WARRIOR WEEKLY January 25-29 |
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Dear TMA Families,
Our country has mileposts that indicate the opportunity for change. We recently have these in our national elections, inauguration installation of congress members and senators. With each event, there is an opportunity for hope and belief that this change will be the opportunity for us to become a better version of ourselves.
Wednesday’s inauguration of the 46th Commander in Chief, Joseph R. Biden, brought a substantive change. For the first time in our nation's history, we will have the first female, first Black and Asian American, Kamala Harris, to serve as Vice President of the United States.
Unfortunately, this week also served as a reminder of the change still needed in our country and city. This morning, we got word that a community member, a former student, and brother of a current, was murdered. Dayvon Lewis was a friend and dear student to many of our current 10th-grade students and 9th-grade team. His smirk and smile could light up a room, while his heart was always intent on trying to be his best self. On Monday, our community will make space for students and team member to be with one another in remembrance of Dayvon.
Dayvon’s life is a reminder of the long way we still have to in our community with a fundamental right to be safe. Our thoughts are with his family, and we will continue to demand the change that our community needs to make our city safe for all residents.
As fast as our world is changing, it is vital to take advantage of every moment we have with our family and friends.
Thank you for being a Warrior!
Quote of the Week:
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What’s Ahead:
Q3 Will Remain Remote and DC Vaccine Plan
TMA will remain remote for quarter 3 and continue to evaluate when and how we can reopen safely. As you are moving through this month, please take good care of yourself. We do not want more members of our community members falling ill to the virus. Keep in mind the swiss cheese method of defense. Not getting Covid-19 in the final stretch.
In terms of the vaccine and availability, information is being updated daily, but our latest understanding is the educators are eligible on Jan. 25. Families depending on the role you have at your workplace, you may be in a priority group. Please connect with your employer for details. We are also asking that you speak with your physician about what you and your family should do related to vaccination. If you are interested in more details about the DC vaccination plan, please click here.
School Planning 21-22
Students, families, and alumni, TMA is beginning to plan for the upcoming school year and would like your input. If you are interested in participating in the first stage of the school planning process, please check out the link here. TMA School Planning Participation Link. This month we are holding 4 planning sessions to drill down our mission: college prep and actively engage citizens means for TMA now and how we should live it in our actions. Students who participate will receive community service hours. I will send the next steps to the interested group Friday with any pre-work materials. The meetings will be on the following dates:
Monday, Jan. 25 @ 3:15
Monday, Feb. 1 @ 3:15
TMA Family Grade Level Discussions: Covid-19 and the School Year
This has been a school year like no other. Like you, we are planning for the day that our school community can be back together in one place but also, like you, we know there are many things we need to tackle as a community to make this happen. Over the next few weeks, we want to meet with families by grade-level to discuss TMA's operation status, our understanding of the city's response to Covid-19, and share ways each can support their student as they finish the second half of the school year.
Dates are below, and all meetings will be scheduled to start at 5:30. Please click the grade level below to register.
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Student Opportunities
Attorney General & Project Create Artists v. Hate, Standing Up for Humanity Deadline extended to February 2, 2021
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The D.C. Office of the Attorney General, in partnership with Project Create, has launched a D.C. youth art competition called Artists v. Hate, Standing Up for Humanity. This competition, which is a part of Attorney General Racine’s larger counter hate initiative, is designed to empower D.C. youth to stand up against hate, to promote social justice, and to inspire change through art. All program details can be found here and some background material below.
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What is it? We want to empower D.C. youth to design artwork that counters hate, promotes social justice, and inspires change. The Office of the Attorney General and Project Create designed this competition to generate dialogue in and outside of the classroom about taking a stand against hate and standing up for the common humanity we all share.
Who can participate? Any District resident ages 11-19.
What art form is accepted? Any! Spoken word, poetry, paintings, drawings, mixed media, graphic design, video, photography, etc. The rules and restrictions:
All artwork submissions must be accompanied by an artist statement, not to exceed 150 words.
JPEG, PNG, PDF, and MP4 files accepted.
MP4 files should not exceed 2 minutes.
How are the winners decided? A panel of judges will vote on first, second, and third place winners.
What will the winners receive? 1st place $250, 2nd place $100, and 3rd place $50. Five honorable mentions will receive $20 gift cards to Blick Art Materials.
Note: All winners and honorable mentions will be asked to complete a media release form provided by the Office of the Attorney General in advance of the virtual ceremony. Adult consent will be required for minors.
When is it due? All art is due by 11:59PM ET on Friday February 5, 2021!
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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.
TMA has several internal opportunities available for students to earn community service hours. Students can reach out to Ms. Ames, zames@tmapchs.org, to learn more.
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College & Counseling Updates
Scholarships to focus on for the next few weeks:
For more information about the following scholarships, please see the attached pdfs, hyperlinks, scholarship spreadsheet, website, or email Ms. Jackson (gjackson@tmapchs.org).
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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.
Athletics:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Free Meals for DC Students
DC Public Schools are now offering no-cost meals to all DC youth ages 18 and under at 47 schools across Washington, DC. This program began on September 24. During this period, youth are not required to be enrolled in DC Public Schools to receive meals. Youth or parents/guardians on their behalf may receive up to 3 breakfast and 3 lunch meals daily. The meal sites will operate through December 31, 2020. DCPS meal sites can be found here.
Also, the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is currently offering free grab-and-go afternoon meals for DC youth 18 and younger at ten sites. These meals are available for any child that visits a site. DPR meal sites can be found here.
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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
New Year, New Challenges! How are you gearing up to take on 2021?
“Resilience means being able to adapt to life's misfortunes and setbacks”. As we have entered a new year hopefully feeling renewed we also carry with us the reality that adversity and hardship in life are unfortunately difficult to avoid . Having stress in life is difficult to avoid. One way to tackle such events head on and find more enjoyment in life , even through its obstacles, is to strengthen one's resilience. Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic on improving your resilience.
Tips to improve your resilience
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Get connected. Building strong, positive relationships with loved ones and friends can provide you with needed support and acceptance in good and bad times. During the pandemic using video chat and social media in safe and responsible ways to stay connected with loved ones is a plus.
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Make every day meaningful. Do something that gives you a sense of accomplishment, purpose and a little joy every day. Set goals and intentions to help you look toward the future with meaning.
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Learn from experience. How have you battled hardship in the past?. Consider the skills and strategies that helped you through difficult times. You might even write about past experiences in a journal to help you identify positive and negative behavior patterns — and guide your future behavior.
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Remain hopeful. You can't change the past, but you can always look toward the future. Accepting and even anticipating change makes it easier to adapt and view new challenges with less anxiety.
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Take care of yourself. Tend to your own needs and feelings. Participate in activities and hobbies you enjoy. Include physical activity in your daily routine. Get plenty of sleep. Eat a healthy diet. Practice stress management and relaxation techniques, such as yoga, meditation, guided imagery, deep breathing or prayer.
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Be proactive. Don't ignore your problems. Instead, figure out what needs to be done, make a plan, and take action. Although it can take time to recover from a major setback, traumatic event or loss, know that your situation can improve if you work at it.
It's important to remember that strengthening one's resiliency skills won't deter setbacks and stress in life from happening. However, becoming more resilient can give you the fortitude to get through life's challenges, decrease stress, and deter other mental health conditions and symptoms such as depression and anxiety. We at TMA are Warriors!Being resilient is second nature. Let’s keep strengthening those skills!
“Our intention creates our reality.” With the new year upon us, many of us are in the process of setting our goals and intentions to carry us through the year. Goal and intention setting can seem like a daunting task, but not to worry! Here are some tips and considerations to help us to bring in the new year with our goals and intentions to help us build new and improved habits.
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Differentiate between goals and habits. Goals are outcomes, such as “getting good grades.” Habits are the actions you take to achieve a goal. For example, completing and submitting all homework assignments and studying for a predetermined amount of time each day.
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Start with small changes. Make incremental changes toward the behavior you want, and work your way up from there. Even if you improve at something only 1% each week, the changes that add up over time are massive!
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Some practice is better than no practice. Even if you don’t have a lot of energy, do something toward your habit. Consistency builds habits
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Tell someone you’re starting a new habit. Doing so creates accountability and makes it more difficult to back out of your commitment. Also, once others know you’re working toward a goal, they may offer encouragement and support.
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Track your habit. Keep documentation of your progress. You can look back/review your progress and see how far you’ve come throughout the year!
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Celebrate your successes! Healthy habits have long-term benefits and often take time to kick in. While we wait for these, give yourself small, immediate rewards to stay motivated. Make sure that they don’t contradict your goals!
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.
Free Food for Families Drive Thru
Monday, January 18, 2021 from 11 am - 2pm
Location #1
The Temple of Praise
700 Southern Avenue SE
WDC 20032
Location #2
Saint John Paul II National Shrine
3900 Harewood Road NE
WDC 20017
DC Department of Behavioral Health Wellness Wednesday/Support for Parents
Wednesday, January 27th at 5:30 pm
Wellness in Motion: What’s Your Move? Self-Care Summit Kick Off
Join the training by phone: 202-860-2110 Access Code: 1726204243
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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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