February 2017 DC Public Charter School News
| It's for the Students |
| “This is not just my dream,” said defensive back Sirrah Smith. “It’s my family’s dream.” |
 Earlier this month, in honor of National College Signing Day, Friendship Collegiate Academy, alongside former Washington Redskins Cornerback, Shawn Springs, announced that 18 members of their Collegiate Knights football team would be attending college in the Fall on both athletic and academic full ride scholarships. The players signed their letters-of-intent with the following schools: Howard University, Bowie State, Morgan State, Fairmont State, Shenandoah University, Stevenson University, Temple University, Syracuse University, and the U.S. Naval Academy. The ceremony not only showed true emotion from the players and their families but also underscored the importance of strong teachers, coaches, and schools. We congratulate these students and wish them luck on their college journey! #DCcharterProud |
| On February 28 the Public Charter School Board will share the achievements of public charter schools with the DC Council's Committee on Education. Here's an excerpt from Chairman Woodruff's testimony:
"As our city grows, it is important we provide families and communities with information that helps them navigate DC's vibrant and diverse choices. By working together with various stakeholders, our goal is to increase the quality of our schools, support our educators, and ensure more families are able to attend a school that is the best fit for their student. Our enrollment, academic quality, in-seat attendance, fiscal health, and the number of students attending Tier one schools are all up, and suspensions and expulsions are down. Public charter schools continue to achieve better results with a less advantaged population and their successes are benefitting the city as more and more families choose to raise children in our district." Watch the hearing here and read the testimony tomorrow at 10 a.m. |
| People of Public Charter Schools |
| Why I Do This |
 Photo Credit: Roots Public Charter School I love coming to work every day because I love being with my children. They are so full of energy, excitement, and belief in their success in life. I want to keep that spark in their eyes. I want to keep that excitement in their life. And I want to share with them and show them how to be successful and why they need to be serious about becoming all that they can become. I need them to know who came before them and the great things that were done. I need them to know that they are here to make the world a better place. - Dr. Bernida Thompson, Founder of Roots Public Charter School (Pictured above with principal Rasheki Kuykendall-Walker) Founded in 1999 by Dr. Bernida Thompson, Roots PCS is one of only a handful of schools in DC that teaches from an African-centered perspective. The curriculum provides students with the tools they need to understand where they came from, who they are, and how to become leaders in their community and in the nation. |
| School Stories |
| Chávez Prep Middle School Featured on ABC News 7 |
 ABC7 News Reporter Richard Reeve visited César Chávez Prep Middle School to report on the success of DC's public charter schools. The mission of Chávez Prep focuses on public policy. “It provides choice," said Principal, Dr. Kourtney Miller. "As long as you are providing choice, as well as quality, I think it is a great thing.” Liset Constanza, parent of Katie at Chávez Prep, is happy with her daughter's specialized curriculum, "Instead of the generalized instruction that she had at her other school, now it is more specific." Watch the video by clicking on the photo above. |
| Goodwill Excel Talks About Pathways to the Middle Class at DC Charter Conference |
| Colleen Paletta, VP of Workforce Development at Goodwill of Greater Washington, sat on a panel about the "Pathways to the Middle Class" at the first ever DC Charter Conference hosted by Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS) on February 16. She and the other panelists discussed strategies for working with students from different backgrounds and why it is important for students to understand that there are multiple career and academic options available to them. The other panelists included: Scott Pearson, Executive Director of the DC Public Charter School Board, Rich Pohlman, Executive Director of Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS, Laurie Wingate, Executive Director of RaiseDC, and Ja'Sent Brown, Director of DC's ReEngagement Center. |
| Somerset PCS Hosts First Ever Career Fair |
 Photo Credit: Somerset Public Charter School Hosted by the Somerset PCS Guidance Department, a group of professionals from military personnel to doctors, architects, and more showed high school students the types of careers that await them after graduation. The professionals explained their job responsibilities and highlighted how a degree in a particular field could translate to countless job opportunities. Several students even left the fair with internships in the city.
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| Upcoming Events |
| March 20 - Board Meeting The Board will hold its next monthly meeting on March 20 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss various issues related to public charter schools and to hear from the public. The meeting will be held at Friendship PCS - Armstrong Campus (1400 First Street NW). A meeting agenda will be available here. Watch the meeting on our website. Missed last month's meeting? Read a summary here. |