May 29, 2020

Dear Stoddert Families,

As SY19/20 comes to a close, I thank you again for your support and cooperation during the weeks of distance learning. Your partnership with us has made the best of a challenging situation.

Kudos to our Fifth-Grade Students and Teachers
This morning our fifth-grade team led a wonderful fifth-grade promotion ceremony, which included a virtual program and the delivery of promotion certificates to our fifth-grade students. If you’re the parent of a fifth-grader, you should be extremely proud of your child. And, as the “parent” of our fifth-grade teachers, I am extremely proud of them. Thank you, Ms. Gillespie, Mr. Golland, and Mr. Dingledine for your great work!

School Grounds Are Closed
Please remember that school grounds are closed at this time, including the upper playground and lower basketball area. While I was on campus this week I saw evidence of skateboarding on the playground, and also noticed that one of our picnic tables has been broken. So please observe the Mayor’s school closure order.

What Will Next School Year Look Like?
That is still a question for which we don’t have a firm answer. The Mayor recently announced the official start date for SY20/21 – Monday, August 31. We do not yet know if we’ll begin the school year with distance learning, in-person learning, or a hybrid model.

Other breaking news about SY20/21: DCPS will be sending invitations to in grades K-2 students who have not yet reached reading proficiency to join the K-2 Summer Reading Springboard Program. This will be a great resource for those students, so if you receive an invitation, please accept it.

How Will Teachers Close Out the School Year?
Stoddert teachers will be busy until their last workday of the year, which is Friday, June 19. They will be busy preparing student grades and report cards and participating in professional development sessions. The PD sessions will focus on teaching and learning strategies for distance learning, effective use of online tools, responding to unfinished learning, preparing for SY20/21.

Classroom and Locker Cleanout
Our thoughtfully designed process to allow students and parents to retrieve personal items from classrooms and lockers while maintaining safe social distancing was very successful. If you were unable to participate in that process, and still need to reclaim items from Stoddert, please contact me. I’ll arrange a mutually convenient time for you to come to Stoddert and pick up those items.

iReady iPad Raffle Winner
Students in 2nd-5th grades earned a total of 232 raffle tickets for our iReady Time on Task iPad raffle drawing. To earn a raffle ticket, students needed to spend at least 101 minutes per week engaged in online iReady math instruction. 

I’m pleased to announce that the winner of this year’s iPad is Sierra from Mrs. Busick’s 3rd-grade classroom. Sierra consistently does iReady math, and she earned a spot on our iReady Time on Task Wall of Fame every week of the contest. Congratulations, Sierra!

Enrollment Update
Many thanks to those families who have already completed the enrollment process. As of May 29, we’re down to 27 of our current students who have not re-enrolled, or who have not let us know that they will be withdrawing from Stoddert and enrolling elsewhere. If one of those children belongs to you, please let us know your intentions for SY20/21. Knowing the number of children returning to Stoddert allows us to best allocate resources and staffing for our growing student population, while managing class size.  And the sooner we meet our projected enrollment numbers, the better! 

To complete enrollment forms online, visit the DCPS enrollment website https://enrolldcps.dc.gov/. There will also be a Fillable PDF version of the enrollment packet for families who cannot complete the new electronic submission process. 
To enroll, all you need is an email address and information for each of your students.  Current Stoddert families will need to upload a proof of residency form and those new to Stoddert also need to upload a proof of birth document for each student.  At this point in the process, there is no need to submit DC Health Certificates.  Schools will be notified when an electronically submitted enrollment packet is ready for review and signature. If additional follow-up with families is needed, schools will reach out to the enrolling family to request the needed information. 

For more detailed information on changes in enrollment, please see the district’s Frequently Asked Questions. The DCPS Enrollment Team is available to answer questions at enroll@k12.dc.gov or (202) 478-5738.
Summer Learning Resources

DPCS has announced that students will continue to have access to all currently available online learning resources during the summer break. Access to those resources will be through the Clever platform.

Supply Boxes 
SY20/21 supply boxes are now available for purchase. This is a great way to safely get your back-to-school shopping done in minutes without ever leaving home. Ordering will occur through Sprout, and your child’s supplies will be delivered directly to Stoddert and waiting for your child on the first day of school. Be sure to order a supply box for the grade level your child will be in next year.

Stoddert’s store is located at www.sproutsupplies.com/supplykits, and Stoddert’s code is SES002.


Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

• When will SY20/21 begin? The Mayor and Chancellor have announced August 31 as the start date for SY20/21. 
• Is the school building open? Only for special events such as device distribution and Fillmore instrument return. 
• Is tech help available? Yes! Ms. Thompson has established a tech hotline for Stoddert families. The number is (202) 480-9474, and the hotline operates between 7am and 4pm Monday-Friday.

As always, I thank you for your continued support. We are family – be well.

Principal Bryant