Mount Washington School Expansion Approved! Come celebrate, then help make it the best it can be!
The Baltimore City School Board voted unanimously on September 28th to expand the current Mount Washington Elementary School to include pre-k through 8th grades. This comes after much hard work by many within the community for many years! Those within the community who have supported the school’s expansion have hoped to give Mount Washington students an option to remain in a strong neighborhood school through their middle school years. This is now going to become a reality after the Baltimore City Schools and the Archdiocese have reached an agreement for the school system to lease the building that formerly housed the Shrine of the Sacred Heart School. While the community was sorry that the Shrine School closed at the end of last year, the ongoing partnership to ensure that the building continues to be used for an educational purpose will hopefully bring some comfort to those saddened by the closing. The Baltimore Sun provides additional details on the agreement in a story from yesterday.
Friday, there will be a formal announcement and press conference at the Shrine School building. Community members are welcome to attend along with representatives from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Sacred Heart Parish, the Baltimore City School System and the Mayor. Anyone who is interested in celebrating this expansion, showing their support for the work ahead, or showing off their cute kids should come to the Shrine School building (5800 Smith Avenue) at 9 am on Friday. The following details come from David Conn, Chair of the neighborhood steering committee,
Friends and Neighbors,
This Friday morning at 9:00 a.m., a press conference will be held at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart School (5800 Smith Avenue) to announce the signing of the lease that will create the Mount Washington K-8 school (actual name to be determined), to open next year. Representatives from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Sacred Heart Parish, the Baltimore City School System and the Mayor will be there – and hopefully you, too!
This event is for Mount Washington residents, neighborhood businesses, parents and children of Mount Washington Elementary School. Please join us for this remarkable announcement and show how Mount Washington comes together for its children, and its future.
For those with children at Mount Washington Elementary School, you are most welcome to bring them to the press announcement. Because this is a school-related event your children will not be marked late if they come first to the Shrine School, by 8:45, and then go to MWES after the brief announcement. (If you want to take your children to school at the regular start time and then take them to the announcement, you may pick them up at MWES by 8:40 by following the normal procedures: come to the office and your child will be called up to the lobby.)
Thanks once again to everyone who has worked so hard to bring us to this point. It’s time to celebrate this achievement – briefly – before we start the real work of creating the best K-8 school in Maryland. Please visit this website for more details about the project, including how to volunteer: http://tinyurl.com/k8-mwes.
The expectation is that the school expansion will take place for next school year (Fall 2011), so there is much work to be done in the upcoming months. If you wish to learn more about the plans, please visit the webpage set up to communicate updates to the community. Many volunteers will be needed to help make this a reality. If you are interested in serving on a sub-committee to help, please read the following update from David Conn posted on the project webpage:
Volunteers are needed to make this plan a reality by next fall. Here is the list of committees. Please email to this address -k8committee@mtwashingtonelementary.com - with your preference of committee (hint: we especially need people on the Communications and Development committees):
- Academics and Activities
- Explore and make recommendations on academic enhancement programs;
- Determine technology and other supportive materials needed;
- Make recommendations on clubs, recreation activities, play spaces, after-care, etc.
- Work with the Development Committee on fundraising needs.
- Communications
- Develop communications needed to facilitate the first-year transition, including informing parents, teachers and staff, community members;
- Direct recruitment of volunteers;
- Develop plans for school/Parish relations.
- Development
- Develop and implement a grantwriting and fundraising plan for consultants, for support of enhanced academic programs, activities, etc.
- Facilities and Transportation
- Work with City Schools to determine where improvements and upgrades are needed in both buildings before opening in 2011;
- Consult on classroom locations for MWES building;
- Plan the logistics for the move of lower grades to the Shrine School building;
- Recommend procedures for safe dropoff and pickup of students, and movement of students between the buildings.
- “One School”
- Develop a plan to integrate the two facilities into one pre-K-8 program;
- Discuss other school community-building issues such as an honor code;
- Work with the PTO and SIT to coordinate activities during the transition and startup year.
A big thank you and congratulations to all of the neighbors who are working to ensure the best neighborhood school we can have in our community!
Photo: D Sharon Pruitt
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