Friendship,
All the annual performance results are finally in. And I couldn’t be prouder of what our performance says about who we are and where we are going.
This is a big moment!
Yet, as we celebrate, it’s important that you know my excitement goes far beyond the test scores reflected in the Public Charter School Board’s School Quality Reports.
Yes, I’m thrilled we have added a new Tier 1 school. Congratulations Southeast Elementary for earning this distinction, and for your amazing growth in math and ELA. You deserve our applause!
And make no mistake, I’m overjoyed that both Woodridge Elementary and Middle are Tier 1, and the elementary school is vying for the city’s #1 spot as the highest-performing among its peers. Woodridge students, from kindergarten to 8th grade, have demonstrated they are college ready with PMF scores ranging from 80-90 percent.
Our Technology Preparatory High School is Tier 1 for a second year, and its award-winning scholars are raising the bar for students from traditional public, public charter and independent schools with their innovation and scholarship.
And yes, I would never miss an opportunity to celebrate our longest-running Tier 1 school, Chamberlain Elementary, and salute the groundbreaking work of our Tier 1 Blow Pierce Elementary.
But Friendship, my joy goes much, much deeper.
I’m proud because at each of these six schools and at every Friendship school, Tier 1 practices and outcomes are taking shape and shaping lives!
‘Everybody loves him’: Why the Bears’ Eddie Goldman returns to Washington as a hometown hero
In a way, the Bears’ culture change started with Goldman. He’s the only remaining player from general manager Ryan Pace’s first draft class. All he wants to do is do his job and do it well.
Parent Engagement Policy
We’d love your feedback on our parent engagement policy. If you have any suggestions on how we can make it better, please add your feed back here by September 30th.
FPCS Statement on Medications and Health
Friendship Public Charter School is deeply committed to the safety and wellbeing of every student who attends each of our 16 schools located in five wards throughout District of Columbia. For over two decades, we have tirelessly served D.C.’s children and families, and a key pillar of our commitment is supporting our most medically fragile scholars.
During the school day, our licensed nursing staff regularly administers a range of medications as prescribed by a licensed physician with the parent’s consent. As directed by D.C. law, parents are required to submit and schools must maintain physician-authorized documentation that outlines medical treatment for students during the school day.
A Message from the CEO
‘I wasn’t just thinking about myself’: How D.C.’s class of 2019 decided what’s next
Congratulations to our 2019 valedictorian Aaron Spruill who was featured in the Washington Post. He shared his aspiration to become a computer scientist.
Recognizing Donald Hense
The African American community’s fight for quality education is a 12-months-a-year struggle, and every month — not just Black History Month — is a great time to reflect on what’s working and who is successful in fighting for quality public education in our community. Donald Hense and the Friendship Charter Network are worthy of recognition.
Hense is founder and board chairman of the Friendship Charter Network, the largest African American-led charter school network in America. Hense’s accomplishment is significant, because, while over 80 percent of charter school students are Black or Latino, fewer than 10 percent of charter schools are founded and led by Blacks or Latinos, according to a study by the Brookings Institute.
Three-quarters of students enrolled in Friendship schools in D.C. are from Wards 7 and 8, the city’s two poorest areas, and nearly all are African American. Their success is reflected in their continuous improvement on standardized tests. Most recently, Hense and his team celebrated when five of Friendship’s 12 D.C. schools were rated Tier 1 by the Public Charter School Board — the highest of three ratings a charter can earn.
You did it!
We can count the 2018-19 school year as yet another major win for our scholars, parents, teachers, staff and school community.
Because of your hard work, tenacious pursuit of excellence and love for our scholars, we have experienced a year of record achievement – in student performance and in the growth of our footprint throughout the District.
There’s so much to celebrate!
– Our engaging early childhood education program is recognized as one of D.C.’s best!
– From Puerto Rico to Providence, our middle and high school students are broadening their perspectives through travel and college dual enrollment.
– At this year’s citywide STEM Fair, Friendship students not only won numerous awards including First Place Grand Prize for their invention, the “Safety Zipper” – they excelled among over 20 other public and independent schools, competed internationally and are pursuing a patent for their one-of-a-kind invention. And by the way, Friendship is also home to Google’s D.C. Science Fair winner.
Wait, there’s more!
– Our 2019 graduating class includes five Google Computer Science scholars and a Gates Scholarship winner. Not to mention, our graduates collectively earned over $6 million in scholarships!
– Friendship’s Performing Arts program is on fire! Students performed at the Kennedy Center and wowed us with Broadway classics like “The Wiz” and a Summer Arts Festival.
– At our 1st Annual Community Planting Day, neighbors and friends joined us as we added timeless beauty to our city blocks. And visit any of our campuses and you’ll see bee harvesting, an urban chicken coop and garden boxes with everything from rosemary to azaleas!
If that’s not enough, our classroom teachers were selected from thousands of applicants for prestigious awards including D.C.’s Sanford Teacher’s Award and the Greater Washington Reading Council’s Reading Teacher of the Year and Reading Administrator of the Year.
And because of all you do, more students and families will grow from a Friendship education. We’ll start the 2019-20 school year with three new schools – Friendship Ideal Elementary and Middle in Ward 4, Friendship Armstrong Middle in Ward 5 and scholars from City Arts & Prep.