal no longer provides "preference" to Oyster-Adams students in the out-of-boundary lottery as we are no longer a feeder school to Deal. Principal Kim is actively developing "feeder" relationships with other K-5 schools.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
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Week of March 16, 2009
DC CAS Countdown:
17 School Days To Go!
Monday AM
8:40 am (arrival time):
- Got-A-Book Campaign, primary campus
Monday PM
3:30 pm
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4th, 5th and 6th Grade Reading Tutorials (Mr. Dixon, Ms. Roling, Mr. Petersen)
- 6th Grade Math Tutoring (Ms. Redd)
- 6th Grade Auction Art Project (Serena
Wiltshire)
3:30 - 5:00 pm
Tuesday AM
-
Got-A-Book Campaign
(arrival time - 8:40 AM, primary campus)
Tuesday PM
3:30 pm
- 4th Grade Spanish Tutoring (Sra.
Reyes & Sr. Alfonso)
- 5th Grade Reading Tutorial (Ms.
Roling/Lemus)
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5th Grade Math Tutoring (Ms. Hainer)
- 6th Grade Math Tutoring (Ms. Redd)
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Middle School CityDance (Room 309)
-
Aqua = Paz
(Mr. Hoeksma's room)
- 6th Grade Auction Art Project (Serena
Wiltshire)
3:30 - 4:30 pm
- Cross-Campus Ultimate Frisbee for 3rd & 4th
graders (Mr. Golland)
6:15 pm
- OCC Community Meeting on the budget (primary campus)
Wednesday AM
8:10 am
- 4th Grade Reading Tutorial (Ms.
Fuller)
TIME TBD
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Student
Council Hosts
State Dept. Visitors
(Primary Campus)
Wednesday PM
3:30 pm
- 4th Grade Math Tutoring (Sr. Bustios)
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5th Grade Math Tutoring (Ms. Hainer)
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Middle School Digital Yearbook (Computer Lab)
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4th & 5th grade Girls on the Run (Adams cafeteria)
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HoopEd resumes for grades K-3 (Oyster gym)
- 6th Grade Auction Art Project (Serena
Wiltshire)
6:15 pm
- LSRT monthly meeting (6:15, primary campus)
Thursday AM
8:40 am
-
Got-A-Book Campaign
(arrival time, primary campus)
Thursday PM
"Women in
History" Assemblies at both campuses
3:30 pm
- 4th Grade Spanish Tutoring (Sra.
Reyes & Sr. Alfonso)
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3rd grade Girls on the Run (meet in the
Oyster cafeteria)
- Middle School Girls on the Run (meet in the
Adams cafeteria)
- HoopEd resumes for grades K-3 (primary campus
gym)
- 6th Grade Auction Art Project (Serena
Wiltshire)
3:30 - 5:00 pm
- Drama in Spanish (primary campus)
6:00 pm
- 4th/5th grade girls
basketball practice (Adams gym)
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Informational meeting on middle grades (Oyster cafeteria)
Friday AM
Last day of 3rd advisory 8:40 am
-
Got-A-Book Campaign
(arrival time, primary campus)
Friday PM
3:30 pm
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4th & 5th grade CityDance (Room
309)
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MathCounts for Middle School (Mr.
Hunter)
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6th Grade Auction Art Project (Serena
Wiltshire)
3:30 - 4:30 pm
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Cross-Campus Ultimate Frisbee for 3rd & 4th
graders (Mr. Golland)
6:15 - 7:15 pm
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Family Zumba with Ms. Villegas (at the primary campus for K-8 students and their parents)
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AFTER-SCHOOL
PROGRAM NEWS
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OCA
March 13, 2009
News from Connie
Tuition is
due on or by March 10 ; $280 first child, $270 second child, $260
third child. Make checks or money orders payable to oca.
Look
out for enrichment registration form to be sent home via e-mail the
week of March 9th. Be sure to return it to oca on or by the 13th.
Session 3 spring enrichment to start the week of April 6 to June 5th.
Payment for these classes is due on or by May 1, 2009.
OCA will be closed during spring break March 23-27th. April 10, 13 and 16.
Maternity
leave- I'm due April 15th, just around the corner. Silvia Segovia will
be the acting director and Sandy Batres will be the acting assistant
director. Silvia will have the oca phone which is (202)329-6693 and
will continue to use connieoca2003@yahoo.com for oca related business.
If you have questions relating to payments please contact Silvia.
Sandy will be your contact person at the Oyster campus from 3:00-6:00
and Silvia at the Adams campus from 3-:00-6:15. Leave your messages
like you do know at the same oca number and they will be relayed to the
right person. Don't worry your children are in good hands.
Connie
(202)329-6693
connieoca2003@yahoo.com
Do your Taxes and Support the OCA!
H&R
Block has offered to give $25 to the OCA (Oyster Creative Activities)
Scholarship Fund for each new client who hires them for preparation of
their tax return (1040, 1040-A, 1040-EZ). See the attached flyer and
make sure to provide the Referral Form should you go to H&R Block
for tax preparation assistance during this tax season.
For more information:
http://tinyurl.com/crz333
OCA Scholarship Fundraiser and Baby Pool
Help
support the OCA Scholarship Fund and celebrate the arrival of OCA
Director Connie Artiga-Oliver's baby (due on April 15, 2009) and get a
chance to win a cash prize!
Guess the gender, weight, birth
date and time of Connie Artiga-Oliver's baby for a chance to win 25% of
the proceeds from the fundraiser. The person or persons with the
closest guesses wins! Tickets are $10.
For more information:
http://tinyurl.com/cxx52f
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March 13, 2009
Dear Oyster-Adams Community:
Last month, I was invited to spend the day with our friends from our new
special education Early
Childhood Center.
I am writing this message to publicly thank the awesome team in that amazing
classroom for letting me learn from both the students and the staff and for
letting me contribute a little in return by assisting them the whole day.
Melissa, Latoya, Vicky, and Marcellus: you are doing an excellent job serving
our young students. I was truly impressed with the routines, the materials, the
layout of the classroom, and the different stimuli you provide to our very
special friends to boost their learning potential every day. There are also a
variety of specialists and therapists who come and serve our little friends on
a regular basis but I did not have an opportunity to interact with them that
day. These children have touched my heart and motivated my creativity.
Their intelligence, sensitivity, and avidness for learning have impacted my
teaching forever. When I shared with my 1st grade students all the things I had
done with my new friends from the Early
Childhood Center,
they asked me if it would be possible to go and play with them some time. I
promised them that I would consult with the teacher to see how we could arrange
that.
It takes an enormous amount of coordination and creativity to implement such a
program from the ground up and despite the delays and complications I know we
face, our ECC classroom is truly a model for the District and surrounding area.
Although I knew there was a class with exceptional students in our building,
and I would occasionally run into some of these wonderful people in the halls,
I realized that I did not know much about the students and the way they are
being served.
Oyster-Adams' new mission is to create an inclusive community of learners. All
of us in the school community have a lot to learn in order for us to truly
implement an inclusive model. I think we have an excellent program to learn
from and all of us should contribute to their learning in one way or another. I
feel that each one of us can do a better job to become a real team member in
our community. Getting to know this class could be one excellent first step.
Thank-you again to Mebo Luz, Cecilia, Andy, Jackson, and Joshua. You are truly
special! And thank-you to our principal, Monica Liang-Aguirre for this great
opportunity!
Fondly,
Oscar E Ramirez Gonzalez
Spanish Teacher, 1st Grade
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OYSTER-ADAMS BILINGUAL SCHOOL
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Monica Liang Aguirre, Principal
Ibis Villegas, Assistant Principal
Sandi Baer, Intermediate Campus Coordinator
Oyster Campus (PreK - 3rd Grade)
2801 Calvert Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Tel: 202/671-3111
Fax: 202/671-3087
Adams Campus (4th - 8th Grades)
2020 19th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Tel. 202/673-7311
Fax. 202/673-6500
__________________________
Email: contactus@oysterbilingualschool.org
Website:
http://oysterbilingual.devis.com/AboutUs/
__________________________
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