March 2023

AJE news, events, and resources to keep you informed!

AJE hopes that all our readers are safe and well. This newsletter has information about AJE programs, transportation, and resources.

On Saturday, April 29 more than 200 schools will open for Enrollment Saturday to accept enrollment paperwork for new and re-enrolling students for the 2023-24 school year. 

To view a list of participating schools, the hours they will open, and their enrollment requirements, click here. Please contact the schools directly for additional information and to confirm hours of operation and type of support available on Saturday. 

IMPORTANT: If families applied in the 2023-24 school year lottery and received a match, they have until May 1, 2023 to enroll or they may lose their space. Enrolling at their matched school will not remove them from waitlists. 

SY23-24 enrollment deadline for matched families is May 1.

If a family received a school match in the lottery, they have until May 1, 2023 to enroll at their matched school. Enrolling at their matched school will not remove their child off of waitlists.  

Families will need to follow schools' enrollment procedures, which include: 

1.  Proving DC residency; 
2. Completing all of the school’s enrollment requirements; and  
3. Submitting up-to-date health forms. (Reminder: All students must be up-to-date on their immunizations to attend school in person. More here.)   
4. Families can also add additional schools to their child's application at this time by logging into their family account. Their child will automatically be added to the schools' waitlists. More here. 

If you know of a family that did not receive their lottery results, cannot access their My School DC account, or need help understanding their results and next steps, please direct them to contact the My School DC Hotline. They are available Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. at (202) 888-6336 or info.myschooldc@dc.gov.

Families who missed the deadlines can still apply to public schools

If your family missed the lottery application deadlines, they can submit a post-lottery application today. The application is available in English and Spanish. Application instructions are available in Amharic, French, Chinese and Vietnamese and we have a multilingual hotline to support. 

Post-lottery applications are automatically added to schools’ waitlists in the order they are received and below applicants who applied by the lottery deadlines. The only exception to this is for applicants that qualify for a lottery preference. Learn more here.

Questions? Contact the My School DC Hotline Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at (202) 888-6336 or email info.myschooldc@dc.gov.  

Job Seekers Drop-In Clinic

Thursday, April 20 & 27 | 2 pm - 4:30 pm | 901 G St, NW

The DC Library Adult Learning Department's Job Seekers Drop-In Clinic, held in Computer Lab 202-O, assists customers in setting up email accounts, creating and editing resumes, conducting online job searches, and completing online job applications.

Have questions about this clinic? Contact us at (202) 727-1616 or adultlearning.dcpl@dc.gov.

Think College Awareness Week: College is for Everyone

Monday, April 24 - Friday, April 28 | 12 pm | Zoom

Join us as we kick off the “Think Higher. Think College.” public awareness campaign to expand access to college for students with intellectual disability. This week-long celebration will feature daily virtual learning events for students, families, educators, transition professionals, and higher education personnel. All events are free and open to the public. 

ASL and live captions will be provided for each event.

Learn more and register here: 

https://events.zoom.us/ev/ApY2fgWFrbkwpxtj5oymjtLHBjK-TkQvBn2ShrCdwsst5w92rZui~Asd7Yw4fYtwRFHFFxwmK6JnetD1LgH5VWG8c4KQq7cX8cwQDn2dKBxtMKg

EDCJCC Inclusion Bowling Night

Tuesday, April 25 | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm | 

5353 Westbard Ave, Bethesda, MD

Work on your bowling skills while socializing with friends! All abilities welcome, and participants may bring a friend for support if needed. 

Cost: $27 per person for two hours of bowling and shoe rental. 

Optional dinner and snacks will be available for purchase from the snack bar. 

Learn more and register here: https://www.edcjcc.org/community/inclusion-disabilities

If you have any questions, please contact Maura Schmidt, Director of Inclusion and Disability Programs, at mschmidt@edcjcc.org.

UCP Webinar: The State of Latinos with Disabilities

Wednesday, April 26 | 2:00 pm | Zoom

James Garcia of United Cerebral Palsy will headline a webinar on The State of Latinos with Disabilities. James will provide an overview of the distinct challenges and contributions of one of the fastest-growing segments of our nation's disability community.

Register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_a0P7OPRTRWC254vJrojFoQ#/registration

Using Popular Music to Teach Social and Emotional Learning

Wednesday, April 26 | 3 pm - 4 pm | Online

This session will engage attendees in methods that integrate social and emotional learning using various genres of popular music, including musical theater, rap, and pop. Attendees will be engaged in activities composed of active listening, symbolism, emotional responses to musical elements, higher-order questioning techniques, and how to use information gathered from these activities to create music to elicit emotional responses using loop-based DAWs. This session will also highlight ways in which popular music can help us address important topics with our students, such as coping with death, how to process and understand conflicting emotions, dealing with feelings of isolation, suicide, and using the resources in our schools to support our students. Attendees will learn about the use of musical and nonmusical sounds and how they are used in the songwriting process.

ASL interpretation and CART will be provided.

This webinar is FREE for Access/VSA Network members and $10 for non-members.

Register here: https://kec.memberclicks.net/pop_teach_learning#!/

For more information or to request other access services, please contact the Office of Accessibility and VSA at (202) 416-8727 (voice) or lead@kennedy-center.org.

DC Public Schools is looking for parents and caregivers from across all eight wards to join Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee’s Parent Advisory Board for the 2023 – 2024 School Year. 

The Advisory Board provides a space, on a monthly basis, for parents to receive timely updates from the Chancellor and DCPS leadership, ask questions as well as engage with various DCPS teams to learn about and provide input on current or emerging priorities and initiatives.

Applications are available in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Vietnamese and Amharic. 

Amharic: https://bit.ly/amhdcpsparentadvisoryboard23 

Chinese: https://bit.ly/chidcpsparentadvisoryboard23 

English: https://bit.ly/dcpsparentadvisoryboard23 

French: https://bit.ly/fredcpsparentadvisoryboard23 

Spanish: https://bit.ly/spadcpsparentadvisoryboard23 

Vietnamese: https://bit.ly/vietdcpsparentadvisoryboard23 

Candidates will be evaluated on their motivation to serve on the board, and their connection and commitment to DCPS as an antiracist whole-child centered organization and their school community, with a goal of creating an Advisory Board comprised of individuals with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. We are also looking for candidates who can amplify the voices of families from their school community to the Advisory Board, as well as share back information from the Advisory Board with their school community.  

The Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Board will meet once a month in the evening from September 2023 - May 2024. Please consider your availability to attend a monthly meeting before applying. Meetings might occur virtually; when meetings are held in-person a light dinner will be provided.  

2023 DCPS Enrollment Saturday (April 29, 2023). Families can receive in-person support filling out enrollment forms at their school.  

• Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-dcps-enrollment-saturday-tickets-591397785697

Upcoming Virtual Workshops from The Institute for Youth Development 

The Institute for Youth Development is offering virtual workshops for youth development professionals to use an asset-based approach when interacting with youth. These interactive workshops are foundational for any individual working with youth. The recordings for the April Workshop are available below.

• April 4: Youth Voice

• April 6 Cooperative Learning

• April 10: Design Engaging DEI Workshops for Adult Learners Using the Learner Variability Navigator

• April 11: LGBTQIA+ Identity and Definitions

• April 17: Key Beliefs and Nonnegotiables of Differentiated Instruction

• April 20: 3 Ways to Accelerate Summer Learning with Newslea