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Legenda #4 2021-22
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LEGENDA*

*That which is to be read

News from 
Washington Latin

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STEM Club learned about chemical reactions this week and experimented with creating elephant's toothpaste!

Dear Latin families,


DC residents live in one of the most diverse geographic regions in the country. The U.S. Census uses a Diversity Index to measure the likelihood that “two people chosen at random will be of different race and ethnicity groups.” According to 2020 data, DC ranks fifth nationwide, trailing fourth-place Maryland by just 0.1 of a percentage point. Yet, despite overall diversity, individual school diversity is rare. As recently as 2018, half of D.C.’s public schools had a student body that was at least 90 percent African American. Many schools are as segregated today as they were in the years immediately following the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. 
 
Research consistently illustrates the importance of school compositional effects on student outcomes. Students in integrated schools have higher average test scores, are more likely to enroll in college, and are less likely to drop out. Integrated classrooms encourage students’ critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. It is this understanding of and appreciation for the value of diversity that influenced our founders. In our early years, intentional efforts were made to attract students from across the city and to recruit students from various racial and ethnic groups. Now in our 16th year, we have maintained our racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity. However, we are not as socioeconomically diverse as we were even five or six years ago. 
 
We believe that it is good for our school, our city, and society at large for white students and students of color from a variety of backgrounds, including those who are “middle class” to be educated together. This is why we have had a commitment to diversity in all its forms since the earliest days of our school. And while we make every effort to maintain that diversity, it has become increasingly challenging as demand for a Latin education has continued to escalate. 
 
In school year 2019-20, the last year for which we have systemwide data, 43% of public-school students were considered “at-risk” under a local statutory designation which includes students who receive certain public benefits, experience homelessness, are in the foster care system, or are over-age in high school. In that year, the at-risk percentage in our upper school was 14.3%, down from 23.4% five years earlier. This number was the second lowest percentage among charter high schools in the city. Overall numbers are far lower than that.
 
In August, the Public Charter School Board approved our application to implement an Equitable Access preference for eligible students. With this approval, we will designate a set number of seats for eligible applicants (those who meet the city’s definition for at-risk for academic failure). We will inform My School DC of our seat allocations prior to the running of the lottery. We will not have access to how many applicants qualify for these seats prior to the running of the lottery.
 
Our primary goals in electing to implement this preference is the adjusting of our student population to be more aligned with city demographics, to be closer to what we were in the recent past and to better reflect our mission. This is being prioritized for our second campus which we will open a little less than a year from now. We look forward to discussing this further at the Latin Parent Forum on Tuesday. Hope to see you there.

 

Valete!

Peter

Peter T. Anderson
Head of School

SOLD OUT & POSTPONED!

Tickets were in high demand this year and the event sold out quickly! In addition, the forecast for this evening has forced us to postpone the event to Sunday (confirmed reservations, please check your email for details). While we are unable to welcome any new reservations even with the new date, we hope that you will still consider supporting the music program by donating via PayPal (use the microphone button on Arts & Music page).  Questions? Please email Kate Cromwell.

Back to School Nights - Thanks for joining!


Middle School

Videos now available on Parents' Page


If you were unable to join us on Zoom last week, recordings of the grade level sessions are now available for viewing on the Parents page!
 

Upper School

Check your email for teacher video links


Thank you to those families who were able to join the live session on Tuesday! To view the video recordings of each of your child/ren's teachers, please check your email for the video links. Please let us know if you cannot find the email. These videos will be available until next Friday 9/24 - make sure you watch these introductions to your children's classes and teachers before then!
 

Reminder: Latin Cafe

Tuesday 9/21/21 @ 6:30 PM


We hope you will all join us for our next all-family forum via Zoom next Tuesday. We will focus on sharing more information with families about the Equitable Access lottery preference (also known as the at-risk preference), including how it will work for families applying to Latin and responding to your questions about it. Questions we plan to cover include:
  • Why has Latin decided to utilize this preference?
  • How does this preference fit into our mission and long-term goals?
  • How will this preference be added to the lottery process and relate to our existing enrollment preferences? 
We will also discuss how we will continue to focus on our students as individuals, designing an array of supports around them to catalyze their academic success and personal development within our classical model and diverse-by-design school. If you have specific questions, please send them to us in advance (communication@latinpcs.org) or share them in the forum.
 
We will also briefly share updates on the school year and some COVID data. The Zoom link will be forthcoming on Tuesday. 
 
See you on Zoom next Tuesday!

Looking for a good book?

Try the 2021-22 Family Handbook!


"A must read!" - Every Latin administrator

"The most useful publication I can think of!" - Latin Parents across DC

"It's just all there in one great publication - read it again and again!" - Latin students in all grades


The reviews are in - our Family Handbook should be on everyone's reading list!

 

We mean it. Please read the Handbook.

The Family Handbook is a compilation of our school policies. We expect every family - parents and students - to read this document and be familiar with the contents, including the behavioral expectations for everything from academic honesty to use of technology to uniform rules.

You can find the handbook on the Parents pageQuestions? Please contact communication@latinpcs.org.

CLARIFICATION
Attendance Policy Reminder

A doctor's note is required to excuse absences or tardies due to DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS

If students arrive at school late or are absent due to a medical appointment you must submit a note from the physician's office to attendance@latinpcs.org. Without a note, the absence will be UNEXCUSED! This has long been our policy, so this is just a reminder of the requirement.

We do NOT require a doctor's note if your child is simply home sick for a day or two. This is not our policy, nor has it ever been. If your child is not well, please DO keep them home! Please review the full Attendance Policy on the Parents page.

We apologize for not communicating this more clearly last week!

Questions? Please email Ms. Carenda Nunn at attendance@latinpcs.org.

Cool Culture Events
 

DANCE FESTIVAL: On Saturday, celebrate Dance Place’s 41st season by attending the District Choreography (D.C.) Dance Festival. The free outdoor show will include performances by BANDPortier, BREathe Dance Project, Culture Shock Washington D.C., DC Casineros, Heart Stück Bernie, PEARSONWIDRIG DANCETHEATER, and Xing Dance Theater. (8th St Arts Park; 1:00 p.m.; FREE)

News

DCist Coverage of COVID in DC Schools (featuring Ms. Fleming)

Soccer Sisters

Volleyball Spikes!

The World Goes Round and Round

Poets and They Know It!

Chemical Reactions

Hands-on Learning

Events

9/19 - *NEW* Cocktail Concert, 5:00 pm (confirmed guests only - FULL!)
9/21 - Latin Cafe, 6:30 pm - Join via Zoom for updates and Q&A
9/22 - 10th Grade to Adventure Park at Sandy Spring
9/24 - 26 - 12th Grade to Western MD 4H Education Center
10/1 - *NEW* Half Day Dismissal
10/2 - Parent-Faculty Social, 6:00 pm 
10/6 -
Financial Aid Night with the College Counseling Office, 6:30-8:00 pm (virtual)
10/7 - Board of Governors meeting, 6:00 pm (virtual)
10/11 - Indigenous People Day - NO SCHOOL
10/19 - 5th Grade to Calleva Challenge Course (details coming soon)
10/21 - 6th Grade to Calleva Challenge Course (details coming soon)

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5200 2nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
www.latinpcs.org






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Washington Latin Public Charter School · 5200 2nd Street NW · Washington, DC 20011 · USA