It’s all about the neighborhood
In another take on the expertise you may not have realized exists in your next door neighbors, one local resident started a company to help parents and teachers navigate the difficult to understand world of special learning needs in DC’s public school. Here is where Petworth resident Martha Hoffman and her company Grounded Learning helps neighbors.
Read MoreAfter a false start on February 1st due to snow, DC Public Schools starts Term 3 with some in-person learning at most elementary schools this week. After months of trying to reopen schools, city leaders have allowed each school through their Reopen Community Corps to develop their own plans. As a result some schools in upper northwest are bringing back a large percentage of their students, such as Key Elementary bringing back 75% of their students.
Read MoreOn Wednesday, January 13th, DCPS resumed their town halls to discuss reopening for Term 3. Dr. Lewis Ferebee, DCPS Chancellor, kicked off the meeting by going through the four models that Reopen Community Corps reviewed.
Due to the brief opportunity for questions, Petworth News followed up with DCPS to additional clarity on several questions.
Read MoreEver since the renovated Roosevelt High School reopened in 2016, the local community has expressed their desire to use the school’s new indoor pool. DCPS wasn’t opposed to the idea, but to make it work would require a new entrance to the building and involving DGS and DPR.
Now, five years later, the pool at Roosevelt High School is on track to be open to the general public in Spring 2021.
Read MoreDC Public Schools Term 3 plans are to be announced on Wednesday, January 13,2020.
Initial reports indicate that each elementary school is taking a very different approach: some are going with a hybrid mode (2 days in-person, 2 days virtual) to offer as many families as possible an opportunity to have in-person learning, whereas others are targeting just specific grades for in-person learning and running a lottery for those seats.
Read MoreDC Public Schools has turned their attention to opening CARES classrooms for elementary students this month for Term 2, and is planning for reopening for Terms 3 and 4. DCPS made the announcement that Term 2 would remain virtual after significant pushback from teachers and parents about the reopening plans. The soon-to-open CARES classrooms will allow the most at-risk children to get support for their virtual learning at school with teachers and other adults in safer school environments than before.
Read MoreMayor Muriel Bowser unveiled an ambitious reopening plan for DC Public Elementary Schools on Monday, October 5th. Chancellor Lewis Ferebee followed up with a live town hall to walk through the details on Tuesday night. Here’s what we know, so far…
Read MoreDigital Equity in DC Education (Digital Equity DC), a coalition of DCPS parents from all 8 wards, is asking for parent feedback on how DCPS-issued devices and learning platforms are performing. Petworth News spoke with Grace Hu and Alexandra Simbana from Digital Equity DC about why they are putting together the survey, and how you can help.
Read MoreTed Hinton, Jr. has spent 50 years with the District of Columbia Public School System (DCPS), serving as a teacher, an administrator, and overall mentor to thousands of students, parents and teachers who have come through the doors of the District’s school system.
In the last half century at DCPS, Hinton estimates he has touched the lives of more than 85,000 students, creating a lasting legacy of learning, self-improvement and success. And, now as Hinton, the Dean of Culture at Powell Bilingual Elementary School in Petworth, prepares to retire on August 4th, he is especially proud of the impact he has had on current and former students.
“It is hard to believe 50 years have gone by,” says Hinton. “It doesn’t feel like 50 years because I enjoyed what I have been doing and working with kids has kept me youthful.”
Read MoreDuring the summer recess of the DC Council, my staff and I listened carefully to Ward 4 neighbors about your concerns and your hopes for the future. I repeatedly heard how as the cost of living in the District rises, families feel increasingly financially squeezed. So I took that input back to City Hall and got to work on concrete legislative solutions. At the September 19th meeting of the DC Council, I introduced three bills that would save DC families money and enhance their quality of life.
Read MoreArea residents have been pushing DC Councilmembers for action on renovating West Elementary Campus. The long-delayed renovation of West, a small DCPS school in 16th Street Heights, has a chance to start much sooner than Mayor Bowser proposed in her 2018 budget. If so, it may be thanks to a torrid of emails and meetings from residents.
Read MoreRemember when we were kids and any playground quarrel could be decided by a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors? An organization called Playworks is taking this childhood gem to the next level on Thursday, March 9th.
Read Moreby Elissa Fuchs
Figuring out the DC school lottery isn't easy, and the deadline to apply is fast approaching. Parents and guardians have under two weeks to submit their lottery applications to My School DC for public school grades Pre-K 3 through 8th grade. The lottery application deadline is March 1st.
The deadline for high school grades 9 through 12 was February 1st and has now passed. (Though, according to Emerald Becker, Director of Enrollment at DCPS who spoke at the February 8th ANC 4C meeting, you can still apply; you should check with My School DC for the details.)
For anyone unfamiliar with the process, here’s how it works...
Read MoreOn Friday, August 19th, I drove north on 13th Street towards Roosevelt Senior High School for the official ribbon-cutting. There ceremony was set up to unveil, as Councilmember Brandon Todd described the newly renovated school, the city’s “$140 million investment.” As I got closer to my destination, the steeple of the school came into view; I was filled with mixed feelings. I knew it would be the beginning of a new era for my alma mater.
Read MorePetworth News, a neighborhood blog on local news, information & events about the Petworth area in Washington DC.
Petworth News is a news site about Petworth area neighborhoods in Washington DC, written by Drew Schneider and other amazing contributing writers. It features facts and objective reporting, as well as an occasional subjective point of view and opinion.
Volunteer with the Friends of the Soldier's Home!
