2nd Street Families
DE NOVIS – What’s New
Bacchanalia! Party with purpose!
Bacchanalia is our celebration of community and connection at Washington Latin. As we do each spring, this year’s parties are across DC and range from small and intimate to big and boisterous.
- Any Latin parent can sign up for any of the parties, hosted by Latin parents in their homes. This year, all parties are open to both campuses!
- They give the party, guests donate to Latin’s Faculty Fund! Even if you can’t make a party, we welcome your donation!
Interested in attending? Learn about 2024’s parties and how you can sign up!
2024 CAPE Testing
Testing Information
Each spring, Washington Latin and all other public schools in DC must administer a standardized test. In previous years, it was called PARCC. This year, the test has a new name: DC CAPE (DC’s Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education). The test is important, providing information about student growth and achievement, playing a role in Washington Latin’s rating as a school, and factoring into decisions about federal funding for the city’s schools. It is therefore important that all of our students participate and do their best. OSSE’s website provides more information about CAPE including past results and sample score reports.
Key points about this year’s testing at Washington Latin:
- Testing will take place on April 24-26, April 30-May 3, and May 10.
- Students will take all tests online using student Chromebooks. On testing days, they will have 1-2 test sessions, each lasting 60 to 90 minutes, then a modified class schedule or activity until dismissal.
- All testing will take place during the regular school day. We have increased capacity to test all students at once this year, which allows us to complete testing without the calendar alternations that were required last year.
- All middle school grades will arrive at the regular time on all testing days. MS Testing Schedule
- Upper school grades have varied schedules (by grade and by day) during testing. US Testing Schedule
- Please note that all students taking Geometry, regardless of grade, will follow a specific schedule that is slightly different than their peers. Geometry Students Testing Schedule
- Dismissal will be the regular time during testing EXCEPT on Wednesday 4/24 and Wednesday 5/1: all students (MS and US) will dismiss at 2:40 instead of 2:10.
Latin Cafe 4/9 Recording
It was wonderful to see so many of you at Tuesday’s Latin Cafe! If you weren’t able to make it, feel free to either watch the recording of the session or review a PDF of the slides.
Schoology Information
Schoology – Latin’s Learning Management System
Schoology is an online system where teachers post information about their courses, including expectations, calendar, assignments, and dates of quizzes and tests. All Latin students in grades 5-12 have a Schoology account linked to the courses in which they are enrolled, where they can access class assignments, turn in homework, and check their grades and attendance.
Parents/guardians can create an account in Schoology to see information regarding their child(ren). You should have received information by email from our Tech Department about how to set up your parent account, including your access code. We are also sharing that information below (find the code in your inbox).
What do you do with your parent Schoology account?
Once you have created your parent account, you will be able to do the following:
- See your child(ren)’s full schedule.
- Open any of your children’s classes to see:
- Current grade (overall and for each submitted assignment)
- Course syllabus, grading rubric, and other general information
- Upcoming assignments and projects, including handouts and links
- Course calendar, including test dates and assignment due dates
If you have a Schoology account from last year that you still know how to access, there is no need to do any further. If you don’t have a Schoology account yet, or if you’d like to add a new account with a different email address, please visit the Tech page for more information.
New Chromebook Policies
We are modifying our 1:1 Chromebook Program in the Middle School to limit academic screen time and develop healthy tech habits, especially for our youngest students.
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5th graders will have access to Chromebooks in every classroom rather than a device being issued to each student for use at school and home. Instead, they will use classroom devices as needed for the lesson in each class, returning it to the cart when that class period ends.
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6th graders will also have access to Chromebooks in every classroom rather than being issued a device. We will use the devices issued last year to our now-6th graders to create the 6th grade classroom Chromebook supply. To do this, we need 6th graders to bring their school-issued devices (Chromebook + charger) to school! They may do so at 6th grade orientation on 8/22 or on the first day of school.
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7th and 8th graders will keep their assigned personal devices and continue to have them both at school and at home.
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Upper School students will also continue to use their assigned personal devices, which travel between school and home for classwork and homework.
Teachers in all grades will be mindful of these changes when assigning homework or longer-term projects. Over the course of the year, however, some computer-based homework may be assigned in 5th and 6th grades. Many of our families have a home computer that their children can access for this limited number of assignments. If not, families can apply for a loaner Chromebook for the school year for homework purposes. The device would need to be returned to us at the end of the academic year. Please note that our supply is limited, however. If a student receives a loaner device, it is subject to our tech use and repair/replacement policies.
GoGuardian Content Filtering Program
We are continuing the rollout of the GoGuardian tools to help ensure that our students are accessing appropriate content on school-issued Chromebooks while using school Google accounts. We announced last spring that we were piloting this tool, and we have moved past the pilot phase and will use this tool in all grades this school year. We will use both GoGuardian Admin and Teacher products, which will filter content and monitor student computer use.
Why these changes?
We know the benefits of providing students with access to rich and varied digital content. At the same time, young students can be distracted by this, with detrimental effects both in and out of the classroom. We also heard from many of our families that they wanted an intentional limit on the accessibility of the Chromebooks. Our goal with this change is to help students to limit access while we work with them to develop initial digital literacy, so that they are ready to make productive and effective use of a personal device in later grades.
New Cell Phone Policy
Student Cell Phones (and other devices)
As you may recall, last school year students in 7th and 8th grades had some access to their cell phones during the school day. We are changing this policy, based on both our observations and parent feedback, recognizing the potential distraction phones and other smart devices can create in the classroom.
In our Middle School, students will not have access to their cell phones or other smart devices through the school day.
We are asking for parents to partner with us by being mindful that students will not have access to their phones during the day in the Middle School. If you need to contact your student with an important message, please call our front desk, and we will relay that information to your student.
In the Upper School, students are expected to silence all devices and put them away and out of sight, in their bags or pockets, during class.
They are allowed to use devices during breaks and lunch, but we ask that airpods stay away throughout the day while in the school building so students can fully engage in our community and with one another. Students may only use cell phones or headphones/airpods during class or study hall if they are given permission from their teacher for academic reasons (example: listening to a TedTalk for Health class or completing a live on-screen competition in Biology review).
The change speaks to our commitment to the development of our students’ ability to seek the conversation. We aim to reduce the potential for off-task behavior during the school day and advocate for consistent, tech-free interaction and engagement among students.
Register for MAGIS
MySchoolBucks - New fee payment system
Why this change?
We believe that this system will make it easier for families to register for school activities and pay fees in a single location. It will also make it easier for us to track payments, send invoices, and support our families.
What will families pay for in MySchoolBucks?
Items you will be able to pay for through MySchoolBucks include:
- Bus transportation – sign up, agree to the behavior agreement, and pay
- Planners – Purchase at school, pay on MSB ($10 each)
- MAGIS afterschool – coming soon!
- Meals – we will use MySchoolBucks to invoice families – stay tuned!
- Other school fees will be added to the system this fall – watch for notices.
What is the first step?
Each family registers for a MySchoolBucks account. This takes just a few minutes. Once established, you can login to your account on a computer or phone via web or their own app.
For detailed instructions, please check our MySchoolBucks Quick Start Guide.
How will I pay school fees?
Latin will link MySchoolBucks to any school fee information or request, such as signing up for the Latin bus or MAGIS. You will sign up and pay fees in one location!
What about donations?
Those will still go through PayPal – no change!
Questions or need help?
We will be at the 8/20 Back to School Get Together to help families sign up and answer questions. You can also check the Make Payments page for more information. You can contact us through [email protected] to ask about school services or fees.
Register for the Bus
Registration is now open for chartered bus service from Hillcrest/ Anacostia, Glover Park, Tenleytown, and Eastern Market for the 2023-2024 school year. For information on routes, pricing, and to register, please visit the 2nd St Make Payments page.
Nota bene!
Washington Latin will now use the MySchoolBucks platform for all school fee payments – please read below! For the bus, registration is built into MySchoolBucks along with payments.
Register now for your MySchoolBucks account, so you are ready to pay for fees, including the bus, uniform patches and planners at the Back-to-School Get Together!
LEGES – Policies
DC Public Charter Board Profile of Washington Latin
Visit the DC Public Charter School Board profiles for Washington Latin's Anna Julia Cooper Campus, and our 2nd Street Campus's Middle and Upper Schools.
All Washington Latin Policies
Please visit our Policies page for information on a range of policies at Latin, including the overall organization and at 2nd Street.
Uniform Policy & Purchasing
Uniform Policy & Purchasing
Washington Latin believes that appearance is important and requires students to meet the highest standards of dress and deportment. We see families as our partners in ensuring that students come to school each day as representatives of our school community.
School uniforms are an important part of the culture at Washington Latin. Uniforms serve many purposes; foundational among them is that they communicate the shared objective of learning and that the school is a place for serious academic pursuits. The school uniform can also help to alleviate anxiety about dress choices for school and reduce non- academic distractions in the school environment.
We require all students to wear uniforms and always adhere to the Uniform Policy while in the school building and at school-sponsored functions. Students’ personal presentation should reflect modesty, neatness, and cleanliness. Students are not to wear hats or other headwear except for medical reasons or as personal religious beliefs dictate.
All Washington Latin administration and faculty will strictly enforce the following Uniform Policy. Failure to adhere to the Uniform Policy will result in strategic intervention or disciplinary action; chronic non- adherence may lead to additional discipline action. Washington Latin also reserves the right to change this policy as needed.
Daily School-wide Uniform
Uniforms are to be worn with careful attention to proper presentation, appearance, and sizing. The basic Latin uniform consists of khaki (tan) or navy slacks or dress pants and a collared white, gray, or navy polo shirt with the Latin logo. Please see the following list of acceptable items and other notes.
Shirts
- A navy, gray, or white long- or short-sleeved polo shirt with school
- You may purchase plain white, gray or navy polos from any store of your choice. This can be worn with a logo patch you sew on yourself (available at the Latin School Store), or a logo added by G-Land for a small fee.
- Seniors may wear a plain, white, gray, or navy, collared shirt (professional wear).
Sweaters/Sweatshirts
- Students may wear navy, gray or white sweaters and sweatshirts; sweaters and sweatshirts must either have the Latin logo or be completely solid and plain.
- You may purchase navy sweaters/vests/cardigans from any store of your choice and then add the logo. This can be with a patch you sew on yourself (available at the Latin School Store), or a logo added by G-Land for a nominal fee.
- Students must wear a collared shirt under their sweater or sweatshirt.
Pants, skirts and dresses and other bottoms
- Khaki (tan) or navy slacks or dress pants, shorts, or Blue jeans, sweatpants, and variations of brown and olive green are strictly not allowed.
- Khaki or navy pants, shorts or skirts may be purchased from a store of your G-Land and Land’s End offer them, but you do not have to purchase from them.
- Students may wear solid leggings or tights in navy, gray, white, or black with shorts and Fishnet leggings and stockings are not allowed.
- Students may wear a navy polo dress with school logo (available through Lands End only).
- Also allowed are khaki (tan) jumpers with school logo, worn with a collared shirt
Outerwear
- Coats, jackets, gloves, hats, skullcaps, and head wraps must be removed once students enter the building, except as medical reasons or personal religious beliefs dictate.
Footwear
- Students must wear closed-toe shoes. Slip-ons or open-toed sandals are not allowed.
- Shoes and socks should be school appropriate. Beyond this, there are no specific restrictions on color, etc.
Physical Education and Athletics Wear
- 5th and 6th grade – Students are required to purchase their physical education uniforms: a gray Latin shirt, cardinal Latin mesh shorts, gray Latin crewneck sweatshirt, and gray Latin sweatpants. The sweatshirt may also be worn during school and in the classroom. Families need to purchase all items only from GLand Uniforms or at the PFA Used Uniform sales (occasional sales are held at both campuses.)
- 7th and 8th grade – Students purchase athletic team uniforms directly from Washington Latin. Our team coaches or the Athletics Director will provide a form to all students seasonally with details.
- Upper School – Athletic team uniforms are provided to all players by the school and are expected to be returned at the end of the season. If a uniform is lost or damaged, the student will be required to pay the replacement cost.
• Neither athletic wear nor sleep wear may be worn except as enumerated in this policy.
Purchasing Uniforms
Latin uniforms are available from the following vendors. Every item that you find in our sections with these vendors has been pre-approved by the school.
- G-Land – http://g-landuniform.com/ to order; G-Land 1516 Wisconsin Ave NW to pick up orders
- Flynn and O’Hara – flynnohara.com/School-Landing
- Lands End – landsend.com/school, select “Find Your School’s Dress Code.”
Logo Patches
- You can purchase logo patches to sew onto plain polo shirts, jackets, sweaters, These will be available at the start of school events and throughout the year at the front desk.
Used Uniforms – $5/each
- The Parent-Faculty Association sells gently used uniform items donated by other Latin families. For a nominal contribution to the PFA, you can add to your child(ren)’s wardrobe and save the planet!
- We accept donations of clean, gently used items throughout the year at the front offices of both campuses.
- Sales are ongoing throughout the year and most active at the start of school. You can purchase used uniforms at these events. Note that we do not have an ongoing used uniform store.
- Payments can be made with cash, check, or through PayPal (use the button on the School Store page of our website.)