Ward 6 Middle School InitiativeImproving Middle School Opportunities

Meeting with Kaya HendersonMarch 23, 2011

CAPITOL HILL PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENT ORGANIZATION (CHPSPO)

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Purpose of Meeting

Share background about the Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization (CHPSPO)

Share context on why Ward 6 Middle School Plan is important for Ward 6 and DCPS

Share our perspectives on implementation of Ward 6 Middle School Plan

Discuss next steps for ensuring DCPS support to implement Ward 6 Middle School Plan, both continuing commitment and financial support

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Background on CHPSPO CHPSPO formed in January 2005

PTA representatives and interested parents from Brent, the Capitol Hill Cluster School, Ludlow-Taylor, Maury, Miner, Payne, Tyler, J.O. Wilson, and Eliot-Hine are members of CHPSPO

CHPSPO’s mission is “To promote cooperation among the parent organizations of the public schools on Capitol Hill in order to improve the education received by all children attending our schools.”

CHPSPO partnered with the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, the Washington Architectural Foundation, and DCPS to create the School Libraries Project, a $2.4 million partnership which renovated 8 school libraries in 2006/2007.

Visit us at http://chpspo.org, Facebook, and Twitter

In the process of becoming a 501(c)3

Background on Middle School Initiative CHPSPO began a Middle School Initiative in January 2009

Conducted survey during Summer of 2009 to learn parent attitudes towards public middle school opportunities

Requested by Council member Tommy Wells to accelerate efforts in December 2009- Meetings during Winter 2010- PTA representatives held discussions about middle schools with their individual schools, and brought back recommendations

Achieved consensus and developed proposal that was presented to Chancellor Rhee in March 2010

DCPS expanded on CHPSPO’s ideas, and developed the Ward 6 Middle School Plan

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Some Context Six elementary schools on Capitol Hill have

PS wait lists between 221 and 519 Middle school trends

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School 6th grade wait list

2009 Enrollment

School Capacity

Eliot-Hine 28 281 850

Jefferson 45 313 900

Stuart-Hobson

146 413 460

DCPS Ward 6 Middle School Plan

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CHPSPO is supportive of the Ward 6 Middle School Plan

Abigail Smith and Claudia Lujan have provided exemplary leadership both in development and implementation of the plan

Collaboration teams established for Jefferson, Stuart Hobson, Eliot-Hine, and Montessori at Logan in order to involve community in implementation of the plan

Many CHPSPO members are members of the collaboration teams

Other Public Middle School Options Blow-Pierce Junior Academy PCS located

five blocks from Eliot-Hine

Washington Latin PCS (NW DC)

Hardy and Deal Middle Schools (NW DC)

Two Rivers PCS located eight blocks from Stuart-Hobson

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Stuart Hobson Collaboration TeamCollaboration team has focused on four broad areas: 

Ensuring move of 5th graders to Watkins results in these students having the same or better opportunities. - Watkins currently does not have the computer/white board technology available at Stuart Hobson, - final plan has not been presented for how space will be reconfigured at Watkins, including appropriately sized furniture;

Outreach and recruitment to the new S-H feeder schools (Ludlow-Taylor and J.O. Wilson) is happening, and DCPS has been helpful in developing materials and scheduling meetings;

Multiple curriculum concerns- ensuring continuity in foreign languages taught at feeder schools- concerns that curriculum is not rigorous enough to compete with other middle schools

Financial support for the museum studies program, i.e., hiring a museum studies coordinator

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Eliot-Hine Collaboration Team Team Leaders: Dorcus Lawrence (Eliot-Hine), and Carolyne

Albert-Garvey (Maury)

Collaboration Team has focused on student recruitment, 6th grade transition, supporting Eliot-Hine in IB certification process, and community building

General concerns that student recruitment has not proceeded as collaboration team had hoped. Collaboration team subcommittee developed a recruitment plan and identified multiple ways to enhance marketing the school, but none of the ideas have been implemented.

Similarly, ideas to support 6th grade transition have not been accepted at school level

Limited communication with collaboration team on the IB certification process

Jefferson Collaboration Team

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Montessori CommitteeThe Montessori Committee, (Principal Eatman, teachers and parents from each class, working closely with DCPS) have focused on - Communication and Outreach: Weekly-ish updates, parent education sessions (on middle

school and specials) and ensuring we hear from current families via townhalls, surveys, web comments/question. Working with Logan neighbors (meet and greet, ANC update, community events) to ensure smooth transition. Reaching out to prospective families via local blogs, news outlets and social media.

Facility/Move logistics: Inventoried classrooms, estimated materials and furniture needs, worked with Claudia Lujan and Anthony DeGuzman to determine space needs.

Outdoor Space: Designed garden, outdoor classroom and playground plan, focusing on sustainable, eco-friendly materials, and native plants. Pursuing grants and fundraising opportunities to fund this, as it will not be funded by DCPS.

Out of School Time: Will not be funded by DCPS or DC1. The team selected Springboard (and their board approved us). Logan will be Springboard’s first DCPS program. Raising funds to support OOT and provide scholarships, sliding scale for rates based on free/reduced lunch.

Concerns Middle school decision has yet to be made and on 1/25/11 DCPS announced that there is

no middle school option for Montessori. The community would disperse back to their in-boundary middle school after 5th grade? Without Stuart-Hobson as an option, we risk losing current families, to charter or private schools. We risk not being able to keep new families beyond PK or Kindergarten.

Outdoor Space not yet defined. Need information around parking lot space that can be reclaimed by the school for green space, and definite timing around when the PD center will move. While we will have garden space, field space is a necessity to be able to offer robust PE/Movement and aftercare programming.

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Next Steps