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IDEA in the News
Mark Lerner, who covers DC charter schools for examiner.com, recently interviewed IDEA Head of School Justin Rydstrom about IDEA's remarkable turnaround. Read his article here: bit.ly/IDEAinExaminer

IDEA in the News

WAMU 88.5 reporter Kavitha Cardoza spent some time at IDEA to learn more about the school's turnaround following the Mayor's visit. Listen to or read the piece at

bit.ly/IDEAonWAMU 

Coming up at IDEA:

 

February 4 Family conferences
February 10-11 Interim #3
February 12 Progress report
February 13 Staff professional development (no school for students)
February 16 Presidents' Day (school closed)
February 25 SAT Day for juniors
February 27 Career Day
March 12 Progress report
March 13 Pi Day
March 16-27 PARCC Performance Base Assessment

March 26 Progress report

 

 

IDEA's Guiding Principles

Each student is an important and valued member of the IDEA community.

In order to be a community member in good standing, one must embody in word and action the following principles that guide who we are and how we behave as members of the IDEA community:

1. We are prepared to learn and do our best.

2. We respect ourselves, each other, and our community.

3. We take responsibility for our actions and learning.

4. We work together to resolve challenges in thoughtful and meaningful ways.

5. We celebrate our individual and collective successes.


A Message from the Head of School
Our own students, families, alumni, and community members are the best ambassadors for IDEA, and we invite you to remind your friends, family, and neighbors that the deadline to apply to IDEA through the My School DC lottery is TODAY, February 2. Students and families who refer a new student who enrolls in IDEA for the fall and actually attends school will receive a $200 cash reward. 

Current students do not need to re-apply to IDEA. Current students will be asked to re-enroll later this spring and to update information for our registration system. IDEA students who re-enroll by May 1 will receive $75 in uniform credits for the 2015-2016 school year. It pays to plan ahead!

We invite members and friends of our community who would like to share their career paths with our scholars to participate in our annual career day on February 27. If you're interested in discussing your story at career day, contact IDEA at [email protected]

The second half of our school year is already underway, with second quarter report cards sent home last week. We look forward to building on our successes and finishing the year even stronger than we started. As always, if you have any questions, contact me anytime. 

Yours,
Justin Rydstrom
Head of School 
Congratulations to 16 Microsoft Academy Students on Earning New Certifications

IDEA is proud of 16 of our scholars who have recently earned new certifications in Microsoft Office applications. IDEA's Microsoft Academy is currently the most accomplished among all DC schools! Check out our ranking on the DC Leaderboard below or click here to learn more. Thanks to Mr. Mitchell for his dedication in teaching Microsoft Academy to our scholars. 

Art Classes Teach Character Education Along with Color



When IDEA students pick up paintbrushes in art class, they're not just learning about brushstrokes and color mixing, they're also discussing compassion, character, and community, and how they can make good decisions and make a difference in their neighborhoods. The results are both stunning collaborative works of art, and thoughtful, inspired scholars.

 

This year IDEA's art classes are taught by Maurice Kie and Seneca Wells of the DC nonprofit Life Pieces to Masterpieces, which has provided art and character education to boys of all ages in Wards 7 and 8 since 1996. While Life Pieces has taught classes and workshops in other schools, IDEA is the first school to partner with Life Pieces to fully adapt Life Pieces' curriculum for IDEA's art classes.

 

"Everyone has innate creative abilities," explained Kie, who began working with Life Pieces as an apprentice at age 8, started helping younger boys in the program when he was a teenager, continued to work with Life Pieces while he was in college, and then took on a leadership position. "We talk about each person's gifts and talents and attributes. Some people get them naturally and some people obtain them over time."

 

In one of the first projects in the class, Kie asks students to trace their hands on canvas and then cut out the hands and name one of their gifts for each finger. That builds toward a painting. Another assignment asks students to discuss what they love and hate about their communities.  "The conversations that we have translate into the paintings that you see," said Kie.

 

Each student has the opportunity to paint, but the art work is a collaborative effort. Typically finished art includes different shapes and images that are cut from larger painted canvases and then stitched together. Kie has enjoyed seeing the artists' initial skepticism transform into pride. "When youth aren't used to expressing themselves in an artistic way, they are first afraid to participate in the artistic process," Kie said. "Then there's this astonishment at the finished product. They can't believe what they helped to create. Everyone makes one piece and it becomes a finished product. They want to take selfies with the pictures and they're even more eager to do the next painting."

 

Kie hopes to mount an exhibition of IDEA students' art this spring and install some of the paintings permanently. "We want them to walk through the halls and take pride in what they've created." See more photos of students and their art here.

 
English Update: A Whole School Literacy Tackle

IDEA's English department is taking the lead in a school-wide literacy push, designed both to improve all of our students' reading, writing, and comprehension skills and to help prepare them for the upcoming PARCC performance base assessment. The PARCC test replaces the DC-CAS test and will be used throughout DC public and public charter schools this spring. The PARCC test is aligned with the national Common Core standards that DC has adopted to ensure that all DC youth are receiving the highest quality education and can compete with students across the US and around the world. 

 

Our current literacy efforts are focused on three Common Core priority standards in English/Language Arts:
  • Citing best evidence in informational text
  • Analyzing and delineating arguments
  • Analyzing text structures within a text

Our technology, science, history, and JROTC teachers have partnered with the English team to emphasize these standards in their courses. We are excited to be using data on student performance to focus instruction in areas where our students need it most, across the entire school.


Highlights of our recent Achievement Network assessments:

  • 9th grade had the highest number of proficient students (7) Lynea Sherman received a perfect score! Other high performers: Abiola Olugbuyi, Aaron Perkins, Dejah Wilson, TaQuirah Darmon, Larry McPherson, Alex Tillery
  • 10th grade surpassed the network on informational texts by 3%
  • 11th grade highest performers: Sekai Warr and Victor Settles 
  • 10th grade highest performers: Daniel Brown and Courtney Matthews
IDEA College and Career Center Makes Futures Possible

College, university, and military flags crisscross the ceiling of a former computer lab. Now it is a space where scholars, especially seniors, gather the necessary information needed to meet admission requirements of colleges or the armed forces. It is here that scholars research colleges and universities, write essays, and submit applications to make their next phase of learning within reach. Juniors also plan ahead by preparing for the SAT test.

 

Sgt. Briscoe coordinates the center's activities and keeps students informed about what is available and new in their searches. Mr. Nelson provides financial aid information and answers questions.

 

Already by winter break more than 70% of IDEA seniors had been admitted to a post-secondary institution. Schools that have already accepted students include Boston University, Morgan State University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Coppin State University, and other four- and two-year community colleges. Each day brings additional letters of acceptance and scholarships.

 

The center's offerings also include weekly seminars and visits from colleges and the armed forces, coordinated by by Major Lewis and Sgt. Bee of IDEA's JROTC.

 

IDEA Alum Rahsaan Stewart ('13) Returns to Give Back
"No matter how much trouble you get into or the circumstances you have at home, IDEA is here to help you, motivate you, push you, stay on your back, and make sure you get to where you want to go," said IDEA alum Rahsaan Stewart, who graduated in 2013 and is now a sophomore at Morgan State University in Baltimore. He's studying accounting and business administration and playing middle linebacker for the Morgan State Bears.

 

Stewart attended IDEA from seventh through 12th grade, back when IDEA still had a middle school program. While he was a good student for most of those years, during his senior year he faced tough personal challenges when he lost several family members. "That made me not care about school," Stewart recalled. "I started to lash out at people and do things that were uncharacteristic of me."

 

Fortunately, Stewart's teachers and the administrators at IDEA were understanding and compassionate, even when he was acting out. "Every time I got in trouble they would talk to me and keep me on pace," he said. "Mr. Rudasill would give me a motivational speech. Ms. Graves is like my second mom-she was always there when I needed her." Stewart said a host of IDEA staff members, from Ms. Reeves in the front office to Mr. Rydstrom at the top were instrumental in helping him stay focused and graduate. Even as he took a summer school class to make up for a class he failed senior year, he was simultaneously participating in a summer program at Morgan State to prepare him for college.

 

This past winter break, Stewart came back to IDEA to help out, assisting Mr. Rydstrom in using technology such as Instagram to spread the word about IDEA to recruit freshman for the fall. "I felt like I had to give back," he explained. He felt like he learned a lot about life and himself from his time at IDEA, and hopes other young people will be able to benefit from the same experience. "People should come here because of the simple fact that everyone here helps. IDEA was like a second family to me."

 




Timberwolves Trying to Stay on The Right Track
 

When the season started Coach knew that it would be a challenge for this year's Timberwolves team to come together right off the bat. Despite the guys being great friends off the court, Coach Pope knew it would take time for them to build together on the court. With many guys playing varsity for the first time and being exposed to a high level schedule, Coach Pope knew that we would have our ups and downs as a team.