Two weeks ago principals, vice principals, and other instructional leaders from across KIPP DC gathered for our annual School Leaders Retreat. Together, they reflected on what went into a strong start to 2018-19 school year and dug into important focus areas as we work towards our 2020 strategic goals. Specifically, principals spent considerable time creating a shared vision for what excellent teaching looks like at KIPP DC and articulating how to create more equitable and inclusive school environments following a recent site visit by the KIPP Foundation’s Leading for Racial Equity team. Keep an eye out for updates on these fronts in the next few months. In addition, the school leader team delved into a variety of topics around student attendance, chronic absenteeism, and our work with Harvard’s Proving Ground project.
For this month’s classroom spotlight we visited the Aretha Franklin classroom at The Learning Center, led by Ms. Alyssa Lustig. During our visit, the class was enjoying their time displaying their growth as readers and diving into the novel “Because of Winn-Dixie.”
This is Ms. Lustig’s third year at The Learning Center and tenth year overall as an educator. She enjoys seeing the maturation of her KIPPsters as readers and says what makes this group unique is their ability to “take ownership of their learning.”
Congratulations to the Aretha Franklin Classroom at the Learning Center. Check out more photos from this month’s visit!
Partnering and engaging with the local community is central to our vision of all KIPPsters leading lives full of choice and opportunity. We’re proud to highlight a few of the events and initiatives our engagement team has had a leadership role in, including:
The 3rd Annual “Stop the Violence, Increase the Peace” Rally
The walk was organized in partnership with Ms. Veeda Rasheed and brought together a host of community organizations, clubs, churches, and families for a peaceful rally through D.C.’s Ward 7. The march ended at the Benning Boys and Girls Club where we heard remarks from at-large Councilmember Elissa Silverman, Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray, and Metropolitan Police Department Sixth District Commander Durriyyah Habeebullah on the importance of stopping violence in the community.
KIPP Codes
KIPP Codes is a ten-week adult coding boot-camp open to all adults in Wards 7 and 8. The program introduces participants to the basics of coding and prototyping and helps propel residents into the growing tech industry. Our first cohort graduated from the program in September with then-interim Deputy Mayor for Education Ahnna Smith in attendance to congratulate graduates on their hard work and dedication to the KIPP Codes program. Our second KIPP Codes cohort is half-way through their bootcamp and eager to jump-start their career in the tech industry.
A Mile in My Shoes
Safe passage to and from school is a major focus for our school, our families, and our community. We were able to bring increased awareness to this issue earlier in the month with At-Large Councilmember for the District of Columbia Robert White. He joined KIPP DC College Preparatory scholar Marion during his morning commute from his home in Anacostia and experienced first-hand what many of our students traveling to campuses. As we continue to champion safe passage for our KIPPsters, we’re proud to have the opportunity to bring increased attention to this important issue.
As we continue to highlight our 2020 strategic focus of GET BETTER, Minnie Das of KIPP DC College Preparatory stopped by the KIPP in Touch Podcast to discuss establishing the Academy of Finance at KCP through a partnership with the National Academies Foundation (NAF) and the D.C. Career Academy Network (DCCAN), and how it's preparing students to "Be Future Ready."
KIPPsters at our Benning Campus learning about jazz music and it's historical cultural connections during "Jazzin' in School"
Quest Academy students and families learning about healthy food options, choosing fresh produce, and even trying healthy samples with our partners at Joyful Food Markets, sponsored by Martha's Table
Flu season is upon us! Please be sure to get a flu shot. As a benefit of being a KIPP DC employee, you have free access to OneMedical for same-day and tele-health appointments with medical professionals. Please reach out to the HR Team with questions.
Do you know a special group of KIPPsters that deserves recognition for their outstanding performance?
Contact us and let us know!