CHEC bulletin for Week of November 16, 2020
ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK - CHEC STUDENTS VISIT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
MARIA TUKEVA’S (MT) MESSAGE:
MEETINGS THIS WEEK:
All Departments and SLC’s send individual notifications of their meetings
-----
Monday, November 16, 2020
10:00 am – CHEC Parent Workshop – in English
Term 1 Report Cards Mailed
ANET 1 Math (3,4) – Please see revised Schedule
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
9:30 am – CHEC Parent Workshop – en Espanol
Thursday, November 19, 2020
ANET 1 Math CR Scoring Due
Friday, November 20, 2020
BOY ANET Window Closes
UPCOMING EVENTS
REFLECTING ON THE FIRST ADVISORY – Our progress toward our Comprehensive School Plan Goals
In last week’s ALT Team Meeting, the Team did a First Advisory Progress monitoring, and reassessed priority action steps. Each Domain Group, Shared Leadership, Engagement, Culture of Achievement and Academics, reviewed the plan, identified which metrics needed to be collected, and prioritized one action step to focus on for the next two weeks. This week we will focus on Shared Leadership.
This domain group focused on the following SMART goal:
By June 2021, we will increase our Professional Development Insight score from 2.8 to 4.0
- Sub-Goal: Increase positive response rate to “ My school is committed to improving my instructional practice” and “ In the past 6 months, someone at my school or district/network has helped me develop new skills or content knowledge that I was able to apply in my own classroom” ( Target 60% of teachers will agree or strongly agree)
- Provide needed professional development led by the staff determined by the need assessment survey ( Target 40% )
Throughout the virtual learning experience, we have all been focused on learning how to navigate and increase our effectiveness with a whole new learning environment. The Shared Leadership Domain group has identified staff needs and interests, and solicited teachers and others who are willing to lead professional development. Over the next two weeks, the Shared Leadership team will focus on developing and administering a survey to get feedback on each professional development session, so that we can continually improve our professional development. They will also work to determine which teachers would like and need more one on one coaching as opposed to whole group professional development.
If you have a professional development area you are interested in, either in receiving or delivering, please see one of the Shared Leadership Domain Group leaders – Ms. Ferguson, Ms. Penn, Ms. Thweatt, or Ms. Lainez.
SPOTLIGHT ON LTH AND STUDENT WORK
As a result of everyone’s hard work on Living Through History, five of our high school students had their work highlighted in the LTH exhibit, curated by the Smithsonian Institution. Please check out their work below, and congratulate them!
The links to all student work for DCPS are here:
High School Link
Middle School link
SHOUT OUTS
- Shout out to Ana Ayala, Taz Mannen, and the entire CHEC Child Development Center staff! They have been operating in person since October 5, with no cases or issues! They have done an outstanding job of following all health protocols and serving our youngest learners!
- Kudos to all members of our LSAT team for their advocacy for our school! The team met on Tuesday and to give ideas and thoughts on how to plan for eventual in-person learning!
- Shout out to the CHEC ALT Team! The team met on Friday to update the Comprehensive School Plan and plan for next steps!
WE HAVE A RECOGNITION! HONORED TEACHERS PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES THIS YEAR!
Columbia Heights Education Campus’s great teachers deserve to be recognized! We’re proud to partner with Honored Schools again this year to do just that! Go to HonoredSchools.org to tell Columbia Heights Education Campus teachers how they’ve made a difference. Please share this with parents and students! Once recognized, teachers get an email with your recognition story and we’ll celebrate them! Last year our very own Ms. Ramirez won the Life-Changing Teacher Award and a $5000 cash award!
INSTRUCTION:
ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK - ACADEMY OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM OFF CAMPUS LUNCH INCENTIVE
WEEK 2 OF ADVISORY 2
We are beginning the second week of the second advisory. By this week the first GRASPS of the advisory should be launched with students. In reflecting upon the First Advisory portfolio presentations, we saw that in order for students to speak authentically on the essential questions of the unit, it is important to weave those questions throughout the instructional process. Other reflections and suggestions to consider as we launch the second advisory:
- Provide multiple opportunities and requirements for students to connect their daily work to the standard, by showing their work during the lesson and discussing how it meets or is working toward the standard
- Provide incentives and fun ways for students to come on camera daily, so that when it comes time to present their portfolios, they are ready to come on camera and speak in front of others. For example, let students know a week in advance, when their turn will be to come on camera and show their work or present something. Then, provide badges or other incentives.
GRADES ARE DUE ON NOVEMBER 16, Report Cards will be open to parents and students on November 17.
INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR
The Instructional Calendar is a living document that houses all the major curricular requirements, assessments, and schoolwide events. The Instructional Calendar is complete for the moment, however changes may be made and will be noted. If you have any requests for additions to the Instructional Calendar, please contact Mr. Magee, peter.magee@k12.dc.gov, or your SLC Administrator.
Please view the Instructional Calendar for 2020-21 here.
IMPACT UPDATES
Informal observations for teachers have begun, and will continue until every teacher has had at least one informal observation. Once you have had an informal observation and feedback, the formal observation will take place.
As a follow up to our IMPACT orientation two weeks ago, we are creating a library of practices and videos to support development on particular EP’s. As we discussed, we are all in a learning curve with virtual instruction, and will be learning from each other throughout the year. If you would like to share a best practice and be videotaped for the video library, please let your SLC Administrator know.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
This is a new section of our Bulletin, and within a few weeks it will be populated with a calendar of opportunities. Professional Development and learning is a priority for all of us, and we are all on a new learning curve.
Below are topics being covered in office hours this week:
Mr. Loria- Support in Planning a virtual lesson using Summit and Teams- CHEC EdTech Office Hours link
Mr. Magee- How to plan a virtual lesson in Canvas- CHEC EdTech Office Hours link
Mr. Henggeler- PowerPoint Presentation- Best Practices and how to create them - CHEC EdTech Office Hours link
Ms. Ferguson- Best Practices for Virtual Lesson Planning- CHEC EdTech Office Hours link
Ms. Vialpando- Instructional Strategies for language learners and Reading- BrainPop Content, ELL, JR. and Espanol and French Info, Ellevation, and Reading Plus - Thursday Nov. 19th 3:30-5:00 pm Link to Ms. Vialpando’s office hours
Join the Summit Master Course Training each Tuesday during the first 30 minutes of your planning period to learn new Summit Projects and PLT Best Practices!
Ms. Ramirez- Building engaging content assessments and checks for understanding
Ms. Zuccarello- Focus Area Workshops and Mentoring during PLT
Contact Veronica Zuccarello or Gabriela Ramirez with any questions.
OPPORTUNITIES:
ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK - KOJO RONEY VISITS CHEC
UPDATES FROM: ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP TEAM I DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ACADEMY (DIA) PARENT TOWN HALL I HURRICANE ETA I LIBRARY UPDATE
ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP TEAM
The ALT team is a team of educators charged with the design and implementation of our mission aligned Comprehensive School Plan. The Team is composed of all LEAP leaders, Department Chairs, Administrative Team Members, and any interested educator or staff member. We seek to involve all perspectives and voices. All staff members are invited to attend any or all meetings. Our work is in the four domains of the CSP – Shared Leadership, Engagement, Culture of Achievement, and Academics. The notes can be found in the Notebook section of the CHEC Team site. Meetings will be held every two weeks, rotating between Friday mornings at 7:30 am, and Tuesday afternoon’s at 4:00 pm. The next meeting will be Tuesday, December 1 at 4:00 pm.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ACADEMY (DIA) PARENT TOWN HALL - NOVEMBER 18, 2020 @4:30PM
Parents are invited to attend a special Live Teams event. Ms. Jennifer Carpenter from OSSE is our featured guest and will provide vital information on how best to ensure that students receiving accommodations and learning supports while they are at home.
HURRICANE ETA RELIEF FUND
Dear colleagues,
I hope everyone is doing well. I would like to ask for your help to support people in my country, Honduras. Things got tough for a lot of families due to Hurricane Eta. Many of my students and even my own friends and family members lost everything because of the flooding. If you would like to help, please share this post and/or donate, any amount helps! Thank you in advance for your support!
Please click here to donate.
In a year where tragedy has struck all over the world, my country was not spared. … Gabriela Ramirez needs your support for Honduras Hurricane Eta Food Relief. To read more about the damages and lives lost due to this hurricane, please click here: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-54789907
Gabriela Ramirez
Spanish Language Arts MS Teacher - Grade 7
LIBRARY UPDATE
Lincoln Library
Digital Book Club Opportunities
If any non-ELA classes are interested in a digital book club, email me angela.falkenberg@k12.dc.gov. The Library Programs Department at Central Office has some funding available for digital book clubs. This would be a worthwhile opportunity if you're looking to bring in more reading opportunities to the subjects students don't normally associate with reading. A culture of reading can exist in all contents!
Native American Heritage Month Resources
Resource spotlight: National Native American Hall of Fame
Thank you, Mrs. Vialpando-Strickland for sharing this resource.
The National Native American Hall of Fame honors the achievements of Native Americans in contemporary society. This site would be a valid resource for any research projects, daily fact of the day, etc. that you plan to incorporate in recognition of this month.
More resources, including local organizations and highlights, can be found on the CHEC Canvas Resource Hub.
Three Stars Book Award 2021 Nominees
Since 2017, the DC Library Association: School Library Section (formerly DC Association of School Librarians) has promoted its annual "state" book award, Three Stars Book Award. The mission of the award is to recognize books that incorporate diversity, multiculturalism, and other curricular connections to connect reading to learning while building a culture of reading across DC schools and the city. We have added categories over the years and this year we will recognize titles in the categories of Young Readers, Upper Elementary, Middle School, and High School.
This year's nominees can be found here.
STUDENT WORKS
In this section of our Bulletin, we will highlight student work from all disciplines. If you would like to share some excellent student work, please send to M. Tukeva, and we will highlight it in this section.
This week we would like to highlight the work of Alex Flores, Ana Reynoso, Anura Sharma, Anura Sharma, Anna Aguilera and Alberdy Ramirez Lopez.
These students submitted works that are featured on the Smithsonian website as part of the Living Through History project. The Living through History Cornerstone is a K-12 academic and SEL curriculum for DCPS students. Through the lens of global competencies, students, staff, and families applied academics across content areas to understand and process their experiences during the quarantine and connect with others’ experiences across the globe.
Please check out their incredible work below.
THE DEAN TEAM:
Hello CHEC Family!
We hope you all are well. The Dean Team would like to share a few shout outs and friendly reminders.
Teacher Spotlight:
Today the spotlight shines on Ms. Desepe DeVargas and Jovanda Warren!
Ms. DeVargas is our sole Visual Arts teacher. She has also impacted the lives of many students within her thirteen years of service at CHEC. When asked how do students earn badges in your classes? Ms. DeVargas responded saying, “In all my classes, students can earn badges in a few ways: (1) having their camera on during class, (2) fully participating in class [asking and answering questions; interacting in conversation with classmates], (3) completing assignments and sharing their work.” Ms. DeVargas shared the following when asked how has using restorative practices in your class has helped you during virtual learning, “There are 2 things I strongly emphasize in my classes – how we support one another and how we speak about ourselves. During the Advisory/PLT class, students are encouraged to start the day with sharing how they feel and offering positive shout outs to someone/ something they want to acknowledge. They are also encouraged to support each other if someone is feeling down or out of sorts. We are building a class community where the students are beginning to feel comfortable with each other. For example, on Wednesdays during lunch time, the students occasionally have lunch together on Teams, sometimes play games and share a lot of gleeful 6th grade banter. My students are feeling comfortable with one another and that has led to many robust conversations and insights. We are the Super Smart Squad ” Thank you, Ms. DeVargas, for your commitment to your students and team.
Ms. Warren is our AP English Language and Composition teacher. She has also impacted the lives of many students within her three years of service at CHEC. When asked how do students earn badges in your classes? Ms. Warren responded saying, ”Students earn badges by being present and participating in a meaningful way during the synchronous and asynchronous portions of class. I try to provide multiple ways for students to engage with class and earn their badges. For example, students can reply verbally, in the chat and on our daily class Nearpod assignments” Ms. Warren shared the following when asked how has using restorative practices in your class has helped you during virtual learning, “Restorative practices help both myself and students focus on the positive hard work that everyone is putting in. Restorative practices also create a welcoming atmosphere that supports our learning.” Thank you, Ms. Warren, for your commitment to your students and team.
Everyone, please shine your light on Ms. DeVargas and Ms. Warren this week!
PBIS STUDENT WINNERS: | ||
Student Name | Points | Grades |
Dixon Guillen Juarez | 11 | 6 |
Jose Casarrubias | 12 | 7 |
Layla Patterson | 10 | 8 |
Karla Flores-Contreras | 9 | 9 |
Jose Cano-Cruz | 10 | 10 |
Angela Cojulun | 14 | 11 |
Katia Amaya Esquivel | 12 | 12 |
Please celebrate these students for their high earnings of PRIDE points!
PBIS Teacher Shout-out:
Hugh Shout-out to Ms. Jovanda Warren and Ms. Desepe DeVargas for having given the most PBIS Badges last week (Week 10)!
Student Support Forms:
Also, we have created a padlet which has the student support form and the behavior referral form. Please bookmark this padlet for future reference: CHEC Student Support Guide. Feel free to connect with the Dean Team if you have any questions.
Peace & Love,
The Dean Team
WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE
Are you interested in wrestling, middle, or high school, boy or girl, well come to "Wrestling Wednesdays"! The first session will be Wednesday, November 18th at 4:00 PM!
Here is the recurring zoom link for "Wrestling Wednesdays."
Please share this zoom link with all interested participants:
All interested students complete the Google form prior to the first session!
If you have any questions, please contact our high school coach, Mr. Alvarado at kenrry.alvarado@k12.dc.gov or our middle school coach, Mr. Reyes at eduardo.reyes@k12.dc.gov
2nd advisory has begun, and we are now only 4 weeks away from DCIAA's official start date for winter sports practice, December 14th. Winter sports include basketball, bowling, cheerleading, indoor track, swimming, and wrestling. Eligibility for play will be dependent as always upon attendance, grades, and making sure student-athletes have completed their participation paperwork. Student-athletes cannot have more than 6 unexcused absences to remain eligible to play sports. So, please make sure you are keeping track of your attendance. Additionally, if you haven't done so already, complete your participation forms online and upload your current physical for this school year.
Participations forms are available via https://www.thedciaa.com/participation-forms. Currently, there are no DCIAA physical days scheduled, so it is imperative that potential student-athletes schedule a physical with their own doctor. Physicals must be signed by a nurse practitioner (NP) or medical doctor (MD. )Parents should click on the link corresponding to the appropriate level, whether middle or high school. Online forms are also available in Spanish.
Finally, our list of head coaches is below. Reach out to the coaches directly if you are a student-athlete, teacher, or parent for team meet up login information or if you have any other questions. If you haven’t done so yet, follow us on Instagram @checsports.
Lincoln
Archery – HC TBD (reach out to coach A desmond.alexander@k12.dc.gov
Baseball – Carlos Mesa carlos.mesa@k12.dc.gov
Boys Basketball – Lionel Edmonds lionel.edmonds@k12.dc.gov
Girls Basketball – Constance Hanlon constance.hanlon@k12.dc.gov
Cheerleading – Aaliyah Wright aaliyahwright88@gmail.com
Cross Country/Outdoor Track – Lionel Edmonds lionel.edmonds@k12.dc.gov
Golf – Marie Erickson marie.erickson@k12.dc.gov
Boys Soccer – Rhina Merino rnmerino123@gmail.com
Girls Soccer – Andrea Lewis andrea.lewis2@k12.dc.gov
Softball – Yanerca Marte yanerca.marte@k12.dc.gov
Swimming – Samuel Burmester samuel.burmester@k12.dc.gov
Wrestling – Eduardo Reyes eduardo.reyes@k12.dc.gov
Bell
Baseball – Reiss Allen reiss.allen@k12.dc.gov
Bowling – Mya Ferguson mya.ferguson@k12.dc.gov
Boys Cross Country/Indoor Track/Outdoor Track – Mark Robinson markblaytonrobinson@gmail.com
Girls Cross Country/Indoor Track/Outdoor Track – Donzella Hartwill donzella.hartwill@k12.dc.gov
Varsity Boys Basketball – Rodney Cook rodney.cook@k12.dc.gov
JV Boys Basketball – Mathieu Seichon mathieu.seichon@gmail.com
Varsity Girls Basketball – Rodricus Ficklin rodricus.ficklin2@k12.dc.gov
Cheerleading/Stunt – Dionne Wright dionnewright02@gmail.com
Flag Football – Ryan Duvall ryan.duvall@k12.dc.gov
Football – Daniel Tyson dnltysn@gmail.com
Golf – Ryan Duvall ryan.duvall@k12.dc.gov
Boys Rugby – Brian Mihelic brian.mihelic@gmail.com
Girls Rugby – Katherine Hanson katherinehanson17@gmail.com
Boys and Girls Soccer – Victor Molina victor.molina@k12.dc.gov
Softball – Thomas Spoth thomas.spoth@k12.dc.gov
Swimming – Reiss Allen reiss.allen@k12.dc.gov
Tennis – Lindsey Benjamin lindsey.benjamin@k12.dc.gov
Volleyball – Mafope Alao mafope.alao@k12.dc.gov
Wrestling – Kenrry Alvarado kenrry.alavardo@k12.dc.gov
--------------------
Desmond Alexander, CAA
Athletic Director
Columbia Heights Educational Campus
Bell/Lincoln Multicultural Schools