Dear Oyster-Adams Families,

This was an enormously eventful week at Oyster-Adams, and like the proud madre tigre that I am, am excited to share them all with you in this photo marathon!

Words cannot express my gratitude for this Wednesday's Hispanic Heritage concert with Sr. Salvador. We cried, sang, and partied until we got kicked out of the cafeteria to serve lunch! As Mr. Salvador said today, here at OA we celebrate heritage as the right to belong to this country, and make space for everyone to belong with symbols to represent their people and stories. Sr. Salvador's high school music teacher (and lead singer of his band at Bossa) joined our community to sing NuevaYol by Bad Bunny with our third graders. I recommend turning it up to volume 100!

• Watch this if you want to cry with joy at "Lo que le pasó a Hawaii"
• Watch this "si te quieres divertir con encanto y con primor..."

Our 2nd and 3rd grade students had a blast at Oyster Math Night on Thursday, diving into fun and engaging activities that brought numbers to life for students and families alike. As a fellow 2nd grade parent, I was grateful to see how beautifully our faculty demystified this "new way" of doing Math since we were children.Mil gracias to AP Berrocal for supporting the Math crew to organize this lovely event. Every single parent survey respondent rated the session "Excellent" and asked us to keep growing the event to other grades!

On Friday morning, the Adams Cross Country team had an incredible showing! The girls’ team, led by Edith Cater, captured first place overall at the DCIAA Meet, showcasing incredible teamwork and determination. Edith also finished first individually with a time of 14:42—an amazing performance! The entire girls’ squad ran strong, earning several personal records (PRs). The boys’ team also delivered a fantastic effort, finishing fourth overall and celebrating many new PRs of their own. Check out the link in the Adams Campus updates for more pictures and details!

Right after they came back from the meet, the Adams Campus came alive with the rhythms of Sol y Rumba during our final Hispanic Heritage Month Friday assembly! This impressive band plays events across DC and agreed to do a showcase concert for Adams students (including songs they had learned in their karaoke two weeks ago!). While 4th and 5th students were respectfully listening for the first half concert, they couldn't contain their joy and broke out dancing with a joyful conga line that had everyone moving and smiling. The Middle School concert was no less joyfully raucous with teachers and students dancing in the wings!

That same night, we also celebrated our community’s rich culture during "La Noche", our annual Hispanic Heritage event led by the OCC. It was a beautiful evening of music, food, dance, and connection—a true reflection of the diversity and strength of our school. Thank you to Emily Grinstead, our lead OCC Organizer for the weeks of work, to the incredible parent chefs who set up tables to represent their nations, to the dance and capoeira troops that rehearsed tirelessly for their incredible performances, and to the volunteers who spent hours setting up and taking down the event to support our custodians. We would not be Oyster-Adams without our families!

And finally on Saturday, our 8th graders have been busy fundraising for their end-of-year events. Their “No Kings, Yes Treats” sale at the Woodley Park Metro was a sweet success, showing both creativity and commitment from our students as they held signs and had cars honking for them all the way down Connecticut Ave. As I swung by to check out the scene on Saturday, one of our students was holding up a great sign: "Justice Speaks Every Language! Bake Sale for Bilingual Minds!" Thank you 8th Grade for dancing and chanting in the streets for our community (and letting me join in!)

And finally, we have an exciting announcement! Dr. Cruz and Srta.Alfaro have officially chosen Alice in Wonderland for this year's bilingual musical! For more information, including auditions, please see the posting in the Adams Campus updates section.

Thank you for being a part of what makes Oyster-Adams such a special place to learn and grow. We look forward to more joyful moments ahead!

Un abrazo fuerte,

Carolina Brito, Directora de OA