APRIL
2009
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April 3rd
HALF-DAY OF SCHOOL
(school dismissed at
12:15 pm)
April 3
Principal's Coffee--Parent Workshop Series
April 4th
**Oyster-Adams Annual AUCTION**
Katzen Arts Center,
American University
April 6
Parent Involvement Workshop
April 10th
SCHOOL HOLIDAY
April 13th
SCHOOL HOLIDAY
April 15th
LSRT Meeting
April 16th
DC Emancipation Day; SCHOOL HOLIDAY
April 20th-May 1
DC-CAS for grades 3-8
April 21st
OCC Board Meeting
April 22nd
Earth Day
April 22nd
The Big Read
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MAY
2009 |
May is Pan-Asian Heritage Month!
May 2nd Oyster-Adams Fiesta/Raffle May 4th-8th
Elementary Science Fair (PreK - 5th Grades); Oyster Campus
May 5th
Cinco de Mayo
May 4th-8th
Teacher Appreciation Week
May 10th
Mother's Day May 13th-14thOCC Elections May 15th
No SchoolParent-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
April 3, 2009
Dear Parents:
I hope everyone enjoyed a week off last week to re-energize for the final push of the last Advisory, DC-CAS and the many end-of-year activities.
Enrollment season at DCPS has officially begun!
Actual enrollment is EARLIER this year for all new and returning students. All students must complete the entire enrollment packet by May 15th. You should be receiving your enrollment packet by mail in the next few weeks. You can also get the packets at the front office of either campus or download the forms at: http://www.k12.dc.us/enrollment/enroll.htm
In the meantime, we are finalizing our grade level rosters for next year and need your support. Please fill out "Plans for 2009-2010" form that we sent home on Friday (Click here to download) and return it to your child's teacher by next Thursday, April 9. This form is for our planning purposes only and will allow us to manage our waitlists to make sure that we get all students are enrolled by the 15th of May.
Thank you very much for your support.
Enjoy the weekend and see you at the Auction!
-Monica Liang-Aguirre
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7 school days till DC-CAS!
Art teacher, Carole Whelan
Congratulations!
Our own Carole Whelan has won the 2009 Mayor's Award for Arts Teaching!! According to information from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the annual Mayor's Arts Awards are the "highest honor conferred by the District of Columbia" in the arts fields. The glitzy awards ceremony took place at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on March 23 with a number of local arts celebrities in attendance. The presentation of different awards was punctuated by performances of a variety of DC groups, among them the Spanish singing Coral Cantigas, which included Oyster teacher Magdalena Saavedra with her beautiful voice. Just like at the Oscar's, Ms. Whelan did not know whether she was the winner until the three finalists were announced and the envelope with her name was opened on stage. She looked great in a flame-red silk jacket and her new hairdo, accepting the engraved crystal award, which was presented to her by DC Councilmember Kwame Brown, Candy Lee of the Washington Post, and Victor Reinoso, Deputy Mayor for Education and Oyster parent. A dedicated "fan club" was present to accompany and cheer Carole on: From the school, there were the teachers Missy Alden, Carolina Clarens, Roxanne Kovin, and Wendy Reeve, who was Carole's special guest. Carole's husband Ron was there too, as well as Adams parent Stefanie Walker and her daughter Claire, a 4th grader. Stefanie nominated Carole for the award in early January and helped Carole prepare her portfolio for submission to the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Wendy Reeve and Paul Ruther from the Phillips Collection deserve special thanks for writing eloquent letters of support. Everyone in the Oyster-Adams community knows what a treasure Carole Whelan is to the school - her energy, creativity, and innovative teaching are outstanding. We knew long ago how great she is, but now it's official! Be sure to congratulate her in person! Congratulations to 5th grader Niklas Persson
who won the "Best of Show" for the Washington, D.C., Junior Duck Stamp
Contest. Thank you to Fillmore Art Teacher Pat Morrison for working
with all of our 5th graders to enter this contest, sponsored by the US
Fish & Wildlife Service. His duck is on display outside the art
room at the Intermediate Campus. Visit ttp://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/ to
find out when you can see Niklas' entry on display - along with those
from 52 states and territories at the National Postal Museum.
Visit from Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan
Oyster-Adams Primary Campus will host a press conference by the National Institute for Early Education Research next Wednesday the 8th. The Institute will be releasing its latest report "The State of Pre-School 2008." Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, will provide brief remarks and then do a read-aloud to students in our Pre-Kindergarten class and Ms. Grant's Early Childhood Center. This is not a public event but look for the news coverage later on that day!
Parent Involvement Initiative
Thank you to the many parents that joined us for our new parent involvement initiative, coordinated by Evelyn Manzano, Special Education Coordinator, and Melissa Shaw, Social Worker. We will be holding a repeat of the same meeting on Tuesday, April 6 from 5PM-6PM in the Art room at the Intermediate Campus (Adams). The session will be in conducted in Spanish with simultaneous translation. Please join us!
From Ms. Barnes: This was our most successful year for "Pennies for Patients". Pk-3rd grades raised a total of $1,448.10! The first place class was 1B with $289! They will receive a pizza party. The second place class was 1C with $178, they will receive cupcakes & a free PE. Thanks so much to all the teachers & students for their support in the fight against blood cancers! Support Oyster-Adams by eating pizza! On Tuesday, April 14, Armand's pizza (located
at 4231 Wisconsin Ave.)
will donate 20% of your purchase to our Spanish exchange program. Bring-in a coupon (click here) any time
on the 14th (dine in or take out) and help raise money for our
wonderful exchange program!
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SCIENCE NEWS
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News about Technology and Science
Simone Welch, Science Detective
We hope you will visit Mrs. Simone Welch's web journal as
she travels on the Bering Sea Ecosystem Study. She left on March 31, 2009 and arrived on the boat last night, April 2, 2009. If you have already visited the web
site, she has made a few new entries since March 31st.
Go to http://www.polartrec.com/
and click on her links!
Need Internet Access?
We are trying something new at the Oyster Campus:
Internet-only computer stations for parents. Three Internet-only computer stations are
available in room 106, the music room, from 8:00AM to 11:00AM.
SCIENCE FAIR NEWS:
PLEASE NOTE NEW DATES FOR SCIENCE FAIR: Principal Liang-Aguirre and the administration have rescheduled the Elementary Science Fair to the first week in May. . Enjoy your extra week of planning! The fair will be held at the Oyster campus due to the playground construction at the Adams campus.
All completed science fair projects need to be brought to school on Monday, May 4th. Judging will take place on Tuesday, May 5th and Wednesday, May 6th. Projects will need to be brought home at the end of the day on Friday, May 8th
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: In order for the science fair to run smoothly, we'll need additional parent volunteers. We need:
Judges: Any parent who works in the sciences or has a degree in the sciences can volunteer as a judge. Parent judges will only judge projects outside of their children's grades. If you can judge for a three-hour period of time either on Tues, May 5th or Wed, May 6th, please contact: Jorge Blanco: jblanco@virionsystems.com
Volunteers for any of the following: to set up tables at Oyster, Friday May 1st; to help register student projects the morning of Mon, May 4th; and/or to assist with logistics (leading judges to projects, bringing kids down from classes, etc) on Tues, May 5th or Wed, May 6th. If you can volunteer for a few hours on any of these days, please contact: Trish Mitchell, trish123m@gmail.com or Deborah Durham-Vichr, ddvichr@yahoo.com
Volunteers to register eligible projects for the City-Wide Science Fair once our prizes are awarded.
We cannot run the Science Fair without your help, so please volunteer now!
SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT INFORMATION: In February, a detailed package was sent home with every student which included information on: how to conduct a science fair project; a science fair timeline; a checklist listing everything that needs to be included in your presentation; a sample layout for your tri-fold board; additional resources; and an example of the judging criteria for each grade. If you would like any additional information or have questions, please contact Science Specialist, Ms. Welch at:
sciencesimone@gmail.com
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Update
from Assistant Principal Ibis Villegas
April 3, 2009
Dear Parents,
As your child grows and learns during the school year,
we want to determine what he/she knows, is able to do, and how well he/she can perform
in the academic program. Standardized tests are one way to measure academic
achievement. From Monday, April 20
through Friday May 1st Oyster-Adams students will participate in the District
of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS). Grades 3-8 will be tested
in reading and math. Grades 4 & 7 will take a composition test. Grades 5
& 8 will take a science test. It is
imperative that each student in grades 3-8 participate in the testing program.
Children who speak a language other than English and are
now learning English may be eligible for testing accommodations. Children who receive Special Education
services will receive accommodations in accordance with their IEP. We will provide the appropriate testing
accommodations for your child to ensure that he/she participates in the spring
testing program.
We ask that
you make sure that your child is present and on time each day of testing. The schedule is as follows:
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
Testing will begin as soon as the
children go to their classroom in the morning. Students who are tardy will have
to wait with Ms. Barnes in the Primary Campus or with Ms. Kaufman in the
Intermediate Campus until the testing session is over.
Please call us if you have any questions. We will be
glad to speak with you. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
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
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.
Ibis Villegas
202-671-3111
Nicola Deas (Oyster-Adams parent) mail4nmd@yahoo.com.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL/INTERMEDIATE CAMPUS UPDATE
April 3, 2009
Over the last several
weeks, Principal, Monica Liang Aguirre, Assistant Principal, Ibis
Villegas, and Intermediate Campus Coordinator, Sandi Baer, have held
meetings with parents to discuss plans for our middle school program in
the upcoming school year. There is a lot of exciting work
underway. Click here for an overview of the plans that have been
developed.
It
is no secret that our Middle School -in its second year of development
and therefore still a toddler- faced some significant challenges this
year. But I am confident that we are on a track to excellence. As
always, we look forward to your thoughts and feedback, and to working
collaboratively with you as we move into the last Advisory and into
next year.
Lost & Found: Once
again, our lost & found is filled with jackets, sweaters, hats,
gloves, etc. that need to go home with their rightful owners. Please
check it out in the lobby of the Intermediate Campus next time you're
in the building.
Music at Oyster-Adams!
Please check your child's backpack for the Oyster-Adams After-School
Music Interest Survey & Sign-Up. Based on a survey of our current
Intermediate Campus students, we have learned of an overwhelming
interest in instrumental music. We are exploring a partnership with the
Music Teaching Project, run by Michael Bowie, celebrated musician and
DCPS music teacher. There is an opportunity for experienced musicians
currently in grades 4-8 to join a school ensemble immediately; students
will little or no experience could begin learning in the fall.
This week in Shine: Students
will explore "Making Positive Decisions" by learning a new model for
making effective decisions. Students will focus on figuring out the
positive and negative consequences of the big decisions they make.
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OCC UPDATE
April 3, 2009
"Dream 2009-2010 Budget" Posted on Web Site. As promised, a copy of the Draft OCC Budget 2009-2010 School Year (aka our "dream budget") is posted on the Oyster web site. To all of you who could not make the community meeting (March 17) where this was presented, we invite you to take a look at it online (and in paper form on the OCC bulletin boards on both campuses) and give us your input. Send comments to the OCC board via email to occsecy@gmail.com in Spanish or in English with "budget input" in the subject line; on paper, submit your comments, again in Spanish or in English, to OCC Secretary Phoebe Schlanger's mailbox slot at the Oyster campus.
Let's Close the "Funding Gap." If you look at our "dream budget", you will notice that, with all the wonderful projects we are proposing to fund, because we are being very conservative in estimating our projected revenues from several events that have not yet taken place, we anticipate a budget shortfall of $35,340. This does not have to be! If you haven't yet, please make your contribution as soon as possible to the Parent Campaign, and we can close that "funding gap." The Auction is coming up on Sat., April 4, so please help us make this the most successful one we have ever had, and again, we can fund all of those projects and programs that make this such a special place for your child to learn and grow.
Funding Proposals Welcome from Community, Through May 18. We are now at the point in our budgeting process where we are soliciting new spending proposals from the community for the 2009-2010 school year. So from now until May 18, the OCC board will be accepting proposals from the community which we will evaluate at our May 19 board meeting (6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Oyster campus in the cafeteria) and then bring to the community with the final budget for approval in a community meeting on May 29. Take a look at the Draft OCC Budget 2009-2010 School Year posted on the website and consult the "Notes" column -- that will tell you the budget lines that have no proposals submitted, so there might already be money budgeted for a project you have in mind. Those proposals will move most easily through the approval process. But we will be accepting proposals every kind of proposal, so submit them in the next two months.
We will be making decisions to fund proposals (or recommend that the community consider them at the May 29th meeting to approve the final budget) based on how well they express the mission of the school. (The mission is stated at the beginning of this and every Weekly Bulletin). In your proposal, please give us as many specifics as you can about your project (estimated cost, a dollar amount; approximate number of volunteer hours needed; how it carries out the mission of the school; who will be responsible for the project). If you have any questions about the budget process in general, consult the web site or the school bulletin boards for an exhaustive description. If you have questions, submit them via email to occsecy@gmail.com, in Spanish or in English, with "budget question" in the subject line; on paper, submit your questions, again in Spanish or in English, to OCC Secretary Phoebe Schlanger's mailbox slot at the Oyster campus.
Thanks again for your support,
Maribel Jimeno, OCC Co-Chair
Claire Taylor, OCC Co-Chair
LSRT UPDATE
MIDDLE SCHOOL/INTERMEDIATE CAMPUS UPDATE
April 3, 2009
Over the last several weeks, Principal, Monica Liang Aguirre, Assistant Principal, Ibis Villegas, and Intermediate Campus Coordinator, Sandi Baer, have held meetings with parents to discuss plans for our middle school program in the upcoming school year. There is a lot of exciting work underway. Click here for an overview of the plans that have been developed.
It is no secret that our Middle School -in its second year of development and therefore still a toddler- faced some significant challenges this year. But I am confident that we are on a track to excellence. As always, we look forward to your thoughts and feedback, and to working collaboratively with you as we move into the last Advisory and into next year.
Lost & Found: Once again, our lost & found is filled with jackets, sweaters, hats, gloves, etc. that need to go home with their rightful owners. Please check it out in the lobby of the Intermediate Campus next time you're in the building.
Music at Oyster-Adams! Please check your child's backpack for the Oyster-Adams After-School Music Interest Survey & Sign-Up. Based on a survey of our current Intermediate Campus students, we have learned of an overwhelming interest in instrumental music. We are exploring a partnership with the Music Teaching Project, run by Michael Bowie, celebrated musician and DCPS music teacher. There is an opportunity for experienced musicians currently in grades 4-8 to join a school ensemble immediately; students will little or no experience could begin learning in the fall.
This week in Shine: Students will explore "Making Positive Decisions" by learning a new model for making effective decisions. Students will focus on figuring out the positive and negative consequences of the big decisions they make.
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Week of April 6, 2009
DC CAS Countdown:
7 School Days To Go!
Monday AM8:40 a.m. -
Got-A-Book Campaign (primary campus)
Monday PM - 3:30 pm
- 4th, 5th and 6th Grade Reading Tutorials (Mr. Dixon, Ms. Roling, Mr. Petersen)
- 6th Grade Math Tutoring (Ms. Redd)
Tuesday AM8:40 a.m.
-
Got-A-Book Campaign (primary campus)
- 3:30 pm
- 4th Grade Spanish Tutoring (Sra. Reyes & Sr. Alfonso)
- 5th Grade Reading Tutorial (Ms. Roling/Lemus)
- 5th Grade Math Tutoring (Ms. Hainer)
- 6th Grade Math Tutoring (Ms. Redd)
- Middle School CityDance (Room 309)
- Aqua = Paz (Mr. Hoeksma's room)
- Cross-Campus Ultimate Frisbee for 3rd & 4th graders (Mr. Golland)
5:00PM: - Parent Involvement Workshop Series (Art Room at Intermediate Campus)
Wednesday AM8:10 a.m. - 4th Grade Reading Tutorial (Ms. Fuller)Wednesday PM
8:40 a.m.
-
Got-A-Book Campaign (primary campus)
3:30 pm
- 4th Grade Math Tutoring (Sr. Bustios)
- 5th Grade Math Tutoring (Ms. Hainer)
- Middle School Digital Yearbook (Computer Lab)
- 4th & 5th grade Girls on the Run (Adams cafeteria)
Thursday AM 8:40 a.m.
-
Got-A-Book Campaign (primary campus)
3:30 pm
- 4th Grade Spanish Tutoring (Sra. Reyes & Sr. Alfonso)
- Middle School Girls on the Run (meet in the Adams cafeteria)
- 5:00 p.m. First in the new series of Parent Workshops! Intermediate Campus Art Room (same as the session held at the Primary Campus on April 3; see the Weekly Bulletin from March 20 for more details.)
6:00 pm
- 4th/5th grade girls basketball practice (Adams gym)
Friday
NO SCHOOL
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AFTER-SCHOOL
PROGRAM NEWS
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OCA
[NO NEWS THIS WEEK]
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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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