Adams Campus

Guiding Principles

Mission, Vision, Community Actions, General Expectations, Norms

Mission

Oyster-Adams Bilingual School is an inclusive community of learners dedicated to academic excellence and creativity that develops globally responsible leaders who are bilingual and bi-literate in Spanish and English.

Vision

Oyster-Adams Bilingual School is a flagship for bilingual education in the country. We are striving to become the highest achieving bilingual school in the country. We believe that ALL students regardless of race, class, gender or circumstance can achieve bilingually at high levels. We hold high expectations for our students, our colleagues and ourselves.

Community Actions

Act with Integrity: Doing the right thing even if it’s difficult or if no one is looking. Work hard, do your best, be honest.
Live Graciously: Using positive language; being courteous; being flexible and being open to new ideas.
Lead by Example: Strive to be a good role model for others and take leadership.
Think Globally: Recognize that we are all part of a community.

Building Expectations

Be kind and respectful: To your teachers, peers, and other adults and students around you.
Be honest: No matter how awkward or difficult the situation is.
Keep everyone safe: Mental and physical.
Do your best: Take pride in your achievements by giving your all.

OA Norms

Listen to understand
Be present and engaged
Focus on solutions
Be courageous and experience discomfort
Ensure equity of voice

Climate and Culture: Whole-Child Approach, Conscious Discipline, Restorative Practices

OA Climate and Culture

At OA, we see behavior as a form of communication. Students will experience various forms of interventions that provide a pause between stimuli and response. We believe that consequences/ responses are learning opportunities for the students to:

Identify “pauses” that work for each individual;
guides students to reflect on the impact of their decisions on the community;
Repair relationships.

Whole-Child Approach

Connected Schools take a whole child, whole school, whole community approach by making schools spaces that support not only a student's academic development, but a family's overall wellbeing through access to resources related to health, employment, housing, and more.

Conscious Discipline

We strive to create long-lasting connections with students to encourage impulse-control learning and prompt + teach self- regulation skills.

“Relationships are the key to helping teachers, students, and families transform their skill set and willingness to learn new ways of solving problems. Noticing both staff and students and what they bring in each day with them enables the administrator to create an inclusive school family for all.” (https://consciousdiscipline.com)

Restorative Practices

At Adams, we want to provide opportunities for pre-teens and teens to repair relationships hindered by conflict of lack of self-regulations.

Restorative Practices are strategies that DCPS is utilizing to build community, manage conflict, and resolve tensions by repairing the harm caused by individual(s) toward another and restoring the relationship(s). The DCPS approach to restorative practices will be used proactively to build relationships and positive school cultures. In addition, Restorative practices will be used responsively to engage in conflict resolution.