WARRIOR WEEKLY March 29-April 2
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Dear TMA Families,
Families, Spring is here and great weather ahead. We are entering the final Quarter of the school year. While we have put in place multiple opportunities for students to end the year strong, please make sure that your students are taking full advantage of all the resources available. Also, please plan to join us Thursday, April 1st at 5:45pm for our TMA Family Meeting. To join the meeting CLICK HERE.
While our meeting Thursday will provide more information we wanted to share that TMA will continue to hold classes remotely but are making plans to increase opportunities for students and you to come into the building for both academic and social activities. Have a wonderful week and we look forward to seeing you next Thursday.
Quote of the Week:
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What’s Ahead:
- Monday, March 29 Work and Wellness Day (No School Students)
- Tuesday, March 30 Work and Wellness Day (No School Students)
- Wednesday, March 31 Work and Planning (No School Students)
- Thursday, April 1 Q4 begins
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Thursday, April 1: TMA Family Meeting--5:45pm Click HERE to Join Meeting.
- Tuesday, April 6 Law Firm Tutoring--11th Grade
- Friday, April 9 Howard Law Academy--10th Grade
- Monday, April 12-Friday, April 16 Spring Break
- Friday, April 16 Emancipation Day (School Closed)
- Tuesday, April 20 Law Firm Tutoring--11th Grade
- Saturday, April 24 Mentor Day
- Tuesday, April 27 Civil Rights Trip Panel
- Tuesday, April 27 - SAT School Day (On-Site)
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TMA Family Meeting
As you have noted, businesses and schools across the District, Maryland, and Virginia are beginning to open more. Similarly, requirements, guidance, and restrictions are changing daily.
For our final quarter of this year, we'll remain using remote learning for our classes. This means that we are not planning to use a hybrid model this year. With that said, we will continue to increase small groups and activities for students and our team members in the building this spring. For example, 81 community members were at TMA last Saturday for senior pictures and the student-led food pantry.
To learn more about our plans, please Join us this Thursday at 5:45pm. Click HERE to Join the Zoom Meeting.
Parent Enrollment Survey
Families, we are always looking for ways to improve and that includes surveying our families to ensure we are meeting your changing needs. Please click HERE to complete our Family Enrollment Survey. Completed surveys will be entered in a raffle for a $50 gift card (four winners awarded)! Winners will be announced in next week’s Warrior Weekly! We thank you in advance for your candid feedback.
Brief Senior Year Activities Update
Families, senior year is winding down. With that said, we would like to share some things with you.
- The Senior Activities Committee has been working diligently to create remote activities that seniors can do together. The goal is one activity a month.
Please look for the upcoming events in the senior bulletin link (listed below) in this Warrior Weekly. As always if you have any questions please email sstewart@tmapchs.org.
Parent Small Group Survey
SY 21-22 Enrollment
Registration is a two-step annual process for all TMA students.
Thank you to all families who submitted their Intent to Return form by the extended deadline. Please note that registration will tentatively open to all families on April 5, 2021. Families must complete the registration process (completing annual forms, providing required medical/dental forms and submitting valid DC residency documentation ) during the month of April. Documentation will be provided electronically at the beginning of April to complete this process.
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SY21–22 Recruitment Season
Each year, we welcome new students and families into the TMA community, and you can help us to do this by spreading the word about Thurgood Marshall Academy! Please help us by sharing your family’s experience at TMA with others and by inviting parents you know to come to apply to TMA through myschooldc.org.
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Attendance
Students must log in to their scheduled Zoom/Canvas sessions for synchronous classes to be considered present for the class period. Please email your student’s teachers, advisor, and rshort@tmapchs.org, when your student will miss any synchronous classes.
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Community Service Opportunities
All Warriors should be working to earn 100 hours of community service by the end of their senior year to meet graduation requirements. Volunteer hours must be completed at either a 501c3 non-profit organization or government agency. Students may not receive any pay for volunteer hours.
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College & Counseling Updates
For the last few summers, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation has sponsored 20 DCPS and DC public charter school students to attend the Stevens Institute of Technology Pre-College Summer programming in Hoboken, NJ. The experience was on campus the summers of 2018 and 2019. The program will be offered virtually this summer (2021) due to the pandemic. This experience is available at no cost to selected DCPS and DC charter school students through the Clark Foundation sponsorship.
Program and application details follow.
Applications are due April 1st.
The Stevens Pre-College Summer 2021 programs are week-long (one program is two weeks), full day sessions beginning the week of July 11. The participants will experience live sessions taught by Stevens faculty, spend time in the evenings on research projects, and have the opportunity to participate in student life workshops. Students must attend all sessions to receive their completion certificate. This is a time-intensive and rewarding experience.
We are pleased to offer DC students a variety of pre-college programs at Stevens during the week of July 11th. The programs include:
- Business Explorer (1-week program)
- Exploring Career Options in Engineering and Science - ECOES (2-week program)
- Introduction to Coding (1-week program)
- Pre-Med Biomedical Engineering (1-week program)
- Pre-Med Biology (1-week program)
- Cybersecurity-Advanced (1-week program; a background in AP Computer Science or similar is required as a prerequisite)
Program descriptions may be found here. The group of DC students will also be invited to attend a special SAT prep workshop planned for July 10th and 11th.
Please share this information and encourage your students to apply to receive a sponsorship to attend Stevens Pre-College 2021.
Details for DC students:
- Programming is best suited for rising 11th and 12th graders.
- Programming for DC students is during the week of July 11, 2021 (the ECOES program is two weeks July 11-23).
- 2021 programming is virtual. Students will need an internet connection, computer, headset with microphone, zoom installed on computer, webcam and a learning space.
- The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation will fund at least 20 DCPS and DC charter high school students. Clark sponsorship includes fully paid tuition (a value of $1,000-2,000 per student).
- Students must apply through the Stevens website (below)
- Applications due April 1, 2021.
Important notes about the online application:
- Students are requested to provide a personal statement (max 500 words).
- Guidance counselors must provide official student transcripts for students. Counselors will receive an email with a link from Stevens to upload the transcript.
- Letter of recommendation and PSAT, SAT or ACT scores are both OPTIONAL. You do not need to provide this.
- Uploading any supplemental materials on the application is OPTIONAL. You do not need to provide this.
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DCPS and DC public charter school students do not need to fill out any financial aid information on the application -- if selected, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation covers full tuition for DC students. (When you get to the financial aid section of the application it will ask you if you would like to be considered for financial aid -- select no and continue)
Contact Information for Questions
Please contact Joel Rolon, Director of Pre-College Programs, with questions or for more information. Mr. Rolon may be reached at summer@stevens.edu.
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Programs Updates
If you are interested in enrolling your student in Homework Help, email Ms. Schwarz at cschwarz@tmapchs.org. If you want to sign your student up for the Mentor Program, email Ms. Jean at pjean@tmapchs.org.
21st CCLC evaluation of TMA Programs:
illuminatED llc, an independent evaluation firm, is working with TMA to evaluate Programs activities that are funded by a 21st Century Learning Community Centers (21st CCLC) grant from the District of Columbia (DC) Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). illuminatED has served as TMA’s evaluator on its previous 2st CCLC grants for more than 16 years.
The evaluation responds to the following questions:
- To what extent has TMA met its stated OSSE 21st CCLC objectives, as described in TMA’s 2019-20 application/2020-21 continuation application to OSSE?
- What are TMA’s key programmatic successes? What barriers are encountered in program implementation and how are they addressed?
illuminatED is working with TMA to observe (virtually) various Programs activities (including Homework Help, Mentor Day, clubs, Law Firm Tutoring, and family events), talk to key stakeholders, and share insights and information that will help TMA to make Programs the best it can be. Students and teachers will complete surveys about Programs, too.
Please contact Ms. Wilson Amanda Wilson, Director of Programs at TMA, at awilson@tmpachs.org if you have any questions about the evaluation.
Virtual Congressional Art Competition 2021
The Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.
Students submit entries to their representative’s office, and panels of artists select the winning entries in each congressional district. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The winning works are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol.
As such, we are kicking off the 2021 Congressional Art Competition for the District of Columbia. This year’s event will be completely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A packet of information, including deadlines and submission forms is attached to this email.
Photographed student art is due via email by 5 pm on Friday, April 30th.
Athletics
Students who were enrolled in PE classes Spring of 2020, if you left items in your gym locker, you may come to the gym to retrieve them on Wednesday, March 24th or Wednesday, March 31st between 10:00-1:00 PM.
Items not claimed by the 31st will be discarded. If you are not available either Wednesday, contact Mrs. Thompson; mthompson@tmapchs.org to arrange pick up.
Attention all Warrior Athletes and prospective Athletes:
Virtual meetings and conditioning sessions are now taking place. If you are interested in being a part of one of our athletic teams, you are required to attend these sessions to prepare for the upcoming season. Please contact the following coaches for information on when and where to attend:
Basketball (girls) Coach Sam Koonce - skoonce@tmapchs.org
Volleyball- Coach Brian Moore-bmoore@tmapchs.org
Track and Field- Coach Alex Charles- ACHA1356@gmail.com
If you have any questions regarding athletics, please contact: Michele Thompson, Director of Athletics, - mthompson@tmapchs.org or 410-921-9047.
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Technology & Online Resources
Canvas Tutorials for Parents: Below are some helpful tutorials for our parents and guardians who are helping their TMA student navigate Canvas.
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How do I create a parent account in Canvas? (video here)
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How does my child submit assignments in Canvas? (video here)
If you have questions about Canvas, please contact any of the following TMA team members.
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Erica Culbreath (technology teacher), eculbreath@tmapchs.org
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Malika Mays (Associate Head of School), mmays@tmapchs.org
- You can also contact your student’s advisory teacher.
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Resources and Support Information
Prospective Athletes
Although we are not at the phase on re-starting high school athletics, we want to make sure that all potential athletes have the necessary paperwork on file. Therefore, all prospective athletes must have a current physical on file at the school clearing them to play, and all immunizations must be up to date before a student will be allowed to participate in sports. Please CLICK HERE to find the Universal Health Form.
PEPCO Resource for Families/ Energy Assistance
Parents, if needed, please use this energy resource for your family. There is limited time to use this. This is for Maryland and DC families PEPCO Resource Flyer
General Resources
If your family needs any resources (like food, clothing, school supplies, etc.) or support during this time of distance learning, please reach out to Ms. Moore at nmoore@tmapchs.org.
PAVE + Medstar WISE Center Virtual House Meeting Series!
We are excited to share about a series of virtual house meetings PAVE will be hosting in collaboration with the WISE center.
Series Blurb:
At Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE) we focus on informing, connecting and empowering parents to improve the education system for ALL DC kids. In this Virtual House Meeting series, in collaboration with WISE, we invite YOU to share YOUR story, connect with other parents in your community, and take action to see change!
Virtual Hose Meeting Series with PAVE + Georgetown WISE Center
At Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE) we focus on informing, connecting and empowering parents to improve the education system for ALL DC kids. In this Virtual House Meeting series, in collaboration with the WISE Center, we invite YOU to share YOUR story, connect with other parents in your community, and take action to see change!
PAVE + WISE Virtual House Meeting #1: Story of Self
Thursday 3/11 6-7:30PM
At PAVE we focus on informing, connecting and empowering parents to improve the education system for ALL DC kids. In collaboration with WISE, at this Virtual House Meeting we invite you to come share your story, connect with other parent leaders and take action! During this meeting we will discuss how YOU can share YOUR story in the public narrative to advocate for our kids.
PAVE + WISE Virtual House Meeting #2: Advocacy 101
Thursday 3/25 6-7:30PM
The Advocacy 101 Virtual House Meeting will be a space for you to connect with other DC parents, grandparents and caregivers and be informed of the process PAVE Parents went through to develop a solution for response and recovery from COVID-19 in education. You will also have the opportunity to make a plan to advocate with PAVE for the parent priorities that matter most to YOU!
PAVE + WISE Virtual House Meeting #3: Where the Power Lies in DC Education
Thursday 4/8 6-7:30PM
Join us for our VIRTUAL House Meeting: Where the Power Lies in DC Education. At PAVE, our parents are partners and leaders in the education system to make sure our schools serve ALL DC kids. During this meeting, we will give you the tools and information you need to know about how DC's education system works, the key players, and how education policy gets made!
Parking Change
Our neighbor, Bethlehem Baptist Church, let TMA know recently that they have begun real estate development of the field next to their church. It is therefore no longer available to parents or visitors for parking while visiting the school. This school year there will likely be space for visitors in the paved lot next to TMA’s building, and we are working with the Church on alternate arrangements for the future.
COVID-19 Testing Site
Curative, Inc., has set up a kiosk on TMA’s property to offer COVID-19 testing to the general public (including TMA families). Beginning March 15, 2021, the company will expand the kiosk hours to 8 am - 4 pm. One can make appointments at curative.com. (Curative and Thurgood Marshall Academy are independent organizations--we simply provide them with space as a public service.)
Job Opportunity
Thurgood Marshall Academy has learned that Curative Inc. seeks Test Site Specialists--a part-time job paying $20.00/hour. We thought this might be of interest to families of our students--if interested, contact Samantha Viotty of Curative Inc. at samanthaviotty@curative.com. Note that Curative Inc. is entirely independent of Thurgood Marshall Academy--we are simply sharing information.
Kids Ride Free Cards
Kids Ride Free cards are now available for pick up at the school. Please email Ms. Moore at nmoore@tmapchs.org for additional information and pick-up hours.
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Internet Resources
If you received an email regarding free Internet services from the District of Columbia. You should receive a text message, phone call, and/or email from the DC Government soon asking if you want to opt-in to free Internet from DC—please respond “yes” (even if you have enrolled in Comcast via Thurgood Marshall Academy). The attached flyer provides additional details regarding the Internet Services Program: DC Government Free Internet.
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Special Education, Student Wellness & Interventions
Wellness Women’s History Spotlight
Charlotte E. Ray (1850-1911)
American teacher and the first black female lawyer in the United States. Ray studied at the Institution for the Education of Colored Youth in Washington, D.C., and by 1869 she was teaching at Howard University. There she studied law, receiving her degree in 1872. Her admission that year to the District of Columbia bar made her the first woman admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the first black woman certified as a lawyer in the United States. Ray opened a law office in Washington, D.C., but racial prejudices proved too strong, and she could not obtain enough legal business to maintain an active practice. By 1879 she had returned to New York City, where she taught in the public schools. (https://www.britannica.com)
Menstrual Cycle and Mental Health
Individuals with a history of depression are more likely to have premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Symptoms of depression may also be worse before their period for individuals with depression. Feeling depressed before and during a menstrual period is common. These emotional changes occur as a result of fluctuating hormone levels. Most people who menstruate will experience some symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), including moodiness and headaches. Severe PMS symptoms may indicate another condition, which is called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Additionally, existing mental health conditions may temporarily worsen during a menstrual period.
What to do
Individuals who experience depression during their period should speak to their doctor. Various treatments are available for depression, PMS, and PMDD. The options range from home remedies to medication. It can be useful to track symptoms before and during a menstrual period to help a doctor confirm a diagnosis and create a treatment plan. You can also keep a journal of your moods and your cycle, or you can use a period tracking app.
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Caregivers Empowering EachOther Virtual Gathering
Calling all caregivers and parents! The WISE Center, TMA's community partner at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, will soon begin hosting Caregivers Empowering EachOther (CEO) virtual gatherings. All caregivers and parents are welcome to participate. The purpose of these gatherings will be to connect and share stories, problem-solve challenges, and learn new strategies to support your students at home. Topics can include self-care, supporting self-regulation, and discussing difficult topics; though we want to hear about specific topics you are interested to address. If you would like to participate, please contact Dr. Megan Polanin (mpolanin@tmapchs.org) to get connected and learn more.
Supporting Families through Transitional Living Circumstances:
Know your rights! Please see link below to learn more about the Educational Rights of Parents and Students Experiencing Homelessness: Click here.
If you have any questions, concerns or need support connecting with community resources please don't hesitate to reach out to Yolanda Hayden, School Counselor at yhayden@tmapchs.org.
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Faculty & Staff Directory:
Are you Looking for One of Our Team Members?
If you need to contact a TMA Faculty or Staff member, you can find their email address listed HERE: Faculty & Staff Directory
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