KDES Principal's Blog

Retirement

2008-04-18T08:23:00.000-05:00

April 17, 2008

Dear KDES Families:

This letter is to inform you that after working for 33 years at the Clerc Center, I have decided to retire at the end of this school year. My last day at work will be Friday, June 27th. During the next two months, I will continue to work collaboratively with Dr. Deninger and the management teams to wrap up the end of the school year.

I have truly enjoyed working with your children and I definitely will miss them.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Farmer Principal

Language Planning- Letter to Parents

2008-03-06T14:21:00.000-05:00

March 6, 2008

Dear KDES Community:

We are excited to announce the establishment of a Language Planning Work Group at KDES. For several years language planning has been a major goal of our Accreditation for Growth (AFG) Literacy action plan. During this time, we have focused on strengthening our understanding and use of language planning in the instructional program, including training of administrators, teachers, and staff, and educating our families. During the recent stakeholders meeting, language planning was identified by both groups – families and teachers- as a top priority and as an area that needed more work.

The goal of this Language Planning Work Group is to develop a work plan to address student acquisition and development of both American Sign Language (ASL) and English languages for a variety of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children to promote academic success. The work plan will address concerns related to what is language planning at KDES, how are both languages developed and taught in the school environment, and the assessment component. This plan will be multi-year with timelines.

Frequent updates will be shared with the community for feedback. The final recommendations from the work group are due June 1st. This will allow time to share the work plan with the community before the school year ends and to ensure that work can take place this summer for full implementation during the 2008-2009 school year.

The members of this work group, which represent our diverse stakeholders, are:

Jennifer Furlano Signacy/ASL, ASL/Deaf Studies Specialist
Francisca Rangel Signacy/ASL, ASL/Deaf Studies Coordinator, Language Planning Instructor
Bettie Waddie-Smith Oracy/Spoken English, Speech Language Specialist
Suzanne Scott Oracy/Spoken English, Outreach Specialist, Language Planning Instructor
Gabrielle Jones Literacy, Special Projects Teacher (Literacy Coach)
Holly McBride Teacher/Multiple Disabilities
Steven Benson Teacher/Early Childhood Education
Lynne Erting Knowledge Integration-Literacy, ECE Team (coordinator support)
Susan Schatz Instruction, Coordinator of Instruction, Grades 1-8
Linda Delk Researcher
Julie Walkup Parent, ECE Team, Oracy/Spoken Language
Rebecca Gage Parent, Team 123/45, Signacy/ASL
Nancy Berrigan Project Manager

Please contact me if you have any questions about this initiative. Additionally, please feel free to provide feedback to any member of this work group. Working collaboratively, we will continue to strengthen our educational program at KDES.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Farmer
Principal

Dr. Lynn Erting Returns to ECE Team

2007-12-12T08:27:00.000-05:00

December 4, 2007

Dear KDES Community,

I am delighted to announce that Dr. Lynne Erting, a staff member on the Knowledge Integration and Evaluation unit at the Clerc Center, will assist me in the coordination of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Team. Dr. Erting is not new to this team, having worked there in past years as a teacher and a coordinator. Her educational training is in early childhood education and her doctorate of philosophy is in emergent literacy development of deaf and hard of hearing children. Dr. Erting will spend 20 hours per week working with the teachers and staff to provide exemplary educational programming to our young children.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Erting back to the ECE Team.

Sincerely,
Marilyn Farmer

Bomb Threat

2007-12-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

October 3, 2007

Dear KDES Families:

This letter is to share information with you regarding a bomb threat that Gallaudet University received earlier today. According to the University, the bomb threat pertained to several buildings on the campus and did not include the Clerc Center. The campus was closed while the DC Police and the Department of Public Safety conducted a search of these buildings. Upon completion of the search they declared the buildings safe.

I want to assure you that this threat did not affect the KDES educational program.

Sincerely,
Marilyn Farmer
Principal, Kendall Demonstration Elementary School

Vision Screening

2007-12-05T10:13:00.001-05:00

September 14, 2007

Dear KDES Families

This year we are offering free individual vision screening at KDES. This service is through the District of Columbia Public Schools Office of Hearing and Vision programs in conjunction with the Lions Club.

As your child’s parent or legal guardian, you may refuse to have your child receive this service. I ask that you please fill out the attached consent form and return it to your child’s teacher by Friday, September 21st. You will be contacted later with the screening date.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Marilyn Farmer
Principal- Kendall Demonstration Elementary School

SAT Letter

2007-12-05T10:06:00.001-05:00

September 17, 2007

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Enclosed you will find the Individual Student School Report of your child’s performance on the Stanford Achievement Test –Tenth Edition (SAT-10) which was administered in the Spring, 2007. There is some important information included on the Score Report. In the left hand column, you will see the Test Level that your child was given. This table shows you which grades were covered in the test given to your child:

P1 Primary 1 Grades 1.5-2.5
P2 Primary 2 Grades 2.5-3.5
P3 Primary 3 Grades 3.5-4.5 I1 Intermediate 1 Grade 4.5-5.5
I2 Intermediate 2 Grades 5.5-6.7
I3 Intermediate 3 Grades 6.5-7.5 A1 Advanced 1 Grades 7.5-8.5
A2 Advanced 2 Grades 8.5-9.5 T1 TASK 1 Grades 9.0-9.9
T2 TASK 2 Grades 10.0-10.9
T3 TASK 3 Grades 11.0-12.9

For example, if your child was given the Primary 1 Level, this level covers the kind of information that is usually taught from the sixth month (February) of the 1st grade to the sixth month (February) of the 2nd grade. This may seem confusing because 1.0 actually represents the very first month of the first grade and 2.0 would represent the first month of the second grade.

As you continue reading down the page, you will see the different subjects that were covered on the test such as Word Reading/Vocabulary or Reading Comprehension. As you read across the page, you will see several columns of numbers. In the first column you will see the number of items on the test for each subject (# of items). As you continue to read across the page, you can tell the number of items that your child answered correctly (# right), the number of items that your child missed (#wrong), and the number of items that your child did not answer (# blank). There is also a column that lists the overall percentage of items that your child answered correctly (% right).

There is a more detailed explanation attached to this letter that discusses the remaining columns on the Score Report (scaled Score, Grade Equivalent, Deaf/Hard of Hearing Percentiles).

If you still have questions after you have reviewed your child’s Score Report, please contact the school psychologist, Robert Whitaker (KDES) at 202 651-5031.

Sincerely,
Marilyn Farmer
Principal, KDES

MSSD Incident

2007-12-05T10:02:00.000-05:00

October 5, 2007

Dear KDES Families:

I want to share information with you about a serious incident that occurred last Saturday at MSSD and our plan to address this issue at KDES to help our students grow from it.

On Saturday, September 29, several students in one of the dorms were involved in what began as a game and turned into acts with racial implications that led to seven students being sent home and an investigation is ongoing. The Clerc Center does not tolerate any acts of threatening behavior. We are committed to ensuring that KDES has a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students, teachers and staff.

As the nation addresses racism in schools, the Clerc Center has hired an external consultant, Larry Bell, with expertise in addressing these issues with teenagers. Mr. Bell is Director of the National Coalition-Building Institute’s (NCBI) District of Columbia Chapter and Regional Director (Mid-Atlantic Region) of NCBI International. He has been a Senior Associate, Trainer, and Member of the Board of NCBI International for over 8 years and a Senior Leader of the African Heritage Caucus. His areas of expertise include prejudice reduction, conflict resolution, team-building, and violence prevention. Mr. Bell and the DC NCBI Chapter have been involved in an effort to help youth, by teaching skills in prejudice reduction and coalition building to high school students and other young people. We are working in partnership with University and Clerc Center personnel with expertise in multiculturalism and diversity.

On Thursday, our School Counselor Cynthia Hunt and our Assistant Principal Donald Mahoney met with students on Team 4/5 and Team 6/7/8 to have an open dialogue about this incident, their reactions and feelings, as well as the issue of racism, discrimination, and oppression.

The Clerc Center recognizes that education related to racism, prejudice, and other forms of oppression is a critical part of every student’s development. Academic activities related to bullying have been taking place at KDES since last spring, including lunchtime “Mix It Up” discussions, large group, and small group activities. These activities, as well as others, will continue to be an integral part of the Clerc Center’s programs and services.

The administration is taking this event very seriously and would appreciate your involvement in teaching your children about the seriousness of racially charged acts. The year ahead will be filled with age appropriate lessons related to racism and oppression, and to teaching students respect for themselves and for each other.

We are prepared to assist you with additional resources on how to continue the dialogue at home and respond to any questions you may have. Please contact me at anytime at (202) 651-5031 or Marilyn.Farmer@Gallaudet.edu.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Farmer
Principal, Kendall Demonstration Elementary School

Letter to ECE Families from the Office of the Assistant Principal

2007-09-06T08:18:00.000-05:00

Dear Kendall ECE Families:

I am pleased to say “Hello” again from the Office of the Assistant Principal at the start of another school year. This letter is written just to inform you of or to clarify a few points for your convenience.

Communication with Kendall School

As you have seen from Ms. Farmer’s previous letter, the main contact for you is your child’s teacher. However please know that our front office, Ruth Innes and I are always available to you as well.

I may be reached:
By email: Donald.Mahoney@gallaudet.edu
By phone: 202-651-5637 v/tty

Ruth – the Administrative Secretary may be reached:
By email: Ruth.Innes@gallaudet.edu
By video phone: 202-651-5259
By pager: Rcinnes@tmail.com

If you have questions or want to communicate anything related to the bus services, your direct line of contact is the office at the Gallaudet Dept. of Transportation, 202-651-5151.

Kendall Cafeteria

Once again KDES will provide breakfast and lunch to all students. Lunch will continue to offer hot veggie and non veggie entrees everyday. I do not yet have the new weekly menus but we hope to put them online next week or , if you would like hard copy, just contact Ruth. One change however, breakfast will not have hot food this year, but will offer cereals, various fresh fruits, and a variety of fruit juices and milks.

If your child has any food allergies, please be sure to contact me and/or the school nurse, as we monitor such instances very closely.

Need for Parent Volunteers

In past years we have been very fortunate to receive the valuable assistance of parent volunteers. Ruth and I want to express our personal thanks to the many parents who have assisted us in the front office. This year we are hoping for an increase of parent volunteers not only at the front desk but throughout the school. We need your many hands and many skills to assist us in a wide variety of roles. Our Family Educator, Tara Downing, will be coordinating this project. You will be receiving more details about this from Tara very soon, but don’t hesitate to contact Ruth or me now if you wish to help out.

We look forward to another terrific year serving our students and families.

Sincerely,
Don Mahoney
Assistant Principal, KDES

Letter to families from the Office of the Assistant Principal

2007-08-31T08:16:00.000-05:00

Dear 1-8 Kendall Families:

I am pleased to say “Hello” again from the Office of the Assistant Principal at the start of another school year. This letter is written just to inform you of or to clarify a few points for your convenience.

Communication with Kendall School

As you have seen from Ms. Farmer’s previous letter, the main contact for you is your child’s teacher. However please know that our front office, Ruth Innes and I are always available to you as well.

I may be reached:
By email: Donald.Mahoney@gallaudet.edu
By phone: 202-651-5637 v/tty

Ruth – the Administrative Secretary may be reached:
By email: Ruth.Innes@gallaudet.edu
By video phone: 202-651-5259
By pager: Rcinnes@tmail.com

If you have questions or want to communicate anything related to the bus services, your direct line of contact is the office at the Gallaudet Dept. of Transportation, 202-651-5151.

KARP/KASP

Ruth has received the forms that some of you have sent in to sign up for After School Programs. Let me explain that there are 3 different options available to you.

The Kendall ATHLETIC RECREATIONAL Program (KARP) coordinated by Steve Doleac. He supervises 2 of the 3 options. One is the KARP Team Sports and the other
one is a more informal KARP Intramural or KARP Recreational. Steve’s registration form explained the many features of their programs. Let me just add here that the Kendall Sports Teams are a source of great excitement and school spirit as well as a great opportunity for students to develop a wide range of physical and social skills. I strongly encourage our students who are eligible by age to participate.

The third option is our Kendall After School Program (KASP) which is supervised by me. This year, Ms. Farmer has provided for expanded options in KASP. There are 4 choices for KASP, including Homework Helper, Art, Drama, and Yearbook. If a student is signed up for any KASP session (3 pm-4 pm, Monday-Thursday), they have the additional option of moving on to the KARP Recreational sessions at 4 pm to 5 pm. That way the student will be supervised within the KARP Program until they are picked up by you, as arranged with Steve Doleac.

If you should need another registration form, just contact Ruth Innes.

Kendall Cafeteria

Once again KDES will provide breakfast and lunch to all students. Lunch will continue to offer hot veggie and non veggie entrees everyday. I do not yet have the new weekly menus but we hope to put them online next week or , if you would like a hard copy just contact Ruth. One change however, breakfast will not have hot food this year, but will offer cereals, various fresh fruits, and a variety of fruit juices and milks.

If your child has any food allergies, please be sure to contact me and/or the school nurse, as we monitor such instances very closely.

Need for Parent Volunteers

In past years we have been very fortunate to receive the valuable assistance of parent volunteers. Ruth and I want to express our personal thanks to the many parents who have assisted us in the front office. This year we are hoping for an increase of parent volunteers not only at the front desk but throughout the school. We need your many hands and many skills to assist us in a wide variety of roles. Our Family Educator, Tara Downing, will be coordinating this project. You will be receiving more details about this from Tara very soon, but don’t hesitate to contact Ruth or me now if you wish to help out.

We look forward to another terrific year serving our students and families.

Sincerely,

Don Mahoney
Assistant Principal
KDES

Action Team for Partnerships Update

2007-07-02T14:36:00.001-05:00

Kendall Demonstration Elementary School
ACTION TEAM FOR PARTNERSHIPS UPDATE

June 27, 2007

To Families and Caregivers of KDES Students,

As you may remember, earlier this year we sent home a flyer about the Family-School Action Team for Partnerships and invited interested parents/caregivers to join. For some of you who may not be familiar with the program, here’s a review of that information.

The Clerc Center uses the research based model of Family-School-Community Partnerships created by Dr. Joyce Epstein at Johns Hopkins University. It emphasizes the importance of partnership between the family, school and community. There are 6 types that create a comprehensive program of family-school-community partnerships.
They are:

1. Parenting/Parent Education: assist families with parenting and child-rearing skills, understanding child development and the needs of deaf children, and setting home conditions that support children; assist schools in understanding families.
2. Communicating: communicate with families about school programs and student progress through effective school-to-home and home-to-school communications.
3. Volunteering: improving recruitment, training, responsibilities, and schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences throughout the school programs.
4. Learning at Home: involve families with their children in learning activities at home, including homework and other curriculum-related activities.
5. Decision-Making: include families as participants in school decisions, parent organizations, committees, and action teams.
6. Collaborating with the Community: identify and involve community resources and services for students, families, and the school.

Children learn and grow at home, school and in the community. Research shows that if overlapping spheres of family, school and community work together, it will support your child’s achievement. Our goal is having these spheres of influence work together to increase your child’s overall success.

Here is an update of progress:

Last March the Family-School-Community Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) was reestablished. We have 12 parents, 2 teachers, and 7 staff members on the team. This group included parents and staff who had initial meetings in the fall, and the recommendations they developed at that time were incorporated into the ATP planning. We met approximately every 2 weeks, using a format based on the Johns Hopkins National Network of Partnership Schools model. The first several meetings were to become acquainted with the partnership model and the 6 types of involvement, reflect on our current practices, and identify which areas need to be strengthened.

We then prioritized and selected 3 of the 6 types of involvement to begin our work: Parenting, Volunteering, and Decision Making.

Then, within those 3 types of involvement, we prioritized which projects to focus on, as follows:

Parenting – Identify what kind of workshops they would like to have throughout the year.
Volunteering – Strengthen the volunteer program
Decision Making – Expand/improve the Kendall After School Program (KASP) and Kendall Athletics/Recreation Program (KARP)

ATP had its last meeting for the school year on June 19th. Sub-groups will continue to work on the areas of focus throughout the summer. We will meet again in early fall.

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to know more information about the Family-School-Community Action Team for Partnerships. You will be hearing more about the progress of our work in the fall and throughout the year.

Have a GREAT summer with your child!

Marilyn Farmer, KDES Principal
Carla Hanyzewski, Manager, Family Involvement National Mission Initiatives
Delia Lozano-Martinez, KHSO President

Spending Reductions

2007-06-08T12:25:00.001-05:00

Dear Families,

Some of you may be aware that Gallaudet University which includes the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center is experiencing some financial difficulty due to the lack of an increase in federal appropriation for this fiscal year. As a result of this budget situation, we have had to reduce spending so that we end the fiscal year on September 30th without a deficit.

However, I want to assure you that our number one priority is to maintain an exemplary educational program that provides instructional and related services support to our students, in addition to maintaining the day to day operation of the school facilities.

We have carefully reviewed the budget situation to determine how best to reduce operating expenses without compromising the quality of our program. As a result of this review, we have taken steps to minimize our spending until the end of the school year.

If you have any questions about this, please contact the leader of your team or me. Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Farmer
Principal, Kendall Demonstration Elementary School

from Marilyn Farmer - end of school year letter

2007-06-04T14:00:00.001-05:00

Dear KDES Families:

The school year is almost over! As you already know, the ending of the school year is just as busy as its beginning in the fall. Students, teachers, and staff are working hard to complete learning activities and projects, meet IEP goals, and finish portfolios and SAT-10 testing. Overall, we have had a successful year at KDES and we could not have had done it without your partnership. Many thanks for your involvement and support!

I want to share a few updates with you:

· KASP and KARP will end on Thursday, June 7th.
· The extended school day (3:30 pm) will end on Thursday, June 14th.
· On Friday, June 15th, we will have the KDES 150th Anniversary Celebration. The school day will end at 3 pm. Please refer to the Wildcat Daily for more information about special activities.
· Monday, June 18th is the last day of school. School will end at 1 pm for students.

The summer is an exciting and fun-filled time for the children. Soon teachers and staff will be sending you some information about activities that can be done at home and a book list of popular books for your child to read while they are on vacation. I hope that you will use these to continue learning while they are at home with you.

Have a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,

Marilyn Farmer

Space Committee Recommendations - Final

2007-05-21T06:49:00.000-05:00

Recommendations by the KDES Space Committee
Spring, 2007

Members: Don Mahoney (Chair), Maureen Burns, Cynthia Sadoski, Don Mahoney, Susan Schatz, Stephany Sims, Gail Solit, Nicole Sutliffe, Stephanie Marshall, Cynthia Hunt, Debra Nussbaum, Lynn Olden, Rosemary Stifter, Steven Doleac, Francisca Rangel, Catherine Valcourt-Pearce, Tyese Wright, Patrick Atuonah

Regarding the Committee’s Goals:
1. To re-locate classrooms and offices to more appropriately serve program needs.
2. To re-locate, or re-allocate space in order to reflect who we are as a school. This goal refers to adding an ASL assessment/resource room and giving each specialist/coordinator an office/classroom space.

Final Recommendations for “Short Term” space relocations (to be done by start of school in August, 2007):

I. 1st Floor:

Team 4/5
1. #1319, Currently the “lounge” near Lori’s office will become a meeting room for Team 4-8
2. #1221, copy machine room will be the lounge for Team 4-8 teachers/staff
3. #1305, Current equipment storage room will become ASL classroom/office for ASL specialist
4. #1309, ASL classroom will be held in (currently the “team library” area next to Sandy Paradis’ classroom
5. #1101A, Sara G.’s current office will become Patti & Ruth’s office & storage

Team 6/7/8
6. #1404, this room will become the storage room for textbooks.
7. Sara G. will have her office in the science lab

II. 2nd floor:

Front Office & SST Areas
1. Family Resource Room moves into current reflection room next to the KDES Auditorium, room #2004. No children should be in this room for safety reasons. The purpose of this room should include:
a. Parent ONLY meetings (committee meetings, PIP parent meeting, etc.)
b. Staff meetings (CASWS, SST, F.I., etc.)
2. Francisca Rangel (ASL/Deaf Studies Coordinator) moves into #2303 (Susanne Scott’s current office)
3. Nancy Walla move into #2326 (current SST lounge/lunch room)
4. Susanne Scott move into #2325
5. Bettie Waddy-Smith move into #2324
6. Andrea Richards move into #2323
7. #2322 becomes OT therapy room
8. #2317 becomes a shared office for part-time PT and part-time OT
9. Deb Nussbaum move into Andrea Richards’s current OT therapy room
a. #2320 (mapping room also moves into the booths in #2320)
10. SST meeting room move into Dowdy’s current classroom #2311 (multi-purpose room for school-wide needs such as team meeting room, workshop, FASL, etc.)
11. #2327 current SST room becomes the CIEC spoken language resource room
12. Jennifer Grinnell move into Matt Rider’s current office #2314 (or use as a back-up space for other needs)

Main Hallway
13. ASL resource room moves into current CIEC classroom (large room #2450 and #2452 (room between Bettie’s office and CIEC classroom)

PIP/Nursery area
14. #2204 becomes Jennifer Furlano (ASL specialist)’s office
15. #2213 (current family resource room) become ECE ASL classroom
16. #2615 (current family resource room) become Kathy’s floor-time classroom
17. #2208 & #2219 become a Nursery classroom for 2 year olds (wall will need to be taken down between both rooms) (requires PPD and $ Funding)

Pre-K & K area
18. #2602, Matt Rider (birth-grade 3 counselor) move into Steve/Bobbie Jo’s current office
19. #2605A becomes Steve/Bobbie Jo’s office (current storage)

1/2/3 area
20. Maureen Burns move into Bettie’s current office #2453
21. #2401 & #2402 become Pre-K/K classroom (currently Kellie & Dwight’s classroom)
22. #2408 become Pre-K/K classroom (currently Phyllis’ classroom)
23. #2409 become 1/2/3 ASL specialist’s office & classroom
24. #2814, current Francisca Rangel/ASL specialists offices become 1/2/3 classroom
25. #2416 will become 1/2/3 classroom (for small class)
26. #2418 will become birth – grade 3 meeting room (parent/kid-friendly)
27. Home Ec. space will be used for 1/2/3 textbook storage & additional meeting room (for team meeting, etc.) & if needed, also can be used by other people in this building. (Note: Home Ec. kitchen space will still be available for general school classroom use)

III. 3rd floor:
1. National Mission - RJ moves into Nancy Walla’s current office.
2. Library – Renee Suiter moves into RJ’s current office
3. PID is okay for now – they will use their current “intern” office space for the new person joining PID.
4. #3904, the “storage room” in the movement room has not been used in years. Gail & Stephany will start the process of cleaning that room (they will contact people to come & take what they need, etc. then donate the rest to charity). It will become a “CDC” space.

IV. Long Term Recommendations:

These are recommendations that cannot be resolved by August 07, school year, but are issues that KDES should address in the future.

1. Re: The Library
Explore possibilities of establishing a presence for the Library on the 2nd and/or 1st floors.

2. Re: CDC
CDC would like to establish an infant center and wants to expand its regular student base. That means they will need more space for additional classrooms and the infant center.

3. Re: Nursery Program
Nursery wants to add another “larger” classroom. This could be accomplished by removing the wall between Rooms 2219 and 2208. Naturally such renovation will be dependent on funding issues. An estimate for that work has been requested but has not been completed at this time.

from Maureen Burns - May 2007

2007-05-11T06:42:00.000-05:00

It’s so hard to believe it’s already several weeks into the fourth quarter and that the school year is coming to an end very soon. Students will be very busy with many different things happening.

Assessment
We will be doing assessment such as the Informal Reading Inventory assessment, collecting writing samples and the Stanford Achievement test, or other assessment (age appropriate). Assessment will begin as soon as the 2nd week of May and continue into June. We ask that you try to send your child to school every day. Attendance is very important for the remainder of the school year. If your child has an appointment or is sick, please notify the front office at (202) 651-5031 Voice or (202) 651-5636 TTY or by e-mail to ruth.innes@gallaudet.edu. Please also page your Family Educator and notify your child’s teacher if possible of any absences.

Stanford Achievement Test
Again, we will be administering the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) to children, 8 years old or older, beginning Monday June 4th. The SAT provides information about student’s achievement in reading comprehension, word reading/vocabulary, problem solving, math procedures and so forth. Results from the test help us plan for your child's education.

We are preparing our students by giving them some practice tests that involves critical reading comprehension skills in class. Students need to develop the test-taking skills in order to succeed on the SAT. There are many books you can purchase at bookstores that will provide some practice opportunities for your child at home.

The test will be given only in the morning for approximately one hour to an hour and half each day. The test will last for the entire week and will require your cooperation. Please make sure that your child has a good nights rest and eats a good breakfast every morning. There will be reduced homework for the entire testing period so that your child will have time to prepare.

Student attendance during this testing week is important. Please do not plan to have your child miss school during the dates mentioned above. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or your child's teacher.

Early Closing
May 16th is an early closing day. We will have a field day that day so please make sure your children dresses comfortably. They are required to wear sneakers because of the activities outside. Please also provide your child with protection including sunblock, hat and sunglasses. Students will be dismissed at 1 p.m. and will ride on the buses home.

Spring Fever
It’s time for the annual KHSO Spring Fever Picnic! It will be on May 17th between 4 and 7 p.m. This is a good opportunity for you and your child to interact with others before the end of the school year. This event is promised to be a lot of fun; we hope that you will plan to come! There will be no open house before the Spring Fever. Instead, we will plan teacher-parent conferences, home visits or open house in August.

Transition Day
May 21st is our Transition Day. Third graders from Team 1/2/3 will visit Team 4/5 and Kindergarten students from the ECE team will visit Team 1/2/3 for part of the day. The students will have an opportunity to meet all of the teachers and students on the team and learn about the daily operations and expectations.

May 25th and 28th
No school for students (Memorial weekend).

KDES 150th Anniversary
KDES continues to be very busy preparing for its 150th anniversary celebration over the weekend of June 15th. Please visit www.kendallalumni.org and register to attend the 150th Anniversary celebration with your children!

Yes, we’re going to be very busy the next several weeks!!

from Marilyn Farmer about make-up days

2007-03-23T14:07:00.000-05:00

March 23, 2007

Dear KDES Families:

Spring is finally here!

In the past few weeks, many of you have approached me about our plan to make up the days missed due to the protest and inclement weather. I promised that we would develop a plan to address make-up days once the warm weather arrived.

Thus far, KDES was closed for six (6) school days – three (3) for the protest and three (3) for inclement weather. Our school calendar includes 183 student days; three (3) of which have been built-in to cover school closings. According to District of Columbia law, students are required to attend school for 180 days. Therefore, KDES students will make up three days (equals 17.5 hours of class time).

The KDES Principal’s Management Team met and reviewed the limited options available for making up the required days/hours. We arrived at a decision and the following will be implemented:

· Beginning on April 23rd, KDES’ school hours will be extended by 30 minutes at the end of each school day: beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m.
· This extended school day schedule will continue until June 14th (35 days at thirty minutes = 17.5 hours)
· April 25th and May 16th are listed on the school calendar as Early Closing Days; therefore, school will close for students at 1:00 p.m. as originally planned (with no extended schedule on these two days).

Of course, this extended time will result in some change to your child’s bus schedule. Ms. Kim Craig and the Transportation Department will share more information with you about your child’s revised bus schedule.

Please feel free to contact your Family Educator about the changes to the school day and Ms. Kim Craig about the changes in the bus schedule.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Sincerely,

Marilyn Farmer
Principal, Kendall Demonstration Elementary School

to parents/guardians about groupings

2007-02-20T08:10:00.000-05:00

February 20, 2007

Dear Parents/Guardians:

I am writing this letter to you because we are starting the process of looking at next year’s groupings (class placement). We would like to involve parents & guardians in this process. Actually, there are several things we would like to see happen as we proceed. First of all, we will need to determine which students will remain on their team and which students will move onto the next team. We have criteria that helps us make that decision.

For the Early Childhood Education (ECE) team, we have established a cut-off date (September 30th) to help us determine placement. Students will need to be at least 2.0 years old on, or before, September 30th to be considered for admittance into the Nursery class. Students between the age of 2 and 2.6 as of September 30th may be considered for an alternate placement (Pre-Nursery class or the Parent Infant Program) as determined by the IFSP team according to the readiness of the child.

The cut-off date for age eligibility for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten is September 30th. Students must be 4 years old before or by September 30th to be eligible for the Pre-Kindergarten class.

The cut-off date of September 30th was selected after researching the cut off dates in other districts. Districts in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. all use September 30th as a cut-off date and KDES decided for the sake of consistency when working with other districts, we would use this date as well.

The IFSP/IEP team may determine placement if the child’s birthday falls short of the cut-off date. Placement decision will be based on assessment and evidence that the child will be able to progress with no risk to emotional well being.

We would also consider all of the five outcomes to determine readiness of each child: Essential Knowledge, Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Emotional Intelligence, and Life Planning. We base decisions using formal and informal evaluations & assessments in addition to teacher, staff and parents’ input.

We have already begun looking at the students in our team meetings: PIP and Nursery; Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten; Team 1/2/3 teachers and staff members review the groupings together. We anticipate this will take several weeks before we have a complete picture of what the groupings will look like. Teachers and staff members will not be assigned to groups and classes until the end of the school year. We will also have few vacant positions we will be advertising for and hiring in the spring. Once the school administration completes this process of hiring and teacher assignment to classes, more information will be shared with you.

As you can see, we have a lot of work ahead of us. Now, we want to also involve parents/guardians in this process. I am inviting you to schedule a meeting with me if you’d like to share your input for what will happen next year for your child.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. We hope that this information will help you understand the process underway at this point in the school year and enable you to provide us with your input.

Sincerely,

Maureen Yates Burns
Acting Coordinator, Birth to Grade 3
Assistant Principal of Instruction, KDES

from Maureen Y. Burns

2007-02-05T14:51:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

It’s an exciting time, the beginning of a new year! We have so much to look forward to and this semester is surely going to be a busy one. I’d like to share several things that are happening here at Kendall.

KDES 150th Anniversary

Special Events on Wednesdays for Team 1-8
On early closing days (Wednesday) once a month, we continue to have special activities for our students related to the 150th year anniversary of KDES. For the months of January, February and March, each team (grades 1 through 8) will rotate and participate in different activities. The Principal’s teams led by Marilyn Farmer along with members of the Support Service and Literacy teams are planning the activities for them.

ECE project
The ECE team will begin some discussion and activities with our ECE children related to Kendall’s 150th anniversary. We will follow our students’ lead as they learn about Kendall’s history and how the school has evolved throughout the years (people and buildings don’t look the same today compared to 150 years ago!) Class projects will depend on students’ interests. We will also talk with our children about what school means to them.

Art Activity
In the month of February, students will be provided with art materials to create art work that reflects the 150th year anniversary of Kendall School. We look forward to seeing the students’ work!

Committee
There is also a committee focusing on the 150th anniversary event coming up in June. Please let me or your family educator know if you are interested in participating on this committee. This committee is being led by Donald Mahoney.

Space Committee
A space committee has been established to look at the use of space in our building. The reason for this is to review our current programmatic needs and make sure that the use of all spaces in the building meets the needs. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact me or your family educator as soon as possible.

Staff Changes
We are sad to announce that Darla Washington, our teacher aide on the ECE team, will be resigning. Her last day with us is on February 2nd. Darla’s sense of humor and hard work will be missed by many of us.

We are happy to announce a new person joining the Kendall family. Harold Catron will be working with us as a part-time temporary physical education teacher starting January 22nd until the end of the school year. He will be working with students, grades 1 through 8 daily.

Portfolio Day, March 19th
March 19th is our work day therefore there will be no school that day. However, all teachers and staff members will be shifting their work hours to 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. The reason for this is because we want to invite all of you to come and meet with your child’s teachers and staff members. During this time, we will be showing you your child’s portfolio so that you can discuss your child’s progress with the teachers and staff members. Please begin to contact your child’s teacher to make an appointment to come to Kendall. Please do not miss out on this opportunity to review your child’s portfolio! More details will be shared with you as time comes closer.

Language Planning
We continue to discuss language planning for our students. We had a workshop last week and invited Dr. Stephen Nover to give a presentation to parents and guardians about language planning. Thank you to those of you who attended. Dr. Nover’s power point presentation is now online and your family educator has shared a hardcopy with you all by now.

There is a parent committee on language planning. We welcome any of you who are interested in signing up. Please contact me or your family educator if you are interested. Our next meeting is on February 12th from 6-8 p.m. and Dr. Nover will also be attending.

In closing…
As always, I welcome your feedback. Please feel free to contact me at anytime. Kendall is constantly evolving to meet our students’ needs and we are continuing to try to improve in all aspects. Your involvement is always welcome and needed.

from Nancy Berrigan, Literacy Coordinator

2006-12-13T10:43:00.000-05:00

To Parents and Families of KDES,

Time has sped by at the Clerc Center. It is hard to believe the winter break is just around the corner! I would like to take this opportunity to update you on the progress of Language Planning at Clerc Center. I am also pleased to let you know that there are many activities occurring here.

Activities to Date:

Language Planning Parent/Family Committee

Language Planning Parent/Family Committee was formed last spring and has had several meetings. There are currently fourteen members on this committee whose children are primarily in ECE and Team 1,2,3. We want to have multiple perspectives represented on the committee, including representation of all different age levels. There was a sign-up sheet during the Back-to-School Night – KHSO on Sept. 21st and Winter Festival last Saturday, Dec. 9th. So far, two parents have signed up. If you know of anyone who may be interested or may contribute, please feel free to send me their names. It would also be good for you to talk with them yourself and help encourage them to join us. Often person-to-person contact is the best.

In addition, we will be meeting on December 18th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The agenda topics will include sharing ideas and information on how ASL and English language acquisition and language learning may be facilitated and support within their homes, communities and/or school. This will also give the opportunity for them to discuss, share perspective and experiences relating to language planning.

Clerc Center Language Planning Team

We have a Language Planning Team at Clerc Center. This is different than the committee for parents. The purpose of this team is to facilitate the process of language planning for ASL and English within the Clerc Center. The team consists of different representations within the school which include teachers, staff and administrators. We would like to have parents serve as members of this team and will be developing criteria for parents to be on this team soon. If you are interested in more information about this, please let me know.

Schoolwide Language Planning Workshops for Teachers and Staff

An introduction and overview of language planning was presented to the teachers and staff on Nov. 3rd and Nov. 20th. They had the opportunity to discuss the concept of language planning and reflect on how the Clerc Center may support language planning efforts and think about how they may incorporate language planning as part of their ongoing work at the Clerc Center.

National Stakeholder Meeting

The Clerc Center convened its first national Stakeholder Meeting on November 6th and 7th. The purpose of these meetings is to have our constituents around the country provide us with feedback on our current and future initiatives. There were four groups of stakeholders present – Parents with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children, Speech/Language and Communication Specialists, Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in mainstream settings and Administrators from both residential schools and mainstream programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. I shared with them the critical needs in the area of literacy development and provided an overview of language planning. Then, participants had the opportunity to discuss with their small groups what products and services the Clerc Center could develop that would have the greatest impact on language planning in their respective settings. I am happy to report that their feedback and recommendations were positive. Information about this will be posted on the web soon.

Upcoming event in January 2007

By now, you may have received a flyer about the presentation on January 17th by Dr. Stephen Nover, Director of the Center for ASL/English Bilingual Education (CAEBER). He is a well-known and well-respected deaf researcher in the field of language planning for ASL and English bilingual education. I have also enclosed a website about CAEBER for your information – http://www.nmsd.k12.nm.us/caeber/index.html. This will be a good opportunity for you to learn more about language planning and what you can do as parents and/or caregivers to facilitate and support your children’s language development – ASL and English.

If you have any questions or need more information, you may contact Maureen Burns, Assistant Principal and me.

May you have a restful winter break and blessed holiday season.

Sincerely,
Nancy Berrigan,
Literacy Coordinator

from Maureen Burns

2006-11-20T17:02:00.000-05:00

It’s hard to believe it is December already! This year has gone by so fast. As we enter the holiday season, I would like to share few things with you.

The cold season is here!
This means runny noses, coughing and germs. While this is a natural part of growing up, I’d like to ask that you be sensitive to other children’s well-being and considerate when deciding whether or not to send your child to school. Please do not send your child to school if s/he exhibits any of the following symptoms: fever of 101 orally, 102 rectally, or 100 auxiliary; diarrhea (more than one abnormally loose stool); severe coughing causing “croupy, whooping” sounds; severe wheezing or severe respiratory distress; yellowish tint to skin or eyes (jaundice); tearing, irritation, and redness of eyelid lining, followed by swelling or discharge of pus; unusual spots or rashes of unknown origin; severe sore throat or difficulty swallowing; infected areas of skin with yellow crusty areas; severe headache, stomachache, and/or vomiting; unusual behavior; or severe itching of body or scalp or constant scratching.

Please also consider whether or not your child is able to blow his/her nose by him/herself, cover his/her mouth when coughing, or communicate with teachers/staff about not feeling well. There are some very young children who come to school unable to do these things; it may be a good idea to keep them home until they are well enough to come to school. It is our goal to keep all of our children healthy and in a safe environment here at school. Thank you for your consideration and understanding.

What is my role?
A few of you are still unclear as to exactly what my role is. It is true that I play many different roles here at Kendall. I tell people I wear many hats J I will try to be as clear as possible so that we all have a better understanding of what I do here at Kendall.
1) Assistant Principal for Instruction – I work under the supervision of the principal, Marilyn Farmer, focusing on the instructional program here at Kendall for all students, birth through 8th grade. I work with the Coordinator of Instruction, Susan Schatz, who provides direct supervision to the teachers and aides at Kendall for grades 4 through 8. I also work closely with both Educational Planning Coordinators, Gail Solit and Lori Rolnick related to the IEPs and any other documentation about your child’s education. I am also the contact person for parents/guardians who have questions related to the overall instructional programming at KDES.
2) Acting Coordinator of Instruction for birth through Grade 3 – This position is vacant and currently being advertised. During this time, I have also taken over the responsibility of working with teachers and staff members on the ECE team and Team 1/2/3. Marilyn Farmer and I are working closely with teachers and aides on teams, providing supervision and support as needed. I also work with both of these teams in coordinating team meetings, participating in IEP conferences, Student Review Team (SRT) meetings, and parent conferences.
3) I am also a parent. One of my sons attends Kendall on the ECE team, so sometimes I also put on my “mommy” hat and focus on being a mother. Anytime I have my children with me, I switch to my “mommy” mode J
4) I am also a proud Kendall alumnus.

I hope this gives you a better picture of my role(s). I work with many different people and teams this year. Fortunately, we have so many skilled and dedicated professionals here at Kendall who all work together to make sure that our students are receiving the education they need and that they are happy and safe here at Kendall.

ASL/English Bilingual Education & Language Planning
We have started many discussions here at Kendall related to ASL/English bilingual education and language planning. The school is committed to the bilingual approach, with the goal of having our students become proficient in both languages: ASL and English. However, each child learns differently, therefore a language plan is needed for each child. We are inviting Steve Nover, the Director of CAEBER (Center on ASL/English Bilingual Education and Research), to come to Kendall and talk about bilingual education and how language planning fits. His presentation will happen the third week of January. You will be receiving a flyer with more information about this.

Have a wonderful, safe, and happy holiday!

Update on protest

2006-10-30T10:20:00.001-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As you may know by now, yesterday the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees voted to withdraw the appointment of Dr. Jane Fernandes as the new President of Gallaudet University. The immediate result of this act is the return of the campus to normal. This morning, protestors are no longer blocking the gates. While we are ready to move forward, we are also sensitive to the fact that this whole event has been stressful on every one. We all need to work together as we heal and move forward.

As always, our primary objective is your child’s safety and academic achievement. We would like to thank you all for your support and patience during this time, and for your trust in us.

I am pasting the text from four separate press releases issued by the Gallaudet University Public Relations office, below. One is the Board of Trustees announcement regarding Dr. Fernandes’ appointment, one is a statement from Dr. Jordan, one is a statement from Dr. Fernandes, and the final one is again from the Board, concerning actions that happened during the protest.

Sincerely,

Maureen Y. Burns
KDES Assistant Principal of Instruction

TO: Campus Community
FROM: Board of Trustees
DATE: October 29, 2006
RE: Board of Trustees Meeting
Today, we announce with much regret and pain that after serious deliberation in a special, all-day Executive Session of the Board of Trustees, we have voted to terminate Dr. Fernandes' appointment as President-Designate (currently effective) and President (effective beginning January 1, 2007) at Gallaudet University.
We understand the impact of this decision and the important issues that inherently arise when a Board re-examines decisions in the face of an on-going protest. The Board believes that it is in the best interests of the University to terminate Dr. Fernandes from the incoming President's position. Although undoubtedly there will be some members of the community who have differing views on the meaning of this decision, we believe that it is a necessity at this point. The Board is continuing to meet to discuss transitional issues.
It has certainly been a difficult and trying time for our Gallaudet community. Now is the time for healing. The hope of the Board of Trustees is for our beloved community to come together to work for a stronger and better Gallaudet.

Statement by I. King Jordan
“The struggle during the past several months has been very painful for all of us. I am deeply troubled by the divisions among us and by the anger that overtook reason, respect, and civility.
“Now we must all come together for the sake of Gallaudet, particularly for the sake of Gallaudet's students--those who are our students now and those who will be students in the future.
“I want to thank Jane Fernandes for her dedication and courage and her standing up for what's right. I am personally saddened--for Gallaudet and for Dr. Jane K. Fernandes--that she will not have the opportunity to show Gallaudet and the world what a great president she could have been. Her vision and her plans to make that vision come to life would have guided the university we all love into a bright future. The Board of Trustees saw that promise when they selected Dr. Fernandes as president. In order to resolve the current stalemate the Board has deemed it necessary to steer a different course, and I accept their decision. Now we must all put down our weapons of words and seek to restore a sense of community.
“ In my Town Hall speech last November I said there is more that unites us than divides us. I think we lost sight of that for a time and we must work together to refocus on the core values that unite us. We should not look for a resolution to the struggle of recent months in terms of winners and losers. If we do, Gallaudet and our students will be the losers.”

Statement by Jane K. Fernandes
“It is with deep regret that I heard the Board’s decision to terminate my contract.
“I love Gallaudet University and I believe I could have made a significant contribution to its future. I hope that the Gallaudet community can heal the wounds that have been created. I trust that we all want a stronger, better, more inclusive Gallaudet where ASL and Deaf culture have been and always will be at the core of academic and community life.”

TO: Gallaudet University
FROM: Board of Trustees
DATE: October 29, 2006
RE: Statement of the Board
"The Board of Trustees respects the right of people to express their views in a peaceful manner. However, individuals who violated the law and Gallaudet University's Code of Conduct will be held accountable. We expect the University to honor its long tradition of respect for each other and property and to return to normal."

Information about School Pictures

2006-10-26T07:24:00.000-05:00

The school pictures are coming!! We have a new photographer who will be working with us, his name is Dick Moore and he is deaf. He is a professional photographer with many years of experience. He owns his own business and is very well known.

The schedule:

Monday, October 30th
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Grades 4 – 5
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PIP & Pre-Nursery
11:00 – 12:00 p.m. Grades 6 – 8
12:00 – 12:45 p.m. Photographer’s lunch break
12:45 p.m. Grades 6 – 8 group picture
1:00 p.m. Grades 4 – 5 group picture
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Stella Lee & Kellie Pagano’s classes (Grades 2-3)
3:00 – 3:45 p.m. Teachers/Staff members

Thursday, November 2nd
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Nursery classes
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PIP & Pre-K class – Steve & Bobbie Jo’s class
11:00 – 11:30 p.m. Kindergarten class (Beth & Anibelka’s class)
11:30 – 12:00 p.m. Pre-K class - Michelle & Charity’s class
12:00 – 12:30 p.m. Photographer’s lunch break
12:30 – 1:00 p.m. Teachers/Staff members
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Michelle V., Lisa’s class (1st graders)
2:00 – 2:30 p.m. Phyllis’s class (3rd graders)
3:00 – 3:45 p.m. Teachers/Staff members

Update on protest

2006-10-25T07:22:00.000-05:00

Parents/Guardians:

I wanted to take this time to write to you and update you on what has been happening on campus.

We have been trying hard to proceed with our normal school function after being closed for the three days two weeks ago. Although there have been challenges, our teachers and staff members did a wonderful job ensuring that our students are receiving the education they need.

As you may have seen on the internet, news, or read in the newspaper, the issue on campus has not yet been resolved. This morning, the protestors took over College Hall for a few hours and then left on their own. The College Hall building is currently open.

Also, this morning the Brentwood gate (near the Model Secondary School for the Deaf) was opened by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers and the Physical Plant employees. Shortly after the gate was opened by the DPS and PPD employees, the protestors closed it again. The University is currently working to keep that gate open. We will do our best to keep you posed on the status.

Few moments ago, there was a rumor spread all across the campus that a lock down was possible. Because the rumor was spread all across the campus, we decided to inform parents who had children at the KASP (Kendall After School Program), KARP (Kendall Athletics & Recreation Program) and CDC (Child Development Center) about the rumors. We gave parents/guardians the option of picking up their children earlier or keeping them there. All three programs (KASP, KARP & CDC) are still open and functioning as normal.

We will continue to keep you updated as soon as we learn more information.

Sincerely,

Maureen Y. Burns
Assistant Principal of Instruction

Gallaudet Protest

2006-10-17T15:04:00.000-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Thank you for your continuous support and understanding of the current event that has made a direct impact on our school. This is a sensitive and, for some, emotional issue revolving around the current protest at Gallaudet University.

Gallaudet University has been on the news and in the newspaper daily. The impact is greater on our students because they drive by the campus daily and see events unfolding right in front of their eyes. We are sensitive to this and we want to make sure that we address this in the most appropriate way.

As a school, we are working hard to ensure that we are providing our students with both perspectives. Students are learning about what a protest means. Students are learning about how people have different beliefs and perspectives on different issues. Our students are asking many good questions and they have been sharing information from what they’ve seen on the news, internet and newspapers daily. Our teachers and staff members are doing a wonderful job of making sure that both perspectives are shared. Our school counselors and social worker have been available to meet with students who need their services.

It was unfortunate that Kendall students had to miss three days of school. Some of you have asked us about how we would make up for the missed school days. Let me explain that we already have three additional days built into our school calendar, fortunately. Therefore we won’t have to make up for those three days. However, if we have a school closing again in the future for whatever reason (snow days, etc.) then we will have to make up for any of those additional days at the end of the school year.

Due to the fact that we missed so much school last week, we have decided to suspend the special activities planned for tomorrow. Tomorrow is an early closing day and we have special activities planned for each month on the early closing days. For tomorrow, normal classes will resume from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. making up for the lost time last week.

Some of you have also asked for resources you could check for more information. There are many Web sites, including Web logs, known as blogs, and other sites available on the Internet. As with any other topic of interest, some sites are more credible than others. The following is a list of sites that, together, may help present a balanced view of the protest.

The Gallaudet University’s web address for news pertaining to the protest can be found here: http://news.gallaudet.edu/

The main website used by the protestors (who have identified themselves as the FSSA, for Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni) is: http://www.gufssa.com/

A website that posts essays and thoughts related to the protest using appropriate language and showing well thought out positions, is: www.deafdc.com

You may also check the Web sites of local media outlets, such as http://www.washingtonpost.com/, for news articles on these events.

Our goal is to ensure that students feel that this is a safe and comfortable environment where they can share their thoughts and feelings. We also strive to help them develop their emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills through activities such as those that happened today.
I would like to again assure you that we remain committed to the academic achievement of all KDES students. Our policies and guidelines pertaining to student attendance and conduct will apply throughout this time. We are also committed to maintaining ongoing communication with our families, and will keep you informed of further developments that affect the KDES campus.

Finally, I would like to take some time to thank the Family Educators for contacting families last week and ensuring that all parents/guardians received information. I would like to thank Silvia Golocovsky and her staff for making sure that all of the information were translated immediately and shared with all families as well. I would like to thank Marilyn Farmer for keeping close contact with everyone in the school. Last, but not least, I would like to thank all of the teachers and staff members in this building for their patience and support.

Sincerely,
Maureen Y. Burns
Assistant Principal of Instruction

Special Events Day

2006-09-07T14:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians:

I am writing to you to let you know that we will have a Special Events day once a month when we have early closing days. The purpose of this day is for students to have opportunities to learn about different programs offered here at Kendall. We have many different outstanding units here at Kendall and our students may not have had enough opportunity to know the people who work in each unit. The different units include the ASL/Deaf Studies, Honors Program, Information Systems and Computer Support (ISCS), Counseling, Assessment and Social Work Services (CASWS, Literacy, Support Services, Family Involvement and Recreation. These units will plan different activities so that our students can learn about a variety of skills and also get to know the people who work in each unit.

The dates/events for the first three months are as listed below:

September 13th
ASL/Deaf Studies
Grades 1-3
ISCS/Honors Program
Grades 4-5
CASWS (on EQ)
Grades 6-8

October 18th
CASWS (on EQ)
Grades 1-3
ASL/Deaf Studies
Grades 4-5
ISCS/Honors Program
Grades 6-8

November 15th
ISCS/Honors Program
Grades 1-3
CASWS (on EQ)
Grades 4-5
ASL/Deaf Studies
Grades 6-8

Please note that November 15th is not an early closing day. Therefore the special events will happen from 8:30 to 1 p.m. and then the students will have different recreation activities in the afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m. coordinated by our Recreation Specialist. More information will go out in the Friday Folder as the date approaches.

One of the wonderful things about those special event days is the fact that teachers are given the opportunity to focus on the curriculum. On these days, the teachers will be able to work on the curriculum maps and document all of the work they have done with the students in the classroom.

The theme for the Special Events Days for the 2006-07 school year is “KDES 150th Anniversary”. Please talk to your child about all of the exciting events each month and find out what they’ve learned about KDES from the different units. I will send out another letter later to let you know about the activities that will happen from December to May of this year.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Maureen.burns@gallaudet.edu or call the front office and leave a message for me at 202-651-5031.

Sincerely,
Maureen Y. Burns
Assistant Principal of Instruction

Welcome!

2006-09-05T14:45:00.000-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,
We have gotten off to a very good start! We have made several changes and I’d like to talk about some of these changes. First of all, with my new role, I now work with the entire school. I work closely with the Coordinator of Instruction for Grades 4 through 8, Susan Schatz, and both of the Educational Planning Coordinators, Gail Solit and Lori Rolnick. Since the Coordinator of Instruction for birth through Grade 3 position has not been filled, I have taken most of the responsibility and am currently working with the ECE (Early Childhood Education) team and grades 1 through 3. Therefore I’m going to work closely with all of the teachers and staff members on both teams. I look forward to also getting to know your children this year.

There is a new class on the ECE team. We have added a Pre-Nursery class targeted for children who are at the age of 2 years old. Most of these children have completed two years in the Parent Infant Program (PIP) and now is ready for the transition between PIP and Nursery. We have a total of 5 children in that class who are all at the age of 2 years old. Brenda has assumed the teaching position for that class. We are currently advertising for an aide position for the Pre-Nursery class. Debbie will continue to be the PIP teacher but now will teach both classes, Monday/Wednesday (babies) and Tuesday/Thursday (toddlers) with Gwen (aide).

The Family Educators, Rosemary for the ECE team, and Tara for Grades 1-3, will continue to be your contact people. Please feel free to contact them at any time with questions you have. They are absolutely wonderful and will be able to help you. They will also refer you to appropriate people if necessary. I will be the contact person for instructional purposes only. You can contact me to discuss class placement or instructional strategies being used. Otherwise, please feel free to contact your Family Educators.

I look forward to working with you this year. I am part of the parents Language Planning group, Family Partnership Model group, and plan to attend all of the PAP (Parents As Partners) meetings and KHSO (Kendall Home School Organization) meetings/events. I hope many of you will also participate in these groups or events. Again, I look forward to working with you this year!

Sincerely,
Maureen Y. Burns
Assistant Principal of Instruction