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Murch Elementary School > Articles by: Mary Eckstein

Sign Up for the Murch Talent Show: Deadline to register is March 17

The Murch Talent Show is coming soon (April 8th & 9th)!

The deadline to register is Monday, March 17 at noon!  Sign up HERE.

Rehearsal schedule:

  • 4th – 5th graders: Rehearsal/feedback sessions with Dr. Branch on Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday, March 27 from 3:30-5:30/6:00pm in the music room.  Students should attend both sessions.
  • K – 3rd graders: Rehearsal/feedback sessions with Dr. Branch on Thursday, March 20 and Tuesday, March 25 from 3:30-5:30/6:00pm in the music room.  Students should attend both sessions.
  • Dress rehearsals: Tuesday, April 1 (K-3rd grade) and Thursday, April 3 (4th-5th grade) after school in the gym.
  • Shows: Tuesday, April 8 (K-3rd grade) and Wednesday, April 9 (4th-5th grade) at 6pm in the gym.  Report time is 5:30pm.

Anyone from K to 5th grade can participate.  Soloists, groups, clubs, and classes can perform.  Students come to the rehearsal/feedback sessions to perform the acts they have planned and get tips on improving them.  We try to include everyone in the show who would like to perform.  (Reminder, please NO lip sync acts.)

Questions?  Contact the Murch music teacher, Dr. Eugene Branch.

Please Check Lost & Found by March 13

Spring is coming! That means, it is time to clean out our Lost & Found winter collection.

Please check the Lost & Found for items that might belong to your student. There are hats, gloves, coats and water bottles. Parent Teacher Conference Day is on Thursday, March 13th and this will be the last day to pick up items before we donate any unclaimed items on March 14th.

The lost and found is normally located just past the health suite.  On March 13th, however, the items will be located near the security desk for easier access/pick-up.

Thank you for helping us keep the Lost & Found section under control!

DCPS Panorama Survey—Your Voice Matters!

DCPS invites you to share your feedback via the 2025 DCPS Family Panorama Survey!

DCPS has a vision that every student is succeeding academically, connected to school, and prepared for what’s next.  Your voice is important in making this vision come true for every one of our students.

Please take the survey by March 28 by clicking HERE!

This year’s survey is part of OSSE’s state-wide school survey initiative, DC Says.  Please take the survey once for each public or public charter school where you have a student enrolled.

To ensure DCPS hears from every family, the survey is available in English, Amharic, Chinese (Simplified), French, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Families can select their preferred language from the survey home screen (top right).

Thank you for your feedback!

Budget Update from Principal Cebrzynski

Good afternoon Murch families,

As a follow-up to the HSA bulletin from last week, I shared the approved Murch budget with the faculty/staff and the LSAT and am sharing this with the parent community.

The LSAT met on two evenings to make budgetary decisions. The first evening was to decide which non-teaching positions would go unfunded in next year’s budget. The second evening they met to decide how to fund the additional 2nd grade teacher.

The following positions are not funded as part of the SY 24-25’s budget: Assistant of Strategy and Logistics, RW-3 Custodian, and Math Specialist. The allocation used to fund the math specialist position was reallocated to fund an additional 2nd-grade teacher to reduce class size.

This budget meets the DCPS requirements for programs at our school that were not direct allocations including core content, related arts, attendance, and LEAP. LEAP is a professional development program that all teachers are required to attend and is led by instructional coaches.

Any updates about the budget will be shared when received.

Cordially,

Principal Cebrzynski

Murch Plus Wednesdays, K-3rd grade, April 27th-June 22nd

Dear Murch Families,

Murch Plus is back! Thanks to the generous support of the HSA and the Murch staff, we are very happy to announce Murch Plus Wednesdays, starting April 27th and ending June 22nd.

Kindergarten students through third graders can sign up for an after-school class of creativity and play, Wednesdays after school until 4 pm. If the requests exceed capacity, spots will be assigned by lottery. The rotation schedule within the cohorts will be by lottery as well. You will receive an email between April 25th and 26th if your student is placed in a cohort.

We will offer Murch Plus for four cohorts, two in K and 1st and two in 2nd and 3rd. Please be aware that only students from the respective grade band can apply for a spot.

Please sign up by 8pm this Sunday, April 24th. Please sign up here.

Each cohort will have three groups who rotate through a nine-week program, spending three weeks with each program/teacher.  The cohort options are below:

Cohort 1, K and 1st (flag football with Mr. Pyle, arts/science with Ms. Turner and school yard games with Ms. Bland)

Cohort 2, K and 1st (dance routine/cheer with Ms. Allen, paper creatives with Ms. Anderson and school yard games with Ms. Berger)

Cohort 3, 2nd and 3rd (flag football with Mr. Hayden, innovation/entrepreneur with Ms. Sessoms and architecture with Mr. Travitz)

Cohort 4, 2nd and 3rd (dance with Ms. Tara, art/mixed media with Ms. S. Gilson and school yard games with Ms. Ellis)

 

11th Annual Murch Day at AU Basketball Game—January 1

Murch students are invited to receive a FREE ticket to the AU Eagles men’s basketball game versus the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks on New Year’s Day.

Additional tickets can be purchased at discounted prices. Flyers with NEW electronic ticket ordering instructions were sent home in early December or simply click HERE to reserve your tickets/seating with fellow Murch families by December 28.  For questions, please email Clawed@american.edu!

Basketball Paperwork and Tryouts—November 1st, 3rd & 4th

10/29 Update Regarding Boys Team:  Per Principal Cebrzynski, a 4th grade boys tryout has been added to the calendar.  This tryout will be on Thursday, November 4th (for 4th grade boys).  Please see the calendar below.  As a reminder, the team will be capped at 15 students.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Principal C via email.

Basketball season is almost upon us, and we’re excited to announce the kick-off to our season!

TRYOUT/WORKOUT SESSION:  We will hold tryouts/work out sessions on the following dates:

Boys Team:  Monday, November 1st (for 5th grade boys) from 3:30-4:30 PM in the Murch gym.

Girls Team:  Wednesday, November 3rd (for 4th & 5th grade girls) from 3:30-4:30 PM in the Murch gym.

Boys Team:  Thursday, November 4th (for 4th grade boys) from 3:30-4:30 PM in the Murch gym.

**Parents/guardians, please let classroom teachers know if your child will attend a tryout so our teachers know where to dismiss students on that day.  Students should report to the gym by 3:30 PM on their tryout day.

All students are required to submit paperwork (see below) prior to the 1st meeting/tryout.

PAPERWORK:  Required paperwork can be submitted electronically via seamless:  https://dcgov.seamlessdocs.com/f/c4a57hp5qjqy

The paperwork to submit online includes consent for athletic participation (AT-13), emergency treatment information (AT-14) and a signed concussion information sheet.  In order to have your paperwork reviewed by a DCPS athletic trainer and your athlete deemed eligible, you will also need to attach a universal health certificate (the form needs to be unexpired with an exam date less than 365 days old and signed by a parent/guardian), as well as other health forms (i.e. asthma action plan and/or anaphylaxis action plan) if needed.  You can attach documents by clicking the paperclip icon on the top left side of the screen.

While we prefer electronic submissions, paper forms are also available (and accessible in multiple languages) via this link:  https://www.thedciaa.com/participation-forms  If you need to send paper copies, please send the forms to Murch.Athletics@k12.dc.gov or drop them off at Murch.

Murch has to submit team paperwork to DCIAA no later than November 15th (this is a strict deadline), so please submit paperwork ASAP or no later than the tryout date so there is time for the athletic trainer to review and approve the paperwork. 

PRACTICES:  Once tryout results are announced, the girls team generally will practice on Tuesdays and Fridays from 3:30-4:30, starting November 9th.  Please note the girls also will have practice November 10th.  The boys team generally will practice on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30, starting November 15th.  Once games start in early-December, coaches may shift to 1 practice per week on weeks with games.

COACHES:  Coach Nicole Bates will coach the girls team and Coach Jordan Tama will coach the boys team.  Thank you to these Murch parents for stepping up to coach!  If you would like to help or have any questions, please reach out to either coach directly.

We look forward to a great season!  Go Murch!!

Slow Down: Safety Reminders for Vehicles Around Murch

Slow Down: Safety Reminders for Vehicles Around Murch

School days bring congestion around Murch.  School buses are dropping off their passengers, kids on bikes and on foot are hurrying to get to school before the bell rings, and busy parents are trying to drop their kids off before work.

It’s never more important for drivers to slow down and pay attention than when kids are present – especially before and after school.

Please see below for some safety reminders from the National Safety Council:

  • Don’t double park; it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles
  • Don’t load or unload children across the street from the school
  • Don’t block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing pedestrians to go around you; this could put them in the path of moving traffic
  • In a school zone, stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection
  • Always stop for a school crossing guard holding up a stop sign
  • Take extra care to look out for children in school zones, near playgrounds and parks, and in all residential areas
  • Don’t honk or rev your engine to scare a pedestrian, even if you have the right of way
  • Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians
  • Always use extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians wherever they may be, no matter who has the right of way

Thank you for your extra attention and, most importantly, for slowing down to prevent injury to our students.

Girls on the Run Fall Team

Girls in grades 3-5 are invited to join the Murch Girls on the Run team.  

Girls on the Run inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. 

The Murch team is full but there is a community team that will practice at Fort Reno on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30-5:45 starting on 9/13/21.  Families MUST register online at www.gotrdc.org and choose the N. Cleveland Park/Wakefield team.

If you have any questions, please email Kathleen Bergin at kathleen.bergin@k12.dc.gov.

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