Buenas tardes tigres,

We hope this rainy weekend finds everyone resting peacefully to get ready for the final stretch of the year. May is an intense, joyful, and yes, sometimes even stressful month in schools! For that reason, I wanted to take a moment this long weekend to appreciate our families and staff, and all the meaningful learning and joy they are bringing this month. Enjoy this week's recap, and check out the helpful calendar of events ahead in May and June @ the end of the letter!

Celebrations

Poetry Festival

We were proud to celebrate the annual Festival de Poesía at Oyster-Adams this year. We gather to immerse students in literary tradition—so that our tigres carry Latin American poetry with them as a lifelong source of reflection, identity, and expression. That immersion allows students to try on their own voices and create their own masterpieces—whether their muse is fútbol or friendship!

A heartfelt thank you to our outstanding lead coordinators—Sra. Gracia, Sr. Solano, Sra. Suárez, and Sra. Delgado—whose leadership and dedication make this event possible across both campuses. We also extend deep appreciation to our Spanish teachers, whose tireless efforts, passion, and expertise bring this festival to life year after year.

Asian and American Pacific Islander Month

This month we’ve also been honoring AAPI Month across classrooms and in ALDEA celebrations. Thank you to all of the families and staff who have raised their hands to bring family stories, culinary traditions, and meaningful connection to our community. And of course, thank you to all the staff members who are currently chaperoning the 7/8th Grade trip to China, and all the families who fundraised to make the trip possible!

Next year, we would like to explore putting on a bigger, cross-campus celebration with live performances, food, and even music if possible. Like with all our Heritage Celebrations, we would need parent support to coordinate the event. If there are any families who would like to volunteer to start planning, I would be deeply appreciative. Please email me and Emily Grinstead (emily.grinstead@oysteradams.org), our OCC Events Chair if you’re interested!

4th and 5th Grade Chamber Choir Performance

Bravo to the Adams 4th and 5th Grade Choir for their remarkable first chamber performance! Students delivered three impressive pieces with poise and artistry, including an especially complex polyphonic selection from Les Choristes that showcased their growing skill and musical maturity.  A special congratulations to our Music Teacher, Sr. Castro, whose dedication and high expectations continue to push our students to extend their talents, build new skills, and elevate their craft. We are thrilled to see new vocalists emerging and proud of this inspiring moment for our school community.

5th Grade Career Day

Shout out to our counselor, Ms. Elisha Bogues-Willis for organizing 5th Grade Career Day this week! Students rotated between four classrooms and heard from five parent speakers representing a variety of career fields. Thanks to them they got to learn about being a lawyer, chief of staff for former White House politicians, a NICU nurse, a chief mate on an oil tanker, and even making history as a restaurant owner in DC.  Through pictures, discussions, and hands-on activities, students learned about the skills they can begin practicing now to one day be successful in their future careers.

Thank you also to the 5th grade teaching team, for sacrificing some class time for such a wonderful learning experience for our students. We look forward to expanding this opportunity to Middle School next year!

7th and 8th Grade Student Government supports the Mayor’s Office for Latino Affairs

Thank you to the marvelous crew of Asamblea students who gave their time to acts of service this week. The Mayor's Office for Latino Affairs and the Greater Washington Food Back co-sponsored our first Community Food Drive at Adams Campus, and we had almost 100 community members shop for fresh vegetables on our field.

Thank you to Dr. Cruz who supported the logistics for the event, and Ms. Voorhees for helping us coordinate with our students. They greeted visitors helped organize and pass out items, and represented Adams with joy, grace, and responsibility. It filled me with pride to see that our Tigers can wield their beautiful, fluent Spanish as a force for empathy and justice.

What's Coming Next

Here's your quick guide to major upcoming events. Please note that this list may not include all grade-level specific events. Please read your grade level newsletters for those!

• May 28th: Move up Day for Families going from 3rd to 4th: 3rd grade students start @ Adams @ 8:10am, and 3rd Grade parents meet at Adams @ 5pm. Our purpose is to help families learn about major shifts from Oyster to Adams, and how to support their students in that change. Please note that we'll also be doing a more in-depth version of this during Open House in the Fall!

• June 4th: Move up Day for Families going from 5th to 6th @ Adams! Students will engage in sessions during the day, and families are invited to join us for an informational session at 5pm at Adams. We will also invite current 6th grade parents to help answer any questions you might have!

• June 11th: 4th/5th Grade Field Day at Adams

• June 12th: Field Day at Oyster and for 6th/7th at Adams

• June 12th: 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony at Adams @ 2pm​

• ​June 15th: 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony at Jackson-Reed at 6pm

• Oyster Talent Shows

Have a great week ahead!

Carolina Brito, Principal