Buenas noches tigres,

Allow me to share three lovely Oyster-Adams moments with you this week.

Today, our 4th graders proudly wrapped up their first English and Spanish Humanities unit on HEROES, guided by the essential question: What does it mean to be a hero? Throughout the unit, students explored a variety of texts in both languages to learn about important historical figures. They then wrote detailed biographies in Spanish and crafted argumentative paragraphs in English explaining why their chosen person deserves to be considered a hero. To bring their learning to life, students presented their work in a Living Museum, dressing up and speaking in character as the hero they studied. It was an inspiring celebration of research, writing, creativity, and bilingualism.

Thank you to all the families who were able to join us and cheer on our students’ hard work. A special thank you to our 4th grade Humanities team: Ms. Haese, Sr. Camacho, Ms. Alfaro, and Mr. Sanchez. They've guided students through this rich and meaningful learning experience over the past 12 weeks. Bravo!

In 3rd Grade, we witnessed an impressive showcase of what makes DC an incredible place to live, learn, and protect. Not only did our families help us put on a Mini Taste of DC with everything from Ben's Chili Bowl Half-Smokes to delicious Ethiopian food and delectable treats from Lauriol Plaza. Thank you to all the families and faculty who made that FEAST possible! After we ate to our hearts' content, we had an opportunity to enjoy students' bilingual student books about the neighborhoods that our students inhabit, and their favorite facts about our common home. Students were beaming with pride to show us their labors of love, and how much growth they have continued to make since the beginning of the year. Thank you to Ms. MVP, Sr. Barrera, Ms. Roberson (now Mrs. Cobb too!), and Srta. López for the weeks of rigorous research and shared skill building across languages so that students can own their love of DC in both languages!

And finally, I want to share with you a moment that moved me this week. Sr. Castro (our new Restorative Justice Coordinator) and Sr. Sorto (our Behavior Tech) at Adams lead an impressive little Run Club before school to help support students who want to release some energy before the school day. Several students from 4-8th grade all attend this together. This Thursday, I was lucky enough to join for a few laps, and felt the surge of joy in movement with them! We gathered at the end for breathing, stretching and a few words from Sr. Castro who said: "Today you ran for a long time without stopping. For some it was simple, for others it took persistence to not stop. Whatever you face today, no matter what challenges your teachers prepare for you, know this: You showed up and did hard things, and made a choice to be here this morning. That was half the battle! If you can do this, imagine what else you can face today!"

Thank you Sr. Castro for offering the gift of movement, belonging, and inspiration to our students. We all walked out of that huddle a little more grateful to be part of the OA family, as we strive to reach each student with what they need to feel confident and connected.

In our first edition, we omitted an exciting announcement, and I don't want to forget to celebrate our boys. Congratulations to the amazing boys' OA Middle School Soccer team for finishing their season in 2nd place in the entire DCIAA league! They had a tremendous game in the finals, where they scored 1-2 against Deal. Thanks to Coach Garces, and to all the volunteers and fans of our team. ¡Vamos Tigres!

We won't be sending out another edition of the Guarida next week due to Thanksgiving Break, so if I don't see you before then, have a great time with your friends and loved ones!

Thank you for reading this far, and don't forget to donate to the Holiday Gift Cards for our families!

Un abrazo fuerte,

Carolina Brito, Directora