Hola Tigres,

Today was the welcome burst of warmth and sunshine that we needed this Spring Break! I hope you were able to enjoy with the family as we get ready to return to Oyster-Adams on Monday. If you're in town still enjoying the last days of Spring Break, check out this event tomorrow: Empowering Voices: Spanish-Language Research Talks at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Thank you to Ms. Schuettpelz for recommending it!

In this week's Guarida, we want to share our planning for next year, and celebrations to start closing this momentous school year at OA. Among our celebrations of learning was the beautiful 7th Grade Trip fo Puerto Rico chaperoned and planned by Ms. Voorhees, Ms. Ferris, Ms. Alvarado, Ms. Moriconi, Dr. Cruz, y Sr. Salvado who supported OA's first adventure en tierra boricua. The dedicated families and students fundraising for the adventure nearly tripled the participation rate from last year, and made it possible for our Tigres to enjoy a bioluminescent bay, opportunity for community service, and discover Viejo San Juan with Dr. Cruz, lead Tigre on the tour of his homeland. The logistical and cost barriers the team faced to make this trip happen were substantial and the student and family fundraisers were heroic. They did everything from empanada workshops, t-shirt sales, Parents Night Outs, and selling original artwork to applying for grants and corporate matches for donations. From the joy on our students' faces, and the fact that many wanted to establish residence in PR, we know it was worth it!

Bravo, team, and a special thank you to Stacia Cardille for the months of tireless, creative problem solving, and partnership with our team and teachers to help us make this possible! This work has forged a path for future grades to keep building and sustaining these travel experiences for our tigres.

As a reminder for crucial planning for next year, please see the bullet points from our last newsletter

• The OA Budget from DCPS: I shared with OCC and LSAT in early April that we were able to protect most of the critical investments and positions in our community, and we added new strategic positions that will help us address urgent academic gaps. Here I share the slides from the meeting (57-68). In the last slide, you will find all the new positions that were added to the budget and are posted in DCPS's recruiting page. Please help us recruit! If you know an excellent candidate, email your assistant principals who will reach out to the candidates.

• Enrollment opened on April 2: We need your help to reach 60% by May. It is crucial to complete the process as soon as possible to secure the spot, class, and teacher assignment for your children in the 2025-2026 school year. Read more about the process here.

We'll see each other on Monday!

Carolina Brito, Directora