Message
Anonymous wrote:Wow. Love how they copied DCI but in true DCPS inequity, they get to demand that anybody coming into the dual language program has to be at grade level in the target language, while DCI has to accommodate and plan for kids who lottery in with no language background. Just another example of the bullshit that goes on in this city....
Isn't this one of the selling points of the charter movement? That they could be innovation labs that the traditional schools could learn from? Not to mention that other jurisdictions already do this. It is not groundbreaking, but it is encouraging to see DCPS take the next logical step after setting up all of those dual language programs years ago.
Anonymous wrote:When can we stop calling it Unicorn MS? Now?
They sent the members of the cabinet a survey asking our opinion on the school colors and mascot. I just submitted "Unicorns" as my response.
Anonymous wrote:calexander wrote:It is pretty exciting news. I will be serving on the MacFarland Community Cabinet beginning next week (due to our efforts setting up the NW Saturday Academy). If anyone has any questions they would like to see asked of the DCPS administration about this dual language program or any aspect of the new middle school, please post them here or send them to ideas "at" nwsadc.com. I will be sure to relay them in our meetings.
This is exciting news! Thanks for taking questions for the meeting. I will share my scenario and question related to it. My kids are in one of the Spanish DCI feeder schools, but West is our neighborhood school. While we plan to continue to DCI, you never know how our plans may change in 5 years (1st year for middle school for my family) and this program is exciting as another option. We would be guaranteed a spot to McFarland as our neighborhood school, but my question is would we be guaranteed a spot in the dual language program, residing within the boundaries of non-dual language feeder school? Thanks.
I might interpret your question just as the followup poster did, but I will be sure to ask anyway.
It is pretty exciting news. I will be serving on the MacFarland Community Cabinet beginning next week (due to our efforts setting up the NW Saturday Academy). If anyone has any questions they would like to see asked of the DCPS administration about this dual language program or any aspect of the new middle school, please post them here or send them to ideas "at" nwsadc.com. I will be sure to relay them in our meetings.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Maddening. Our school's modernization will not even include everything originally planned, yet it is millions and millions of dollars over budget. We're new to DC and DCPS and this was just shocking--it's as if we're in Chicago, Detroit or some other city notorious for corruption.
You really ARE new to the District, that is clear. The District gov't has a long, storied history of corruption and mismanagement. Especially in the area of self-dealing. It's better now than the 80s and early 90s. But, some of the legacy DC employees from the Barry years are still either in place, or they are hiring their friends and relatives before they retire. So the culture persists.
So as not to take this thread off track, I will stop now.
It's a big problem.
Anonymous wrote:Announcement on DCPS TwitteR: Principal Abdullah Zaki to Dunbar.
Looks impressive: http://www.standingovationfordcteachers.org/2013award-winners/abdullah-zaki/
Good for Dunbar, not so much for Kelly Miller...
Greetings All,
I hope that your summer is going well. I am happy to share that the online math program that we use for the NW Saturday Academy (www.nwsadc.com) is now available to all students for FREE this summer (previously $39.95 / student).
The curriculum is geared for rising second graders through Algebra 2 and your child does NOT need to be enrolled in NWSA to join this Summer Math program. Prevent summer learning loss by having your child complete an assignment or two after a fun day at camp, at the beach (it's tablet friendly) or simply relaxing at home. I highly recommend it. Parents can even build their own incentives into the program to encourage their children to complete the lessons.
The link to register is: summer.tenmarks.com.
Have a safe and happy summer!
Christopher Alexander
Founder, NW Saturday Academy
www.nwsadc.com | @NWSaturday
I hope that your summer is going well. I am happy to share that the online math program that we use for the NW Saturday Academy (www.nwsadc.com) is now available to all students for FREE this summer (previously $39.95 / student).
The curriculum is geared for rising second graders through Algebra 2 and your child does NOT need to be enrolled in NWSA to join this Summer Math program. Prevent summer learning loss by having your child complete an assignment or two after a fun day at camp, at the beach (it's tablet friendly) or simply relaxing at home. I highly recommend it. Parents can even build their own incentives into the program to encourage their children to complete the lessons.
The link to register is: summer.tenmarks.com.
Have a safe and happy summer!
Christopher Alexander
Founder, NW Saturday Academy
www.nwsadc.com | @NWSaturday
Hello neighbors, friends and trolls ,
Since we began our organization drive in the fall, many of you have either donated to or expressed an interest in our program. For those that don't know, the NW Saturday Academy (www.nwsadc.com) is an out-of-school time Math and Computer Science program for DC elementary school students. We are just past the mid-point of our pilot session and I am happy to share our latest update.
After a lengthy and relaxing Spring Break, the NW Saturday Academy is preparing to jump right back into the thick of things, beginning this Saturday morning. We had a great series of weekly class sessions before the break and we expect to complete the final weeks with the same energy and enthusiasm.
In our Algebra Prep class, we will warm up with an exercise in Measures of Variation – Learning about Mean, Median & Mode. The main lesson will be on Variables and Expressions. Our math teacher has gone above and beyond in providing challenges and activities to help the students absorb new content at an aggressive pace.
For Computer Science, our programming pairs are beginning to move beyond writing simple functions within the Minecraft Modding tool and into some of the more interesting lessons like building structures by using drones and creating loops. Our CS teacher keeps everyone moving and I am sure the good work will continue! The Minecraft environment is truly ideal for teaching computer science concepts because the students get to apply the concepts they learn immediately. They have learned that cooler discoveries always await in the next lesson.
Finally, in Lego Robotics, our three teams are still racing to attain the Programming Controlled Movement achievement. All teams have completed construction of their Mars rover and are now learning multiple ways to control it using the programming interface. The first challenge has been issued; which team is going to be the first to command their rover to advance to Mars Base control point?
Check out our blog to see a few photos which highlight our activities from before the break:
https://nwsadc.wordpress.com/
Regards,
Christopher Alexander
Founder, NW Saturday Academy
@NWSaturday | nwsadc.com | ideas "at" nwsadc.com
,
Since we began our organization drive in the fall, many of you have either donated to or expressed an interest in our program. For those that don't know, the NW Saturday Academy (www.nwsadc.com) is an out-of-school time Math and Computer Science program for DC elementary school students. We are just past the mid-point of our pilot session and I am happy to share our latest update.
After a lengthy and relaxing Spring Break, the NW Saturday Academy is preparing to jump right back into the thick of things, beginning this Saturday morning. We had a great series of weekly class sessions before the break and we expect to complete the final weeks with the same energy and enthusiasm.
In our Algebra Prep class, we will warm up with an exercise in Measures of Variation – Learning about Mean, Median & Mode. The main lesson will be on Variables and Expressions. Our math teacher has gone above and beyond in providing challenges and activities to help the students absorb new content at an aggressive pace.
For Computer Science, our programming pairs are beginning to move beyond writing simple functions within the Minecraft Modding tool and into some of the more interesting lessons like building structures by using drones and creating loops. Our CS teacher keeps everyone moving and I am sure the good work will continue! The Minecraft environment is truly ideal for teaching computer science concepts because the students get to apply the concepts they learn immediately. They have learned that cooler discoveries always await in the next lesson.
Finally, in Lego Robotics, our three teams are still racing to attain the Programming Controlled Movement achievement. All teams have completed construction of their Mars rover and are now learning multiple ways to control it using the programming interface. The first challenge has been issued; which team is going to be the first to command their rover to advance to Mars Base control point?
Check out our blog to see a few photos which highlight our activities from before the break:
https://nwsadc.wordpress.com/
Regards,
Christopher Alexander
Founder, NW Saturday Academy
@NWSaturday | nwsadc.com | ideas "at" nwsadc.com
jsteele wrote:Christopher,
Congrats on getting this off the ground. It's an amazing accomplishment. Best of luck and hope for continued success.
Thanks Jeff. This was all inspired by "The Roosevelt Thread", so at least something productive has come out of the dozens and dozens of hours I have spent on this site
Anonymous wrote:Will it rotate or always be at Shepherd? I guess it is at schools that are not Deal feeders?
Shepherd's principal has been super-duper helpful to us. She really went above and beyond in helping us get everything together.
Our original thought was to host it at a more centrally located facility, but our first attempt did not go so well.
With luck, maybe we can expand in the future, but our goal now is to have a successful first session.
Anonymous wrote:As a Shepherd parent, so happy to see Shepherd hosting this program--kudos to the developers for what seems like a great idea and investment of time and energy.
On the fundraising page, one of the stated goals of the program is encouraging more girls to consider STEM careers. Is anything concrete being done so that the program will actually enroll a good number of girls?
So far, 62% of our registrants are girls, so we are doing something right
. There's been Twitter/online outreach to the various women's technology groups in the area, but I honestly believe that stating that as one of our goals did the most to make parents interested in having their daughters participate and not just assume that computers=boy thing.
I've met some really interesting people along the way, including a lady in my neighborhood who is a retired computer scientist. I never would have known that without some of the conversations we've had in putting this together.
Anonymous wrote:calexander wrote:Update:
I am happy to report that our 10-week pilot session will be hosted at Shepherd Elementary School, 7800 14th St NW, beginning on Saturday, February 21st.
After a successful pre-registration period, we have a very limited number of spaces remaining, which we are reserving for motivated students who may come from families who have a financial need. If you know of a young student who might benefit from this program, please contact me via email at ideas "at" nwsadc.com.
What: NW Saturday Academy Math and Computer Science Program
Who: DC students in third, fourth or fifth grade
Where: Shepherd ES, 7800 14th St NW
When: Saturdays from 9am to 12 noon, beginning 2/21/15
Contact: Christopher Alexander, ideas "at" nwsadc.com
If you do not have a student who meets that profile, but would be interested in helping one participate in the program, please view or share our campaign video by visiting: http://igg.me/at/nwsadc
Thanks for the correction!
Thank you
Correct link to the fundraiser:http://igg.me/at/nwsadc/x - and thanks for running this.
Anonymous wrote:Can you join if not in ward 4?
Yes, however we would ask anyone living a fair distance from Shepherd ES to seriously consider the travel commitment for early Saturday mornings. The community has been extremely generous with its support of this program, so in return we would expect 100% on-time attendance from our families and students.
Update:
I am happy to report that our 10-week pilot session will be hosted at Shepherd Elementary School, 7800 14th St NW, beginning on Saturday, February 21st.
After a successful pre-registration period, we have a very limited number of spaces remaining, which we are reserving for motivated students who may come from families who have a financial need. If you know of a young student who might benefit from this program, please contact me via email at ideas "at" nwsadc.com.
What: NW Saturday Academy Math and Computer Science Program
Who: DC students in third, fourth or fifth grade
Where: Shepherd ES, 7800 14th St NW
When: Saturdays from 9am to 12 noon, beginning 2/21/15
Contact: Christopher Alexander, ideas "at" nwsadc.com
If you do not have a student who meets that profile, but would be interested in helping one participate in the program, please view or share our campaign video by visiting: http://igg.me/at/nwsadc
Thank you
I am happy to report that our 10-week pilot session will be hosted at Shepherd Elementary School, 7800 14th St NW, beginning on Saturday, February 21st.
After a successful pre-registration period, we have a very limited number of spaces remaining, which we are reserving for motivated students who may come from families who have a financial need. If you know of a young student who might benefit from this program, please contact me via email at ideas "at" nwsadc.com.
What: NW Saturday Academy Math and Computer Science Program
Who: DC students in third, fourth or fifth grade
Where: Shepherd ES, 7800 14th St NW
When: Saturdays from 9am to 12 noon, beginning 2/21/15
Contact: Christopher Alexander, ideas "at" nwsadc.com
If you do not have a student who meets that profile, but would be interested in helping one participate in the program, please view or share our campaign video by visiting: http://igg.me/at/nwsadc
Thank you
First of all, I am pleasantly surprised to see your office reaching out for feedback like this. Keep it up.
Secondly, I would like to see a cohesive plan of action regarding Roosevelt's feeder pattern, specifically the status of a new middle school. Mayor-elect Bowser, Chancellor Henderson and the Council need to come together on this issue like city leaders just did for the DC United Soccer stadium. We have proposals and ideas floating around and several hundred million dollars in capital spending on HS facilities committed, but little to no direction on where the students for the new Roosevelt are going to come from.
Third, I am less than enthusiastic about the "Seal" program that is highlighted in the current proposal. Here we have a high school themed on international studies and languages, yet it seems like your office is going out of its way to avoid either implementing or emulating the established International Baccalaureate (IB) program. At the Truesdell meeting last month, Ms. Kulkarni stated something to the effect of, "With the Seal program, colleges will know that students are prepared to do college level work." Well, no they won't...they won't have any idea what a "Seal" means. Even if IB cannot be enacted right away because of resource limitations, at least model your program on the IB framework (i.e. Diploma programme) so that a future transition is possible. It seems like a gigantic waste of effort the way it stands now.
Lastly, as the founder of the NW Saturday Academy math and computer science program (www.nwsadc.com), I am obliged to ask about Roosevelt's focus on STEM education and technology implementation. Is computer science going to be offered in any format? What about opportunities for students to learn engineering or advanced mathematics?
Again, thank you for reaching out and seeking this feedback.
Regards,
Christopher Alexander
Ward 4 Parent
Secondly, I would like to see a cohesive plan of action regarding Roosevelt's feeder pattern, specifically the status of a new middle school. Mayor-elect Bowser, Chancellor Henderson and the Council need to come together on this issue like city leaders just did for the DC United Soccer stadium. We have proposals and ideas floating around and several hundred million dollars in capital spending on HS facilities committed, but little to no direction on where the students for the new Roosevelt are going to come from.
Third, I am less than enthusiastic about the "Seal" program that is highlighted in the current proposal. Here we have a high school themed on international studies and languages, yet it seems like your office is going out of its way to avoid either implementing or emulating the established International Baccalaureate (IB) program. At the Truesdell meeting last month, Ms. Kulkarni stated something to the effect of, "With the Seal program, colleges will know that students are prepared to do college level work." Well, no they won't...they won't have any idea what a "Seal" means. Even if IB cannot be enacted right away because of resource limitations, at least model your program on the IB framework (i.e. Diploma programme) so that a future transition is possible. It seems like a gigantic waste of effort the way it stands now.
Lastly, as the founder of the NW Saturday Academy math and computer science program (www.nwsadc.com), I am obliged to ask about Roosevelt's focus on STEM education and technology implementation. Is computer science going to be offered in any format? What about opportunities for students to learn engineering or advanced mathematics?
Again, thank you for reaching out and seeking this feedback.
Regards,
Christopher Alexander
Ward 4 Parent