New School Proposed in Canton

November, 2013

From: Matt Hornbeck, Principal

Voice Your Concern About a New School in Canton

---

There is reason for you to be concerned about last week’s recommendation to open a new 900 student prek-8 grade school in Canton. Our school community might be negatively impacted by a change to our attendance area and/or a change in our student enrollment. We don’t want to lose any of our families! Any reduction in enrollment could negatively impact our budget making it harder to provide a quality school for our students, and far less likely that we could expand our building as planned.

The recommendation was made to the City School Board of Commissioners by the Office of New Initiatives (ONI) at North Avenue one week ago today. Yesterday, two public comment meetings were announced. 

Our message to the City Schools Board of Commissioners is clear:

Do NOT vote for the recommendation for a new school in Canton without a detailed proposal and without more information. The Board can vote separately on whether or not to renew and/or relocate the Friendship Academy for Science and Technology (FAST). 

There are four opportunities for you to help:

1. Attend important community meetings in the next week to voice your concern as a community member. 
    a. Tomorrow, November 20th at 5:30 p.m. at the former Canton Middle at 801 S. Highland Avenue; and 
    b. Tuesday, November 26th at 7 p.m. at the Canton Community Association meeting at the corner of S. East Avenue and Dillon Street

2. Attend the City Schools Board Meeting Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at 6 p.m. (If you want to speak, sign-up begins one hour earlier at 5 p.m.). Ask the Board not to vote on the new school without more information!

3. E-mail your elected representatives to voice your concern: 
    a. James Kraft, City Councilman for the 1st District james.kraft@baltimorecity.gov
    b. Bill Ferguson, State Senator, 46th District bill.ferguson@senate.state.md.us 
    c. Pete Hammen, Delegate, 46th District peter.hammen@house.state.md.us 
    d. Brian McHale, Delegate, 46th District brian.mchale@house.state.md.us 
    e. Luke Clippinger, Delegate, 46th District luke.clippinger@house.state.md.us 

4. Sign the attached letter and return it to school tomorrow. We will take the letters to the Board of Commissioners.  

Inspire City Springs Students to Attend School Every Day

Business Volunteer Maryland's INSPIRE team, in partnership with City Springs Elementary/Middle School, Child First Authority and the Baltimore Curriculum Project, has launched a new initiative to inspire City Springs students to attend school every day.

The initiative includes educating students on the importance of attendance and incentivizing them with rewards such as raffle items and field trips.To establish the motivation model effectively, we need your support. Generous donations from caring people like you and organizations such as yours are what will help us in our endeavor to encourage kids to come to school regularly and on time.

If you donate today through our GiveCorps campaign you will receive $20 off dinner at Harbor East's new By Degrees Cafe.

To help us pay for field trips and other attendance incentives, donate online at:
https://givecorps.com/en/baltimore/projects/792-baltimore-curriculum-project-city-springs-attendance-incentive

To help us pay for attendance raffle prizes, donate online at:
https://givecorps.com/en/baltimore/projects/837-baltimore-curriculum-project-inspire-city-springs-students

On behalf of the students of City Springs Elementary/Middle School we thank you in advance for considering supporting our efforts to fight against truancy and chronic absenteeism. Let’s help keep our children in school!

Sincerely,

The City Springs Elementary/Middle School Community


About Business Volunteers' INSPIRE PRogram

Business Volunteers’ new INSPIRE  program partners with schools to  incentivize and educate students on the importance of attendance. The City Springs team of volunteers is led by Business Volunteers Maryland Manager of  Business Engagement Tom Caron.

Hampstead Hill and City Springs Take 1st and 2nd Place in Southeast Baseball League

Congratulations to Hampstead Hill Academy and City Springs Elementary/Middle School students on their outstanding performance in the 2013 Southeast Baseball League. Hampstead Hill Academy was the 2013 League Winner and City Springs Elementary/Middle School took second place.

In an effort to share his love for baseball with the community, Councilman Jim Kraft holds a Southeast Schools Baseball league for 4^th and 5^th grade students throughout the 1^st District. All the games are played in Patterson Park, and the league runs April – May.

We would like to thank Councilman Kraft for providing this wonderful opportunity for our students.

For more information visit: http://www.jimkraft.net/contact/get-involved/southeast-baseball-league/

Business Volunteers Maryland PENCIL Partnership Pairs M&T Bank with Hampstead Hill Academy

Last year Business Volunteers Maryland's PENCIL Affiliate Program matched Matthew Hornbeck, Principal of Hampstead Hill Academy, with Mohannad “Mo” Jishi, Commercial Banking Manager for Greater Baltimore at M&T Bank.

In the first year of their work together, Matthew and Mo focused on making sense of the school’s finances, and created a system that allowed Matthew and other members of the school’s leadership team to better manage the information they receive about revenues and expenses.
Specifically, Mo helped Matthew develop a “dashboard,” allowing Principal Hornbeck to assess the school’s financial health on a regular basis. This improved system laid the groundwork for the school to begin long-range planning activities.
Building on this first project area, Mo and Matthew are focusing their work during the 2012-13 academic year on creating a strategic planning process, through which the school, using financial and other information, can envision, consider and decide on opportunities that will increase student achievement.
- See more at: http://www.pencil.org/pencil-partnership-helps-baltimore-school-analyze-finances-to-support-long-range-planning/#sthash.rEwf2DtW.dpuf

Matthew and Mo focused on making sense of the school’s finances, and created a system that allowed Matthew and other members of the school’s leadership team to better manage the information they receive about revenues and expenses.

Specifically, Mo helped Matthew develop a “dashboard,” allowing Principal Hornbeck to assess the school’s financial health on a regular basis. This improved system laid the groundwork for the school to begin long-range planning activities.

We would like to thank Business Volunteers Maryland, Mr. Jishi, and M&T Bank for supporting Hampstead Hill Academy.

Read the full article at:
http://www.pencil.org/pencil-partnership-helps-baltimore-school-analyze-finances-to-support-long-range-planning/

In the first year of their work together, Matthew and Mo focused on making sense of the school’s finances, and created a system that allowed Matthew and other members of the school’s leadership team to better manage the information they receive about revenues and expenses.
Specifically, Mo helped Matthew develop a “dashboard,” allowing Principal Hornbeck to assess the school’s financial health on a regular basis. This improved system laid the groundwork for the school to begin long-range planning activities.
Building on this first project area, Mo and Matthew are focusing their work during the 2012-13 academic year on creating a strategic planning process, through which the school, using financial and other information, can envision, consider and decide on opportunities that will increase student achievement.
- See more at: http://www.pencil.org/pencil-partnership-helps-baltimore-school-analyze-finances-to-support-long-range-planning/#sthash.rEwf2DtW.dpuf

Business Volunteers Unlimited Maryland (BVU) manages a PENCIL Affiliate Program, BVU grasped this situation when they partnered Matthew Hornbeck, Principal of Hampstead Hill Academy, with Mohannad “Mo” Jishi, Commercial Banking Manager for Greater Baltimore at M&T Bank. - See more at: http://www.pencil.org/pencil-partnership-helps-baltimore-school-analyze-finances-to-support-long-range-planning/#sthash.rEwf2DtW.dpuf

BD Diagnostics Supports STEM at Wolfe Street Academy and other Baltimore Schools

Wolfe Street Academy's After-School STEM Class

We would like to thank BD Diagnostics for awarding Wolfe Street Academy a grant of $10,000 to support the school's participation in the new Baltimore Area STEM Collective. We would also like to thank Dr. Meredith Durmowicz, Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Stevenson University, and Steve Kaiser, President of Kaiser Associates, for including Wolfe Street Academy in the program.

Stevenson University and BD Diagnostics are creating the Baltimore Area STEM Collective, a program focused on promoting excellence in STEM education at the elementary school level. They will combine high quality professional development for elementary school teachers and the development of a professional learning community to encourage the sharing of best practices in STEM education, fostering students’ natural curiosity and interest in STEM fields.

Mayor Speaks at Wolfe Street Academy After-School Event

Yesterday the Family League of Baltimore and Maryland Hunger Solutions celebrated Lights On Afterschool at Wolfe Street Academy. The event featured an open house of Wolfe Street Academy’s after-school program in action and a speaking program with comments from Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Wolfe Street Academy Principal Mark Gaither, Family League President and CEO Jonathon Rondeau; Wolfe Street Director of Extended Students Services Kathy Stroup, Wolfe Street Academy student Makayla Moore, and Baltimore Curriculum Project President Laura Doherty.

Lights On Afterschool, a project of the Afterschool Alliance, is a national awareness event focusing on the good work of after-school programs and meals across the nation. As a provider of after-school programs in more than 40 schools in the city, Family League wants to highlight the important work done to give children access to after-school meals, enrichment programs and other activities.

Wolfe Street Academy's model After-School program is funded by a generous grant from the Family League of Baltimore, which was awarded to the Baltimore Curriculum Project. The program includes STEM, Robotics, Jazz Dance, Mexican Folkloric Dance, Chess, String Instruments, Soccer, Radio Broadcasting and other offerings.

Attendees at the Lights On Afterschool event included representatives from Advancing Community Schools in Baltimore, the Baltimore Curriculum Project, the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance, the Family League of Baltimore, The Food Research and Action Center, the Goldseker Foundation, Maryland Hunger Solutions, Maryland Out of School Time Network, the Park School of Baltimore, and the Social Work and Community Outreach Service of the UMD School of Social Work.

We would like to thank the Family League of Baltimore, Maryland Hunger Solutions, and Kathy Stroup for organizing this event. Thank you to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and City Councilman Carl Stokes for attending. Special thanks to the student volunteers from Wolfe Street Academy and the Park School of Baltimore for serving as ushers.

Book Bank Supports Home Literacy at Wolfe Street Academy

We would like to thank the Baltimore Reads Book Bank for delivering free books to our students at Wolfe Street Academy last week. Second Grade Teacher Melissa Anderson had this to say about the book distribution:

"The kids LOVED the books! The girls were really excited about the Junie B. Jones book and the boys loved Captain Underpants.  Both groups really REALLY liked the Magic Tree House books too!  When I told the kids that they got to keep the books, they acted like it was Christmas!!! I was really sweet."

Over the summer the Book Bank delivered 2,370 books to BCP schools through a program to help prevent summer learning loss.

This is the second school year that BCP schools are participating in a new program that helps build home libraries and encourages reading at home. We would like to thank Director of Book Bank Operations Mark Feiring for supporting our students.

For more information about the Book Bank visit: http://www.baltimorereads.org/book-bank.html