This year, we’ll continue strengthening the partnership between school and families. We’ll create additional and more equitable opportunities to engage in school activities, be part of the decision making, and stay informed. We intentionally use the terms “school family” and “community” when referring to this partnership because these terms are borrowed from Conscious Discipline (the social emotional framework used at school).

We believe in the positive impact this partnership has in the development of the social, emotional, and academic skills of our tigers. Below is a list of some of the family engagement opportunities throughout the year. Some of these will be in person and some will be virtual. We’re also committed to keeping a balance in language (Spanish and English). Please let us know what other forms of family engagement you’d like to see in our community and your preference for formats (in person or virtual). See form for feedback below.

• Escuela de Padres: We’ll host at least three during the year, starting with the in person early biliteracy nights in K (10/2) and 1st grade (10/4) from 5:00-6:00 p.m. at the Oyster campus. We’ll announce the rest shortly.
• Cafecitos with the administration: This monthly gathering will provide updates and create spaces to answer questions for families. This year, we’ll continue doing one for each campus. We’re considering hosting them in a specific language (only English or only Spanish) because we’ve noticed that we tend to communicate more in English. Finally, per request, we will explore different formats (virtual or in person) and times (in the morning or in the afternoon).
• Showcases: This year, we’ve created grade level expectations for showcases to ensure equal opportunities for families across all grade levels. We want to invite families to see what our tigers are doing and can achieve in different classes.
• OCC-sponsored community building events: We continue working with OCC in those amazing community building activities that we hope we can bring back every year: La Noche, Fiesta, Black History Month, soccer games, ice cream socials, etc.
• Parent Teacher Conferences: This year, we’ll host parent teacher conferences in a hybrid model. In the next weeks, each grade level will share the way to sign up for the first round of PTCs during the third week of October.
• Mix and Mingles: This is another opportunity for families to meet other families and teachers at the beginning of the year in person and in small groups.
• LSAT: This is an advisory group that meets monthly to support the school administration on some decision-making.
• OCC: This is the Parent-Teacher organization that that meets monthly to help support many of the dreams and needs that we have as a school community.

This brief list does not capture all we do as a school, and we know we can do more. This is why your feedback is important about ideas and preferences for formats, times, and type of events that will be useful for us to strengthen our partnership with families. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts by completing the following form.

In the past two weeks, the school administration, LSAT, OCC, and a group of parents and teachers have engaged in conversations about the allocation of teacher partners (educational aides) at school level.

At the beginning of the year, to address a gap in the number of teacher partners at the Adams campus, we reallocated two teacher partners from Oyster to Adams. While our intent was to best utilize existing resources, we’ve decided to return to our traditional allocation of 18 teacher partners at the Oyster campus. I will work together with LSAT, OCC, and teachers on both campuses to figure out the best way to close the teacher partner gap at Adams. The Adams campus currently will have five teacher partners.

In an educational space with finite resources and wide student needs, resource allocation can be a challenging conversation. I deeply appreciate the full community for showing up the way that you do and continuing to put our students first.

The next SIT meeting is on 10/27 and is a virtual meeting. The team will talk about the playground for the new Adams building.

This is all for now--I hope you all have a great week.

Last week, the admin team had the opportunity to hear some feedback and questions from some families and teachers about the allocation of teacher partners (instructional aides) at the school level. Last Friday, in a small meeting at the Oyster campus, we shared the budgetary implications that determine the allocation of teacher partners.  We also shared how Oyster-Adams is in a great position compared to the rest of schools in the district and how we do not have the capacity to afford a second designated adult in every class.

We’ll continue working on ways to create schedules to maximize small group instruction in all grade levels and keep and enhance high standards of academic achievement.

Please reach out directly to the school administration if you have any questions or comments.

• 9/21: Virtual OCC meeting from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Additional information will be shared on the school website.
• 9/27: Virtual SIT meeting (modernization of Adams) from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

This is all for now. I hope you have an amazing week!

This Friday, we’ll start the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. As an American, Latino, Hispanic, immigrant and a lifelong language learner, I could not be prouder of my culture and heritage. I’m honored to be in a community that shares the same pride as me.

At Oyster Adams, we believe that our heritage, place of origin, and first language are our superpowers. During this month, we will continue affirming and celebrating our Hispanic identity in all classes, lessons, stories, and interactions with our families and students.

We want to invite all tigers to wear their Hispanic and Latino pride on Friday, September 15.

As the public health emergency is lifted, COVID-19 is now treated the same as any other communicable disease. We are sharing the following reminders for your reference:

• COVID Testing: DCPS will not conduct COVID tests at school. COVID tests are not required to return to school this year.
• COVID Contact Tracing: No contact tracing will occur.
• Testing Positive for COVID: Students who test positive should follow up with their health provider for guidance and the family should alert the school of their absence (in accordance with normal absence reporting requirements).
• Masks: Mask wearing is optional, and schools should support individual decisions to mask for health reasons.
• For individuals who test positive for COVID: A mask should be worn through the 10th day from a positive test or onset of COVID symptoms.
• Notifications: No notifications (classroom, staff, or school-wide) will be sent for COVID positive cases.

• Oyster Back to School Night (virtual), 9/12, 5:00 - 6:15 p.m. This is the link for the principal’s welcome message from 5:00-5:15 p.m. The links to meet teachers have been shared in grade level communications.
• Adams Back to School Night (virtual), 9/14, 5:00 - 6:15 p.m. This is the link for the principal’s welcome message from 5:00-5:15 p.m. The links to meet teachers have been shared in grade level communications.
• Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 15-17): Wishing all families who celebrate it a good and sweet year.
• Room parents: We are calling all MS families who want to be room parents to complete the following form.
• Adams updates: Please take a few minutes to read some of the latest updates about buses, bus requests for athletic practices, crossing guard status.
• Website and social media: Do not forget to check our new website and social media for the latest updates and pictures of the week.

This is all for today--thank you so much for trusting us with the education of your students. Looking forward to a great week! Please reach directly to the school administration if you have any questions or comments.

• BOY Assessments: In the next weeks, your students will be taking a set of Beginning of the Year (BOY) assessments. The information we collect will help us identify students who will receive targeted interventions in Math, English, and Spanish (TAG). This valuable information will also help teachers adjust their instructional strategies to meet the needs of all of the students in their classrooms. All results will be communicated to families and then discussed with you during the first-round parent teacher conferences.
• In-Person Mix and Mingles: These are community building spaces for families and staff to officially meet.
• Swing space Bus Updates: Once again, THANK YOU for your patience and feedback in improving our processes. We are happy to share that we addressed all issues from last week and that students are being transported to school safely and on time.  The next phase of the project is to create rosters for those students who will participate in sports practices and tutoring after school. The school will coordinate directly with our athletic director after try outs.
• OCC meetings: This is the school parent and teacher organization. The General meetings are held the third Thursday of the month, with a couple tweaks during the year for holidays, etc. The meetings will be posted on the OA website calendar and will be held on Google Meet. The team is discussing the possibility of hosting in-person meetings. We invite all members of the community to share their comments and questions with board members and the school administration team. The Chair of the committee is Jennifer Jessup, and her email address is [email protected].
• Room Parents: This is another group that enhances school-family communication and partnership for different events. Each grade level has two parent representatives who communicate with school administration and staff grade level leads. The coordinator of this committee is Magalena Laguarda and her email is [email protected]. If you are currently a grade level rep or want to be, please complete the following form.
• LSAT: This is an advisory group to the principal on multiple areas, including budget and the Comprehensive School Plan. We also meet monthly in person or virtually from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. The chair of this committee is Sweta Shah, and her email address is [email protected].  You will find all the information on the school website.
• Blackboard and Remind: In the next weeks, we’ll start using these two powerful communication platforms sponsored by the district. We’ll share additional information in the next weeks, please do not unsubscribe if you get any messages pertaining to Blackboard or Remind.

This is all for now, and we hope you have an amazing four-day week. Please reach out directly to the school administration if you have any questions, comments, or requests.

That said, I would like to provide the following updates:

• As of today, all buses departed within a couple of minutes of the scheduled departure time.
• Our security team has added one more officer to expedite the security check in for all middle schoolers. With this change, as of today, all students were in class by 8:45 a.m.
• We encourage families to have their students ride the early buses if they eat breakfast at school.
• During the first week of school, we focus on creating a positive culture that includes practicing routines and reviewing expectations with all students. For the past two days, we gathered students who ride the buses for 15 minutes prior to departure to practice bus routines and expectations. Each day we are reducing this time with a goal of having all students transition independently to buses at the conclusion of the instructional day starting Tuesday.
• Starting tomorrow, we are adjusting the departure time of the 8:20 a.m. bus leaving Oyster to give more time for a smooth transition to class. This bus will now leave at 8:15 a.m.

• This year we changed the multiple lunch periods into two shifts: one for middle school and one for elementary school. This new structure gives students a more appropriate time to eat lunch (not too late or not too early). In the new building, the cafeteria also serves as the gym where students take Physical Education. Unfortunately, for the first two days of school we were short fifteen chairs and two tables to accommodate all students comfortably. As of today, we have enough tables and chairs for all students in elementary and middle school.
• Starting tomorrow we will have assigned tables by grade level and practice transitions to ensure safety and comfort.

We know that the changes will require time to process, adjust, and refine. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we continue making real-time changes to best suit the needs of our students, families, and community.

We will continue to work closely with DCPS central services and the Chancellor’s Office to request your input that may help strengthen our operations. Please feel free to share it with me directly. If you would like to express concerns or communicate with someone other than me, you may contact my direct supervisor, Instructional Superintendent, Eric Bethel, [email protected] or Community Engagement Specialist, Damian Popkin.

Friday Sept. 1 & Tues. Sept. 5
4:15 on the grass field behind Meyer

If your student is interested in playing soccer or any other sport, please submit your athletic forms ASAP at thedciaa.com

Marie Reed to Meyer:

• First bus departs at 8:10 a.m., or when full
• Second bus departs no later than 8:20 a.m.

Oyster to Meyer:

• First bus departs at 8:10 a.m., or when full
• Second bus departs at 8:20 a.m.
• Third bus departs no later than 8:20 a.m.

Meyer to Marie Reed:

• First bus departs at 3:40 p.m.
• Second bus departs at 3:40 p.m.
• After-school program bus departs at 5:40 p.m.

Meyer to Oyster:

• First bus departs at 3:40 p.m.
• Second bus departs at 3:40 p.m.
• After-school program bus departs at 5:40 p.m.

Again, thank you for your support and understanding as we make real-time changes to best suit the needs of our students, families, and community. We’re looking forward to a great second day—we’ve got this!

Marie Reed to Meyer

• Bus A departs at 8:00 a.m. The bus will loop and depart again at 8:25 a.m.

Oyster to Meyer

• Bus B departs at 8:00 a.m. and will loop and depart at 8:30am

• Bus C departs at 8:20 a.m.

Oyster Adams Family—I know this has been a messy start. Thank you again for your advocacy and support. Please know that I am prioritizing this issue and deeply committed to getting this right. If you have further feedback for me, I welcome and appreciate it!

The main purpose of this community building activity is to support teachers and school to be ready for Monday. School will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. At 12:00, we all need to be out of the buildings for the custodians to do a final inspection and lock the school.

I’ll offer an additional guided tour of Adams (@Meyer - 2501 11th street NW) on Saturday from 10:00-10:30 a.m. This tour is for families or students who did not have the opportunity to see our new swing space. I will also be available to answer any questions you may have.

Teachers who need help filled out a form requesting specific types of support in the following areas: classroom set up, organization, creating bulletin boards (we may need welcome signs and letters). The custodians will be the points of contact to direct families where help is needed. We also need volunteers to help us move some tables from Oyster to Adams; if you have a truck and can come on Saturday, that would be appreciated.

Lastly, we would like you to help us plant some nice flowers at the front of the school. We do not have the supplies (gardening tools, plants) so please bring them if you have them!

We encourage all families to walk or bike to school if possible. We also want to remind our community that there is no parking in the following places at Oyster until after 9am: the driveway (used for morning drop-offs only) 29th street directly in front of the driveway (used for school buses for students with special needs), and in front of school on Calvert street (right behind the bus stop)- this last location is for buses to Adams. Under no circumstances can cars be left parked or unattended. They will be ticketed and towed.

We also encourage parents to leave students at the entrance of the building; parents are not allowed to walk students into the classrooms except for Pk4.

• We are excited to have an updated new website. If you are looking for a specific form, or information (e.g., How to sign up for lunch at school), you may find it in there. If it is not there yet, please reach out.
• The first day for PK4 is next Thursday, August 31.
• There will be two play dates prior to the first day of school for PK4 students (8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.) as follows: Tuesday, 29 - students with last names A-L; and Wednesday, 30 - students with last name M-Z.
• The next principal’s communication will be sent on Tuesday, 9/5.
• Please have patience with the team organizing transportation. It has been a complex process, and we will do everything in our power to attend to the needs of our community. We will be closely monitoring the plan and adjusting as needed. Remember that all questions or requests should be addressed to the school administration.
• At this point we do not have the capacity to accept new transportation requests, buses have reached full capacity.
• For the first days of school, we are asking parents to wait until their student boards the bus before leaving. There will be one person from school on site to check attendance. There will not be an adult at the sites for bus drop off in the afternoon. Parents are fully responsible for being on time at the drop off destinations in the afternoon.
• School supplies: be reminded that you do not need to buy school supplies for your child. Instead, families should contribute to the OA School Supplies Fund (OCC) . The teachers depend on the money from the funds to get the right supplies at the right time and price—this guarantees that classrooms are stocked and ready to go on day one.
• Families at the Oyster campus will receive the first weekly note from teachers today, and families at the Adams campus will receive it next Friday.

This is all for now, please reach out if you need anything and thank you for trusting our school.

This year, we’ll continue working to make our communication structures clearer and more efficient. You’ll see more alignment and consistency at campuses and more specific and shorter messages (except for this one). Please let us know what works and what doesn’t in our communications, so that we can improve them.

Our written communications will be the primary form of communication at school, but we will also continue inviting parents to our monthly cafecitos at each campus. Parents can also reach out to the school at any time.

We take pride in having transparent communication practices and we will continue doing that. We also want to encourage everyone to come directly to school administration if you have any questions. We are committed to providing all information that is available and that we’re at liberty to share with all families.

For this year, please always assume our best intentions and refrain from jumping to conclusions judging others.

Please remember that the weekly bilingual Principal’s messages will go out every Monday. Just for this week, we will send additional updates on Friday and not have a weekly note next week.

We have great news for our school community! We have a new assistant principal for grades 4 and 5: Daniela Morad. Please join us in celebrating AP Morad into her new role at school. Take a few minutes to read some highlights of her professional journey and accomplishments.

Ms. Morad was born and raised in Colombia. After graduating high school, Daniela came to the United States to continue her education. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in digital media and completed her master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University. She has over 14 years of experience in education and has taught elementary, middle, and high school students in 3 different countries. Daniela has been a member of the Oyster-Adams community serving as Dean of Students at Adams for over 5 years.

• Oyster’s New Parent Orientation: 8/24 in person from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
• Adams’ New Parent Orientation: 8/25 in person from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
• Adams’ Student Orientation: 8/25 in person as follows: 4th and 5th graders from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. and Middle school students from 10:45 to 11:15 a.m.
• If new parents cannot attend one of the meetings, we’ll share the presentation in our weekly communication.
• The rest of our community is invited to participate in our Beautification Day at each campus and see the new building. This will be on Saturday, August 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

This is all for now--please do not forget to reach out directly to school if you have any questions.

This communication is to provide an update on the latest Adams’ Schematic Design. Here is the presentation. In addition, we confirmed with the project manager that our community may submit their feedback today in the meeting at 4:30 p.m. through this link, or through this form.

Please let us know if you have any questions or additional comments.

• No specific coaching experience required but must satisfy the DCIAA coaching requirements (quicker process for current DCPS teachers)
• The season runs from September 1 through early November
• Practice days, times, & venue are TBD
• Stipends are available: $2,000 for Head Coach & $1,000 for Assistant Coach

Please contact Stuart Logan [[email protected]] & (202) 213-8309

• No specific coaching experience required but must satisfy the DCIAA coaching requirements (quicker process for current DCPS teachers)
• The season runs from November 1 through mid-March
• Practice days, times, & venue are TBD
• $812 stipend is available for the Head Coach

Please contact Stuart Logan [[email protected]] & (202) 213-8309

Over the summer, we learned some exciting news about one of the members of our school. One of the assistant principals at the Adams campus has been called to serve the district as a resident principal at another DCPS school. When we heard about this announcement, we were so proud of and excited for Peter Meliotis and his professional growth. Thank you, Peter, for all you’ve done for our school family and your impact on students, families, and staff over the years. You will be missed.

In the next few weeks, we will announce the name of the new assistant principal for 4th and 5th grade.

We’re happy to announce we’ve been assigned a moving date to our swing space (Meyer: 2501 11th street NW). The school is currently under renovation and being deep cleaned to prepare for next week’s move.

The School Improvement Team (SIT) met yesterday afternoon to go over the schematic designs for the Adams building. The project manager provided an update on the recent request from some members of our school community for additional designs. The project manager informed the SIT that up to this point there has been no changes in the plans presented before and that DCPS is moving forward with the next phase of the project.

The team of architects provided a detailed presentation of what the building will look like inside and the location of classrooms, offices, open spaces, connection between different parts of the building, etc. Here is the link to the presentation.

Next week, there will be an additional meeting to get some feedback on the schematic design. The meeting is on Tuesday, August 8 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Here is the link to join the meeting.

DCPS also shared they are finalizing the contract with the bus company that will provide service to the new swing space. Once the contract is complete, we’ll share the logistics about students pick up and drop off.

• Oyster’s New Parent Orientation: 8/24 in person from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
• Adam’s New Parent Orientation: 8/25 in person from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
• Adams’ Students’ Orientation: 8/25 in person as follows: 4th and 5th graders from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. and Middle school students from 10:45 to 11:15 a.m.
• If any of the new parents cannot attend one of the meetings, we will share the presentation in our weekly communication.
• The rest of our community is invited to participate in our Beautification Day at each campus and to see the new building. This will be on Saturday, August 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• The Oyster campus will host an in person mix and mingle for families and teachers as follows: grades K and 1st on 9/5, grades 2nd and 3rd on 9/6. The time will be from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
• The Adams campus will host an in person mix and mingle for families and teachers as follows: grades 4th and 5th on 9/7 and grades 6th - 8th on 9/8. The time will be from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
• Virtual Back to School Night: Oyster will be on 9/12 from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Here is the link to join the principal’s message for the Oyster campus. Adams will be on 9/14 5:00-6:00 p.m. Here is the link to join the principal’s message for the Adams campus. The specific link to meet teachers will be shared directly by them in their newsletters.
• As soon as the platform that is used for scheduling students is updated with the information for the school year 2023-24, we’ll share the schedules of students and their cohorts. We expect to do this next week. Additional information and forms will also be sent to families next week.
• We’ll send reminders as we get close to each one of the dates above.

This is all for now -- we hope you have a great rest of your week.