This Week, From Dr. Cuthbert | May 21, 2010

Hi Everyone,

What an exhilarating week for the Stoddert Wolves and their teachers. On Tuesday, representatives from DCPS and SchoolWorks visited our school as part of the process to determine if we can be designated as an Autonomy School. As previously explained, Stoddert ES applied for this status at the invitation of the District because our achievement in math and reading showed 75% proficiency in reading and math, as measured by the DC CAS. For those who missed last week’s message, we applied for Autonomy to have some latitude in the budgeting process; to have freedom to design professional development to meet the needs of our faculty; and to use appropriate assessments that measure the capabilities of all of our students, including those students performing above grade level. The review team arrived at 7:00 a.m. and left at 6:00 p.m. They visited classrooms, met with a group of parents (10 strong & THANKS), met with a group of students (12 strong), met with three different groups of teachers, met with our Leadership Team, met with me individually, and compiled their recommendations. Their findings go next to the Office of School Innovation and then to Chancellor Rhee to determine if we will be placed in the status of Autonomy School. It would be ideal to open our new school with this status, but the goals listed in the process are those that we will achieve irrespective of a status designation. I was bursting with pride as the first salient point made by the team to me was, “We observed 80-100% of your students to be engaged, across multiple classroom visits, and we do not usually see this.” What is more exciting than students engaged and learning? I will keep you posted as to the outcome that is to be given to us in early June.

As of the last meeting with the engineers and architects, the new school is on target for opening in August. We will begin planning for the move from Stoddert East to the new Stoddert ES. In the first week of June we will begin labeling items to go with us. We will work again with Spectrum moving company and the DCPS warehouse. Actual packing boxes will arrive the week of June 14th. If you can volunteer to help pack things for our teachers, mark your calendars for the weekend days of June 19 and 20. The school will be open on the weekend for teachers and helpers. Stay tuned for details. The telephones and office will move to Hardy MS (for the summer) on June 23 and Stoddert East will be dismantled the following weekend starting on the Calvert Street side. So, please GET YOUR REGISTRATIONS FOR NEXT YEAR IN AS SOON AS YOU CAN. I think some DCPS papers say you have until June 15, but please do not wait. It is going to be an exciting time, but we need you to register new students or reregister returning students SOON so the transition can be smooth and we meet our needed enrollments. It helps us plan everything if we know who is really going to be with us next year to open our new STODDERT ES.

— Dr. Marjorie Cuthbert

THANKS for helping us!