Reading Time - Calle Ocho Campus
Continue Being Ready for the New School Year
SY22-23 Class Group Rotation
Events & ActivitiesDetails and Logistics for Back to School Night!
Board Meeting Agenda - Sep 29
Communications, Information & QuestionsClassroom Liaisons and WhatsApp
Health & SafetyNEW! Attention Drivers! Calle Ocho Campus
NEW! Attention Bikers! J.F. Cook Campus
Correction on Covid-19 Policy
School ServicesNEW! Fees for Snacks and School Meals
Extended Day Program Reminders
Student & Family SupportNEW! Introducing Our New Director of Student Services
Community AnnouncementsNEW! Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month Through Music - J.F. Cook Campus
NEW! News From Padres - J.F. Cook Campus Parent/Caregiver Organized Group
NEW! News From Comunidad - Calle Ocho Campus Parent/Caregiver Organized Group
School Calendar and Upcoming EventsFamily Handbook
SY22-23 School Calendar
BACK TO SCHOOL
Continue Being Ready for the New School Year
Our goal is for all families to be prepared for the start of the new school year. Please visit the Families Portal (password: crew) to find information about:
School Services (Extended day program, meals, uniforms, and Kids Ride Free Program)
School Communications (Weekly Family Updates, and letters from school leadership)
Health and Safety (Arrival & dismissal routines and Covid protocols)
Family Engagement (Engagement opportunities)
School Calendar
Policies and Handbooks
Directories and Forms
Class Rotations are only for 1st through 4th grades. Click here: SY22-23 Class Group Rotation
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Details and Logistics!
We are all looking forward to seeing you at Back to School Night!
Calle Ocho Campus - Tuesday Sept 20
PreK & 3rd grade: 4:30-5:20pm
Kinder & 2nd grade: 5:30-6:20pm
1st grade: 6:30-7:20pm
J.F. Cook Campus - Wednesday, Sep 21
Kinder & 4th grade: 4:30-5:30pm
2nd & 5th grade: 6:00-7:00pm
J.F. Cook Campus - Thursday, Sep 22
PreK: 4:30-5:30pm
1st & 3rd grade: 6:00-7:00 pm
It has been over two years since teachers hosted families inside their classrooms and campuses. Our goals for the evening remain the same: to provide families with the opportunity to meet the teachers and principals who have been working so hard to make this year a success. The evening provides you time to learn about the school day and how to engage in the academic life of your child. It is also an opportunity to meet other families and learn more about our school.
Click here to see the details and logistics of the event:
J.F. Cook Campus: English / Spanish
Calle Ocho Campus: English / Spanish
Arrive 10 minutes earlier than your session.
Parking will be available near our campuses (click on the link above to find the details and a map).
Welcome sessions begin inside the classrooms with teachers. Classroom sessions will last less than 30 minutes.
A short meet-greet with other parents/caregivers and school leadership will be hosted outdoors.
Please leave your campus at the end of your session to allow the school teams to prepare for the next group.
Please supervise your child/ren at all times. Childcare will not be provided.
We look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night. Staff members wearing a Mundo Verde shirt will be happy to support you!
Sep 29, 6:30-8:30pm
The Mundo Verde Board of Directors will be holding a regular Board Meeting on Thursday, September 29. All regular and special board meetings are open to the public, providing the opportunity for stakeholders to observe board operations. The meeting will take place virtually from 6:30 to 8:30pm.
The topics for this meeting are as follows:
Finance & Calle Ocho Facilities Discussion and Vote
Report on School Year Launch (from school/campus leaders)
For questions related to the meeting, email board@mundoverdepcs.org.
COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION & QUESTIONS
Mundo Verde is happy to see so many families utilizing and expanding the WhatsApp framework that the school created in SY21-22. Many parents and caregivers have also volunteered to serve as classroom liaisons, and they have been hard at work updating WhatsApp groups for the new school year. (Learn more about classroom liaisons below.)
We encourage everyone who continues to use WhatsApp to follow the initial guidelines that can be found here. Classroom liaison and corresponding WhatsApp groups for each campus can be found at these links:
Classroom Liaisons are volunteer caregivers that support their child’s classroom by creating and maintaining community connections between fellow caregivers and classroom teachers; by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment; and embodying the spirit of crew (all Mundo Verde community members working actively together toward shared goals).
To further enhance family-to-family communications on both campuses, as well as communication with the school, we also ask all families to keep an eye out for a forthcoming invitation to join the new ParentSquare communications platform. As the new platform to center communications between the school and families, ParentSquare will be maintained by the school’s communications team.
HEALTH & SAFETY
As community members, we must show respect to our neighbors and observe signage. Community members have reported unsafe driving during arrival and dismissal. To keep our children safe as they walk across the street to enter school, please remember the following:
Pedestrians must use crosswalks either on 10th Street or on the corner of Varnum Street
Parking is NOT allowed at the Washington Jesuit School
No parking in the alleys
No 3-point turns in the middle of Varnum Street
No parking in staff parking spots. Please see attached the two parking lots available on 8th Street NE and Varnum Street. Please use both lots beside and behind the Biomedical building. See the visual attached.
Please review the Calle Ocho Campus Arrival and Dismissal Procedures.
We ask families biking to the campus to dismount leading up to campus to prevent accidents. Use caution and always YIELD the right-of-way to pedestrians.
Please utilize the bike racks that are provided located in front of the school on P Street and utilize the sidewalk to complete the drop-off and pick-up at the designated location.
Please review the J.F. Cook Campus Arrival and Dismissal Procedures.
We want to clarify that Asymptomatic Testing is happening during the first month of classes at the school for all students except those whose parents submitted waivers to skip testing. After one month of school, Mundo Verde’s Health and Safety team will provide random antigen tests, not PCR tests as it was stated in the Covid-19 policy.
Please see the Covid-19 Policy here in English and Spanish.
Asymptomatic Testing - To ensure we start the 2022-23 school year as safe as possible, Mundo Verde will test students weekly asymptomatic testing for the first month unless parents submit waivers to skip testing. After one month of school, Mundo Verde’s Health and Safety team will provide random antigen tests in a tiered strategy as follows:
Low community spread - no weekly testing
Medium community spread - 10% student and staff testing
High community spread - 20% student and staff testing
SCHOOL SERVICES
In order to promote healthy eating habits, Mundo Verde provides a snack to all students in the classroom either before or after lunch. These provided snacks correlate with our wellness policy and ensure all students have access to healthy school snacks. These snacks are available to all students even if they bring their own, forget to pack, or would like to try the school snack.
Families who do not qualify for Free or Reduced Meals (FARM) are charged $20 a month per student. It is not too late to apply for FARM! If you need instructions on how to apply, please check the instructions on our website under school meal services.
The September snack fee has been added to your Infinite Campus parent portal account under “FEES”. Snack fees are shown on your account and are due on the 10th of each month. Students who participate in after school program receive an additional snack included in the program for no additional cost.
For all families who have children eating school lunches this school year, you will need to add funds to your account to pay for lunch. Lunch costs the following at each campus:
J.F. Cook campus: $4.85 per lunch ($24.25/week and $97/month on average)
Calle Ocho campus: $4.50 per lunch ($22.50/week and $90/month on average)
Please click on the following link for instructions on how to add funds to your account: English / Spanish.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jack Leng, Senior Food Program Manager at meals@mundoverdepcs.org for assistance.
NEW! After School Program at J.F. Cook campus on Wednesday, September 22
As mentioned previously, the after school program on Back to School Nights will not be offered EXCEPT on Wednesday, Sep 21 from 1:00-3:30pm due to the regular early dismissal. Students participating in the program need to be picked up at 3:30pm the latest.
NEW! Programming
Families can now view the Unit 1 Program Schedule for Calle Ocho and J.F. Cook Campuses.
The week of Sep 19-23 will be used to introduce the signature themes to the children and solicit their input. The roll-out for specialty workshops will be in October.
NEW! Payments
Families seeking to make their payments for September can follow these instructions: How to Pay for Extended Day.
Questions?
STUDENT & FAMILY SUPPORT
Mundo Verde welcomes Delmy Rodriguez, the new Director of Student Services.
Delmy is originally from Los Angeles, CA. She received her Master’s in Psychology at the University of California, Irvine. Delmy has worked in the Washington DC area since 2019. She has 11 years of experience in the field of special education working with students from PreK to 12th grade in general education, resource and self contained settings.
Delmy is a bilingual special education advocate with experience delivering and monitoring special education instruction. Her experience includes working with services stipulated by individualized education plans (IEP) and 504 plans, ensuring compliance by the school with all local and federal laws/regulations. Delmy has provided training and technical assistance to school leaders, administrators, and instructional staff on special education. She has also facilitated workshops for parents/caregivers and coaching for instructional staff.
We are grateful to Norma Villanueva, former Director of Student Services for the time she served our school community, she will be missed and we wish her the best in her future endeavors.
Delmy is very excited to join Mundo Verde and will be happy to hear from you with any questions or concerns at delrodriguez@mundoverdepcs.org.
Please welcome Delmy Rodriguez, our new Director of Student Services!
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
J.F. Cook Campus
As part of our Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, at J.F. Cook Campus, we will highlight particular genres of music each week on music Fridays. Read more about Latin music and genres like bolero, rhumba, mambo, cha-cha-cha, and salsa.
J.F. Cook Campus Parent/Caregiver Organized Group
Join Padres for a Washington Nationals Game - October 2
Both Campuses Are Invited!
As part of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Padres is organizing a fall outing to watch the Washington Nationals take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday, October 2. Come celebrate Hispanic contributions to the sport of baseball, build community, and root for the Home Team!
Sign-up in advance to guarantee your ticket. Details and pricing can be found here. Free seats are available for teachers, staff, and families that ticket cost is a hardship. Tickets will be distributed by email the Saturday before the game.
Padres Kick-Off Meetings and Free Dinner
Sept. 27 & 28
Padres leadership looks forward to a fun and productive year. We invite everyone to join us at our two kick-off events to learn about various ongoing efforts, help to set new priorities, get involved, and meet your fellow caregivers.
Tuesday, September 27 at 5:30pm IN PERSON at the J.F. Cook campus garden. Free dinner will be provided!
Wednesday, September 28 at 8:30pm ONLINE. Use this Zoom link.
School Transportation Update
A group of Padres parents have put together possible bus options from Mt. Pleasant and Capitol Hill to J.F. Cook campus. If you are interested, sign up here, and join the WhatsApp discussion here.
Calle Ocho Campus Parent/Caregiver Organized Group
First Comunidad Meeting, Sept. 26
Mark your calendar for the first full Comunidad meeting of the year, Monday, September 26 at 8:00pm!
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month!
Hispanic Heritage Month is here, and Comunidad is really to celebrate. Get involved!
Share with us your favorite songs for music Fridays
Submit a recipe for the collaborative recipe book
Help us with ideas for crafts that represent Hispanic countries' cultures and traditions
Support showcasing Hispanic Heritage heroes and icons that have made an impact in our history.
Learn more about these activities here and stay tuned for more as the month unfolds.
September 9 Comunidad Update
Read the September 9 update in English and Spanish. Find out more about Comunidad and keep up to date here.
Upcoming Events:
Sep 20: Back to School Night - Calle Ocho Campus
Sep 21: Back to School Night - J.F. Cook Campus
Sep 22: Back to School Night - J.F. Cook Campus
Sep 29: Board Meeting
Oct 7: All Staff Professional Development / NO SCHOOL
Oct 10: Holiday, SCHOOL CLOSED