BCP News

Latin Opinion Treats BCP Families to Zoo Bop

2017-09-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

Baltimore Curriculum Project would like to thank our partner Latin Opinion for providing 35 tickets for BCP families to attend The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore's Zoo Bop, a new children's outdoor music festival with 2016 Latin Grammy Winner 123 Andrés, on September 3, 2017! Latin Opinion was a partner for this event.

LATIN OPINION is a leader company in communication. The diversity of its services to offer has become one of the most important companies in the state of Maryland, United States.
Thanks to its commitment and support to the community and its customers, today the company maintains close relationships that makes it a reliable alternative to the development of Media Services.

Visit the Latin Opinion website at: http://latinopinionbaltimore.com/

BCP September 2017 Newsletter

2017-09-20T10:20:00.001-07:00

BCP's September 2017 Newsletter includes:

Baltimore Curriculum Project Summer Training
City Springs Students Help Victims of Hurricane Harvey
City Springs Starts the Year Off Strong
Frederick's New Building, New Charter & New Principal Inspire Renewed Hope
Govans Elementary "Blasts-Off" for Another School Year
School Supplies Galore for Govans Elementary
Supporting Your Child at Home: Tips from HHA Principal Matt Hornbeck
Canela Hosts Fundraiser for Wolfe Street Academy's Physical Education Program

Read the newsletter at: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1102195073226&ca=4fc136ea-6c4c-4d08-9514-5a5d1fb2dca7

Govans Elementary Back to School Blast Off on August 26, 2017

2017-09-12T14:51:00.001-07:00

City Springs Students Help Victims of Hurricane Harvey

2017-09-12T05:33:00.002-07:00

Students at City Springs Elementary/Middle organized a Bmore4Houston fundraiser to support victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. They raised over $400, which will be donated to the American Red Cross. View the video at: https://vimeo.com/233377470

Govans Elementary Featured in Homeland Life Magazine

2017-08-30T06:47:00.002-07:00

BCP would like to thank Elizabeth Reichelt for writing this wonderful article about Govans Elementary for Homeland Life magazine!

BCP August 2017 Newsletter

2017-08-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Middle Grades Partnership Alumnae

BCP's August 2017 Newsletter includes the following articles:

Middle Grades Partnership Tackles Summer Slide for City Springs and Hampstead Hill Students
Presenting the New Frederick Elementary Logo
Loyola Students Produce Video of BCP's 21st Century Community Learning Center at Govans Elementary
Wolfe Street Academy Students Speak Out About Community Schools at Youth Voices Rising

BCP July 2017 Newsletter

2017-07-27T08:05:00.002-07:00

BCP's July 2017 newsletter includes the following articles:

OSI-Baltimore Brings the City Springs Restorative Practices Story to Budapest
Frederick Elementary Gears Up for New Year and New Building
Goldseker Foundation Awards BCP $30,000 Grant for Govans Community School Coordinator
Govans Community Saves Summer Program
Exelon Hosts Tour for Hampstead Hill Academy Students
Weinberg Foundation Awards BCP $200,000 grant for Wolfe Street Academy OST Programming
Wolfe Street Academy Triumphs at Chess Tournament

Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader?

2017-04-22T15:05:00.001-07:00

THE 5TH GRADERS WON AGAIN!

Thank you Dr. Sonja Santelises, Maria Harris Tildon, Gilbert Sandler, Vytas Reid - WBFF Fox45 Baltimore, and Robert Heck for participating in the sixth annual Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader? on April 21, 2017 at City Springs Elementary/Middle School.

BCP would like to thank all of our generous sponsors: Venable LLP, Mama's On The Half Shell, Nacho Mama’s (Canton, MD), WBFF FOX 45, McGraw-Hill Education, Chesapeake Employers Insurance, T. Rowe Price, Ernst & Young, WYPR, M&T Bank, Coppermine Fieldhouse, Congressional Bank, Pompeian, Summit Business Technologies, The Children's Bookstore, Executive Insurance Benefits, Leonard Paper Company, Maryland Mojo Photo (Photo & Video Booth Rental), MECU of Baltimore, Gerry's Tire and Automotive Service, Charm City Ice, Harris Teeter, and Target Store Canton. Thank you also to our "Charm City Gift Basket" raffle sponsors: American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore In A Box, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Smyth Jewelers, and W. R. Grace and Company.

Special thanks to the event planning committee, volunteers, and table sponsors: Abby Carmean Baldwin, Laura Doherty, Bob Benjamin, Jenn Blois, Bailey Fine, Brad Gartrell, George Hess, Mo Jishi, Marvelyn Johnson, Brenda Kahn, Jeff Krick, Sue Lattimore, Jon Mcgill, Heather Mitchell Thurfield, Tobi Morris, Michael Niccolini, Tran Phung, Larry Schugam, Angela Scott, Scott Wolgamuth, and the volunteers from Target.

Frederick-Morse Community Dinner Presentation 032817

2017-04-14T10:30:00.001-07:00

HHA Principal Interviewed on The Real Baltimore

2017-04-13T06:18:00.002-07:00

Hampstead Hill Academy Principal Matt Hornbeck was recently interviewed on the latest episode of The Real Baltimore on The Real News Network.

"I think that small charters and small traditional schools both suffer from scale issues that are very difficult to overcome, and you can't have what looks like a school, if you don�t have a certain number of kids. My own experience in a school that's at scale, and large, and we have been able to resource everything we wanted to do over the years. And the Baltimore Curriculum Project is a great non-profit operator that's been around for two decades in Baltimore City, and they are good partners in the work. There are a number of charters suing the district for even more funding. Our school is not part of that lawsuit and we don't think that that is necessary," said Mr. Hornbeck.

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=18858

BCP February 2017 Newsletter

2017-03-04T06:11:00.001-08:00

Read the Baltimore Curriculum Project's February 2017 newsletter at:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/BCP-Newsletter-Featuring-CASA--Exelon----Eddie-and-Sylvia-Brown-Foundation.html?soid=1102195073226&aid=yWymKnB82mA

Video: The Adolescent Literacy Crisis in America

2017-03-04T05:58:00.002-08:00

View the video of the Baltimore Curriculum Project's most recent Leading Minds forum: "The Adolescent Literacy Crisis in America: at: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/100230980

For decades educators have attempted to avert the “fourth-grade slump” – the precipitous drop in performance experienced primarily by low-income children when reading texts become more complex and the subject matter broadens and deepens.

Despite the increased focus on early literacy instruction sparked by No Child Left Behind, millions of adolescents still struggle with low literacy skills. In 2015, 66% of all eighth-grade students, 85% of Black students and 79% of Hispanic students failed to perform proficiently in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Unless these students receive the intensive reading instruction they need in high school, their chances of graduating and securing gainful employment are slim to none.

On Friday, February 17, 2017 from 12:00 noon – 3:00pm the Baltimore Curriculum Project and the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy hosted the ninth Leading Minds forum: "The Adolescent Literacy Crisis in America."

Paneslists:

Dr. Elizabeth Birr Moje, Interim Dean, University of Michigan School of Education
Dr. Rhonda L. Richetta, Principal, City Springs Elementary/Middle School
Dr. Sonja B Santelises, Chief Executive Officer, Baltimore City Public Schools
Dr. David M. Steiner, Director, Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy (moderator)

Video other Leading minds forum videos at:

http://baltimorecp.org/leadingminds/

BCP Leading Minds Forum: K-12 Math Education

2016-09-29T11:50:00.001-07:00

BCP September 2016 Newsletter

2016-09-21T10:56:00.002-07:00

Read the BCP September 2016 Newsletter at:
http://baltimorecp.org/newsletter/sept2016.html

This edition features:

"Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader?" on April 20, 2017
How Does BCP Love Business Volunteers Maryland?
City Springs Elementary/Middle Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Govans Elementary "Back to School Blast Off" a Success
New Offerings at HHA for School Year 16/17
School Year Off to a Great Start at Wolfe Street Academy

Restorative Circles Offer A Daily "Recharge" for Govans After School Students

2016-03-03T20:22:00.002-08:00

By Sarah Ceponis, Director, BCP 21st Century Community Learning Center at Govans Elementary

Every day at 4:15pm, students at Govans Elementary hear an announcement over the loud speaker, "Time to clean up whatever you're working on. The restorative circle topic to start thinking about today is....", followed by a hint about the day's discussion question.

Students and staff of the Baltimore Curriculum Project's 21st Century Community Learning Center at Govans Elementary -- a program made possible by the Maryland State Department of Education -- have come to expect and enjoy their ten minutes to recharge and check in with one another between after-school academics and enrichment time.

In November, all after-school staff members received training in the fundamentals of Restorative Practices, a positive approach to conflict resolution that proactively builds relationships and a sense of community to prevent conflict and wrongdoing. Training was provided by Chella Drew, a Restorative Practices consultant and former Director of Restorative Practices at Hampstead Hill Academy.

Restorative Circles can be used proactively to develop relationships and build community or reactively to respond to wrongdoing, conflicts and problems. With everyone now used to the daily restorative circle, it is a habit that students look forward to. Circles provide a a time to think about and share whatever comes to mind around the daily question or "circle starter". They are a time to learn from and listen to one another.

Questions of the day can range from why animals hibernate to standing up to a bully; from what type of person would make a good mayor to what you might do if you won the lottery, from how to be a good teammate to traveling the world.

Based on the day of the week, topics rotate among being community-themed, learning-themed, conflict resolution-themed, or simply "Fun Thursday"-themed.

All 90 students, from K through 5, tune in and talk about the same topic in their classrooms, and sometimes, conversations carry over to enrichment, the hallways, or dinner.

Using restorative circles daily, in a fun and structured way, allows after school students to get used to the goal of circles: everyone having their voice heard.

Regularly practicing their circle etiquette and skills with the whole class means that when circles are needed for other reasons-- mediation, misbehavior, or bullying-- students are prepared and ready to, again, make their voice heard, and listen to the voices of their classmates.

BCP and IIRP

BCP brought Restorative Practices to its schools in 2006 through the generous support of OSI-Baltimore and the Goldsmith Family Foundation. All administrators and staff members were trained by the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP), which continues to be a strong BCP partner.

For more information about IIRP visit: http://www.iirp.edu/

Career Day 2015 at Govans Elementary

2015-12-09T20:01:00.002-08:00

Govans Elementary hosted a Career Day on November 18, 2015 as part of the National Education Association's American Education Week.

We would like to thank the following guest speakers for participating:

Nick Alexopulos, Associate Director of Media Relations and Social Media at Loyola University Maryland
Muriel Berkeley, Member of the Baltimore City School Board of Commissioners and Founder/Former President of the Baltimore Curriculum Project
Michael Bell, Military Pilot/Engineer
Brandon Crowder, Area Leader at Procter & Gamble
Matt Facchine, System Architect at Northrop Grumman Corporation and Baltimore Curriculum Project Board Member
Councilman Bill Henry, Baltimore City Council
Clarence Jeffers, Pharmacist
Maggie Richard, Director of Professional Practice, Research, and Education for LifeBridge Health’s Sinai Hospital
Lamonte Tyler, Senior IT Support Analyst at Fox News Channel
Thiru Vignarajah, Deputy Attorney General, Maryland Office of the Attorney General and Baltimore Curriculum Project Board Member
David Walsh-Little, Chief Attorney, Felony Trial Division, Baltimore City Office of the Public Defender
Marcus Washington, Anchor and Reporter, WJZ Eyewitness News

Nancy Grasmick Visits Govans Elementary for Ben Carson Reading Day

2015-11-30T07:37:00.001-08:00

BCP and Govans Elementary would like to thank former Maryland State Superintendent Dr. Nancy Grasmick for serving as the guest reader at Govans Elementary School for the Ben Carson Reading Day on November 16, 2015.

Ben Carson Reading Day is an annual literacy event designed to raise awareness of the importance of everyday leisure reading.

Special thanks to the Carson Scholars Fund and Bank of America for creating the Carson Reading Room at Govans Elementary, which opened in 2011.

View the video at: http://www.abc2news.com/news/education/baltimore-schools-celebrate-reading-with-ben-carson-reading-day

For more information about the Carson Scholars Fund visit: http://carsonscholars.org/

Open Society Foundations Global Board Visits City Springs Elementary/Middle School

2015-11-24T07:04:00.000-08:00

A group from the Open Society Foundations Global Board visited City Springs Elementary/Middle School on October 8, 2015.

The school was included on the tour because, in addition to being a BCP conversion charter school, City Springs is a Community School and the Open Society Foundations support Community Schools.

Child First Authority serves as City Springs' lead Community School Agency and Child First Community School Coordinator Abby Baldwin oversees the implementation of the Community School strategy at the City Springs. The strategy is supported by a generous grant from the Family League of Baltimore.

Joining Karen Webber from the Open Society Institute-Baltimore office for the tour was Director Diana Morris, who organized the site visit for Open Society Foundation’s regional Global Directors, who were in Baltimore for a senior management subcommittee meeting.

The group included Kenneth Zimmerman, Director of U.S. Programs, under which OSI-Baltimore falls. The other directors in attendance were from initiatives in Eurasia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa. Each director manages a vast breadth of social justice related initiatives specific to the region, education included.

BCP and City Springs would like to thank the Open Society Foundation for visiting our school. For more information about the Open Society Foundations visit: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/

USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon Visits Hampstead Hill Academy

2015-10-06T08:18:00.005-07:00

Under Secretary Concannon chats with an HHA student giving
visitors a tour of the school's organic garden

Hampstead Hill Academy hosted a visit with Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, on September 25, 2015.

Undersecretary Concannon, Delegate Keith E. Haynes, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Gregory Thornton and other attendees toured the school's organic garden and sampled food prepared by students in HHA's Food for Life Program.

Food for Life is run by HHA Food Educator Ariel Demas and is regarded as a national model for food education in public schools. Food for Life uses the Food is Elementary curriculum, which was developed by the Food Studies Institute (http://www.foodstudies.org/)

House Ways & Means Committee Visits Wolfe Street Academy

2015-10-06T07:45:00.003-07:00

Thank you to Chair Sheila E. Hixson and the rest of the House Ways & Means Committee members who visited Wolfe Street Academy (WSA) on September 29, 2015 to learn about the Community Schools Strategy and Out-of-School-Time program at WSA.

Thank you also to the University of Maryland Social Work Community Outreach Service (SWCOS), Family League of Baltimore, The After-School Corporation (TASC) and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation for supporting WSA.

Educators from Bosnia and Herzegovina Visit City Springs

2015-10-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

A delegation of educators and government officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina visited City Springs Middle/Elementary School to learn about the BCP education model on October 1, 2015.

The World Trade Center Institute coordinated the visit and the delegation was invited to the United States under the auspices of the Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program.

The Department of State wanted to introduce the delegation to the Baltimore Curriculum Project’s objectives and mission as well as its efforts to incorporate student-focused learning. The delegates learned about the various programs that BCP engages in during the school year in order to maintain student progress, address teacher challenges, and encourage an overall school improvement. They also learned about BCP’s education a model of providing an exceptional learning experience for all children.

BCP would like to thank World Trade Center Institute and the State Department for always bringing such wonderful educators from around the world to visit our schools.

U.S. Department of Education Awards BCP $217,000 Charter School Program Grant

2015-10-04T19:17:00.004-07:00

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the Baltimore Curriculum Project a grant of $217,000 through its Charter Schools Program (CSP), which funds the creation and expansion of public charter schools across the nation. (Total recommended funding is $282,720.)

This year's CSP replication and expansion program will invest more than $32 million in 12 high-quality charter management organizations (CMOs) that serve students from low-income families.

BCP will use this funding to support the implementation of its education model at Govans Elementary School. which became a BCP conversion charter school on July 1, 2015.

BCP is one of 12 grantees across the nation. Other grantees include: Achievement First, Across the Bridge Foundation, Einstein Group, Inc., Lawndale Educational and Regional Network, Mastery Charter High School, Noble Network of Charter Schools, RePublic Schools, Success Academy Charter Schools, UP Education Network, Uplift Education and West Denver Prep DBA STRIVE Preparatory Schools.

These organizations have a history of effectively serving high-need students, and will use these funds to replicate their successful programming for more than 40,000 additional students.

Most of this year's grantees are newer CMOs who are receiving their first charter grant. They are particularly focused on educating students who would otherwise be enrolled in low-performing schools and on encouraging diversity within their student populations.

Read more at: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-contributes-improving-charter-schools-sector

City Springs Teachers Win 2015 Engelmann Excellence in Education Awards

2015-09-15T19:13:00.002-07:00

City Springs Elementary/Middle School Pre-K teachers Nicole Lefrancois, Mallory Davis and Mindy Cipriano received Engelmann Excellence in Education awards at the 2015 National Direct Instruction Conference.

These three teachers have served their careers at City Springs. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of their most recent group of students were in the high risk category at the beginning of the year. By the end of the year, only 23% remained in that category. In math, 83% of the students were at risk for failure at the beginning of last year. By the end of the year the number had decreased to 32%.

Laura Doherty, President and CEO of the Baltimore Curriculum Project writes, "These three teachers exemplify the skill and intensity in instruction which is critical to helping students at risk of academic failure compete with their middle class peers. They also exemplify the warm, nurturing, positive environment all students deserve."

BCP would like to congratulate Ms. Lefrancois, Ms. Davis and Ms. Cipriano on this recognition of their outstanding accomplishments.

For more information about the National Direct Instruction Conference and the National Institute for Direct Instruction visit: http://nifdi.org/

BCP Holds 19th Annual Summer Training Institute

2015-09-04T07:56:00.002-07:00

If you are a teacher, you probably remember what it was like on your very first day of school when you were thrown into the deep end and left to sink or swim.

Fortunately for new BCP teachers, BCP provides life vests (and sometimes life rafts) in the form of BCP's Summer Training Institute and ongoing in-class coaching support.

BCP held its 19th Annual Summer Training Institute for new and returning teachers during the week of August 10, 2015. Academic Coaches Brenda Kahn and Marvelyn Johnson and Director of Student Support Services Jeff Krick conducted the week long training in classroom management for 36 teachers from City Springs Elementary/Middle School, Govans Elementary School, Hampstead Hill Academy and Wolfe Street Academy.

"[This was the] best PD I have been to since I can remember in my seven years of teaching in BCPS," wrote one teacher on the evaluation form.

"I wish I had this as a first year teacher. I learned so much."

Most educators agree that classroom management is one of the biggest challenges facing new teachers. BCP Schools use CHAMPS, a program of Safe & Civil Schools, that helps teachers to design (or fine tune) a proactive and positive classroom management plan that will overtly teach students how to behave responsibly.

"I want to thank all of the teachers who are new to our schools for working so hard at the summer CHAMPs training," said Mr. Krick.

"We believe that the hard work of organizing their behavioral expectations and preparing lessons to teach the children how to master the classroom routines and procedures will help everyone surpass their academic growth targets this year."

Teacher feedback on the training was overwhelmingly positive:

"Thank you! One of the best PDs I've attended!"
"I thought this PD was great!"
"Everything was great! Very clear and interesting."
"Very useful information that I will be able to implement."
"Great sessions, thanks!"
"Thank you! This was so organized and full of useful info. I enjoyed this PD!
"CHAMPS expectations rules!"
"Amazing! Great presenters, super informative!"
"I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Marvelyn's enthusiasm!"
"This workshop gave me a much better handle on feeling like I might stay vertical the first week of school."

At the end of the week, teachers shared the "Best Ideas" they learned from the training. The list can be viewed at: http://baltimorecp.org/pd/2015BestIdeas.pdf

BCP's Summer Training Institute is part of BCP's comprehensive Professional Development (PD) program, which includes PD Conferences, in-class coaching, and the Novice Teacher Think Tank.

For more information about PD at BCP, please contact Larry Schugam at 410-675-7000 x17 or bcpinfo@baltimorecp.org.

City Springs Students Learn about the Watershed in Their Backyard

2015-06-18T20:08:00.003-07:00

By Zachary Carey, Teacher, City Springs Elementary/Middle School

This year City Springs Upper School science students had the opportunity to take part in two new programs, Trout in the Classroom (TIC) and Your Watershed Your Backyard (YWYB). Trout in the Classroom allowed students to raise around 100 rainbow trout in our classroom. Your Watershed Your Backyard taught students about our watershed and the effects that humans have on it.

These programs were brought to City Springs through support from BioEYES of the Carnegie Institution for Science. BioEYES provided logistical and material support for TIC, while developing and presenting the YWYB program for our 7th grade students.

Students releasing one of the trout.

The Trout in the Classroom program began when we received 100 or so alevins, trout larvae, in January. Students from the City Springs Science Club maintained the trout's 55 gallon tank by checking the pH and ammonia levels, monitoring the tank temperature, and feeding the fish. Each day after school different student groups had tank maintenance, which strengthened the students' teamwork and analytical skills.

Over the course of the program, all upper schools students had the incredible opportunity to observe the development of trout larvae into 3-4 inch long juvenile trout! The program concluded with a trip to Stony Run, a tributary of the Jones Falls near Hampden, to release the trout into their natural habitat.

The trout release trip coincided with the 7th graders' Your Watershed Your Backyard program. The success of the trip was thanks to an all-hands-on-deck effort by BioEYES, Blue Water Baltimore, Trout in the Classroom, and the Baltimore Curriculum Project. This work was made possible through the generous support of the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

These organizations allowed students to participate in enriching activities, including water testing, micro-invertebrate collection and observation, identifying and removing invasive species, hiking through the woods on a scavenger hunt, and of course, releasing our trout. The variety of activities provided an opportunity for students to stay engaged and find something uniquely interesting to them.

The release of the trout represented the exceptional work of our students, school, and the organizations that have supported them. Although seeing our finned friends swimming away was bittersweet, the students loved seeing the fish in their natural environment and luckily, next year we'll have the opportunity to take part in the program again!

For more information about BioEYES visit: http://www.bioeyes.org/
For more information about Trout in the Classroom visit: http://www.troutintheclassroom.org/
For more information about Blue Water Baltimore visit: http://www.bluewaterbaltimore.org/

Students cutting down wineberry, an invasive plant.