BRENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
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March 30, 2020

3/30/2020

 
Principal’s  Corner

​Dear Brent Community,

​At Brent, we use that word frequently and in many contexts: community. The way we think about community has evolved, at least temporarily and perhaps permanently. Right now “community” is far less defined by place and far more defined by collective values, goals and a sense of fellowship. The emerging societal mantra “together but apart” speaks to this emphasis.

Week One of Brent’s Distance Learning set the foundation of our “together but apart” approach. Students, faculty members and families found new ways to connect with raucous morning meetings, individual phone calls and video chats, emails that described grade-level distance learning goals, and personalized technical support.


During Week One, we also learned about what worked and what requires adjustment. We will refine communication so that it is timely and easier to digest (see our revised communication protocol below). We found technical glitches and raised the importance of digital citizenship and platform guidelines. And we found places where we could lift access to reach the demand for equity.


This week, Week Two, we will introduce live and recorded instruction and the correlated student assignments. As we take this next step, we continue to encourage you to attend to all the learning you can while giving yourself grace or time to catch up to the things you miss. We will continue to reflect, revise and plan from the experiences we have with live and recorded instruction this week, and we will continue to value that while we have common school goals, specific grade-level approaches may vary. Those variances allow us to learn from a variety of approaches and ensure that we are meeting a range of developmental needs.


We still miss seeing our students each and every day but remain committed to doing this together but apart. Because no matter what, we are a community.


Sincerely,
Norah Lycknell
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Principal's Corner - March 17, 2020

3/18/2020

 
Principal's  Corner

​Dear Brent Families, 

​We are facing so much change. Headlines appear faster than we can read them, life has shifted in pace and location and our community institutions, schools among them, are shuttered. But our physical space doesn’t define Brent. Our core purposes as a school do: 
Social Justice: It is our responsibility to prepare our children to engage in an unpredictable world and to shape it for the better.  
Collaboration: It is learned, necessary for learning, and joyful. 
Academic learning: It is an individualized and collective progression of skills, sparks inquiry, and reveals many paths towards a solution. 
Authentic  learning: It inspires curiosity, introduces complexity, and connects to student interests. 
Routine: It establishes clear and consistent foundations so that we can do the hard work of growing. 
Our purposes will shape this new era of school, no matter how long it lasts. We will evolve as we get new information, learn from the mistakes we make and expand our understanding of what Brent can be for our students, faculty and families. 

Read More

March 15th, 2020

3/15/2020

 
March 13, 2020
 
Dear Brent Families,
 
Difficult times are never welcome but the sense of community that emerges can be inspiring. For many of us, this week has been sad, worrying, and stressful. Because of the people who make up this amazing community, the week has also revealed countless examples of comradery, support, and love. I am so, so grateful to be a Brent Bear.
 
Osvna “Sunny” Fish-Boston’s Memorial and GoFundMe Campaign
The grief we feel over losing Sunny will take us time to process. We’ve talked about our feelings, our memories, and the ways we can honor her life through memorials and by supporting her family. Sunny’s DC Memorial Service will be at the National Gaming Association today, March 13th at 6pm. Sunny’s family will also travel to Oklahoma next week to lay her to rest. Visit this GoFundMe campaign if you are able to contribute to the related expenses. When we return to school we will continue to remember Sunny through a school memorial and by listening in to our students' voices and needs.
 
Today, Friday, March 13th
Check your child’s backpack as soon as they get home. Students in all grades will come home with learning packets and associated materials such as books and manipulatives. Once you have retrieved those items and gotten them to a safe place, STOP and wait for the instructions that will be disseminated on Monday.
If your child is not in school today, please come to the main office before 6:30 p.m. today or on Monday between 8am and noon to pick up the materials.
We are sending home many non-consumable items. Please take care of them so that they can be returned to classrooms.
 
Monday, March 16th
There is no school for students. Innovation Learning programming is also canceled. Brent faculty will gather to make mandatory work accessible on electronic platforms, offer learning extensions based on materials that DCPS will provide (we have a different curriculum at Brent so DCPS materials are not a perfect match), create accountability mechanisms to track student assignments, and set times and parameters for virtual student/parent engagement. Teachers will send class emails on Monday that describe all work expectations and timelines.
 
Spring Break
Our new Spring Break is from March 17th to March 23rd. Like other breaks, there are no student work expectations and teachers may not be accessible over email. Our previously planned Spring Break from April 13th to 17th will be a regular school week.
 
Distance Learning From March 24th to March 31st
As mentioned above, students will receive mandatory assignments, daily schedules, and check-in mechanisms for this period. We will also offer optional enrichment activities.
 
Distance Learning April 1st and Beyond
In the case that we do not return to school on April 1st as planned, we will provide additional assignments and will organize logistics for materials collection.
 
Family Support
Please check your child’s backpack for a letter from DCPS. It includes meal sites that will be open in each ward on weekdays from March 16th to March 31st from 10am-2pm.
We are also partnering families who might receive or contribute to food, utility or clothing needs. Fill out this form. We will monitor the form and partner families. 
Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, Comcast is offering 2 months free to new Internet Essentials customers in response to recent and anticipated emergency measures associated with the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Click here for more details.
Today we sent home borrowed laptops with students whose require technology access. If you did not have a chance to fill out the survey and also have a need, please contact us and we will do our best to meet it.
 
Pending Questions
We are working with DCPS to get and provide answers to the following questions:
  • Will already-planned absences over the original Spring Break be excused?
  • How will special education services and 504 accommodations be delivered?
  • Will spring standardized testing (PARCC) still occur?
  • Will the MySchoolDC lottery and enrollment timelines be followed?
  • Will the school year be extended if we miss school beyond April 1st?
We will share responses as soon as we have them.
 
Contact Us
In the period that DCPS is closed, please email Brent at brentelementary@k12.dc.gov or call 202-590-7458. We will use these central (and mobile) points of contact to connect you to the most appropriate people or departments.  Brent will close to public access at noon on Monday the 16th but we arrange in-person connections as requested.
For citywide information on the coronavirus, visit https://coronavirus.dc.gov/. Sign up for DC alerts at https://hsema.dc.gov/page/alertdc.
 
We will miss you over the next two weeks. Stay safe, stay healthy, and we will see you soon.
 
Sincerely,
 
Norah Lycknell
norah.lycknell@k12.dc.gov




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    This district wide school calendar informs parents of key dates such as professional development days, holidays, breaks, parent/teacher conferences and more.
    View calendar here.

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    Learn about the DC school lottery. Find out key information on participation, dates, and results.
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Brent Elementary
​301 North Carolina Ave SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
United States
Phone:
(202) 698-3363

Fax:
(202) 698-3369

​Email: brentelementary@k12.dc.gov
Click here to learn about our school enrollment.
 

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  • School Opening SY20-21
  • Our School
    • Back to School Virtual Open House
    • Classes >
      • Early Childhood
      • Kindergarten
      • Grade 1
      • Grade 2
      • Grade 3
      • Grade 4
      • Grade 5
      • Specials >
        • Music
        • Science
        • Art
        • Spanish
        • P.E.
        • Atelier
      • Student Support Staff
    • Strategic Plan
    • Academics
    • Library
    • Brent Staff
    • Enrollment
  • Parents
    • Support Brent >
      • Annual Fund
      • Spring Gala 2020
    • Brent News
    • Policies
    • PTA
    • Diversity Working Group
    • LSAT
    • Innovation Learning
  • Brent Store
  • DCPS ReOpen Strong