ABOUT
BRUCE-MONROE AT PARK VIEW
HISTORY.
History of Bruce-Monroe at Park View and the PTU
Our school history is evident in our name. In 1972, Bruce-Monroe Elementary School was built on Georgia Avenue as an integrated school. The name reflected two separate Black elementary schools which were closed: James Monroe, named for our fifth president, and Bruce, named in honor of Blanche Kelso Bruce- who was born in slavery and became an educator and the first Black US senator to serve a full term.
In 2008, the school merged again with Park View Elementary School at its current location. Both schools had been slated for closure (and Park View for conversion to a charter school) under the leadership of Mayor Adrian Fenty and School Superintendent Michelle Rhee. Bruce-Monroe families saved the school by holding “cacerolazos” (banging pots and pans to music) on Georgia Avenue. Bruce-Monroe was given the Park View building and Spanish became one of the languages of instruction. Raymond Elementary School became the English-only option for Park View residents.
Family engagement is ingrained into our BMPV history. In 2015, parents formalized our organization into a 501(c)3 and we have grown and earned trust in our community from teachers and families.
External Links to our History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanche_Bruce
https://parkviewdc.com/2010/05/20/a-brief-history-of-the-park-view-school/
Currently at BMPV
BMPV is a place where teachers and staff know our children’s names, and we look out for each other‘s children on the playground. You will hear Spanish, English and maybe Amharic or Hindi spoken in the halls and Spanish translated into English at Parents and Teachers United (PTU) meetings. Our PTU strives to help all students participate in school activities and field trips and also to make sure students and families are supported outside of school. We value family input and participation.
Mission / Vision of PTU
The mission of the PTU is to strengthen the BMPV community through fellowship, advocacy, funding, and special projects.
The PTU hosts meetings once a month. We meet to stay connected as a community, to share progress of PTU projects, to hear from families, and to find ways to collaborate.
PTU Bylaws
Our Bylaws are our guiding principles for our work. We consider our bylaws to be a living document as we revisit them regularly and make amendments as necessary to add clarity and structure to our evolving work.
CURRICULUM.
Pre-school
The preschool uses creative curriculum which focuses on developmentally appropriate goals and objectives for children: social/emotional, physical, cognitive and language. Our preschool teachers use many elements of eReggio Emilia with its focus on experiential learning and self discovery.
Kindergarten - 5th Grade:
Eureka Math
Once the only school in the District of Columbia to use Singapore Math, BMPV now uses common-core aligned Eureka Math. Similar to Singapore math which help students develop critical thinking skills, Eureka Math uses stories to help students grasp math concepts. Many former Bruce-Monroe teachers went on to write curriculum for Eureka math under the name EngageNY.
Reading and Writing Workshop
Reading and writing workshop focuses on predictability and consistency. The curriculum is student centered and encourages them to pick their own books and allows for significant time to work independently. Unique to BMPV, our students read and write in BOTH Spanish and English every day.
All Grades:
Responsive Classroom
In 2017, DCPS embarked on a plan to bring social and emotional learning to all of its schools. At the time, BMPV had its own in-house Responsive Classroom specialist, Marianne DeRosa, who began to train our teachers schoolwide. Responsive Classroom strives to create a safe classroom environment and school community in which children feel supported to take risks.
BMPV parents may hear their children talk about morning meeting, developing classroom rules, and schoolwide community meetings. These are all elements of a student-centered responsive classroom. Students are encouraged to make responsible choices and at the same time are held accountable for their actions.
Principal Bustillo has made an effort to educate parents on the benefits of using these principles at home.
To learn more visit:
OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION.
Before and After Care
Champions provides before and after-care at school. Early morning drop-off begins at 7am and late pick-up ends at 6pm. Enroll in our Champions before and/or after-care program through the Champions website, connect via phone: (202) 412-6984, or via email. Enrollment is open year-round and financial aid is available if needed.
DCPS School Calendar
Links to all current DCPS school calendars can be found here.
DCPS Lunch Menus
