Collington's Students of Success Academy

By Nicole Humphreys, Test Coordinator, Collington Square School of the Arts

Students of Success Academy (Collington Square’s Saturday School Program) which started on January 12, 2013 was a huge success this past Saturday.  Students were greeted with French toast,  sausage and a smile.

Eager students were then whisked away by knowledgeable teachers to beef up their math and reading  skills. After a fun filled day of learning, students were rewarded for their great effort with treats. One lucky student even won five dollars!

Students of Success Academy – Where success is required, not just expected. 

The Beat Goes On at Collington

By Josh Soto, Music Teacher, Collington Square School of the Arts

If you are reading this, that’s great!  I want to take a minute to brag about the amazing musicians in the Collington Square School of the Arts Middle School Band. By now, you might have already heard about the drum line performing for over 200 teachers on January 22nd, or maybe you haven’t.
By the way, THE DRUMLINE PERFORMED FOR OVER 200 TEACHERS ON JANUARY 22ND AT THE BALTIMORE CURRICULUM PROJECT'S WINTER 2013 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE!!!

Ok, maybe I should calm down a bit.  Actually, maybe I should not because good work should be highlighted.  Since September, the drum line and the entire middle school band have been performing.

The drum line performed at the Baltimore Book Festival on the Main Stage and rocked!  They were absolutely, positively, amazing.  They played with confidence, poise, and professionalism.

Next, they  performed for our 1st quarter assembly.  In the second quarter, the complete middle grade band along with my drum line performed our annual holiday concert at “The Shops at Kenilworth Mall” in Towson.  It was a wonderful experience where we had the privilege of performing for our Principal, Melvin Holmes and BCP Academic Director, John McGill as they were in attendance.

We then went on to perform the same holiday concert for our school during our 2nd quarter assembly.  I would  like to highlight Taren St. Clair, Toni Brown, and Denashya Watts for performing solos and duets during these same holiday concerts. 

In conclusion, music is alive and well at Collington Square. Like I said earlier, the children should be highlighted and made to shine.  In paraphrasing the words of Katy Perry, the musicians and all of us at Collington should consider ourselves ‘fireworks, showing the world what we are worth, making them say oh, oh, oh, as we shoot across the sky.”  Thank you.

The Truancy Court Program at Collington Square

By Samantha Haas, Guidance Counselor, Collington Square School of the Arts

Collington Square School of the Arts is very lucky to have the Truancy Court Program (TCP) at our school for the second year in a row! TCP is a program implemented by the Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) at the University of Baltimore School of Law. The program helps improve student attendance.

Each semester, approximately 20 students with chronic absenteeism and/or tardiness have weekly meetings to identify and overcome barriers to attendance. A TCP Judge and Coordinator are present at each meeting along with Collington staff, the student, and parent.

Classroom teachers complete “teacher reports” for review at each meeting so the team can address academic issues in addition to attendance. Each student works towards goals and earn incentives along the way.  

If students improve their attendance by 80%, they graduate from the program. A graduation ceremony is held and students receive a prize of their choosing. In the past, individuals have earned CD’s, basketballs, make-up kits and many other awesome items.

In the spring, all the graduates are invited to a ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in Annapolis!

For more information about the Truancy Court Program visit:
http://law.ubalt.edu/centers/cfcc/truancy

Venable Sponsors BCP Fundraising Gala

Venable LLP Foundation has signed on as the Lead/5th Grade Sponsor for the 2013 Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader? fundraising gala with a gift of $5,000. Venable has been a faithful supporter of BCP for many years, sponsoring the annual Leading Minds forum and last year's fundraising gala.

Established in 1983, The Venable Foundation works to promote the health and well-being of the communities where Venable's clients and attorneys work and live.

In 2012, the Foundation gave more than $2 million in contributions to a wide variety of organizations, continuing a long tradition of unparalleled giving which complements the pro bono legal work and community service of Venable attorneys and staff.

We would like to thank Venable for their ongoing commitment to expanding opportunities for our students.

Baltimore Curriculum Project Winter 2013 PD Conference

On January 22, 2013, the Baltimore Curriculum Project provided over 200 teachers from four BCP schools with a full day of customized training. Workshops were created in response to training needs identified by principals, teachers and Baltimore Curriculum Project staff.

Ravens Terrence Cody Provides Food for Wolfe Street Students

Wolfe Street Academy Principal Mark Gaither
and Ravens NT Terrence Cody

Thanks to Terrence Cody's Sacks 4 Kids Program and the Dreambuilders Foundation, today Wolfe Street Academy received its first delivery of 100 bags of food for students to take home for the weekend.

Terrence Cody's Hope for the Holidays Party at The Greene Turtle in Owings Mills, MD on December 10th raised $8,000 to support the food backpack program at Wolfe Street Academy.

These funds will provide 100 bags of food a week for 13 weeks. The Maryland Food Bank, which delivers the food, has offered to provide an additional 6 weeks of food in order to continue the program to the end of the school year.

Terrence Cody’s Sacks 4 Kids program provides sacks full of healthy food and snacks for kids in inner city Baltimore schools to take home on the weekends.

We would like to thank Mr. Cody for ensuring that our students and their families have healthy food to eat during the weekends.

Good luck in the Superbowl!

 

City Springs Students at Walters Museum

Kindergarten students from City Springs Elementary/Middle School visited the Walters Art Museum on January 18, 2013. This is the tour "Animals in Art." The docent is reading a story about an elephant that cannot dance, which is related to the sculpture of Ganesha (half man, half elephant) who dances with his mouse friend.