Are you collecting school supplies for Ward 1 kids?

Is your organization/business is collecting school supplies for children and youth in your program or community?   Would you like some free publicity to increase supply donations?   Answer a few questions (it will only take a couple of minutes) and then I will compile the results and share them on this blog and other places.   The deadline for providing the information is COB August 4.   If you have a flier promoting the back to school supply drive, please email it to Susie Cambria (in addition to answering the questions!) and I will post on the blog.

From Cradle to Career: Creating High-Performing Partnerships with D.C. Public Schools

From Cradle to Career:   Creating High-Performing Partnerships with D.C. Public Schools, July 19 from 3:00 – 4:30 pm is being sponsored by Building Local Civic & Nonprofit Capacity, a project of the Urban Institute Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy and the National Center for Charitable Statistics.   The forum is being held at The Urban Institute (2100 M St NW, 5th Floor, Katharine Graham Conference Facility).   RSVP with complete contact information here.

Four years ago, educators, nonprofits, elected officials, corporations, and the philanthropic community banded together in Greater Cincinnati for a common purpose:   help each child succeed from birth to meaningful careers.   Today, this public-private partnership, known as Strive, unites a broad swath of committed individuals and organizations around shared issues, goals, measurements and results, and then actively supports and strengthens strategies that eliminate the cracks children might fall through.

Be part of a spirited and informative exchange as Jeff Edmondson, Strive’s executive director, discusses how the coalition is helping students meet five key benchmarks toward success in and out of school; and how working groups address activities ranging from early childhood education to college retention.

Contact Pho Palmer with questions:   (202) 261-5397 or via email.

State of Shaw Middle School Summit and Open House, January 9

Does your child attend Shaw Middle School?   Are you interested in learning more about student progress or how the school is using data to inform practice and policies?

Then plan on attending the State of Shaw Middle School Summit and Open House on Saturday, January 9 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.   The summit/open house is being held at Garnet-Patterson (2001 10th Street, NW).   The event will feature such open house sessions as:

• Daily life
• Literacy/Math initiatives
• Data driven instruction

Lunch will be provided.   Additional information is provided in the flier, below.

State of Shaw Summit Flyer

Parent time with Michelle Rhee

Thanks to the Post's Bill Turque for sharing this important news from DC Public Schools:   Starting immediately, DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee is holding office hours to speak with parents and community stakeholders.

Individuals will get five minutes face-to-face with Chancellor Rhee, more personal than the community and town hall type meetings with which she started her tenure.   Office hours start on December 9 in Ward 7 and come to Ward 1 on April 8 at Bruce-Monroe Elementary School (3560 Warder Street, NW).   Can't wait until April?   Then head up to Ward 4 on January 14 to Raymond Education Campus (915 Spring Road, NW).   Other dates and locations are listed on the DCPS Web site.   All office hours will be held from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.

César Chávez PCS returns Bruce School to original purpose

Ward 1 CM Jim Graham recently announced the opening of César Chávez Public Charter School for Public Policy's newest campus in the historic Blanche K. Bruce School.   The Bruce School site is Chavez's fourth campus and "restores a tradition of education excellence at the Bruce school" according to CM Graham.   The transformation of this building may be long overdue but the historic preservation has succeeded in ending the blight.

To learn more about how the "restoration contributes to quality of education of the city's youth, and to the ongoing revitalization of this east side area of Ward 1", visit the CM's blog.