Dear Innovate Families,
Welcome back, Innovate families, and Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed a restful and joyful winter break filled with special moments with loved ones. As we return, we are excited to kick off the new year strong and work toward a great finish to Quarter 2.
The start of a new year is a powerful time for reflection and goal setting, and our students are actively setting personal and academic goals as we move toward the end of the school year. With renewed focus, strong habits, and continued partnership between home and school, we are confident this will be a successful stretch for our Sparks.
As we move toward the close of Quarter 2, we ask families to take a few important action steps:
Log into PowerSchool to review your Spark’s current grades and missing assignments before it is too late.
Sign up and schedule your Spark’s Student-Led Conference (SLC). These conferences are critical to supporting your child’s learning, growth, and progress toward their personal goals.
Your engagement and partnership make a meaningful difference in your Spark’s success, and we thank you for walking alongside us in this work.
We are also looking forward to coming together as a community for a fun culminating event this Thursday at the Alamo. This will be a great way to celebrate our students and kick off the year together.
Thank you for your continued support as we start the year strong and work toward an even stronger finish.
Sparks Shine, All the Time! ✨
Ms. Casagrande
Director, KIPP DC Innovate Virtual Academy
Upcoming Events & Important Announcements
Here's a look at what's happening at our school in the coming weeks:
Jan 7, 2026- Quarter 2 Ends
Jan 8, 2026- Community Field Trip to the Movies
Jan 15, 2026 - Jan 16, 2026- SLC Conferences
Jan 19, 2026- MLK Day: Schools Closed
Jan 27, 2026 - Jan 29, 2026- ANET Testing
Jan 30, 2026- Grades ⅞ Field Trip to the DC History Center (Permission Slips Forthcoming!)
Sparks Shine, All the Time!
DECEMBER STUDENT OF THE MONTH:
We are so very proud of our students’ of the month for the month of December. Please join me in celebrating and congratulating them:
All of our students of the month receive a $25 gift from Walmart. Please share the link to your gift along with your shipping address with Mrs. Casagrande (kelly.casagrande@kippdc.org) and we will mail right to you!
JANUARY VALUE OF THE MONTH:
At Innovate, we believe Service means contributing to our community, supporting those around us, and using our skills to make a positive impact. Service is about taking action—big or small—to help others succeed and to strengthen our learning community. When we serve, we show responsibility, compassion, and leadership in both our words and actions.
What Service Looks Like:
Offering help to classmates during lessons or group work.
Participating actively and positively to support the learning of others.
Completing responsibilities on time so the community can function smoothly.
Using your strengths and talents to uplift classmates and teachers.
Showing kindness, patience, and respect in all virtual interactions.
What Service Sounds Like:
“How can I help you?”
“Let’s work through this together.”
“Thank you for helping me—I appreciate it.”
“I noticed you needed support, so I stepped in.”
When we embrace service, we become stronger classmates and leaders. We learn that our actions matter and that helping others helps our entire community grow. By practicing service every day, we create a supportive, caring, and inclusive Innovate community where everyone can thrive.
Community Events and Activities
LETS GO TO THE MOVIES! ALAMO COMMUNITY FIELD TRIP
On January 8, 2026, our Sparks are headed to the movies! All parents who signed up for the trip have received a confirmation email with information for the trip. Those students who are remaining online, must log in at normal time, 8:30.
Parent Corner
CLEVER MESSAGING DISCONTINUED…HERES OUR PLAN
As of January 1, 2026, Clever messaging will be discontinued. To ensure that students and families can continue to privately message teachers and staff, we have enabled Google Chat and will be enabling student email access. This change will not be new for our high school students, who already have access to their school email accounts.
Below is our transition timeline:
January 5, 2026: Clever messaging will be officially disabled and discontinued.
January 7, 2026: During advisory, staff will work with students to set up and review their school email accounts.
Moving forward: Students will be able to send and receive emails only with KIPP DC staff. Additionally, staff may use email to share important information such as missing assignments and grade reports.
We appreciate your partnership as we make this transition and remain committed to maintaining clear, safe, and effective communication to support student success. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
QUARTER 2 ENDS ON JANUARY 7TH!
Students only have two days before gradebooks close. We want to ensure every one of our Sparks finishes the quarter strong. If you have any questions about your Spark’s grades or assignments, please reach out directly to their teacher for support.
As we did in Quarter 1, students will present their Student-Led Conference and Artifact Project on January 15th or 16th. All students are required to complete and present their projects. They will have plenty of time to work on their artifacts during club time and on Fridays.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We appreciate your partnership and look forward to ending Quarter 2 with success!
MOY TESTING!
While we did not meet all of our schoolwide goals, we had many Sparks who met their middle of year goals. We will be sharing all goal achievers and hat winners on Thursday, January 8th. We are so very proud of all of our Sparks and their many accomplishments and look forward to celebrating them.
Kids Ride Free Cards
Kids Ride Free Cards can now be requested for our new school year. Please use this form to complete your request.
KIDS RIDE FREE CARD REQUEST FORM
Once you have completed the form, please wait to receive confirmation regarding pickup. All cards will be available for pick up at the Shaw Campus.
Additional Supports:
Scheduling for IEP and 504 meetings is currently underway. If you have an upcoming meeting, please watch for an email invitation. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out to the following individuals for further support:
SPED (SWIEPS): Manager of Student Success, Candice Davis, (540) 202-1035
504’s: Mental Health Practitioner, Mary Lohoury, (301) 750-3767
SST (attendance): Director of Systems, Caitlin Maxwell, (708)-408-0399
SST (academic): Manager of Student Success, Candice Davis, (540) 202-1035
School Policies Reminders:
Attendance:
If your Spark is going to be absent, please complete the absence form located on our website (www.kippdcinnovate.com).
Website:
We are so excited to have our website to support you with all current information.
Remember some pages are password protected to protect internal information. It enter these pages please type the password:
Innovate2025!
Communication:
For any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child's teacher first.
Important Documents:
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child's education.
