At a meeting on March 22, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) Board of Trustees and DCPS reached agreement on plans for UDC to host Murch for the next two school years. The Murch community is very grateful to the UDC staff and Board of Trustees for their hard work to give Murch students a great space to attend school while Murch’s new building is being constructed.

The formal Memorandum of Understanding between UDC and DCPS will be signed in the coming days. Once that document is signed, we will make more details available to the community, including the full costs of the swing space.

More information about the plan for Murch swing space is available in on Swing Space Questions and Answers page.

Mayor Bowser released her Fiscal Year 2017 budget proposal on Thursday, March 24. The budget proposal includes $78 million for the Murch modernization, which still leaves the project $10 million underfunded for the design that was developed last year. In an email to Murch HSA and SIT leaders, Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles stated, “I have carefully reviewed this matter and feel confident that the planned facility will be one that provides a great physical environment.” A letter from Deputy Mayor Niles to the Murch community can be viewed here. The Murch SIT and HSA responded to express disappointment in the decision, stating, “We have heard repeated promises from you, the Mayor, DCPS, and DGS that the District will build a great school for Murch with the current budget. But without enough space, they have not shown us that it is possible.”

The Mayor chose not to fully fund the cost of the original project, in spite of making a commitment to invest in school modernizations and adding $220 million to the school modernization budget. You can read more about Mayor Bowser’s proposal to substantially increase funding for school modernizations in The Washington Post coverage from March 25.

At a Community Meeting on the Murch Modernization held Thursday evening, DCPS and DGS staff told the Murch community that they were proceeding with plans to redesign the building to fit the $78 million budget. According to agency officials, they would need to have a commitment of additional funds for the project by May 1, 2016 in order to return to the original plans and still complete the project on time. As soon as DCPS and DGS post a copy of their presentation from the Community Meeting, we will make that available here. The current, redesigned plans for Murch can be seen here, along with a comparison to the original design from October 2015.

Councilmember Mary Cheh told attendees at Thursday’s Community Meeting that she will continue to push for funds that will allow the project to proceed as planned last year (the October 2015 design). Cheh is asking the Bowser administration to find a way to fund the costs of swing space with funds separate from the capital funds allocated for the Murch modernization. Dr. Nathaniel Beers, Chief Operating Officer of DCPS, told the Murch SIT in February that the cost of the swing space would not come out of our construction budget.

Cheh also told the community that at a Council hearing on Tuesday, March 22, she secured commitments from DCPS and DGS to sit down with members of the Murch SIT and the builder to carefully review the estimates and plans for the original design. The goal of the meeting will look for true value engineering options that would not have significant negative impacts on school programming. That would allow the Council and the community to determine a more realistic estimate of the actual funding shortfall. Councilmember David Grosso, Chair of the Education Committee, also requested to participate in that meeting, “to make sure Murch is done right.”

Murch SIT Co-Chair Laura Kaiser and HSA Co-Presidents Maggie Gumbinner and Martha McIntosh testified at the Oversight Roundtable on DCPS school modernizations scheduled for this summer. The roundtable was a joint meeting of the Committee on Education and the Committee on Transportation & the Environment, chaired by Councilmember Cheh. DGS Director Christopher Weaver and DCPS Chief Operating Officer Dr. Nathaniel Beers testified at the hearing and faced many questions about the Murch project and the overall process of planning for school modernizations. The Murch community is very appreciative of the continued support and attention Councilmembers Cheh and Grosso have given to the Murch project. Video of the Council Roundtable is available on the DC Council website.

Unless and until additional funding is secured, DCPS and DGS will continue to seek regulatory approvals for the revised Murch plans. The DC Department of Transportation is scheduled to review the Reno Road curb cut and delivery entrance at an April 28 meeting. The Commission of Fine Arts and Historic Preservation Office will also be reviewing the project in April.

Nominations for the 2016-2017 Murch Home and School Association (HSA) Executive Board and Local School Advisory Team (LSAT)  will begin soon. We will have a number of open positions and welcome your interest.

The HSA serves to support and expand the educational mission of Murch. The HSA facilitates parent participation at the school and provides opportunities for parents to be meaningfully involved in their child’s education. This is accomplished, in part, by raising funds through member contributions and other activities, preparing an annual budget to spend the funds, and facilitating key communications of activities and other projects. Parents elected to the board are expected to be active members of the HSA by attending monthly meetings during the school year, spearheading projects, and engaging in activities that serve to connect parents to the school.

The LSAT is an elected panel of Murch staff, parents, and community members that advises the principal on matters of school policy. The LSAT prepares a detailed school plan each spring as part of the DCPS budgeting process. This plan identifies current needs at Murch and sets long-term goals for achievement, teacher satisfaction and excellence, discipline, and school environment.

Please consider getting involved!
Sincerely,

The 2016-2017 Nominating Committee
Kirsten Hawkins
Carrie Kolasky
Karissa Kovner
Virginia Marentette

Do you like to plan fun parties and events? Then we have the volunteer job for you. While Murch is in swing space over the next few years, we would like to ensure that our community bonds stay strong. One of the ways that we plan to do that is through various community events to keep the community together. If you are interested in helping with this effort, please send us an email and let us know.

Councilmember Mary Cheh (Ward 3) hosted a meeting on Tuesday, April 5, to discuss potential ways to save money on the Murch modernization while getting back to the design presented to the community last summer. Participants in the meeting included the Mayor’s Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs Maia Estes, Councilmember David Grosso (At Large and Chair of the Education Committee), DGS Director Christopher Weaver, DCPS Chief Operating Officer Nathaniel Beers, members of the Murch SIT, the builders, and the architects.

The SIT identified several of areas of where costs seemed high and Councilmember Cheh asked the builders to scrutinize those areas and others to tweak the October 2015 design and bring down costs without sacrificing functionality. The builders believe they can identify several million dollars in savings, in which case Councilmember Cheh will try to find funding to cover the shortfall. The goal is to preserve the October 2015 design, which the SIT and community believe best serves the needs of Murch for the long-term future by providing a building with greater functionality and flexibility.

We should have an answer by late next week as to how much the builders could reduce costs on the original design. Councilmember Cheh is hopeful that the information will help her efforts to find additional funding for the project. DGS has stated that additional funding would need to be identified by May 1 for the city to proceed with the design that was accepted by the community last year and still remain on schedule.

DCPS, DGS, and the Mayor’s staff emphasized that everyone must have realistic expectations about whether additional funding can be secured for the project and that it may not be easy. Nevertheless, we feel this is a positive step forward for the city to be revisiting the original design that the community agreed to last year.

If you weren’t able to come to the community meeting on Thursday, March 24, DCPS has posted the presentation from the meeting on their website.

Girls On The Run DC recently held its 10th Anniversary Sneaker Soiree and honored two of Murch’s own!

School counselor, Lauren Miller, and 1st grade teacher, Kathleen Bergin, were honored for their tireless efforts coaching Murch girls through the GOTR program. The two coaches built the program from the ground up, and this spring 25 girls are building confidence, getting great exercise and enjoying being part of a team And, as seen in this recent news segment on WUSA9, the program and the coaches make a lasting impression.

GOTR is a non-profit program designed to build strength, stamina and perseverance through running, but most importantly, participants are taught valuable life lessons and encouraged to realize their “limitless potential.” Donations to GOTR support curriculum enrichment and development, coach and volunteer training and materials, and outreach to underserved communities. If you’d like to donate to the GOTR program, please click here.

A heartfelt “ruff” and “meow” – uh, that means “thank you” in pet-guage – from the Fourth Grade Community Service Club.

In partnership with the Humane Society, the 4th grade service minded students collected donations for the Paws and Claws program.  Paws and Claws is designed to help pets in local area shelters by providing much needed items such as pet food and toys. Per usual, our community heard the call for help and rallied!  Thank you!

I am excited to release the final staffing plan for next year.

 **New to Murch

#Current Murch teacher in a new position

Pre-Kindergarten

Ms. Daniela Silver has been hired to join Ms. Alicia Garfinkel and Ms. Jackie Hines to round out our Pre-K teaching team.

Ms. Silver comes to us from American University where she is completing her Master of Arts in Teaching (Early Childhood Education).  Most recently, Ms. Silver worked as a student teacher at Bethesda Elementary School.

Ms. Silver fills the position held by Ms. Ariel Landsman who will be moving to Cleveland, Ohio. Ms. Landsman’s husband Marc matched into a gastroenterology fellowship with Case Western MetroHealth Hospital. They hope to return to the DC area when his fellowship is complete!

Kindergarten

Ms. Rachel Chalfant, Ms. Sophie Schwadron and Ms. Sarah Seltzer (current K teachers at Murch) will be joined by Ms. Wendy Cresswell, who will move from 1^st grade to kindergarten.  Mr. Charles Chalfant will become the instructional technology coach, supporting the use of technology in instruction and curriculum development at Murch.

1^st Grade

Ms. Kathleen Bergin and Ms. Alyssa Pinks (current 1^st grade teachers at Murch) will be joined by Ms. Katelyn Fitzpatrick, who will move from kindergarten to 1^st grade, and Ms. Athena Kopsidas.

Ms. Kopsidas joins us from her most recent experience as a first grade teacher at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration Public Charter School.

Ms. Kopsidas has a Master’s degree from George Mason University in Teaching with an emphasis in arts integration and urban education along with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in Early Childhood Education.

Ms. Bergin and Ms. Pinks’ classrooms will be self-contained.  Ms. Fitzpatrick and Ms. Kopsidas’ classrooms will be departmentalized. Students in those classrooms will spend half the day with Ms. Fitzpatrick for ELA and half the day with Ms. Kopsidas for math & science.

2^nd Grade

Ms. Elizabeth Schafer and Ms. De’Anna Walton (current 2^nd grade teachers at Murch) will be joined by Mr. Allen Travitz and Ms. Heather Hsu, both of whom currently teach 1^st grade at Murch.

Ms. Schafer and Ms. Walton’s classrooms will be self-contained. Mr. Travitz and Ms. Hsu’s classrooms will be departmentalized.  Students in those classrooms will spend half the day with Mr. Travitz for ELA and half the day with Ms. Hsu for math & science.

Departing 2^nd grade teachers include Ms. Laura Dorn, Ms. Meribeth Heitbrink, and Ms. Sally George.  Ms. Dorn will be attending graduate school at the University of Georgia next year.  She will miss Murch and hopes to return to work in D.C. the following year.  Ms. Heitbrink will be moving back to Chicago to be closer to family and friends and will continue to pursue her career in teaching.

3^rd Grade

Mr. Tim Brady and Ms. Monica Davis (current 3^rd grade teachers at Murch) will be joined by Mr. Scott Colman and Ms. Elizabeth Thompson.

Mr. Colman currently serves as the science coordinator at Murch, and Ms. Thompson comes to us from H.D. Cooke Elementary School in D.C., where she teaches 3^rd grade ELA.  Ms. Thompson has an English Literature degree from Trinity University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from American University.  She has a passion for teaching literacy and loves to learn new ways to make content exciting.

The 3^rd grade team will be departmentalized.  Mr. Brady will teach math, Mr. Colman will teach science and Ms. Davis and Ms. Thompson will teach English language arts.

Departing 3^rd grade teachers include Ms. Samantha Chung, Ms. Vanessa Robin and Ms. Maria Samenga.

Ms. Chung’s husband is starting a new position within his company and relocating them back to New Jersey.  Ms. Chung plans on continuing her teaching career, but will forever hold fond memories of Murch close to her heart.

Next year, Ms. Robin will be a full-time student, pursuing her MSW through Columbia University. Outside of her graduate studies, Ms. Robin will be tutoring kids in the DC area (including some Murch students!), which will allow her to keep in touch with the community and remain in the field of education. She will always cherish the time she spent at Murch and the relationships she’s built with students and their families.

Ms. Samenga just bought a house out in La Plata, Maryland. While she is sad to leave DCPS, she is very excited about this new adventure with her family.

4^th Grade

Ms. Meredith Grindrod, Ms. Sarah Heist and Ms. Asha Mathur (current 4^th grade teachers at Murch) will be joined by Ms. Lauren Reed.  Ms. Reed currently serves as the Murch geography teacher.

The 4^th grade team will be departmentalized.  Ms. Heist will teach math, Ms. Mathur will teach science and Ms. Grindrod and Ms. Reed will teach English language arts.

5^th Grade

Ms. Karen Levy, Ms. Avis McCoy and Ms. Vicki Otten (current 5^th grade teachers at Murch) will be joined by Mr. Peter Snyder.  Mr. Snyder currently teaches 4^th grade ELA.

The 5^th grade team will be departmentalized.  Ms. McCoy will teach math, Ms. Levy will teach science and Ms. Otten and Mr. Snyder will teach English language arts.

Departing 5^th grade teachers include Ms. Sabrina Sanford.  Ms. Sanford and her husband will relocate to Charlotte, NC early this summer.  Ms. Sanford will miss Murch, its staff and community, and living in the DC area, but she is excited for the new adventure that waits down in North Carolina.

Enrichment (Schoolwide Enrichment Model)

We are excited to welcome Ms. Roxanne Bentley as our enrichment coordinator.  Ms. Bentley is a SEM specialist who became acquainted with the SEM model during her Master’s degree work in Gifted and Talented Education.  She has since utilized the SEM model as a gifted and talented classroom teacher, has facilitated enrichment professional development, and was one of two pilot teachers who introduced the SEM model to DCPS Middle Schools in 2012.  She looks forward to transitioning back to elementary, her first love, and is excited to become part of the Murch community.

Resource Teachers

Ms. Nichole David (art), Mr. Timothy Johnson (physical education), and Joseph Casten (Spanish) will be joined by Mr. Eugene Branch (music) to complete our resource team.  Mr. Branch comes to us from H.D. Cooke Elementary School in D.C., where he teaches music.

Eugene “Gene” Branch, Jr. will join Murch Elementary School as the new music teacher for SY 2016-2017.   He comes to Murch with 24 years of teaching music at the elementary and middle school levels.  Gene plays and teaches piano, saxophone, flute, drums and clarinet.   He enjoys singing and performing, building and painting his own sets and designing costumes for shows in collaboration with parent volunteers.

Gene has a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance, along with two master degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and Education Administration.  He is currently attending Northcentral University, working towards a doctorate degree in Curriculum and Instruction.  Gene’s goal is to bring music, singing, and performing and music direction to its highest level at Murch as well as to make every performance memorable for the entire school community.

Dr. Christopher Lyon will continue his cross-disciplinary work with pre-k students as well as working with both Pre-k and Kdg. teachers in developing their understanding of Reggio Emilia which will be fully implemented in Pre-K and Kdg. starting with the 2018-2019 school year.

Departing resource teachers include Ms. Catherine Pruett (music), who is looking for new adventures in other places and Ms. Lauren Reed will be joining the fourth grade team!

Support Teams

We have added a Special Education Inclusion teacher to our staff.  Ms. Katie Fischer comes to us from Truesdell Education Campus in D.C., where she serves as a special education inclusion teacher.  She holds a Master of Science degree in teaching from Fordham University.

We also welcome Ms. Alison Williams as an additional instructional coach (joining Ms. Tashima Hawkins in the coaching office).  Ms. Williams is a Washington, D.C. native who attended James F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School and Hardy Middle School.  She holds her BS from Hampton University and Master’s from University of Maryland, College Park and is beginning her 21st year as an educator—12 years as a classroom teacher, 4 as a Reading Specialist and the last 5 as an Instructional Coach.

Our ELL (English Language Learners) team will remain the same, but we will add one ELL aide. This decision has yet to be made.

We look forward to welcoming these new team members to Murch for the 2016-17 school year!

Have a great weekend.

Congratulations to our Murch Mustang track and field team!

Our fleet-footed team placed 2nd overall for boys and 3rd overall for girls in the DCIAA Elementary City Track and Field Competition… And gold medals were awarded to several of our Mustangs for individual and team races.

The auction this year will be on March 25th, 2017 at the Washington Hebrew Congregation. In addition to helping raise money for our children’s school it’s also a fun night out with food, friends, and drink!  Information on tickets to follow.

In the meantime, we need YOUR help!  Please volunteer! Our current Auction Chairs are in urgent need for volunteers to head various Auction Donations Committees, specifically:

• Just for Grown Ups

• Glorious Getaways

• Marvelous Mustangs

• Live Bidding the Night of the Auction

We are also looking for individuals who would like to act as Co-Chairs for these Committees.

Please email Auction Chairs, Elisa O’Keefe, Liz Haines, and Jess Regan ASAP.

Mark your calendars!  Class and group photos will be taken on Tuesday, January 24.  These photos provide an opportunity to have a photo of your child’s entire class, with their teacher.  Photos will also be taken of the following sports and leadership groups at Murch:  Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field, Student Council, Peer Mediators and Newspaper Staff.

An order form will be sent home via Friday folders on Wednesday, January 18^th (sent on Wednesday because of the shorter week) and should be returned to your child’s teacher by picture day (Tuesday, January 24^th).  Extra order forms will also be available on class picture day OR you can click HERE for a copy of the order form.  You can also order online by visiting www.freedpics.com and using Password:  MURCH1617CG

Photos ordered via paper form will be delivered to Murch.  If you order online, photos will be sent to your house.   For questions about ordering, please reach out to Freed Spirit directly at 301-652-5452.

Congratulations are in order to various hard-working Murch Mustangs on their recent academic and athletic accomplishments!

-AMC 8 Math Competition:  Murch sent a team of students in November to participate in the annual AMC 8 Math Competition.  Out of 65 total competitors from Murch and other schools, several students received medals:

Gold:  Rose Huggins

Silver:  Zach Kovner

Bronze:  Kate Rodriguez, Devan Tatlow, Francesca Purificato and Katherine Crouch

Honorable Mention:  Shane Clements

-Spelling Bee:  The Murch spelling bee will be held next Wednesday, January 18^th.  Congratulations to the following class representatives who will compete for the chance to represent Murch and move on to regional and citywide competitions:

Fifth Grade:  Sabrina Bergeron,  David Dang, Jonae Roach, Mohammad Alqurashi, Callahan Flaherty, Sadie Sullivan, Giacomo Ban Goodrich, Katie Crouch, Paulina Stewart-Aday, Kate Rodriguez, Josie Walker, and Devan Tatlow

Fourth Grade:  Bea Marchesani, Mabel Canty, Victoria Hoffstetter, Miles Greenberger, Oliver Sheriff, Margaux Colleye, Beckett McDonald, Anna Vu, Ben Lust, Maia Riggs, Anjali Dave, and Rafi Fox

-Indoor Track & Field Championship:  Congratulations to the Murch boys and girls indoor track and field team; the team competed in the Citywide Championship this past Wednesday!  The boys won third place in the city in Murch’s first-ever indoor season.  Eight boys and eight girls won medals for finishing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in an event.  Congratulations to the team for a successful season and to the following runners, who participated in the Championship meet:

Girls:  Francesca Ban-Goodrich, Katherine Hilditch, Olivia Hurley, Francesca Rae Marzilli, Lorelei McIntosh, Elizabeth Owens, Laila Rosten, Natalie Selden, Dulce Shepperd, Alexandra Snyder and Cymia Yourish

Boys:  Muhammed Alquarashi, Ian Arnsberger, Giacomo Ban-Goodrich, Xavier Beasley, Peter Currie, Austin Kirika, Zachary Kovner, James McAloon, Thomas Potter, Ari Priniotakis, Romell Randolph, Donovan Shook, Ryan Skelly, Eoin Sullivan, Daluchi Ugochukwu, and Mekhi Young

-Penguin Boys Basketball Tournament:  Finally, the Murch boys basketball team has been invited to participate in a fun basketball tournament on MLK Day against other NW elementary schools.  Eaton, Key, Hyde-Addison and Murch will compete.  Good luck to our boys basketball team as they have fun and represent Murch well!

As a reminder, Murch students are off school Monday (for MLK Day), Thursday (for PD day) and Friday (for inauguration day).

Have a great weekend.

Student Council would like to invite all Pre-K through 5^th grade students to become a part of our ninth annual Lip Sync Show.  A lip sync is an individual or group of students who mouth the words (lip sync) to a song while developing a choreographed dance and wearing appropriate costumes to accompany the lip syncing.  This is a fun activity open to all students.

The Lip Sync will take place on March 9^th at 6:00 p.m. in the UDC theater.  There will be an information session to sign up to participate on Thursday, February 2^nd at 3:30 in the Ms. Heist’s room, B102.

Please contact our school counselor, Ms. Miller or Ms. Heist, our 4th grade teacher with any questions and come support our teachers and students participating in this fun event!

Dear Murch Mustangs,

Happy Friday!  As we look ahead to next week, please make note of the following reminders:

-Flex After-School Winter Classes start next week.  New learning opportunities bring a lot of excitement, but they often bring changes to students’ dismissal plans.  If your child’s afternoon dismissal plan will change, please email the new schedule to your child’s teacher so there is no confusion next week.  Teachers are responsible for dismissing students to the correct location each day.  Please note that buses do NOT run after Flex classes conclude.  Students must be picked up from the bubble at 4:30 (or sent to X-day).

-As an important safety reminder, do NOT drop your children off in the morning on the southern side of Van Ness Street.  Crossing multiple lanes of busy Van Ness Street is dangerous.  All student drop-offs should take place on the northern side of Van Ness Street—the side closest to the complex—and students should exit cars on the side closest to the sidewalk.

-Finally, our indoor arrival/dismissal flag is back.  In the event of indoor arrival or dismissal (due to winter or wet weather), we will hang a light blue flag near the Murch main office (next to the U.S. flag).

Have a great weekend.

The Murch Student Council has organized a sweet fundraiser for this coming Valentine’s Day…dollars for doughnuts!  Families are encouraged to send their child to school that day with the suggested donation of $1.00 (per student).  The Student Council will collect the money and then deliver doughnuts to each classroom at the end of the day.  $1.00 for 1 doughnut per student.  All the money raised will be donated to the Pennies for Patients Campaign of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Please note: Original Glazed Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are nut-free, but do contain dairy.

With the 2017 Murch Auction – Glitz, Glamour, Gatsby right around corner, we are busy at work preparing for the big night!  The auction is our BIGGEST fundraiser, but we rely on the participation and support of parents, teachers, and school staff in order to make it a success!  With such an array of talented & accomplished individuals making up the Murch community, we know that the donation opportunities are infinite.  What can you donate to the Auction this year?

• Have access to a vacation home that you could donate?
• Do you have season tickets to a sporting event or a show?
• Love to cook? Donate a dinner party or baked goods.
• Do you have special skills you could teach to others such as sewing, knitting, or cooking?
• Have a home and love to host?  Create a Sign-Up party for an in-home event.
• Offer a special service like tax prep, landscaping, organizing, or tutoring.
• Get an overnight lodging donation from a favorite hotel or bed and breakfast.
• Do you have a special relationship with a local business or restaurant that could make a donation?

Questions or Donations?  Email Elisa and Jess at murchauction@gmail.com

DCPS Proposed Calendar for 2017-2018 – DCPS has posted their proposed calendar for next school year and will be accepting comments until February 5. Check it out and let them know what you think.

DC Council bill on Nursing Coverage in Schools – Nine members of the DC Council have co-sponsored a bill that would require DC to provide school nurses at all public and charter schools in the District for a minimum of 40 hours a week. The law currently requires only 20 hours per week, which has led to cutbacks in some school nursing coverage over the years. More information on the bill can be found here. Community members are encouraged to contact members of the Council to show their support for this important legislation. (Contact information for all Councilmembers can be found here.)

Ward 3-Wilson Feeder Education Network (W3 Ed Net) has three upcoming meetings on issues of interest to Murch families:

• Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE) – You may be familiar with DCPS and the DC Board of Education, but what do you know about OSSE? OSSE is responsible for PARCC testing, determining how DC will assess schools under new federal laws, and a host of other important issues that affect our children and schools. W3 Ed Net will host State Superintendent for Education Hanseul Kang for questions and answers on topics such as the role of OSSE, testing, the new federal education law. (Tuesday, January 31, 7 pm at the Georgetown Library)

• Rating schools under new federal law – The Office of the State Superintendent for Education, the State Board of Education and the W3 Ed Net are sponsoring a meeting to present the school rating and accountability plan being developed to comply with new federal law. This is a chance to learn and provide your input as the plan is developed. Issues include how much weight should be given to reading and math (versus other subjects), what proportion of the ratings should be based on test scores, and how the ratings should balance measurements of student proficiency and student growth. (Wednesday, February 8, 7 pm at Wilson High School)

• Overcrowding in local schools – W3 Ed Net will host Councilmember May Cheh for a discussion on overcrowding in Wilson feeder pattern schools and possible solutions to relieve overcrowding. (Thursday, February 23, 6:45 pm at the Tenley-Friendship Library)

New Residency Verification Regulations – OSSE has published new regulations covering how student residency will be verified and investigated. The public can review the proposed regulations and comment online until February 13.

Middle schools do it.  High schools do it.  Should elementary schools do it too?  Asking teachers to drop their traditional roles as generalists and serve instead as experts, teaching one or two content areas is part of a growing trend called departmentalizing (or platooning) and some say it can result in many benefits for teachers and kids if it’s well planned and executed.

Murch is currently piloting departmentalization in grades 1 and 2 this year and has been departmentalized in grades 3 – 5 for several years.

Every program or practice has its benefits and obstacles.  I believe there needs to be a broader discussion about this topic throughout the Murch community so let me begin the discussion by offering pros and cons of departmentalization.  My goal is not to institute a practice that everyone else is doing but to implement programs and practices that work for students.

Departmentalization at Murch has had both its “pros” and “cons”.  Ultimately, it’s about the results of learning and whether or not our students meet intended outcomes of the curriculum.

Please click HERE for pros and cons in the debate among educators and parents about departmentalization in the elementary grades.  I have been in education long enough to have seen everything from open classrooms to combined grades, departmentalization, self-contained models, etc.  If you have thoughts on this, I would love to hear them.  Send me an email or stop in if you have a moment.

Have a great weekend.