Roots&Shoots Makes Baltimore Better

By Jesenia Zavala, Student, Wolfe Street Academy

The Wolfe Street Academy Roots&Shoots Green Team is doing great projects.  The team is fourth grade students in the after school program.  The projects are about making the Earth better, helping people and helping our school.  We are glad to be volunteering.  We have been working really hard.

This month we are making food for the poor and for soldiers.  This will help people. We also made posters so people will recycle more.  We put the posters all over the school, and we make sure the classes have recycle boxes.  We hope we can plant trees in the spring.  Our school will be better because of the plants. We will do projects all year.

Why Wolfe Street Academy is the Best School in Baltimore

Lettis Kelly Zavala, 5th Grader
Wolfe Street Academy

By Lettis Kelly Zavala
5th Grade Student, Wolfe Street Academy

Wolfe Street Academy is a great school. I have learned a lot. The teachers there care about us. They want you to learn and have a great education. The science teachers is fun. She teaches you many things. I learned about the Solar System and molecules. Two hundred kids go to Wolfe Street Academy (WSA). Mr. Kauffman is the ESOL teacher for Reading and Language Arts. Inn After School, he is the teacher for chess.

Ms. Byron helps out too. She comes to classes to see how the classes are acting. She does checkouts to see how you are doing. Mr. Gaither is the principal of the school. He watches out for us. WSA is a very good school. I wish I could stay there. If there were more grades, you would learn more.

WSA is the best school in Baltimore. In After School they teach you how to play instruments, how to make robots, do projects and make weight bridges.

They have good food for lunch. They take care of the children and are happy to have them. They also give you breakfast and lunch. WSA is a very good school so take your kids. I have been there since 4th grade. I have learned a lot in 4th grade. Those were the best 2 years of school. They don't just make you do work they let you have some fun too! The principal also jokes around sometimes.

Chat n' Chew Supports Professional Learning Community

On Tuesday the Baltimore Curriculum Project and Wolfe Street Academy hosted the first after-school Chat and Chew. Melissa Anderson, Dawn Burks, Jovan Campbell, and Terry Houck participated in this opportunity to practice Direct Instruction instructional delivery, signals and corrections.

The weekly sessions are being organized by Wolfe Street Staff Developer Rosemary Byron and BCP Academic Coach Sue Lattimore. During Tuesday's session the teachers were very engaged in the discussion and practice, and shared some of the good ideas that are working in their classrooms. For example, Terry Houck showed how she uses a ring of "Equity Chips" to keep the students attentive during individual turns.

These teachers have taken an active role in their development as professional educators and plan to continue to join these sessions, which will be held every Tuesday from 3:00pm - 4:00pm, throughout the fall semester.

BWGC Supports Wolfe Street Academy

The Baltimore Women's Giving Circle (BWGC) of the Baltimore Community Foundation has awarded the Baltimore Curriculum Project a grant of $12,180 to support Wolfe Street Academy's After School Academics Program. The program serves 75 children in grades 1-5, with three classes per week in reading, math, science and social studies.

Through collective giving and collaboration, The Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle seeks to improve life for disadvantaged women and their families in the greater Baltimore area. BWGC is a fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation We would like to thank BWGC for supporting our students.

For more information visit: http://www.thebwgc.org/

MICA Community Arts Collaborative at Wolfe Street Academy

Wolfe Street Academy has been accepted into the Maryland Institute College of Art's (MICA) 2012-2013 Community Arts Collaborative (CAC). The program will place a talented community artist at Wolfe Street for a year-long residency.

Created in 2004, CAC is the only program of its kind in Maryland that links artists, communities, and institutions of higher education. Housed in the Office of Community Engagement at MICA, this program places community artists in year-long residencies with nonprofits, schools, and community centers in Baltimore City. The work of CAC member artists provides children, youth, and adults with the benefits of after-school arts-based learning experiences and strengthens neighborhoods through community art projects.

For more information visit:
http://www.mica.edu/About_MICA/Departments_and_Services/The_Center_for_Art_Education/Community_Art_Collaborative.html

WOLFEST on Saturday May 12th

Looking for something fun to do with the family today? Check out WOLFEST, Wolfe Street Academy's annual street festival from 12:00 PM until 4:00 PM on Gough Street between S. Wolfe and Washington Streets, immediately adjacent to the school.

Schedule:

• 12:00pm -1:00pm - Greetings and formal student performances
• 1:30pm - Talent Show
• 2:30pm - Performance by Native American dancers (including a WSA parent)
• 3:15pm - Cream the Principal (our students' favorite activity)

Latin American and festival food will be for sale, and there will be many crafts tables, inflatables and other activities for kids. All proceeds go to support the WSA Parent/Teacher Organization. Please join us!

Maryland Food Bank Backpack Program Feeds Wolfe Street Families

The Maryland's Food Bank's Backpack Program began two weeks ago at Wolfe Street Academy. The program provides bags full of food to children eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school. Backpacks are handed out on Fridays and children take them home to share with their families over the weekend.

Two Fridays ago, students participating in the BOOST After-School Program at Wolfe Street received bags of food. Food distributions will alternate weekly between students participating in the after-school program and students only attending the day school.

Kathy Stroup, Director of Extended Student Services, worked for two years to bring the Backpack Program to Wolfe Street Academy. The school will continue to receive weekly food distributions until the Food Bank exhausts the funding allocated for this program. Wolfe Street Academy also hosts two larger Maryland Food Bank food distributions twice a year.

The Backpack Program was initiated after Baltimore City teachers began noticing children returning to school on Monday unable to concentrate because they had not eaten all weekend. In Fiscal Year 2009, the Maryland Food Bank distributed 9,360 backpacks to children.

The Backpack Program is one of many services coordinated by the BOOST After-School Program at Wolfe Street Academy, which is funded by a grant from the Family League of Baltimore City.

Wolfe Street Receives Lowe's Grant for Living Classroom

The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) has awarded Wolfe Street Academy a 2011-2012 Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant of $2,000 to support the school's Outdoor Living Classroom Project.

The grant will enable the school to transform an underutilized courtyard into a serene Living Classroom learning environment for students, families and the local community. The courtyard, which currently contains a container garden, will also include benches, raised flower beds, a butterfly garden, a bird bath and feeders.

Teachers will use the University of Maryland Food Supplement Nutrition Education Program's Growing Healthy Habits (GHH) curriculum to provide nutrition education through gardening.

This curriculum was developed specifically for educators in Maryland reaching low-income youth who wish to use gardening as a tool for improving nutrition-related behaviors. GHH was written by Chrissa Carlson, Hampstead Hill Academy's Food for Life Educator.

A variety of partners are supporting the project. Students from Kennedy Krieger High School have volunteered to build the raised planter beds; Master Gardeners from the University of Maryland’s Nutrition Education Program will provide technical assistance; and the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation will provide a variety of workshops for students on nutrition and gardening.

We would like to thank Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation for supporting our Living Classroom project.

About Lowe’s Toolbox for Education
Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant program is funded by the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, which has supported thousands of grassroots community and school projects in the communities where Lowe’s does business. Learn More.

Dorfman Museum Figures Donates Art Supplies

Dorfman Museum Figures, a Dundalk-based business, has donated spools and other art supplies to Wolfe Street Academy's After-School Art Program. Students used the spools to create the beautiful artwork you see in the photo above.

Myra Gnadt, Administrator for Dorfman Museum Figures, has been instrumental in coordinating the supply donations. Founded by Earl Dorfman in 1957, Dorfman Museum Figures, Inc. has added vitality and drama to museums and exhibits from the Smithsonian to Singapore.

We would like to thank Dorfman Museum Figures and Ms. Gnadt for their support.

For more information about Dorfman Museum Figures visit: http://www.museumfigures.com

To learn more about the Wolfe Street After-School Art Program contact Program Director Nancy Jagelka at njagelka@gmail.com

BCP Schools Selected for MissionSpring Fundraising Training

Two BCP Schools, City Springs School and Wolfe Street Academy, have been selected to participate in the inaugural class of MissionSpring, a yearlong, professional fundraising training academy being offered to Baltimore City’s charter, transformation, and innovation schools.

The program is sponsored by Supporting Public Schools of Choice, a project of the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers, and led by Sangha Solutions and Jump Start Growth, Inc.

MissionSpring provides participating schools with the tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to build and sustain an individual giving program.

The inaugural class of MissionSpring (2012) includes the following schools: Baltimore Community High School, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy, City Neighbors Foundation, City Springs School, Midtown Academy, Patterson Park Public Charter School, Southwest Baltimore Charter School, and Wolfe Street Academy.

We would like to thank Supporting Public Schools of Choice, Sangha Solutions, and Jump Start Growth, Inc. for making this opportunity available to our schools.

Travel Advantage Network Donates 2,000 Book Bags to BCP Students

MILLERSVILLE, Md., Jan. 11, 2012

Local Company's Charitable Efforts Support the Baltimore Curriculum Project

MILLERSVILLE, Md., Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Travel Advantage Network (TAN), a wholesale vacation accommodations program, donated 2,000 book bags to a network of Baltimore City schools affiliated with the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP). Wolfe Street Academy, a Baltimore City public charter school and BCP member, was able to equip its entire student population of pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students with the TAN sling book bags. The remainder of the bags went to other BCP-affiliated schools. Chief development officer and vice president of the Baltimore Curriculum Project, Larry Schugam, personally delivered the bags to the students.

"We are incredibly grateful for TAN's donation of book bags for our four neighborhood charter schools which include City Springs School, Collington Square School of the Arts, Hampstead Hill Academy and Wolfe Street Academy. Gifts like these make a big difference in the lives of our students," stated Larry Schugam, chief development officer and vice president of the Baltimore Curriculum Project.

The Baltimore Curriculum Project is a nonprofit organization that endows four neighborhood charter schools in East Baltimore. Its mission is to develop, implement, and advocate for an innovative, sustainable, and replicable education model that improves student outcomes. A vital goal of the organization is to help raise standards and opportunities for disadvantaged youth and Baltimore City schools.

TAN has been dedicated to charitable giving since its inception. Brad Callahan, TAN president, has cultivated a culture of giving at Travel Advantage Network that includes a commitment to monthly charitable events. Each month an employee chooses a charity to sponsor and donations are raised during that month through various fundraising activities such as raffles, silent auctions, pay-to-wear-jeans days, and other fun events to get TAN team members to contribute. In 2011, TAN raised more than $12,000 for various local and national charities. For information about Travel Advantage Network and its charitable efforts, please visit PlanWithTAN.com or the Travel Advantage Network Charity Blog.

Since 1992, TAN, a wholesale priced vacation accommodations program, has helped families and individuals create lifelong vacation memories. TAN is the proud recipient of the Better Business Bureau of Maryland's prestigious Torch Award for exemplifying high business standards and professional integrity, as well as the Maryland Chamber of Commerce's Philanthropy in Business Award for outstanding and innovative commitment to local and national charities. TAN is a recipient of SmartCEO Magazine's 2008 and 2009 Future 50 Award, recognizing the fastest growing companies in the greater Baltimore area. For more information, please visit PlanWithTAN.com.

Media Contact:
Shayna Iglesias
Travel Advantage Network
siglesias@planwithtan.com
Phone: 800.223.0088 x 259
www.PlanWithTAN.com

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/545593#ixzz1jA9nDfUE

TAN Donates 325 Book Bags to Wolfe Street Academy

We would like to thank Travel Advantage Network (TAN) for donating 325 book bags to Wolfe Street Academy. Wolfe Street's 190+ students will take these book bags home as a Holiday gift. The remaining book bags will be distributed to teachers at other BCP Schools.

Travel Advantage Network and the Baltimore Curriculum Project are clients of Sir Speedy in Linthicium. Sir Speedy Sales & Marketing Consultant Chris Fath connected the two organizations when he found out that TAN wanted to donate book bags to a Baltimore City school.

Thank you to Chris Fath and TAN Director of Marketing Sean Oakley for making this gift possible.

For more information on TAN visit: http://www.planwithtan.com/

For more information on Sir Speedy visit: http://www.sirspeedy.com/centers/linthicummd870/

Wolfe Street Students Perform at Fells Point Corner Theater

On Tuesday, December 13th all of the first grade students from Wolfe Street Academy performed at the Fells Point Corner Theater. They rehearsed every Tuesday after school for the event. The students performed The Rabbit, the Bear, and the Zinniga Zanniga by Dr. Seuss and a number of holiday songs.

Thank you to the Fells Point Corner Theater for hosting this and other Wolfe Street Academy events. http://www.fpct.org/

View more photos at: http://baltimorecp.shutterfly.com/

Bike Safety Rodeo at Wolfe Street Academy

Bike Maryland hosted a Bike Safety Rodeo at Wolfe Street Academy's After-School Program on Monday, December 12, 2011. They arrived at 2:30 pm with a trailer full of bikes and set up a course on the play ground for the students to ride around. Representatives from Bike Maryland discussed bike safety and the importance of wearing helmets. They talked to 50 after-school students.

Fifth grader Kathryn Jagelka won an award for an essay she wrote for the event. She was honored along with Katherine Zuniga. Both were given beautiful bicycles.

Bike Maryland recently launched its Bike Awareness Program to provide youth and adult safety awareness workshops to reduce crashes/increase safety for bicyclists in Maryland. Bike Maryland hosts free youth bike safety rodeos and free adult commuter workshops. They promote safe cycling for fun, fitness and transportation.

The Bike Ambassador program is a collaboration between the Maryland State Highway Administration and Bike Maryland. For more information about the Bike Awareness Program visit: http://bikemd.org/page.php?id=359

DBFA Adopts Wolfe Street Families

On Sunday December 11^th the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance (DBFA) held an amazing Adopt-a-Family Event at Wolfe Street Academy. Ninety-four Wolfe Street families received hundreds of dollars worth of clothing, boots, winter coats, gift cards and toys for the Holidays.

This is the fourth year that DBFA has partnered with Wolfe Street to provide gifts for families in need. DBFA also partnered with George Washington Elementary. Last year, DBFA was able to match nearly 150 families through the program.

In November participating DBFA families and businesses received wish lists from Wolfe families detailing each child’s age, gender, clothing size and a list of items the child might like. Families purchased the gifts and delivered them to the school.

“The program was originally going to provide one $40 gift for each child, but the donors go all out!” said Wolfe Street Academy Community School Coordinator Connie Phelps.

PTO Celebration

This year Wolfe Street’s PTO held a Holiday Party Fundraiser alongside the DBFA event. Volunteers sold tamales, hot dogs, hot chocolate, baked goods, and atole, a hot Mexican rice drink. The school’s Mexican Folkloric Dance Troupe performed while children took pictures with Santa Claus.

Funds raise will support field trips during the day and during Wolfe Street's after-school program, which is supported by a grant from the Family League of Baltimore City. This year the PTO initiated a grant program for teachers so that they can apply for field trip grants.

Thank You
We would like to thank Allison Pendell Jones, Michele Esch, and all of the DBFA volunteers for making this event possible. Thank you to the generous families and businesses that provided gifts for our families. Thank you to aMuse Toys offering a 15% discount on gifts purchased as part of the program. Thank you to the Wolfe Street PTO for holding the Holiday Party.