Dear DCI School Community,

With our first frost this morning, it really does feel like winter is coming! With a new season on the horizon, we wanted to introduce you to two new DCI team members, our Director of Communications and Family Engagement Liaison! They have both been working hard to think strategically about how we connect and reach out to you this school year. Below are two introductions to both of them and their goals for this school year and beyond. 

Sarah Siddons, Director of Communications (she / her) – Hello DCI families! I am Sarah Siddons and I am thrilled to be part of the DCI team! I come to DCI from Montgomery County Public Schools as a project manager and I have been working in the strategic communications world for over 15 years, predominantly with nonprofits, foundations and more recently, school districts. I believe effective communications can build stronger relationships and create a sense of belonging in a school. I am working this year to optimize our systems and to develop a holistic communications plan for DCI. Please feel free to reach out to me at sarah.siddons@dcinternationalschool.org. I am very much looking forward to working with our families, staff, students and the larger community to build out strategic communications here at DCI!

Brian Garcia, Family Engagement Liaison (he / his) – My name is Brian Garcia, and I am excited to serve as the Family Engagement Liaison here at DCI! My role is to help bridge the gap between families and our school community, ensuring that every family feels valued and connected. I believe that strong partnerships between families and educators are essential for student success. My goal is to provide resources, support, and opportunities for families to engage in their children’s education. Whether through Family Sessions / Cafe y Charlas, events, or one-on-one meetings, I’m here to listen to your needs and collaborate with you. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime at brian.garcia@dcinternationalschool.org. I look forward to working together to create a supportive and inclusive environment for our students and families!

As part of our effort to learn more about how our DCI community prefers to communicate and engage with the school, we launched a communications and family engagement survey at the start of school. Over 100 submissions were received! Here’s what you shared:

• Parents and guardians largely prefer email communication. Social media was the second most preferred communication option. 
• Toddle was overwhelmingly the system that parents and guardians want to know more about this school year. 
• Hybrid sessions (a combination of in-person and virtual) made up 65% of responses to how families would like to attend engagement sessions.

Parents also mentioned wanting to have more events and activities that they can participate in, so we will continue as a team to provide information on upcoming events and ways in which you can get involved. Thank you to all families that responded – we value your voice and input! 

Important Information and Reminders 

Upcoming Toddle Family Information Sessions

DCI welcomes families to attend upcoming in-person Toddle family information sessions in advance of the end of the quarter on October 25. 

• Cafe y Charla session on Friday, October 18 from 9-10 a.m. will be in Spanish only; and
• In-person session on Tuesday, October 22 from 10-11 a.m. RSVP.
• Both sessions will take place in the inner and outer libraries on the first floor.

NEW: Fitness with Families 

Join us on Wednesday, November 5th, for our first Fitness with Families session with our wonderful PE teacher, Ms. Hendricks! Doors will open at 7:00 a.m., and we'll kick off our 30-minute fitness session at 7:10 a.m. in the gym/weight room.

This school year we will be hosting Fitness with Families sessions on the first Wednesday of each month, starting with a circuit workout this month. Each month will feature different themes, including yoga, agility, and strength training. Be sure to RSVP here to secure your spot, as space is limited! 

Sign Up to Host a DCI Voyager Exchange Program Student!

We’re still looking for families to host students visiting from our partner school in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in November. 20 students from Tsoying Senior high school will be visiting DCI from November 4-18 as part of our Voyager Exchange Program. While many visiting students will be hosted by a DCI student who will travel abroad later in the school year, we still have a need for supplemental host families from both high school and middle school. If you are interested and able to host a student Taiwan in November, please fill out this sign up form. More information about hosting here.

Coming Soon: Individual DC CAPE Results 

Students in Grades 7-11 will be receiving individual 2023-2024 DC CAPE results in the mail within the next two weeks. This year, there are two ways to access scores: through the mailed report sent to the mailing address on file and through the DC CAPE Parent Portal. Each student has a unique code to access their results. This code will be sent to individual email addresses early next week.