Oyster-Adams Bilingual Elementary School offers a nationally and internationally recognized bilingual program for grades pre-k to eighth. All instruction and school activities are conducted in a dual-language immersion environment, with equal weight given to learning in English and in Spanish. Both Oyster's faculty and its student body are balanced 50%-50% between native English and native Spanish speakers. In addition, by enrolling children from many neighborhoods, nationalities, cultures, and economic circumstances, Oyster provides a heterogeneous social environment that is essential to its multicultural mission. Oyster enjoys an unusual dual status as a neighborhood school and as a school entirely devoted to a specialized program. Accordingly, all "in-boundary" children have a right to attend grades K-8, while "out-of-boundary" and pre-k applicants are admitted according to the school's selection criteria.
For more information about Oyster-Adams look through our website or call 671-3111 between the hours of 9:00 am-1:00 pm or 2:00-4:00 pm.
July 18, 2008
Dear Oyster-Adams Parents:
I am honored to have finally begun my tenure as your new principal. I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet many of you over the past weeks and I look forward to seeing many more of you as the summer progresses. I know very well that Oyster-Adams parents play a very special role here at the school and that the students have benefited greatly from your time, commitment, expertise and creativity. I look forward to working with you collaboratively and productively to reach our common goals.
As you can imagine, enormous amounts of planning need to happen over the next six weeks and I'm counting on all of you to help me prioritize my efforts. I want to make sure I know about all of Oyster-Adams' rich history of traditions and accomplishments. I also want to know about your concerns, suggestions and goals for taking our school to the next level.
To that end, I have set up the following opportunities for you to provide me with your thoughts and input:
Parent Survey: For parents who have had children at Oyster last year, please complete the on-line Oyster-Adams Parent Survey to give me your quick thoughts on a variety of topics regarding Oyster-Adams as an educational institution. You can find the survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=_2ftqeS4Uy_2f5kiXfBT6Kn0mQ_3d_3d
The survey link will also be made available on the Oyster-Adams website. This anonymous survey will help me gather a big picture idea of the parents' thoughts, priorities and concerns. Please take 10-15 minutes to complete this survey by Friday, July 25th.
Please call the school to request a paper survey if you do not have internet access. Or, you can come to either campus and complete the online survey using a school computer. We want to make sure that we have everyone's input.
Charlas: I will also hold informal gatherings to meet with all parents (new families too!) in the next few weeks. These gatherings will be an opportunity for us to meet and for me to gather some more of your thoughts.
The dates for parent charlas are:
Wednesday, July 23rd: 10:30AM-12:00PM at Oyster
Monday, July 28th: 6:30-8:00PM at Oyster
Wednesday, July 30th: 10:00-11:30AM at Adams
Please call the school at 202-671-3111 to RSVP. I hope to keep the charlas limited in size so that we can have a conversation. If we find there is the need for another session at another time, I will certainly try and accommodate this need.
The parent community is remarkable here at Oyster-Adams and I appreciate the support that I have already received in ensuring a smooth transition. I know the last several months have been challenging for the Oyster-Adams community and I assure you I am mindful of this complicated transition period. At the same time, you have my commitment that I will remain focused on what is most important? your children, excellent teaching and meaningful opportunities for learning.
I look forward to working with you all very soon.
All the best,
Monica Liang Aguirre Principal