Family Bulletin
DPA FAMILIES,
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie
We are just 71 school days away from the end of the year, and are 42 days away from PARCC (DCCAPE) Testing. We have a full week of learning ahead of us which means NO DAYS OFF! Please make sure your scholar is present and on time everyday this week! Please see below for more information about the upcoming week!
New Updates
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Calendar Notifications
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Parent Mental Health Cafe **NEW**
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MYSYEP – DPA Summer Host Site **NEW**
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Black History Month Spirit Week **NEW**
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SAT Testing – March 9th **NEW**
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High School Scholar Recognition
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8th Grade Promotion Events **NEW**
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Photos of the Week
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Athletic Schedule
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Summer Opportunity: Camp Canopy Enrollment Open! **NEW**
Action Items
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DBH Family Survey
Recurring Updates
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Welcome Packets
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Middle School Python Time
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School Hours
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Uniforms
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Key Contacts
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504 Plans
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High School Athletics
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Middle School Athletics
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School Lunch Menu
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CAASS One Card & Access411
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Mental Health Resources
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Open Seat Counseling
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Best Kids
Calendar Notifications
Week of February 26th 2024
Monday – 2/26 – Full Day
Tuesday – 2/27 – Full Day
Wednesday – 2/28 – Half Day (1pm Dismissal)
Thursday – 2/29 – Full Day
Friday – 3/1 – Full Day
Week of March 4th 2024
Monday – 3/4 – Full Day
Tuesday – 3/5 – Full Day
Wednesday – 3/6 – Half Day (1pm Dismissal)
Thursday – 3/7 – Full Day
Friday – 3/8 – Full Day
Key Dates
Q3: January 29 – April 4
Q4: April 8 – June 12
Spring Break
April 15-19
Last Day
June 14th- Last Day of School & 8th Grade Promotion
Parent Mental Health Cafe at Middle School Campus
DPA’s Mental Health Team is excited to present our 5th Parent Café! This is a space to connect with other DPA families, receive helpful resources, and meet with community partners.
Who: All Middle and High School DPA Families, Staff Members, and Community Partners
What: An opportunity to network, fellowship, and receive SEL (social-emotional learning) resources.
When: Tuesday, February 27th from 5-6:30 PM
Where: *NEW Middle School Campus- 908 Wahler Place SE
Why: In order to strengthen our DPA community & continue building KLR
*Since we will be providing dinner at this event, we ask that you please RSVP here in order for us to have an accurate count.
All parents and guardians are welcome, and we encourage you to bring the entire family!
Please reach out to our HS Social Worker, Ms. Baron, at jbaron@digitalpioneersacademy.
Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program at DPA
DPA has been approved to be a summer worksight!! This week we will send out an email to all eligible families & scholars with all of the information you will need related to our MBSYEP job site! Scholars must be 14 years of age to participate in the MBSYEP. All scholars must register with the MBSYEP by Wednesday, March 6th!
Summer Programs offered at DPA
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Football Camp & Academic Tutoring
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Cheer Camp & Academic Tutoring
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Basketball Camp & Academic Tutoring
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Summer School & Extended School Year
Black History Month Spirit Week
Black History month is an opportunity for us to reflect, celebrate, and honor the contributions of African Americans to the United States. We will launch 2 initiatives this week in order to celebrate this month for the entire DPA community! Please see below!
SAT TESTING
We are very proud of and appreciate our 11th graders for embracing the challenge of taking the SAT. Performing well on the SAT will make our scholars more competitive in the college application process and allow them to stand out, along with their GPA and extracurricular activities. We look forward to seeing growth with their scores!
11th grade scholars will take their second SAT on Saturday, March 9th, here at DPA at 8am. In order to create a testing environment that mirrors the official SAT, scholars are expected to arrive at DPA between 7:30am-7:45am for registration and instructions.
With your help and encouragement, our scholars will be prepared and engaged on test day, which will allow them to perform well.
Important Upcoming Dates:
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Official SAT – 3/9/24
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SAT Registration Deadline – 2/23/24 (Late registration – 2/27)
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Official SAT score release date – 3/22/24
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DPA SAT Tutoring – Tuesdays & Thursdays
EAS
High School Recognition
Our goal is for every scholar to consistently demonstrate strong academic and character habits.
Ultimately we want our scholars to set their own goals and internalize strong academic and behavior habits because they will lead to scholars achieving the 4C’s- College, Career, Computer Science, and Community.
Based on feedback from scholars, teachers, and parents, We want to recognize scholars who consistently live our DPA values and model professional habits. Every scholar is eligible to earn merits. We will also begin to recognize scholars of the week. Not all scholars will be recognized every week. Each teacher will nominate one scholar a week. Scholars will be eligible to earn merits and Scholar of the Week recognition be achieving the following:
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GPA = 3.0 or higher for the week
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Work Completion = No missing or 50% work
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Engagement = Completes all assignments daily and participates in class activities
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Attendance =
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100% attendance (no unexcused absence)
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On time arrival to school by 8:50am
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On time arrival to every class
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Attire = Full DPA uniform (Grey pants, Grey Polo, Proper Shoes)
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Empathy = Display KLR consistently to peers and adults
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Behavior = No RRC’s for non-negotiables
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Respecting the pass (hallway, bathroom, nurse)
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Strong effort and growth on a daily basis.
8th Grade Promotion Events
8th grade promotion is only 17 weeks away. Please save the date and make arrangements for the following dates:
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8th grade dance – June 7, 2024
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8th grade end of year Field Trip – June 10 or 11th- TBD
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8th grade promotion June – June 14, 2024
Pictures of the Week
Athletics Schedule
High School Athletics
Mental Health Resources
As part of our commitment to provide our scholars and their families with increased mental health support resources, we have created & attached a mental health bulletin full of mental health resources at DPA and in the community- be sure to check it out!
Currently, we are offering groups led by our mental health team at both campuses for scholars. Current group offerings include:
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Mindfulness Group (High School)
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Grief Support Group (Middle School)
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Calm Minds (Middle School) – group for scholars who struggle with anxiety
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Guys Games Group (Middle School) – a group for male scholars to practice communication and teamwork
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Manifesting Me (Middle School) – an after school girls group focused on self-esteem and healthy relationships
To sign up your scholar for a group, reach out to Ms. Mills (Middle School) at kaitlin.mills@
Additional resources can be found on THIS PAGE where families can find a network of mental health resources that are available to them and their scholars.
Summer Opportunity: Camp Canopy Enrollment Open Now!
We’re excited to announce that enrollment is now open for Camp Canopy—where adventure and fun meet for the summer!
Camp Canopy is a two-week sleepaway summer camp that is designed exclusively for students who are rising to grades 6-8. Camp Canopy provides students with an enjoyable, exciting summer experience that motivates them to approach the future with confidence, curiosity, independence, and responsibility.
At Camp Canopy, students have the opportunity to build long-lasting friendships in a safe setting that allows for exploration, learning, and joy! There is one option to attend in summer 2024:
Session 1: June 25–July 7, 2024
Learn more about this transformative summer experience:
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Click here to RSVP for an upcoming Family Information Session
ACTION REQUIRED
Behavioral Health Support Family Survey – DUE 3.8.24
The Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is interested in learning about school behavioral health (SBH) services and supports at all public and public charter schools in DC. Please complete this brief survey to share what is working and what can be improved. Please see the attached flyer for additional information. Thank you!
Recurring Updates
Welcome Packets
In order to provide families with all of the information you need for the upcoming school year, we have created the below Welcome Packets! These packets include information on our attendance policy, school hours, athletic, transportation, uniforms, and much much more!
Middle School Python Time
We are thrilled to share with you the latest news about our scholars’ progress and development this school year. We are pleased to inform you that starting October 10th, 2023, DPA will be offering an After-School Program for DPA scholars, called Python Time.
Our After-school program is designed to provide a secure, productive, and free environment for scholars to participate in a range of enriching activities that promote academic and social-emotional growth. The program will run from 4:15 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Please note that scholars must have a signed permission slip and *dedicated transportation from the Middle School campus (908 Wahler Place SE) to participate. It’s also essential to remember that scholars must be picked up no later than 5:45 p.m.
* Due to limited capacity, we will fill slots on a first come basis*
After School Activities Schedule
Mondays
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Step
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Yearbook
Tuesdays
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Bike Club
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Manifest Me
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Robotics
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Spanish Club
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Step
Thursdays
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Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
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Robotics
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Step
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to our Python Time Program Coordinator – Rodney Brownell, rodney.brownell@
* In order to ensure all scholars have safe passage home, scholars will be required to be picked up from the campus grounds in order to be eligible for afterschool programming.
