The Murch Auction is Saturday, April 1, 2023. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year! If you haven’t participated in the auction before, it’s a giant party and there are many kinds of auction items to bid on. Money raised from the auction supports field trips, books, computers, extracurricular activities, teacher training, music programs, and so much more. In addition to solicitations from local businesses, there are Class Art and Themed Baskets from each class.
DCPS Panorama Survey—Your Voice Matters!
DCPS is excited to invite you to share your feedback in the 2023 DC Public Schools Panorama Family Survey! The survey helps DCPS understand how families feel about their children’s school experience and learn how we can better communicate with families and support students.
Please take the survey by March 31 by clicking HERE!
To ensure DCPS hears from every family, the survey is available in English, Spanish, Amharic and Chinese. Families can select their preferred language from the survey home screen (top left).
Thank you for your feedback!
Join the Murch Litter Patrol – Starting Mar. 6
All students are invited to come early on Mondays to help keep Murch beautiful by collecting litter. Our grounds are used by many people beyond the Murch community over the weekends and it shows.
Meet at the Little Bear on the Main Playground at 8:15am every Monday, beginning March 6. Gloves, grabbers, and bags will be provided. Students will work in pairs with one using a grabber, and the other holding a trash bag. As the old saying goes, “Many Hands Make Light Work.”
Let’s Keep Murch Beautiful!
Murch Auction Wine Cellar Party – Mar. 18
Come Get Together to help us Stock the Wine Cellar and Meet Murch parents!
What is this party?
Murch parents connect and bring a bottle of wine to donate. The wine collected will then be used to stock the Wine Cellar that’s then auctioned off at our big fundraiser, the Murch Auction, on April 1st.
Where is the Wine Cellar party?
This year Jennifer and Glenn Leon are hosting the event on March 18th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at their home, 5313 38th St. NW. Get a babysitter and feel free to stop by anytime during the event and enjoy some appetizers and drinks – both inside and outside. Please RSVP so we can ensure adequate catering.
Will it be covid safe?
While nothing is covid proof, we are asking that guests please do a self test the day of the party. And if you’re ill – stay home and feel better.
How can I attend?
Please RSVP at our Evite page by March 15th. Just remember to bring along a bottle of wine or two on the night to donate.
What if I can’t attend?
If you can’t attend and still want to help, please drop off a bottle of wine to Jennifer Leon’s front porch in the basket marked with “Murch”. Donations can be dropped off until March 18th.
Where do I buy the wine?
Support a local business and sponsor of the Murch Auction by buying your wine at Verified Wine, located at 4906 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Please mention Murch when making your purchase!
RSVP to the Party HERE
Wine Cellar flyer March 18 2023 _website graphic_news&highlightsAfter a 3-year hiatus due to COVID, Battle of the Books is BACK!
Battle of the Books (BOB) is coming to Murch this spring and your 2nd-5th grade is invited to participate!
BOB is a trivia-style competition for 2nd through 5th graders and is designed to motivate students to read high-quality children’s literature. Battles will begin in mid-February 2023 and the championship battles will take place in April.
Each grade level (2nd-5th grade) has a book list of titles. Students are encouraged to read as many of the titles on their lists as they can. (Most titles are available through the Murch library, though some quantities may be limited. Students are encouraged to also check their neighborhood libraries for titles.)
For the BOB booklist/bookmarks, click HERE.
How Does the Battle of the Books Work?
- Each classroom is a battle team. Students are not required to participate, but they are considered part of the team.
- This year, the theme for BOB is similar to Murch’s schoolwide theme – Celebrations. Each team will choose a wacky holiday (from calendar selections chosen by homeroom teachers) to represent them as their team name and/or mascot. (See examples below.)
- In the battles, students are asked questions about the characters, settings and events in their books.
- Points are awarded for correct answers.
- Each battle consists of 24 questions. (It is not designed as a “buzz-in” situation. Each team is asked 12 questions in turn.)
- Every battle question begins with “In which book..?” Each answer should be the title of the book and the author’s name.
- In a battle, a particular student may answer a maximum of 2 questions for their team (to allow everyone on the team to be able to contribute!)
- In a battle season, each team will have between 6 and 8 battles (depending on the grade level).
- The two teams from each grade level with the most points face off in an end-of-school-year BOB championship. (The top two teams from the combined 4th and 5th grades compete in their BOB championship.)
For specific questions about Battle of the Books, please contact Ms. Holly Hope.
Happy reading!
Volunteer to Help Support Murch Events
Murch has a number of fun community events scheduled this school year. The Murch HSA is looking for parent volunteers to help with concessions and merchandise sales. Please check out the descriptions below and consider joining the HSA Concessions or Merchandise Committees. Email hsamurch@gmail.com to volunteer. Thank you!
Concessions Committee (pizza sales, snacks, drinks, etc.): Organize volunteers for concession stand sales at Murch events. Order pizza, handle pizza pre-orders, pick up snacks and drinks. Work with website manager to post pizza information for events. Time Estimate: 2 hours per month; 2 hours per Murch event
Merchandise Committee: Sell Murch merchandise at events (or recruit volunteers to sell), take inventory, and re-order when needed. Possible work with graphic designer for new merchandise ideas. Time Estimate: 2 hours per month; 1-2 hours per Murch event
The Murch Directory
AtoZ Connect, the company we use to create our school directory and provide an easy way for you to connect with other Murch families, updated their platform in the summer of 2021.
Starting in SY 2021, you need to create a new login with AtoZ Connect even if none of your information has changed.
Go to the membership toolkit and log in as a new user or new account. Once you are logged in, you will see your contact info is still there. You can choose what pieces of it are included for viewing by other Murch families or included in our printed directory.
There is also a new mobile app called Membership Toolkit that we recommend downloading and using to find contact information for other Murch families from your phone.
Please take a minute to create your new login and help us get off to a smooth start.
You can email Dena Kahn with any AtoZ or directory questions.
How Do I Stay Informed?
Know where to find the latest information about the school, the HSA, and our community.
The Murch website is your source for up-to-date information on everything happening at the school.
The school administrators, faculty, and the HSA all contribute content to the website. You'll also find a calendar of upcoming school events and helpful HSA forms.
One of the most important ways we communicate is the weekly email newsletter. Sent every Friday, the newsletter compiles information from the school website, the principal's weekly report, and HSA updates.
This email list is also how last-minute information and special updates are communicated to families.
Previous newsletters can be viewed in the newsletter archives.
Social Media
Murch is active on social media! Follow us here:
Twitter: Murch School: @murchschool / Murch HSA: @murchfamilies
Facebook Murch HSA @murchschool
Instagram: Murch HSA @murchschoolfamilies
Communicating with the HSA
The HSA loves to hear from parents!
Email: Email addresses for HSA Board members are listed on the website. If you are unsure where to start, contact out to our Co-Presidents first.
Friday Folders: Anything for the HSA can be placed in your child's Friday Folder. Just clearly mark that it is for the HSA and it will be delivered.
Get Involved
Get involved with the HSA to make Murch the best place for our children, teachers, and the community. The HSA's monthly meetings are open to everyone.
Let us know how you can help via this volunteer form.
The Murch Forum (IO Groups) is an informal way for parents to share information within the community. The listserv is moderated by a Murch parent and is only open to parents/guardians of children currently at Murch and to Murch faculty/staff.
Check your spam folder for messages from MurchFamilyForum@groups.io if you sign up but are not receiving messages.