Updated August 9, 2022

SY22-23 Updates for Families

Ingenuity Prep Summer Family Newsletter

August 9, 2022

Opening Message

Ingenuity Prep families,

Today we are just one week and one day away from the start of school! We can’t wait to welcome our students back next Wednesday, August 17. As you enjoy your last full week of summer break, we hope you have had plenty of rest and fun together these past weeks.

We are in the final stages of planning for the first week of school, with teachers so excited to begin having fun with their students again! When you enter the building next week, you’ll notice some exciting new changes. We’ve refreshed our school mission and updated our Values – you’ll see new signs for each of these across the building. We’ve also designed new artwork based on our first-ever 8th Grade Graduation – make sure to check out the hallway leading to the Middle School Academy to see it!

If you’re back-to-school shopping, make sure to review our uniform guide (highlights in this newsletter below!). We recommend students have pencils, erasers, crayons, markers, and child-safe scissors at home, but students only need to bring a backpack to school. Students in PreK3, PreK4, and Kindergarten should also bring 2 changes of clothes with their name on them.

If you have questions about the start of school, please reach out to your student’s Principal or Vice Principal. Their contact information is at the bottom of this newsletter.

Don’t Miss Out On Your FREE Uniform Shirt!

Ingenuity Prep will be providing two (2) free uniform shirts to all students. Please complete this survey to tell us your student(s)’s size.

We are now past the priority ordering deadline and new orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. While all students who complete the order form will receive their shirt, we cannot guarantee new orders will be ready for the first day of school.

Families may order additional shirts through our uniform partner, Risse Brothers, by visiting their website or their store at 9700 Martin Luther King Jr Highway Suite B, Lanham, MD 20706.

Back to School Night

Our Annual Back to School Night is NEXT WEEK! This is the first chance for students and families to return to the building, meet new teachers, and find their classrooms for the year. This year our annual Back to School Night will be held over two days, to provide more information and shorter wait times to talk to key teams.

Each Back to School Night event will begin with an Academy Meeting. Make sure to arrive on time for your Academy Meeting! Families can visit classrooms, meet teachers, pick up uniforms, or meet with other teams in the building following the Academy Meeting.

Monday, August 15:

  • Early Childhood Academy (PreK-3, PreK-4, and Kindergarten): 4:30 PM doors open at 4:00 PM
  • Elementary School Academy (1st – 4th Grades): 5:00 PM doors open at 4:45 PM

Early Childhood and Elementary School classrooms will remain open after the meetings so families with students in both academies can meet all their new teachers and attend both Academy Meetings.

Tuesday, August 16:

  • Middle School Academy (5th – 8th Grades): 4:30 PM doors open at 4:00 PM
SY22-23 COVID-19 Policy Updates

As we begin the 2022-2023 school year, our COVID-19 policies have been updated based on our community health level and recommendations from DC Health.  Please see the updates, below.

Mask Policy

Beginning the 2022- 2023 school year, masks at Ingenuity Prep for all students, staff and visitors are optional. This decision was based on the current community health levels and guidance from DC Health. Ingenuity Prep reserves the right to revise the mask policy should community health levels and DC Health indicate the necessity.  Families should provide masks for their students, if they would like a mask to be worn.  Ingenuity Prep will supply replacements for masks that are damaged or worn out during the day. 

Positive COVID-19 Student Case Reporting

If your student tests positive for COVID-19, please follow the steps below. 

  1. Keep your student home for a minimum of five days
  2. Notify the front desk with the positive test documentation
  3. Notify your student’s teacher and arrange to pick up absent work 
  4. After Day 5, test your student for COVID-19:
    1. If your student is negative, please send documentation to admissions@ingenuityprep.org. Ingenuity Prep will send an email confirmation detailing the return to school date. Please do not send the student to school before you receive confirmation from Ingenuity Prep. 
    2. If your student is positive, the student must remain home and test daily until a negative test result is received. 

Positive COVID-19 Household Member Case Reporting

If a person in your household tests positive for COVID-19, please follow the steps below. 

  1. Keep your student home for a minimum of five days 
  2. Notify the front desk immediately 
  3. Keep your student home until the positive COVID-19 household member tests negative for COVID-19. 
  4. Notify the front desk once the positive household member tests negative for COVID-19
    1. The student can return to school after the positive COVID-19 household member tests negative for COVID-19. 

COVID-19 Related Absences

COVID-19 related absences will be excused with proper documentation.  

COVID-19 Positive Case School Notification

Families will be notified of positive cases that occur in their student’s classroom.  Families will have the option of keeping their student home for 5 days after notification of a classroom positive case. However, we encourage families to test their students daily for 5 days and continue attending school after notification.

Are You Up To Date On Your Required Shots?

A reminder that all students are required to be up-to-date on their immunizations to attend school once the year starts. Immunizations are important to protect our community by keeping the spread of disease low. Please make sure your student has their required immunizations to avoid any interruptions in school attendance.  Please see a list of immunizations here.

Attend Ingenuity Prep’s Vaccination Clinic located in our auditorium. Our clinic will be occurring on Friday November 18th, from 9am-12 pm. To sign your child up for an appointment, please click the link HERE or scan the QR code. If you have more than one child, please make sure to sign-up individually.
Do you know someone looking for a GREAT school?

We still have open seats in some grades! We know how excited you are to be at Ingenuity Prep next year. If you have a friend or family member still looking for a GREAT school, have them call us at (202) 562-0391 for help applying or they can go directly to myschooldc.org to apply now.

Important School Policies: Uniforms & Cell Phones

Uniforms
Next year students will only be allowed to wear the Ingenuity Prep branded cardigan or fleece sold by Risse Brothers, or solid, navy blue, non-Ingenuity Prep branded outerwear. Logos, text, patterns, and other colors will not be permitted. This is a change from this past year. Some outerwear options that fit the uniform guide are below, although you may be able to find other options at additional retailers.

The full Uniform Guide is available in our handbook.

Cell Phones & Technology
Ingenuity Prep recommends that students do not bring cell phones or other technology (smart watches, tablets, etc) into school. We understand that many students do bring technology, especially cell phones, to ensure communication with their families after school. If a student does bring a technology device to school (including off-campus events), the school is not liable for and will not replace any lost, damaged, misplaced or stolen technology devices and the following rules will apply:

  • Students may not use personal technology devices (including cell phones and smart watches) while at school or school events, even before or after school.
  • All personal technology devices (including cell phones and smart watches) will be collected at the start of the day by homeroom/advisory teachers. Devices will be turned off and stored in a locked box in the student’s classroom, and returned at the end of the day. Students may not keep personal devices with them during the school day.

The full policy about student cell phones and other technology is available in our handbook. Please make sure to read this policy thoroughly if your student will be bringing technology to school.

Culture Camp Schedule: Remember, dismissal is at 1:00!

Ingenuity Prep will run our annual Culture Camp the first week of school. This is an exciting introduction to the school year and is mandatory for all students. During this week, students engage in activities to build strong relationships with their teachers, classmates, and other students across the building. Culture Camp is the first week of school and all students are expected to attend.

During Culture Camp, Ingenuity Prep will dismiss at 1:00 PM each day. Please be sure to have a plan in place for your student to be picked up at 1 PM each day. The regular schedule (dismissal at 3:40 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and 2:15 PM on Wednesday) will begin on Monday, August 22.

Before- and After-School Programming
Before- and After-School care will begin on Monday, August 22 (the first full week of school). Before-school is free and available to all students with no advance registration required.

After-school requires registration and is fee-based. After-school registration will be available on our website by Monday, August 15. Your registration must be accepted before your student can begin attending the after-school program.
Academy Leadership Teams Contact Information

Please make note of the contact information below for the leaders at your students’ Academies.

Early Childhood Academy: PreK3, PreK4, Kindergarten

Elementary School Academy: 1st – 4th Grades

Middle School Academy: 5th – 8th Grades

Arrival & Dismissal

Arrival

This year, all students will enter Ingenuity Prep in the morning through the main doors – next to the playground, under the Ingenuity Prep sign. Doors will open at 7:15 for before-care, and 8:00 for breakfast for all students. Students should be at school and in their classrooms before school starts at 8:20 AM.

Dismissal

Students dismiss from different locations by grade. See a picture below.

  • PreK3, PreK4, and Kindergarten: ECA Courtyard, across from the 3rd Street & Livingston RD intersection
  • 1st – 4th Grade: Auditorium, accessed from next to the main entrance pathway
  • 5th – 8th Grade: Outside, by the main entrance. Students may walk home or may wait in the designated area for their ride to arrive.

During Culture Camp (August 17 – 19), students will dismiss early at 1:00 PM from these locations.

Beginning August 22, students will continue to dismiss from the same locations, but dismissal time will shift to the normal schedule:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 3:40 PM
  • Wednesday: 2:15 PM

Free Covid-19 Tests

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests. The order is completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. You may order and receive more details about the tests here.

Internet For All DC Students