WYPR Sponsors "Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader?"

We would like to thank WYPR 88.1 FM for being a media partner for the Baltimore Curriculum Project’s 2014 gala, Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader?

Serving the metropolitan Baltimore area and the state of Maryland, the mission of Your Public Radio is to broadcast programs of intellectual integrity and cultural merit which enrich the minds and spirits of our listeners and ultimately strengthen the communities we serve.

For more information visit: http://wypr.org/

City Springs Student Art Featured in Black History Month Exhibition at Creative Alliance

Playing the Saxophone
 By Kionna Allen

By Kasey Trudgeon, Art Teacher, City Springs Elementary/Middle School

Yesterday, twelve of our 7th and 8th grade Academy students from City Springs had their artwork entered into The Black History Month Art Exhibition presented by Johns Hopkins East Baltimore Community Affairs at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson. Their artwork will be on display from February 1st until February 8th. Their names are Kionna Allen, Dreyon Cooper, Dynasty Eggleston, Demetrius Ellis, Tyriq Elmore, Cameron Gilmore, Kaye Marie Lumayog, Dominic Rabey, Zion Rhodes, Dajana Spriggs, Anthony Webb, and Mackalya Williams.

Since the students were learning about WWI in their history and language arts classes, in art they were taught about the Harlem Renaissance, which stemmed from WWI. After learning about the Harlem Renaissance, the students studied the design principle of Movement. The students' artwork is an arrangement of twelve wire and plaster sculptures, made to look like Billie Holiday, her musicians, and the dancers at a nightclub. The way the students created their sculptures was deliberate; they wanted them to look like they were actually frozen in time: singing, playing music, and dancing during the Harlem Renaissance.

Playing the Saxophone by Kionna Allen

The following caption goes with the students' artwork:

Billie Holiday, although born in Philadelphia, spent many of her childhood years in Baltimore. It is said that she got a job running errands in a brothel so that she could listen to the jazz and blues that played in the parlor. After moving to New York, Holiday had a great influence on jazz and pop singing. Her vocal style was unlike that of any other. One critic, John Bush, even wrote how Holiday “changed the art of American pop vocals forever.” She did so by making a great contribution to the “Harlem Renaissance,” a period in the 1920’s when achievements in art, music, and literature of African-Americans flourished. Without Holiday and her Baltimore roots, however, the Harlem Renaissance may not have been nearly as spectacular

Behavior Management at City Springs Elementary/Middle School

City Springs Elementary/Middle School Principal Rhonda Richetta and Andrew Devos produced this video on behavior management at City Springs. The video premiered at the City Springs Professional Development Day on Saturday, January 11, 2014.

Thank you to the following stars of the Behavior Management video for their outstanding performances (In order of appearance):

Ms. Elena Gagnier
Ms. Mallory Shore
Ms. Elizabeth Bartholome
Ms. Nicole Lefrancois
Ms. Jodi Ann Jones
Ms. Meghan Pieters
Ms. Alicia Smith
Ms. Elani Odeyale
Ms. Tiffany Key
Ms. Anna Hanley
Ms. Nadine Jackson
{Jarvis Scott}
Ms. Emily Garrish
Mr. Zachary Carey
Mr. Nick West
Ms. S. Hughes
Ms. Ashlea Barry
Ms. Dorothy Glewwe
Mr. Andrew Frankel

Using Apologies to Build School Culture

Each week City Springs Elementary/Middle School Principal Rhonda Richetta sends a Monday Messenger to her staff members. In this week's Messenger, she talks about how apologies can be incorporated into restorative circles and morning assemblies:

Last Friday I visited Hampstead Hill Academy (HHA) to see the middle school morning assembly they started doing this year, and I was very impressed. Whenever I visit another school, especially HHA, I always see something new that I think we could use at City Springs, maybe not exactly as seen, but in some form that fits us.

One part of the HHA assembly that impressed me was “Apologies”. Students are asked if anyone has an apology for something that happened in that week. I witnessed two students stand and give an apology to a teacher. This was not rehearsed or forced and students also could have given an apology to another student. I thought how well this melded with restorative practices.

I would like you to talk at your team meetings this week about how you feel about incorporating a designated time for apologies as part of what we do at CS. I thought perhaps at the elementary level we could include apologies as part of your circle time on Fridays. We may want to move it to The Assembly at some time in the future. In middle school, I thought we should do it at the morning assembly.

Once you discuss this with your teams, you may come up with even better ideas. More heads together are always better than one. I do want to point out that an abundance of research has been done on apologizing that supports the notion that “apology is crucial to our mental and even physical health” and “an apology leads to empathy and empathy leads to forgiveness.” (Beverly Engel, The Power of Apology, Psychology Today, July 1, 2002).

Teaching empathy is a critical part of restorative practices. If we decide to implement this focus on apology, I will provide you with more information that will help you teach our students the how and why of meaningful apologies. Thank you for discussing this at your team meetings. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Congressional Bank Sponsors "Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader?"

We would like to thank Congressional Bank for their generous $1,000 sponsorship for Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader? on April 25, 2014 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum..

Congressional Bank is a community bank serving the greater Washington, DC area. For more information visit: https://www.congressionalbank.com

BCP Winter 2014 Newsletter

Read the BCP Winter 2014 Newsletter at: bitly.com/bcpnews0114

Read the PDF version at: http://www.baltimorecp.org/newsletter/Class_Notes_Winter_2014.pdf

Wolfe Street Academy Thanks DBFA, UrbanBuilt and the WSA Community

DBFA provided 140 WSA families
with gifts this Holiday season

Wolfe Street Academy would like to thank the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance (DBFA), UrbanBuilt and the parents, staff and community members who supported WSA this holiday season.

Members and friends of Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance adopted 140 Wolfe Street Academy families for the holidays this year, providing clothes, books, toys and other goodies. Many of the gifts were distributed on Sunday December 15th, as the PTO held its holiday party, broke some Piñatas and Santa visited with students and their brothers and sisters. On Friday December 20th, Pre-K held its party in conjunction with UrbanBuilt, which donated gifts for Pre-K students.

DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE FAMILY ALLIANCE
The entire DBFA Holiday Adopt-a-Family program is the creation of Alison Pendell-Jones, a DFBA Board Member and working Baltimore mom. Allison has become an important member of the WSA community, transforming our winter holidays through her hard work in linking our families with other Baltimore residents who care. Many thanks also to DBFA volunteers Amy Sheinin, Kate Williams, Erin Karpewicz and Craig Saville, as well as DBFA Director John Bullock.

URBANBUILT
UrbanBuilt adopted our Pre-K class, and joined students, staff and families for a holiday party and storytelling. UrbanBuilt, a general contractor based in Southeast Baltimore, are experts in commercial and residential construction and renovations. We give special thanks to UrbanBuilt's manager partner, Jason Watts and employee Alex Cheolas.

WSA COMMUNITY
We give our deepest gratitude to our parents, staff and community members who made the holiday festive. Piñata makers Berta Galaviz, Lina Rojas, Maria Arellano, Rosa Cuba, Angelica Salpor, Gabina Alameda and Valbina Candia Hernandez. PTO officers and members Stephanie Given, Tanelle Schrock, Marivel Sanchez, Iveth Monterrosa, Claudia Goldsmith. Staff members Christine Fischel and Evelyn Gross. Social Work intern Claire Brachmann and community member Bud Carpenter.