 Immunization Information for Spring Enrollment Packets
Spring enrollment season is underway. Here are some immunization resources OSSE recommends including the following immunization in spring enrollment packets:
Schools and LEAs are encouraged schools to get a head start on the immunization requirements for the 2024-25 school year communication with families and immunization document collection, particularly for current students in grades pre-K 4, 6 and 10.
For additional information and resources, visit osse.dc.gov/immunization and dchealth.dc.gov/immunization, and reach out to OSSE.SchoolHealth@dc.gov with any questions.
DC Health 2024 Pediatric Vaccine Locations
DC Health has updated its resource that lists locations for pediatric vaccinations throughout the District. Schools are encouraged to share this information with families. The resource is available here.
Upcoming Virtual Epinephrine Administration Training (reminder)
The OSSE Allergy Management Team within the Division of Health and Wellness will hold a live virtual Epinephrine Administration Training on Thursday, May 9 from 9:30 a.m.–11 a.m. Certification is valid for one calendar year. Share this training sign-up form with staff members at your school who need to get certified this school year. School staff may also choose to receive certification at their convenience via a recorded online certification course. Contact OSSE.Epi@dc.gov to coordinate a live virtual training session if you want more than the required certified staff at your school to receive the training.
2024 OSSE Health and Physical Education Survey (reminder)
OSSE invites health education teachers and physical education teachers from DC public and public charter schools to participate in a survey to understand professional development needs of the workforce. Feedback from this survey will be used to identify and plan professional development opportunities to support the implementation of high-quality health and physical education programming in District schools in the 2024-25 school year.
Eligibility: You must be an educator in health education and/or physical education employed at a DC public or public charter school during the 2023-24 school year.
You may access the survey here.
We ask that you please participate in this survey by Friday, May 17. This survey takes no more than 15 minutes to complete. For questions or feedback, please contact OSSE.HYDT@dc.gov.
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Teacher Appreciation Week
Thank you to all the educators in DC who dedicate their time and energy teaching every student in the District. Let's come together to express a little extra gratitude to a teacher in our lives as we honor National Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10.
Join our social media campaign to thank the nearly 9,000 public and public charter school teachers in the District of Columbia:
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Fill out a Thank a DC Teacher sign and shout out a favorite educator in your community on social media. Download the sign here.
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Use the hashtag #WeLoveDCTeachers and #TeacherAppreciationWeek. Don't forget to tag @OSSEDC and @DMEforDC to help amplify. Download a Teacher Appreciation Week graphic here: tinyurl.com/ThankDCTeachers
Let’s celebrate our incredible DC educators!
2024-25 School Year Course Data Collection Process
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2024-25 School Year Course Data Collection Policy Guide
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2024-25 School Year Course Catalog Collection Template
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2024-25 School Year Student and Section Course Data Collection Template
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OSSE State Course Catalog V3
LEAs will once again submit Course Catalog Collection data through the Integrated Data Submission (IDS) tool from July through September. For the first time in the 2024-25 school year, LEAs will also submit the Student and Section Course Data Collection through the Automated Data Transfer (ADT). Certification for the Student and Section Course Data collected through ADT will happen three times a year, using the Qlik application, aligned with the existing Data Validation schedule. Unified Data Errors (UDEs) for Student and Section Course Data will be shown to LEAs in the Qlik application for most data in mid-October.
To prepare LEAs to complete this process in a timely and accurate way, OSSE will host a series of trainings and office hours. Each LEA should:
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Designate a Course Collection Point of Contact (POC) in the All Staff Collection
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Register for the Student and Section Course Data Collection Training, which will be held on Wednesday, May 15 at 10 a.m.
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Stay tuned for more information about additional training opportunities.
Learn More about OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching (reminder)
OSSE is excited to announce a new, cost-free opportunity to becoming an elementary, early childhood or special education teacher in DC: the OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching Program!
This innovative new program will remove financial barriers to entering the teaching profession by providing prospective DC educators with a tuition-free bachelor’s degree, flexible coursework offerings and paid on-the-job learning. Apprentices who successfully complete the program will also be eligible for an OSSE standard teaching credential. The program will provide pathways into teaching for current DC paraprofessionals and for graduates of DC high schools.
To learn more about the District Graduate pathway, visit the OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching webpage.
For additional information or questions, please email Sean Elliott, Manager of Educator Preparation, Pipeline, and Support, at Sean.Elliott@dc.gov.
LEA Individualized Special Education Technical Assistance Available (reminder)
OSSE has partnered with the DC-based company, Onyx Therapy Group, to offer LEAs free individualized special education technical assistance to help improve special education programming, instruction and service delivery. Onyx Therapy Group’s special education experts are available to answer questions on topics, including:
- Individualizing lesson plans and accommodations
- Implementing student support strategies
- Meaningfully communicating with families
- Correcting noncompliant practices within the LEA
- Engaging in data-informed decision making in the instructional design process
- Consistently implementing OSSE and LEA policies with fidelity
To request this support, send your inquiries to SpecialeducationTA@onyxtherapygroup.com, or leave a voicemail at (240) 326-3648 and a consultant will get back to you within 48 hours. These supports are intended to serve as professional development; OSSE retains the authority and responsibility to ensure LEAs meet the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and enforce those requirements as appropriate. Accordingly, compliance-related questions should continue to be directed to OSSE. As a reminder, please DO NOT send any student personally identifiable information (PII) via email or leave PII in voicemail when requesting assistance.
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Registration is Now Open for OSSE’s Literacy Conference on May 22!
OSSE Division of Teaching and Learning is excited to announce registration is now open for the Spring 2024 Literacy Conference on Wednesday, May 22 from 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m. This event will bring together literacy leaders and educators from across the District to engage with national research experts, learn from local literacy coaches, and build capacity through professional learning. You must register to attend virtually. For questions, please email OSSE.CLSD@dc.gov. See you there!
May LEA Special Education Points of Contact Webinar (reminder)
On Wednesday, May 15, from 10-11 a.m., OSSE will host the monthly webinar training for all LEA SPED POCs. During this training, OSSE will provide important information relevant to your role as the LEA SPED POC. The agenda will include the following:
- Policy reminders and updates;
- IDEA monitoring reminders and updates;
- Teaching and Learning reminders and updates;
- Special programs reminders and updates;
- Nonpublic reminders and updates;
- Transportation updates; and
- Reminders and announcements.
All LEA SPED POCs should plan to participate in each month’s webinar, as well as share the content, updates, and announcements with relevant staff within your LEA. If you have not already signed up for the 2023-24 school year webinar series, please register here.
If you have any questions about this webinar, please contact LaShonda Wilson at LaShonda.Wilson@dc.gov.
Registration Now Open! Thriving Together: A Symposium to Advance SEL for Students and Staff (reminder)
OSSE is pleased to announce it will host Thriving Together: A Symposium to Advance Social and Emotional Learning for Students and Staff, to take place on Wednesday, June 12 from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Kellogg Conference Center at Gallaudet University. This convening aims to bring together educators and stakeholders from DC Public Schools, public charter schools and partner agencies to launch DC’s Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards. The event will provide opportunities to attend and lead skill-building workshops, network, and learn about best practices happening across the city.
Workshops will be designed to increase knowledge of the SEL Standards and indicators while sharing strategies that foster a safe and inclusive learning environment. Workshops will align with one or more of the following topics:
- Building Foundational Support for SEL;
- Strengthening Adult SEL through a Whole-School Approach;
- Implementing Best Practices to Promote SEL with Students; and
- Assessing and Reflecting on SEL Data for Continuous Improvement.
Register here. For additional information, visit the conference website. For questions, please send an email to Jessica.Dulay@dc.gov.
Supporting Teacher and Student Wellness through Trauma-Informed and Healing-Centered Practices (Reminder)
OSSE in partnership with InSite Solutions, is offering two professional learning opportunities focused on understanding trauma in children and developing organizational wellness in our school communities. Identifying and managing the impact of trauma and toxic stress on students can increase a school systems’ ability to respond sensitively to the unique needs of children who have experienced trauma while also reducing teacher absenteeism and improving student academic performance.
Educators in DC can choose from the following courses which will be repeated on multiple dates.
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Understanding Trauma in Children and How to Develop Healing-Centered Practices (Introductory course): This session will be offered virtually on May 15 and in person at OSSE on May 16.
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Developing Sustainable Organizational Wellness (designed for school leaders): This 2-hour virtual session will be offered monthly on the following dates:
Adolescent Literacy Training: Cohort 2- Addressing Learning Gaps with Syllable Instruction (Reminder)
OSSE is pleased to offer the first of a series of trainings on adolescent literacy. This is an opportunity for fourth–12th-grade teachers, literacy coaches, special educators, multilingual educators, and administrators to undergo training on multisyllabic word instruction by the Literacy Architects.
This course is an asynchronous learning training with two optional virtual office hour sessions. The course provides teachers with information about the six syllable types and multiple syllable division patterns, which can serve as a first step to helping readers read and spell multisyllabic words. Participants will learn how to implement instructional routines that can be used in whole- or small-group settings to help students tackle multisyllabic words and will receive access to diagnostic assessments and lesson plan templates to assist with classroom application. This training will be offered from May 13 to June 28 and is open to 30 educators. It includes two optional 30-minute office hour sessions, during which participants can ask course facilitators questions about the content. These office hours will be held virtually over Zoom, and a link will be provided the week before. Participants who complete the asynchronous coursework will receive 12 PLUs.
To view the schedule and join the cohort please complete this form. Once the form has been completed, you will receive an email with registration details. Participants will receive 12 PLUs at the end of the course. For questions, please email Vaani Gupta at Vaani.Gupta@dc.gov.
Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities with OSSE’s Division of Teaching and Learning (reminder)
OSSE's Division of Teaching and Learning is pleased to offer many upcoming professional learning opportunities for DC educators, including teachers, staff, school leaders and service providers serving students in grades pre-K through 12 in DC public and public charter schools. All DC educators are encouraged to subscribe to the monthly TAL PD Bulletin to receive additional announcements about professional learning opportunities and resources for educators. View the most recent bulletin here.
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SOAR Act Facilities Competition Now Open (reminder)
The Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act Facilities grant competition is now open for applications. SOAR Act Facilities grant is intended to support public charter schools in renovating their facility to increase the total number of seats and/or increase the quality of existing seats in high-quality public charter schools in DC.
The request for applications (RFA) was published on April 5, 2024 and includes eligibility criteria and application instructions. Applications must be submitted online in EGMS no later than 3 p.m. EST on Monday, May 20.
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May 2024
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