Black Friday Cyber Monday

November 2014 Letter to Parents

National Collegiate Preparatory Public Charter High School

4600 Livingston Road, SE

Washington, DC 20032

(202) 832-7737

  

November 10, 2014

Dear Parents:

We are pleased to announce that we have received the recommendation for Middle States Accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. This is a process that has taken over two years to accomplish. We would like to extend our sincere thanks for those parents who worked on our Planning Team and/or met with the visiting team: Ms. Dogan, Ms. Frangel, Ms. Holley, Mrs. Renaud, and Ms. Sherman. This accomplishment was a collective effort (students, staff, faculty, Board of Directors, and executive leadership), and it certainly demonstrated the value of team work. It was seamlessly managed by our Internal Coordinators, Ms. King and Mrs. Waldon). The visiting team left us with a quote by one of our students: “This is where the magic begins.” You should take pride in knowing that your child’s school is authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma and it is recommended for Middle States Accreditation.

The first marking period ended with over 130 students on the Honor Roll. We were also able to announce those senior students who are eligible to participate in our Annual Sankofa Ball which will be held in February 2015. The list of students follows: Garry Anderson, Rehmika Anderson, Zykeira Beach, Salbrina Bell, Diamond Carter, Ian Christian, Diamond Clark, Antonio Dawes, DeArrean Dawkins, Iyonna Dease, Coby Dogan, KeVia Dudley, Devin Dupree, Tatiyana Ellis,  Brandi Ennis, Cierra Flowers, Kennith Ford, Markel George, Tiyonna Haley, Khalil Harris, Maurice Holton, Nadia Jefferys, Diamond May, Derrick McGhee, Leon Mills, DeAndre Mitchell-Taylor, Miracle Morse, Toni Parker, George Rambert, Ayanna Rucker, Jahanz Sherman, Michael Thomas, Nia Walton, Chanel Watson, DaWayne Walker, Jasmine Wilson, Russell Woodberry

To assure academic success at NCP, please make certain that your children have submitted any missing class and/or homework assignments. In addition, they are responsible for any missed examinations. Losing credit for missed assignments and/or tests will have a negative impact on their grades. Parent Teacher Conferences for the second marking period will be held on December 10, 2014 from 4pm to 7pm.           

                                       

Every school is required to review each child’s attendance and report truancy to the DC Superior Court. Truancy is considered 10 or more unexcused absences. In addition, students who have accumulated 20 or more unexcused absences will be involuntarily withdrawn from National Prep.

National Prep is now required to monitor the number of hours each student spends in school on a daily basis. It is a new requirement that all children spend at least 6 hours in school. Therefore, all students need to report to school no later than 8:00 am on a daily basis. Any time after 8:00 am is considered late. Late students are required to attend detention for lateness. In addition, we will make every effort to discourage releasing students from school before 2:10 pm.

Please Note

There are a significant number of students who are not wearing their complete uniforms on a daily basis. Students out of uniform will be required to attend detention. Please make certain that your child reports to school wearing the school uniform (gray pants, National Prep shirt, black belt, black shoes, and white, black, or blue socks). There are a number of young ladies who continue to wear tight stretch pants/tights to school. Stretch pants and/or tights are not part of the school uniform. In addition, nose rings and facial piercings are not allowed to be worn at National Prep. If you need additional information, please refer to our Student and Family Handbook.

The following is a list of important dates in the month of November and December 2014:

DAY	ACTIVITY	NOTES
Nov 17-21	Project Week
26	School closed half day	Students dismissed at 12:30
27-28	Thanksgiving Holiday	School closed
Dec 3	2nd Marking Period Mid-point
3	Senior Picture Make-up Day
5	Cross Roads
6-8	ANET Interim Assessments	9th and 10th grade students
10	Parent Teacher Conferences for Progress Reports	Students dismissed at 12:30. Conferences are held from 4pm to 7pm
15-19	Spirit Week
17	Homecoming Luncheon
18	Homecoming Dance
22-31	Winter Break	School closed

We are pleased to announce that two of our students have been identified as finalists for the POSSE Scholarship. Please join me in congratulating the following: KeVia Dudley and George Rambert. POSSE provides a full scholarship for all four years of college. Our students compete with students from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Final selections will be announced in the near future.

College acceptance has begun! The following students have been accepted to Delaware State University during our on-site admission process: KeVia Dudley, Diamond May, George Rambert, DaWayne Walker, and Nia Walton. They will receive their official acceptance letters within two weeks.

I trust this information proves helpful. Please feel free to contact me if there are any questions and/or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dianne G. Brown, Ed. D.

Chief Academic Officer

Cc:           Jennifer L. Ross,

                Founder and Executive Director

National Prep’s Mission

The mission of National Collegiate Preparatory Public Charter High School is (1)  to provide a rigorous  9^th- 12^th grade standards-based college preparatory curriculum, (2) to provide an interdisciplinary curriculum which integrates international studies themes across the academic curriculum leading to an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and (3) to prepare our students to be self-directed, life-long learners equipped to be engaged  21^st century citizens of their school, community, country and world.

National Prep will host STEM Invention Convention

National Collegiate Preparatory Public Charter School (National Prep) host the upcoming Invention Convention in conjunction with the Metro Warriors STEM Organization (MWSO) and IT Computer Wiz Kids.  The event will be held at National Prep on November 12, 2014, from 5-7 PM, at 4600 Livingston Road SE, Washington, DC 20032.

The National Prep STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Program invites middle school students and their families to participate in this interactive experience which will involve robotics, as well as kid inspired inventions. 

Two exciting projects that involved National Prep STEM students will be on display: 

Stem Remote Control Car – Two years ago, National Prep was introduced to a STEM Remote Control Car program, designed for project-based learning and cross-curricular teaching working in teams, students organized, operated and established their own companies. Currently, as participants in this program, young men and women are supported by a community of mentors who partner with them to create a program that mirrors best practices of business and marketing executives, engineers, technicians, and professional sports teams.  Through advanced engineering techniques, the ultimate goal is to increase performance and realize a 1:10 scale electric, radio-controlled car.In March 2015, National Prep STEM students will travel to California to participate in the national championship competition at the National Society of Black Engineering Conference. 

GameHawk Application - Students at National Prep beta tested this new game application that helps people find and play online games with their actual friends.

National Prep offers disadvantaged youth in D.C. an opportunity to rise above theircircumstances and to receive the encouragement they need to obtain a world classeducation. Student comments often reflect feelings of belonging and caring at NationalPrep: “It feels more like a family at my school!” This solid staff/student partnership haspredictable results: National Prep young men and women enjoy a 100% High SchoolGraduation and College Acceptance Rate!  National Prep is committed to partnering with interested students to succeed in STEM; there is an urgent need to bridge and close the achievement gap for students in this academic area. 

"STEM is life, so everything we do involves STEM. That is the model we have for our program here and we look forward to engaging interested students”

          Melvin Stallings,  STEM Coordinator 

 MEDIA CONTACT: Christina Eaglin (301) 758-2482 -c(301) 384-2120 -o, christina@mmppllc.com

National Prep at #EdFest | Saturday, November 22, 2014 at the DC Armory

Join National Prep at EdFEST! | Saturday, November 22, 2014 | DC Armory | #EdFEST

My School DC is excited to bring you EdFEST, DC’s only citywide public school fair! Come and explore the city’s many public school options (PK3-12) for your child. Representatives from more than 150 DC public schools (DCPS) and DC public charter schools will showcase their programs. With the launch of the My School DC application on December 15, 2014 for the 2015-16 school year, EdFEST is the perfect opportunity to ask questions about schools and their related services and programs from those who know first-hand. EdFEST also will have recreational activities for all so bring the whole family! Admission and parking are free.

Save the date! Saturday, November 22, 2014, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at DC Armory, 2001 East Capitol St SE. To learn more go to: www.myschooldc.org | FB: My School DC | Twitter: @MySchoolDC | #EdFEST

Middle States Accreditation Information

An important message from our Chief Academic Officer:

Dr, Dianne G.  Brown, Ed.D.

As you may be aware, National Prep will undergo a site-visit from November 4 through November 7, 2014 to determine if our school meets the criteria for Middle States Accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Accreditation is an improvement process and an accountability system. It uses twelve internationally recognized standards and requires an institution to compare itself through a comprehensive self-study (Designing our Future) and submit to a rigorous peer review process. 

Accreditation:

• Encourages and facilitates continuous growth and improvement by providing an organizational structure for defining a preferred future

• Generates the details and data necessary for making informed decisions and developing sustainable plans for growth and improvement by managing the improvement process through regular assessment, planning, implementation, and reassessment

• Provides a means for greater accountability by ensuring to the public the integrity of our programs and outcomes.

If you would like to participate in the parent component of this process, please contact Ms. Shay King, Internal Coordinator, at 202-832-7737. 

Beyond The Classroom | New Four Part Video Series

 

Our Students Want You To Know..

Beyond The Classroom is a four part series we will be sharing with you over the upcoming weeks. This series focuses on our students' personal life stories and their life at National Prep. You will hear from our students in their own words.

We encourage you to share these stories and support all we are doing to create positive and productive global citizens at National Prep. These are the stories that are not being told and need to be understood. It is our hope you will have a greater appreciation for our amazing students and support the work we are doing. Thank you.

View: Beyond The Classroom: Stephany's Story

Back to School Shopping Tips

It’s that time again…when the all the stores are featuring items for the back to school shopping

season.  Luckily at National Prep, wearing a uniform makes it easier to budget for clothing.  But, you still might need a few things and this is a great time to save, so here are some shopping tips just for the National Prep Family.

•    Shop Maryland Tax Free Week – Sunday August 10 – Saturday August 16, 2014.  Qualifying apparel and footwear at $100 or less can be purchased tax free in Maryland during that time.  So you can save 6%. You can check out the list of Maryland Week tax exempt items here: http://tinyurl.com/q7mhgwz. You can buy shoes, boots, sandals, dresses, raincoats, socks, jeans and so many more apparel items minus the 6% sales tax!

• National Harbor Tanger Outlet Coupons and Discounts – Unfortunately the Tax Free Week isn't available in D.C., but you can still get some great deals nearby at the National Harbor Tanger Outlets.  You can get a 20% off savings coupon for the Tanger Outlets at National Harbor here: http://www.tangeroutlet.com/nationalharbor/ and use that on a tax free day and save up to 26% off.   (Read the coupon fine print carefully – it’s not valid on clearance merchandise.) You may even be eligible for a Free Coupon Book with more discounts from the Tanger Management Office– Check it out here: http://www.tangeroutlet.com/coupons/.

•  Join Amazon Student - 6 month trial membership FREE! – Try out the Amazon Prime Student Membership for FREE for 6 months.  You’ll get FREE 2-day shipping, exclusive offers and discounts and earn a $10 credit when you refer a friend.  After 6 months if you decide to join, the price is half off for student members and they add unlimited instant streaming, borrowing Kindle Books for FREE, and Unlimited Music Streaming. Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/odu6knm.

At National Prep we are a family and we care about one another.  We are sharing tips with our families and friends to help them save.  If you have a great back to school tip, please share it here in the comments.