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Coming up at IDEA:

February 22-26 Interim exams (Q3)

February 26 Talent show

March 4 Professional development day (no school for students)

March 10 Progress report 6

March 11 ASVAB #2

March 24 Progress report 7

March 28-31 Spring break (no school for students and teachers)
Green Club Leads Earth Day Project April 21
IDEA's Green Club is already planning for our spring planting of fruits and vegetables. We will host a 2016 Earth Day event at the school on Friday, April 21 from 10am to 1pm. Buy your Green IDEA shirt now and mark your calendar to volunteer this Earth Day.
 

Speak at Black Professionals Day February 25
On Thursday, February 25 IDEA is hosting Black Professionals Day to expose scholars to a variety of career opportunities and connect them with role models in our community. Please contact Ms. Diagne at [email protected] if you would like to participate.
Microsoft Office Classes for Adults

IDEA is exploring the possibility of offering Microsoft Office classes for adults in the community. Adult students would have the opportunity to earn certification in Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint. 

Because we are in the planning stages, we would like to know how many adults in our community would enroll in Microsoft Office classes and how much they would be able to pay. Fees may be $500, $250, or $100. 

Please contact Mr. Mitchell at [email protected] if you are interested or have questions.

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:

~We are prepared to learn and do our best

 

~We respect ourselves, each other, and our community

 

~We take responsibility for our actions and learning

 

~We work together to resolve challenges in thoughtful and meaningful ways

 

~We celebrate our individual and collective successes

 

A Message from the Principal

Thank you to all the families who participated in parent-teacher conferences last week after they were rescheduled due to snow. We launched a new initiative during this round of conferences to share the third quarter assignment lists with parents so that parents, scholars, and teachers are all on the same page about what is expected of the scholars in and outside of the classroom.

Interim testing will take place next week. Please ensure that your scholars are well-rested and well-fed and ready to focus! Juniors will be taking the SAT test this month in school. The SAT test format has changed so reading and writing are combined in one section with a maximum score of 800. Math is a separate section with a maximum score of 800. The combined perfect score is 1600. All IDEA scholars must earn a combined score of at least 800 to demonstrate college and career readiness, and IDEA continues to honor scholars who score over 1,000 points.

Parents will be invited to meetings at IDEA in March to learn more about the new PARCC assessment and what it means for their scholars. Ninth graders will be taking the PARCC exam so IDEA can use the results to inform teaching, but the freshmen's scores will not count for standardized testing. Scholars in English II and geometry, who are primarily 10th graders, will be taking the PARCC exam officially, and they will be taking the timed exam online this year. We are preparing scholars for the exam by teaching typing skills. 


Thank you for your dedication to helping our scholars succeed. Please let me know if you have any questions about our academic programs or your scholar's progress.

Yours,

Lanette Bacchus, Principal
IDEA Scholars Complete College-Level Classes at University of the District of Columbia Community College
Congratulations to IDEA scholars Any�, Brianna, Dimitri, Endajia, Gloria, Jermonie, Niya, Royalty, Tykerra, and Victor who completed their first college classes while still in high school. Thanks to our dual degree program with the University of the District of Columbia Community College, 10 students took classes last semester, including English Composition I, First-Year Seminar, and Intermediate Algebra. Tykerra and Victor are back on UDCCC's campus this semester taking English Composition II.

Senior Dimitri Cheuko enrolled in English Composition I, which fulfills credit both as a college-level class and IDEA's English IV requirement. Cheuko immigrated to the United States from Cameroon, and decided to take the class to gain college credit and improve his English. The big difference between high school and college classes, Cheuko said, was the level of expectations. "The standards are raised, the grading scale was raised, and the expectations of the teacher are raised," he said. "They expect more and they give you more."
Senior Dmitri Cheuko
The course's most compelling assignment, according to Cheuko, was to write a documentary about the experience of Mexicans crossing the border to come to the US. "It was interesting to me because what they experience is what Africans experience when they want to cross the border to France or European countries. They want to cross border to go abroad for greener pastures because life is difficult in Africa." Cheuko's own family came to the US by way of Ethiopia and Rome. 

Cheuko plans to attend Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi, where he will study accounting and play soccer. 

Bright Futures Boot Camp Teaches Career Prep Skills

We have started our Bright Futures Boot Camp, which focuses on career fluency and writing skills. Two dozen juniors and seniors attend sessions every other Saturday, covering topics such as: resume writing, cover letters, goal setting, active listening, phone etiquette, essay writing, anatomy of a business, professional dress, diversity, contact management, and elevator speech. We will close in May with our annual Speed Networking Event and Meet the Future Luncheon.

Participating scholars earn ACAD points toward prizes like movie tickets, gift cards,laptops, and tablets. They also have the opportunity to participate in other ACAD activities and earn eligibility to apply for ACAD scholarships and awards.

~Shelly Karriem, Director, Academy of Construction and Design

Senior Night Honors Graduating Scholar Athletes

On February 11, the IDEA community gathered to celebrate the achievements--on and off the court--of graduating seniors who have demonstrated hard work playing basketball and cheerleading.




Congratulations seniors!
Reverend Akil Dickens Encourages Scholars to Persevere through Obstacles in Life

In a recent schoolwide town hall meeting, Rev. Akil Dickens inspired and motivated IDEA scholars by discussing famous African-American politicians, athletes, and entertainers to engage our students in his message of honing in on purpose with your life and not letting anyone stop your progress. Students were very engaged and had critical questions for Rev. Dickens at the end of his speech. 
Top 20 Guiding Principles Point Earners from Each Grade Enjoyed a Day at XP Laser Sports

Scholars who exemplified IDEA's five guiding principles during the second quarter were rewarded with a trip to XP Laser Sports in Owings Mills, Maryland. The top 20 point earners from each grade were given the opportunity to participate in the trip. 

Special congratulations to the top three guiding principle points earners from each grade, who received commendations for their hard work.

9th: Tonya, Faith, three-way tie for third place among Michelle, Vivian, and Moniya
10th: Joseph, David, Jarions
11th: Kevin, Taiwan, Steve
12th: Justin, David, Antonia

ACE Mentorship Scholars Visit Embassy of Morocco

Mr. Mitchell and volunteer mentors from the ACE Mentorship Program took students on a field trip February 4 to the Embassy of Morocco and the University of the District of Columbia student center, both in different stages of construction, to see firsthand how the process works of taking a building from the design phase through construction. Thanks to Forrester Construction for sponsoring the trip and to the ACE Mentorship Program for arranging it.
Geometry Students Succeed with Hands-On Lessons

One recent day in geometry, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Boyce, and Ms. Simonsen handed out straws to their students. Not so they could enjoy a refreshing drink, but instead for an activity constructing congruent triangles, using straws, protractors, and rulers. They made triangles out of straws and used protractors to measure angles and explained the similarities between the lengths of sides and the angles.
 
According to Ms. Thompson, the hands-on activity was part of a shift in strategy by the geometry team that has resulted in significantly improved test scores. "We changed our methods," Thompson explained. "We're still using PowerPoint presentations to teach, but we include more discovery activities. The scholars relate the activities to what they've been taught in class and they can figure things out on their own." Constructing and seeing examples of geometry on their own helps scholars understand what they're learning in a new way. "We're doing more group work," Thompson said, "and a lot of error analysis, where they have to go in and check for errors, find the errors, and correct them."
 
Congratulations to our geometry scholars for their achievements and to our geometry team for their creative and responsive teaching!


Lady Timberwolves Attend Wizards Game, Gain Inspiration from Point Guard John Wall

The girls basketball team enjoyed a night out to see the Washington Wizards take on the Miami Heat. The Lady Timberwolves had the opportunity to watch warmups from the Miami Heat bench and talk with Wizard point guard John Wall.

As the regular season comes to an end we finished 6-7 (non conference) 5-6 (conference). This was a big improvement from last year. We are starting to play team basketball and with more confidence. I'm proud of these young ladies as we head into the playoffs.  

~Coach Drew Crawford and Teika Thompson

IDEA Welcomes New Science Teacher Paul Saunders 

IDEA is pleased to welcome our new ninth-grade science teacher Paul Saunders, who started teaching at the beginning of February. Mr. Saunders comes to us most recently from Buffalo, New York where he was tutoring students in math and science. He has worked as a science teacher in Virginia and New York in middle schools and high schools, and has earned degrees in biology and chemical engineering. Mr. Saunders is a wonderful addition to our science team and the entire IDEA faculty.
At Baltimore Rally, Scholars Pledge to Stay Drug-Free 

National Drug Facts Day "Shatter the Myths" program was sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Mentor Foundation USA, kicked off National Drug Facts Week with a teen drug facts rally in Baltimore. The rally gave teens an opportunity to have fun, interact with scientific experts to get the facts about drugs and drug abuse, and pledge to stay drug free. The keynote guest speaker has the mother of the late great Len Bias who was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the first round and who later overdosed on drugs. Students were engaged in her speech and the story of her life.