During the ceremony, the portrait of Benjamin Stoddert originally presented by the PTA in 1932 will be returned to the school. Also, the National Capital Chapter of the Navy League will present a plaque detailing Benjamin Stoddert’s biography, taken from official U.S. Navy history; and a framed copy of the Washington Post article about the 1932 building dedication ceremony. All three will be installed in the school lobby.

U.S. Navy Commander David Varner, whose command includes Glover Park’s own U.S. Naval Observatory, has been invited to speak about the link between Stoddert Elementary and the Naval Observatory. A U.S. Navy Color Guard may participate, depending on their other mission requirements. Pat Clark, President of the Glover Park Citizens’ Association, will also speak at the special event. The GPCA was represented at the original dedication, 78 years ago. Tradition!

And, believe it or not, rumor has it that Benjamin Stoddert himself will be attending the event. Inside sources say that First Lady Abigail Adams will accompany him to represent President John Adams, who has a scheduling conflict due to other presidential responsibilities.

Please arrive no later than 1:45 p.m. for the ceremony. With 300+ children, teachers and other attendees, we’d like to have everyone in place to start on time.

For event questions, please contact Mitch Wander at mwander [at] gmail [dot] com.

Photo: Judith Beermann

Welcome to the Extended Day Program! There are a few things that I would like to convey:

1. All statements will be sent by email on the 25th of each month. All payments are due on the 5th of each month. There is a $25.00 late fee for those payments delivered late.
2. Extended Day ends at 6:00 p.m. A fee of $1.00 per minute should be paid in cash when you pick up your child. This money is going to the staff for their time.
3. Please make sure that you sign our check in/out book before taking your child. This is very important!
4. If your children are not in before-care, do not drop them off before 8:40 a.m. unless you intend to stay with them. There will be NO supervision.
5. I am attaching sign up sheets for class registration. This year, we have many more offerings due to the joint efforts of our program and the D.C. Recreation Department. (See attachments at the end of the post)
6. For all Recreation Department programs, you must check my registration boxes (so I will be able to make a list and deliver them) and then, register them with the Recreation Department.
7. For all Extended Day classes, check my registration form and proceed to on line registration where applicable.

PLEASE respond ASAP. Many classes will be limited to the amount of children accepted. You don’t want your child to be disappointed.

Girls on the Run

• GOTR Spanish Registration Form 2010
• GOTR English Registration 2010

Other Classes

• Karate Registration
• Science Fall Registration
• Chess Registration Form

Parks & Rec Classes

• DPR Classes Fall Schedule
• Rec Dept schedule 1 Fall

Registration Forms (return to Maria)

• Class Registration Form
• Class Schedule

Maria McKitterick
m.mckitterick [at] rcn [dot] com

Stoddert’s room parents play a crucial role in getting the class together and getting the word out. Help us make classroom events, school functions, and yearly special events a great success for all. The primary duty of a room parent is to work with the teacher and/or special event coordinator to recruit and coordinate parent participation. You also might receive information from the PTA to pass along to your class lists. Examples of events for this year include class and all-school holiday parties, the Book Fairs, the Fun Fair, our handful of annual fund raisers, and International Night. The time commitment usually amounts to only a few hours each month, and it’s a fun way to get to know your classroom and feel part of the school community.

If you are interested in being a room parent for your child’s class, please email Christine Gossens, Stoddert Room Parent Coordinator, at christine [at] the-acorn [dot] com. You can also leave a comment on this post, and we’ll pass it along to Christine.

I hope you are enjoying your summer. Many exciting things are happening at the new school. If you can please join us on Tuesday, Augutst 17th at 10:45 am for the ribbon cutting ceremony. That would be great! Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee are expected to help us celebrate. Yes, you may bring the children! Hope to see you there.

Dr. Cuthbert

Links to other DCPS calendars: http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Calendars

From the introduction:

It’s summer! But “no school” doesn’t mean “no learning.” As you know, learning takes place everywhere, all the time.

Did you know research shows that all children lose approximately two months of math and reading skills during the summer? Summer is a time when you can maintain the academic gains your child has made.

Keeping children engaged in learning throughout the summer means they can start the school year learning new material right away. D.C. has many free, fun and easy activities you can do with your children to keep them engaged, curious and using their academic skills. This guide provides some suggestions, but we encourage you to explore on your own as well. Check the DCPS website (dcps.dc.gov) weekly for new suggestions. You can also submit ideas to share with other parents.
The key to helping your child learn throughout the summer is to tailor the activities to fit your schedule and your child’s interest. Like physical exercise, you need to exercise your child’s brain as well. Do something with an educational focus every day.

You’ll see the rewards in September.

The tools are already set up, and Anastasia and Jennifer will train the new team.

The ideal candidate(s) to do the announcements would have some experience with an email delivery system. We use MailChimp, but experience with any other system (like Constant Contact, Emma, etc.) would translate well. Putting together the announcements entails sending a reminder email once a week to the school administration and the PTA executive committee; collecting Dr. Cuthbert’s weekly message, email submissions, and links to new web posts into the body of the email; and updating the calendar. Light editing and some email followup with event organizers for details is usually necessary. Jennifer and Anastasia alternate weeks putting the mail out; the total time commitment is—at most—about two to three hours per week.

The stoddert.org website is a Wordpress site. It is very easy to maintain and post articles. Our goal is to encourage the entire Stoddert audience to use the website rather than stuffing paper in backpacks; to comment, suggest and write articles, add photos and video, work with teachers to publish classroom information, and generally use the site as a public forum. We will undertake some improvements to the site over the summer to make it even more useful to parents, teachers, and the community. Candidates for the website should have, at a minimum, basic familiarity with website commenting, enthusiasm for communications (and for Stoddert!), and one to two hours per week to devote. This is also a fine job to share.

Please contact Anastasia Miller (anastasia [at] stoddert [dot] org) or Jennifer McLennan (jennifer.mclennan [at] comcast [dot] net) with questions. We’d like to have volunteers lined up by the end of July, so that we can begin putting out announcements in advance of the 2011-2012 school year.

Washington, DC – A generous donation has been made to the DC Youth Orchestra Program in honor of the memory of John Corby.  The donation will allow The Program to provide at least 100 scholarships for the 2010 summer session, to students in Washington, DC .

John Corby was born Dominic Corbisiero on April 25, 1920.  Mr. Corby was an honored Army soldier who served in World War II and lived in Washington DC , following his return from the war.  Mr. Corby passed away in 2008 and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery .  He directed that a portion of his estate be dedicated to gifts for the support of education to those in need in Washington , DC .  After Mr. Corby retired from the Army, he served as a contract unit division chief for the US Coast Guard for 36 years.  Mr. Corby was dedicated to his church and to the welfare of children in need in Washington .

Scholarships will be available to students who are residents of the District (within zip codes 20001, 20002, 20003, 20007, 20009, 20010, 20011, 20012, 20015, 20016, 20017, 20018, 20019, 20020, 20024, and 20032).  Scholarships through this contribution are available for the 2010 summer session only.  Additional information about the scholarships is available at 202-723-1612 or info@dcyop.org.

The impact of the DC Youth Orchestra Program is significant, whether measured in size, social contributions, or financial aid:

• Every year, over 600 children play in the DC Youth Orchestra Program, making it the largest youth orchestra in the Washington area.
• Offering 17 times more classes than any other DC-area youth orchestra organizations, the DC Youth Orchestra Program is a leading music education resource.
• Children in DCYOP finish high school. While the high school graduation rate in DC Public schools is under 60%, virtually every student who graduates from our Program graduates from high school.
• DC Youth Orchestra Program tuition is over 25% lower than other area youth orchestras for DC students.
• Students pay, on average, about 45% of the costs of programs offered by DC Youth Orchestra Program.
• The program accepts all students, regardless of experience or income level.
• Over the last 4 years, more than 25% of students received subsidized or free tuition, and that percentage is growing.

The program’s success has been recognized by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2002, the program received one of the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ 11 coveted “Coming Up Taller” Awards for out-of-school arts and humanities programs. The U.S. Department of Education and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting have also cited the DCYOP for its efforts, and Maestro Leonard Slatkin has often spoken on behalf of the program.  In 2009 the students of the Youth Orchestra of the DC Youth Orchestra Program performed for the National Endowment for the Arts Council meeting, for Secretary Hillary Clinton and the Ecumenical Patriarch, and twice at the White House – and again at the White House in 2010.  Recently the program was voted as “the best music classes in the Washington metropolitan area” by Nickelodeon’s Parents Connect and was also chosen as “one of the best small nonprofits in the Washington Region” by the Catalogue for Philanthropy.

Music for young people; achievement for life!

www.dcyop.org

The market runs on Saturdays from 9 am – 1 pm in the parking lot of Hardy Middle School (Wisconsin Ave., across from the “Social” Safeway). This community-run farmers’ market features local fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, cut flowers, plants, bread, pastries, and so much more. There is live music every week from local bluegrass bands, facepainting, and periodic chef demos. Dogs are welcome!

This market is in its second season, and is run by non-profit DC Greens. Proceeds from the market go to support school garden programs (including one at Stoddert, slated for implementation this Fall), and farm-to-school initiatives in the District. As a new market, we are relying on the community to keep afloat. Hope to see you at the market, and please help us spread the word!

June 3: From Lauren Shweder-Bell, one of the market’s organizers

In honor of Glover Park Day (June 5th), the Glover Park-Burleith Farmers’ Market will be handing out $2 market coupons to the first 50 patrons at the market this Saturday! The King Street Bluegrass Band will also be joining us, so dust off your dancing shoes. Fun! Also look for farmers’ market volunteers at Glover Park Day between 11 am and 1 pm—they’ll have special offers.

Beautification Day 2010 is Saturday, August 21. Stay tuned to www.dcps.dc.gov for coming information. Beautification Day is an annual event established in 2005 as a citywide “spruce up” of all DC public school buildings in preparation for the first day of school. Each year more than 2,000 volunteers help spruce up our schools.

2. Summer Volunteer Opportunities – Various Locations

Volunteers are needed to work directly with DCPS students this summer during our afterschool programs (Monday – Friday; 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm) in the following areas:

• Arts & Crafts
• Performing Arts
• Sports
• Technology

To volunteer, please contact the afterschool coordinator. List of Afterschool Coordinators (PDF)

3. Afterschool Volunteer Opportunities – Francis Stevens EC (2425 N St. NW)

Volunteers are needed to work directly with students during afterschool programs in the following areas:

• Academics
• Arts and Culture (music, multicultural activities, newspaper/journalism, photography)
• Athletic Coaches

High School volunteers are welcome. Community service hours are available.

Contact: Désirée McCoy, 202-421-8709, fsec.pcat@gmail.com

4. Coaches, Panelists, Library Aids, Reader/Tutors – Powell ES (1350 Upshur Street, NW)

Powell Elementary needs volunteers to:

• Coach STEP, basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer, dance, guitar, keyboarding and theatre
• Serve as panelists for Portfolio Presentations (listen and judge students’ presentations and exhibitions of their work/projects): June 16-18 from 9 – 11 a.m.; June 16-17 from 1- 2 p.m.
• Unpack and organize books from June 14 – 18
• Help prepare for Powell’s spring talent showcase and play
• Read to students during a morning reading session from 8:00-8:40 a.m. any day M-F.
• Read to student during a power lunch session from 11-12 pm any day M-F

Contact: Principal Janeece Docal, Janeece.docal@dc.gov – include “Powell Volunteer” in the subject line.

5. Tutors for Afterschool Program – Dunbar SHS (1301 New Jersey Ave. NW)

Looking for tutors for high-school-level academics. Tutoring is available Mon-Friday from 3:15-6 p.m. Students can be tutored one-on-one or in small groups. Please be available for at least 1 hour a day, 2 days a week, or 2 hours for one day. Contact: Audra Murray, Audra.Murray@dc.gov, (202) 698-3477

6. Tutors – King Elementary (3200 6th St. SE)

Tutors are needed to work with students in a variety of subjects from 3 – 6 pm. Time commitment is flexible. Contact: Niama Sandy, niama.sandy@dc.gov, 202.446.7160

7. Afterschool Volunteers – Lasalle-Backus EC (501 Riggs Rd. NE)

Volunteers are needed afterschool to assist with:

• Dismissal, transition and snack delivery: duties including assisting with students in transition from various clubs onsite, as well as monitoring and giving snacks out during snack time in the cafeteria and assisting staff with transitioning students during school dismissal.
• Pre-k and Pre-School Aide: to assist lead teacher in the classroom with students. Aide must have some experience working with this age group.

Both positions will be needed daily, but flexible. Contact: Tamara Convington, 202-671-6340, 202-706-3756 (cell), tamara.covington@dc.gov

How to become a DCPS volunteer

1. Complete a volunteer application.
2. Process your application in person. Bring the application and proof of a negative TB test result (taken within the last 12 months) and a government issued photo ID to DCPS Central Office and complete a fingerprinting background check.
3. Receive a volunteer clearance letter in the mail. Once your application clears school security you will receive a volunteer clearance letter in the mail (average processing time 5-10 business days).

Visit http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/volunteer for more information and to download the volunteer application.

DCPS Volunteer Network