Legg Mason’s Jeans Day Fundraiser Benefits Wolfe Street Academy

We would like to thank Carolyn Funsch for organizing Legg Mason’s Jeans Day Fundraiser on October 11th, which raised a number of generous contributions for Wolfe Street Academy.

Carolyn is participating in Business Volunteer’s GIVE Program and is part of the GIVE Team working with Wolfe Street Academy. The Jeans Day Fundraiser was her GIVE Program class project.

The Give team recently worked with WSA Community School Coordinator Connie Phelps to arrange a Career Day at the school on October 16th and a college tour of Towson University on October 22nd. The team also raised funds for transportation for the college tour!

We would like to thank Business Volunteers and Legg Mason for their continuing support of BCP and our network of neighborhood charter schools.

About Legg Mason
Legg Mason is committed to being a responsible global corporate citizen and views that commitment both as a strategic priority and as an ethical mandate. We are focused on sustainability, we support philanthropic and community initiatives, we value diversity and inclusion in our thinking and our workforce, and we have a strong culture of honor and integrity. At Legg Mason, we affirm our commitment to corporate citizenship every day – through Philanthropy, Environment, Volunteerism and Diversity and Inclusion.
For more information visit: http://www.leggmason.com/about/citizenship/overview.aspx

About the Business Volunteers GIVE Program
GIVE is a 10-month program designed to raise awareness among the next generation of civic leaders about the growing need for volunteerism in Greater Maryland.  Through a series of learning seminars and volunteer experiences, the program educates classmates on key community issues, inspires them to make a meaningful difference in the community, and develops the necessary skills for success.
For more information visit: http://businessvolunteersmd.org/volunteer/give-program/

BCP President Laura Doherty Featured on Baltimore Internet Radio

BCP President Laura Doherty talks about Direct Instruction, Restorative Practices, NWEA, Core Knowledge and conversion charter schools on Baltimore Internet Radio:
 http://baltimoreinternetradio.com/education.html

The interview was conducted by Baltimore Internet Radio President David Custy. Baltimore Internet Radio is an internet radio station and website that provides a local, national and international showroom for the promotion of Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

We would like to thank David and Baltimore Internet Radio for featuring our organization.

Legg Mason Supports BCP Schools with $30,000 Gift

We would like to thank Legg Mason for their very generous gift of $30,000 in support of City Springs Elementary/Middle School, Hampstead Hill Academy and Wolfe Street Academy. Legg Mason has been a steadfast partner with the Baltimore Curriculum Project for over six years, providing volunteers and support for a variety of programs and initiatives.


About the Legg Mason Charitable Foundation
Legg Mason has a long history of supporting community efforts philanthropically through the Legg Mason Charitable Foundation.  We believe that investing in our communities is an important part of our corporate responsibility and that giving back  to the community is more than just good business.  Through our charitable giving, we invest in areas that promote community well-being- from reducing poverty, providing food and shelter, improving education, encouraging the arts, and more.  To us, philanthropy is a covenant between the company and the communities where we work and it is a consistent call to action:  to help make our communities strong and vibrant for all.

Young Audiences Brings Sankofa Dance Theater to Wolfe Street Academy

We would like to thank Young Audiences of Maryland for awarding Wolfe Street Academy (WSA) an Access for All grant of $840. The grant will help pay for two performances of the Sankofa Dance Theater at WSA on November 11th.

About the Access for All Grant Program 

Thanks to generous donors and support from Baltimore City Public Schools and the Baltimore Office of Promotions and The Arts, Young Audiences artists and programs are available to high-need Baltimore City Public Schools at up to 80 percent off of the cost (a $400 assembly could cost you only $80!). This opportunity helps principals with limited resources provide hands-on learning in the arts that supplements and enriches the curriculum.

For more information visit: http://yamd.org/?s=access+for+all

BCP Develops New Core Knowledge Middle Grades Curriculum

BCP's new Middle Grades TECK (Teaching Effective Core Knowledge) Initiative is underway. The goal of the TECK Initiative is to create a rigorous middle grades curriculum for language arts, history and geography.

Three teachers at City Springs Elementary/Middle School are currently writing and field-testing the new curriculum: Nick West, Elani Odeyale, and Lauren Stoltzfus. BCP would like to thank these three teachers for the hard work it takes to not only write lessons, but to revise them through the field-testing process.

TECK combines four main elements:

1. Core Knowledge: BCP is working with the Core Knowledge Foundation to create a middle grades curriculum based on the Core Knowledge Sequence - a core curriculum that is coherent, cumulative, and content-specific in order to help children establish strong foundations of knowledge, grade by grade.
    
2. Common Core Alignment: TECK will will be aligned with the new Common Core State Standards - a set of educational standards adopted by 45 states, which outlines the knowledge and skills that young people need for success in college and careers.
    
3. Common Curriculum Technology: TECK will utilize the Common Curriculum web-based platform, which allows teachers to access the curriculum online, create lesson plans, communicate with parents, develop a class website and easily update material
   
4. Effective Teaching, Assessment and Support: Everything BCP has learned about effective instructional design will be incorporated into TECK. Lessons will be field tested for two years and revised based on new student performance assessments. Teachers will receive intensive training and support so that they may focus on teaching to mastery instead of instructional design.

To learn more about the TECK Initiative, please contact Jeff Krick at jkrick@baltimorecp.org.

Business Volunteers GIVE Team Supports Wolfe Street Academy

The Business Volunteers GIVE team coordinated a
Career Day at Wolfe Street Academy on October 16, 2013

We would like to thank Business Volunteers Maryland and the members of the Business Volunteers GIVE team for supporting career and college readiness at Wolfe Street Academy (WSA).

The Give team worked with WSA Community School Coordinator Connie Phelps to arrange a Career Day at the school on October 16th and a college tour of Towson University on October 22nd. The team also raised $1,400 for transportation for the college tour!

We would like to thank the following GIVE team members for making these activities possible:

•    Trent Zivkovich (Team Captain), Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP
•    Carolyn Funsch, Legg Mason
•    Mallory McDonald, Legg Mason
•    Aaron Nodar, M&T Bank
•    Joseph Rabinowicz, Rosenberg Martin Greenberg, LLP

About the Business Volunteers GIVE Program
GIVE is a 10-month program designed to raise awareness among the next generation of civic leaders about the growing need for volunteerism in Greater Maryland.  Through a series of learning seminars and volunteer experiences, the program educates classmates on key community issues, inspires them to make a meaningful difference in the community, and develops the necessary skills for success.
For more information visit: http://businessvolunteersmd.org/volunteer/give-program/

The Children's Bookstore Donates Books to City Springs Students

The Children's Bookstore Owner
JoAnn Fruchtman

We would like to thank The Children's Bookstore Educational Foundation for their generous donation of 85 copies of the book War Horse for seventh graders at City Springs Elementary/Middle School. The students will study War Horse this semester. In February they will take in a performance of the play War Horse at the Hippodrome, thanks to a generous discount offered by the Hippodrome Foundation.

We would also like to thank JoAnn Fruchtman, Owner of the Children's Bookstore and Founder of the Foundation, for making this gift possible.

Each year The Children's Bookstore gives thousands of children in Baltimore City a tremendous gift. These children each receive a book of their own, enlarging their classroom experience and helping to foster a love of reading they will carry with them for a lifetime.

Through The Children's Bookstore Educational program, teachers apply for books to be used to enhance their lessons. After classroom use, the books go home with the children to begin a library of their own.

For more information about The Children's Bookstore Educational Foundation visit: http://www.thecbstore.com/foundation.php

Meyerhoff Awards Hampstead Hill Academy $15,000 Grant

We would like to thank the Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds for awarding Hampstead Hill Academy a grant of $5,000 and an additional dollar for dollar challenge grant of $10,000.

Funds will support a variety of Hampstead Hill programs including:

• Purchasing new language arts textbooks for grades K-5
• Creating a School Store to teach  students entrepreneurial skills and offer incentives to students who meet high academic and behavioral standards
• Supporting the Leaders Go Places program, an incentive program for top performing middle school students in scholarship, leadership and citizenship
• Providing Spanish language instruction for teachers and staff in order to strengthen parent engagement 

The Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds (“the Funds”) are a group of Baltimore-based family foundations committed to honoring the legacy of the family’s philanthropic vision and whose contributions have had significant impact not only on the city of Baltimore, but nationally and internationally as well.

To support the Hampstead Hill Academy Meyerhoff Challenge Grant Fund, please make your donation online at: http://bitly.com/hhachallenge

Or mail your check made payable to "Baltimore Curriculum Project" to:

Baltimore Curriculum Project
c/o HHA Challenge Grant
2707 E. Fayette Street
Baltimore, MD 21224

CareFirst Sponsors HHA B-Fit Fitness Festival

We would like to thank CareFirst for their generous $500 sponsorship for the Hampstead Hill Academy PTO's B-Fit Fitness Festival on November 4, 2013.

Through a new partnership with the Baltimore Curriculum Project, which was brokered by Business Volunteer Maryland, CareFirst is also providing mentors and funding for a new Big Brothers Big Sisters program at City Springs Elementary/Middle School.

Chesapeake Contracting Group Awards HHA $10,000 Grant

Hampstead Hill Academy Principal Matt Hornbeck and
7th Grader Anthony Sanchez Accept a $10,000 check from
Chesapeake Contracting Group

We would like to thank Chesapeake Contracting Group for awarding Hampstead Hill Academy a grant of $10,000. Yesterday, Hampstead Hill students, teachers and parents participated in the ribbon cutting event for The Shops at Canton Crossing, a 326,300 square foot retail shopping center located on 3501 Boston Street.

Both the Hampstead Hill Academy Drum Line and Violin Quartet performed at the event. Hampstead Hill 7th grader Anthony Sanchez delivered remarks welcoming The Shops at Canton Crossing to the neighborhood.

Anthony shared the stage with Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, City Councilman James Kraft, and City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young.

Canton Crossing is being developed and managed by BCP Investors, a partnership comprised of local developers including Mark Sapperstein of 28 Walker Development; Doug Schmidt and Neil Tucker of Chesapeake Real Estate Group; and David Strouse of Birchwood Capital Partners.

The ribbon cutting event for The Shops at Canton Crossing, - See more at: http://baltimore.citybizlist.com/article/grand-opening-shops-canton-crossing-scheduled-tuesday-october-8-330-pm#sthash.7MwRRYJl.dpuf

The ribbon cutting event for The Shops at Canton Crossing, - See more at: http://baltimore.citybizlist.com/article/grand-opening-shops-canton-crossing-scheduled-tuesday-october-8-330-pm#sthash.7MwRRYJl.dpuf

For more information visit: http://theshopsatcantoncrossing.com/

CareFirst Brings "Bigs-in-Schools" to City Springs

Today, seven new mentors from CareFirst visited City Springs Elementary/Middle School for an initial Big Brothers Big Sisters orientation. Each "Big" mentor will be spending an hour a week eating lunch, talking, and playing games with their "Little" mentee through the Bigs-in-Schools mentoring program.

In addition to providing mentors, CareFirst is funding the Bigs-in-Schools program as part of a new CareFirst - Baltimore Curriculum Project partnership, which was brokered by Business Volunteers Maryland last year. CareFirst launched this partnership in May when seven volunteers from CareFirst's Team Blue participated in a gardening and beautification project at City Springs.

We would like to thank Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake, CareFirst, and Business Volunteers Maryland for making this wonderful program possible.

We would also like to thank the following people for supporting this program:

• Tom Caron, Manager, Business Engagement at Business Volunteers Maryland
• Karen Dixon, Associate Vice President, CareFirst 
• Bonnie Downing, Manager of Community Affairs, CareFirst
• Donald Eaddy, Site Specialist, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake
• Simone Garrison, City Springs Community School Coordinator, Child First Authority
• Kelly Hodge-Williams, Executive Director, Business Volunteers Maryland
• Rhonda Richetta, Principal, City Springs Elementary/Middle School
• Dana Schwartz, Partnership & Education Manager, Business Volunteers Maryland
• Maria Tildon, Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Community Affairs, CareFirst 
• Krista Wible, School Counselor, City Springs Elementary/Middle School

Mayor Rawlings-Blake Visits Wolfe Street Academy

Thank you to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake for visiting Wolfe Street Academy this morning to congratulate students on their outstanding attendance and to talk about the 2nd annual Mayor’s School Attendance Campaign: It Takes a Baltimore Community to Raise a Child.

Throughout the 2013 – 2014 school year, schools across the city will compete for fun and prizes. The school with the greatest improvement in attendance, as compared to the same period last year, will win exciting incentives. Incentives will benefit students, school administrators, and the community.

Sylvan/Laureate's "Book Adventure" Supports Literacy in BCP Schools

We would like to thank the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation (SLF) and Project Director Sharon Morgenthaler for providing over $1,000 in new books for Hampstead Hill Academy and Wolfe Street Academy. The books  are part of a new Book Adventure partnership between the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation and the Baltimore Curriculum Project.

Book Adventure is a free online reading motivation program for schools and youth programs that serve primarily low-income Baltimore City students, grades K-7. SLF supports use of Book Adventure with training and technical assistance; help with reading events; and with new books for students and schools.

Book Adventure offers kid-friendly technology that motivates young readers to increase reading frequency, duration and comprehension. SLF’s work with Book Adventure supports local and national efforts to close the gap in reading achievement that separates many low-income students from their peers.

How Book Adventure Works

After reading a book, a student logs onto Book Adventure to take a comprehension quiz, earn points for completed quizzes, and redeem points for online prizes. As funds allow, SLF supplements prizes with new books for students to take home. Students can also join reading teams and competitions and access reading, math and science games through the Book Adventure site. Book Adventure is easy to navigate, engaging for students, teachers and parents, and accessible via computer from home, school or library.

Book Adventure can supplement your current literacy curriculum.

Book Adventure offers fiction and non-fiction reading experiences, reading to learn and think about text, and moving on a continuum of challenge within a grade level. The quizzes encourage inquiry-based reading with a combination of reading for information, word work, analysis such as compare/contrast, learning key concepts of fiction and non-fiction, and relating context to “real” life issues relevant to the reader.

Learn more about Book Adventure at: www.bookadventure.com.