SCHOOL
EVENTS

If you give a mouse a cookie or if you give a child a book... Students get so excited about reading each year during our school-wide Read-A-Thon - parents and teachers are welcomed to participate too!  We kick-off our Read-A-Thon with a Milk & Cookies party where students have a chance to read a book (or be read to) with a delicious cookie and glass of milk. Students set goals for the number of minutes they plan to read over the 3-week course of the Read-A-Thon. They can also collect pledges (e.g. 5 cents per minute read) from their parents, neighbors, aunts/uncles to match each minute read with a donation to the school PTU. At the end of the Read-A-Thon, minutes are tallied and prizes go out to individual students and the class that read the most.  The students in the winning classroom get to pick out new books!

Come to school on a Saturday? Yes, why not?! Teachers, students, parents, families and neighbors all came out to our first Block Party! This was a true collaboration within our community. The months leading up to the Block Party, students along with teachers and parents planted and cared for seeds that we sold at the block party. Neighbors came out to enjoy the festivities and to sell yard-sale items on the patio. We had a BBQ with hot dogs (vegan plant-based hot dogs included!) and traditional DC half smokes. We collaborated with the Park View Neighborhood Coalition's annual Earth Day clean-up, so neighbors had the option to help tidy up Park View and then enjoy the festivities. The block party date also corresponded with DCPS's enrollment Saturday, given this opportunity we were able to surpass our growth goals and enrollment benchmarks! It truly was a celebration to enroll or re-enroll our kids into such an amazing community.

During the Winter, the PTU transforms the Parent Center into a photography studio with different winter scenes for family portraits. In the past we've created a Winter Wonderland scene and a scene with Santa (or Pancho Claus - Santa's cousin) next to the chimney. We keep costs for the prints low so all families can enjoy. We also offer hot chocolate and host a bake sale for families to enjoy warm treats as they wait for their turn. All proceeds go to the PTU to benefit the school.

Every year at BMPV we celebrate our Fall Festival, which gives families the opportunity to share an afternoon full of fun, joy and entertainment along with members of the community. The past couple of years, we've collaborated with Howard University and the DC Department of Parks & Recreation to offer activities and arts & crafts for the whole community.

Families can come to the festival dressed up as their favorite literature character. Kids play in costume, families have fun, take pictures and share delicious food to share with everyone. 

BMPV families celebrate the cultural diversity of our school in the Flavors of the World event! This is a fundraising event to support and celebrate the school community.

In this celebration, families bring a typical dish from their country to share the delights of their hometown and can come dressed in clothing that represents their tradition. While we celebrate our roots, families also support the school community by buying raffle tickets with the possibility of being winners of fabulous prizes. Some prizes are donated by school families, others are donated by local businesses. All proceeds benefit the PTU and support the needs of our school community.