Students will be in school from 8:15am–3:00pm every day except for Wednesday. On Wednesday afternoons we will dismiss two hours early, at 1pm, to allow teachers to plan together and participate in professional development. We are committed to providing care during that time for all students, if they need it. (see “Before and After Care” section, below)

In order to prevent traffic backup on Reisterstown Rd., we ask that you approach the school from Towanda Avenue, just south of the intersection of Towanda Avenue and Oswego Avenue. If you are putting an address into a GPS, we recommend you use 4100 Towanda Avenue, rather than the official school address on Shirley Avenue.

We follow Baltimore City Schools. Please check TV and radio before heading out.

We do not require school uniforms, but understand that uniform-type attire is sometimes preferred by families. For those who prefer uniform-type attire, we recommend clothing choices that reflect school spirit with our school colors – GREEN and BLUE – and we specifically suggest items that will be easy to find, affordable, durable, and comfortable for active learning and play. Creative City t-shirts are available for sale in our main office, at cost.

Clothing Suggestions for families who prefer uniform-type attire:

• Dark bottoms (black or navy blue) which may include pants, shorts, skirts, or jumpers.

• Shirts that are any shade of blue or green – plain polo / collared shirts or plain t-shirts, long- or short-sleeved.

Yes, our kindergarten is full-day. Since it is play-based, please know that students will spend limited time sitting at tables or involved in whole-group instruction.

Yes, there will be a 30 minute recess period in every grade.

Homework:

Well-designed homework, at the right time in a child’s development, can have significant impact on his/her learning. Homework can reinforce skills, inspire out-of-school exploration and learning, teach the basics of responsibility, and help to instill the discipline of learning. Therefore, we take a thoughtful and developmental approach to homework at Creative City Public Charter School.

 

Primary homework for all students is to read at home with a family member/caregiver for 30 minutes each night. Talk to your child’s teacher for ideas on how to make reading at home a rich experience for you and your family.  Visit us at the school or the local library to check out books. Additional homework will be chosen thoughtfully by teachers to extend skills being taught and to connect with trimester projects.

 

We encourage families to support their child(ren)’s learning by providing them with a quiet and supportive atmosphere in which to complete homework. Some students, especially in the younger grades, may need more parental support with the understanding and completion of homework. As students get older, we encourage parents to allow their students to be as independent as possible in managing and completing homework. If you work with your child on homework, please be sure it is truly their work that is being returned the next day.

 

At Creative City Public Charter School, we believe that homework in kindergarten should reflect what research tells us about how children in this age group learn best. Therefore, in general, students in these grades will receive less frequent homework and minimal “traditional” homework worksheets. Research points to improved skills or motivation as a result of other types of homework at this age. At times, you may be asked to read together and discuss the story, to go for a walk and record what you see, or to pursue a specific activity related to project work in the classroom or your child’s interests. All these will be more valuable forms of home learning in kindergarten.

 

In 1st and 2nd grade, students will have a combination of “traditional” assignments, project extensions and skill reinforcement activities with the goal of bridging home and school further and share the themes, subjects and skills that students are learning.

We have not planned for “official” breaks other than a 30-minute recess, but teachers will have the flexibility to offer short breaks, change the type of activity that students are doing, and otherwise be responsive to students’ needs.

 Click here to learn about our school leaders.

We have budgeted for one field trip per class per trimester. However, that does not include smaller trips in the neighborhood and around the park. We also plan for older students to walk down to Druid Hill Park to use that space as a learning environment.

Yes, as a public charter school we are required to do the state testing. However, we do not need to complete district testing (such as quarterly benchmarks).

As a public charter school, we do not require parent volunteering. However, we will strongly encourage it and work with parents to find ways that they can volunteer that are responsive to their strengths and time constraints. We are a parent-founded school and long-term opportunities for parent engagement are important to us.  We will have a PTA and parents will elect (and can be nominated for) the Creative City Public Charter School Foundation Board of Directors each year.

Parents will be encouraged to participate on committees if they wish. Current committees include fundraising, outreach, school climate/culture, community partnerships, food & farm, and more. Click here for a list of ways to get involved. 

There will be a maximum of 22 students in each classroom. Including our plans for hiring teacher’s aides, and teaching positions that are not attached to a classroom (i.e. Reading Specialist, Arts Integration Specialist, Physical Education, etc) we anticipate an average pupil to instructional-staff ratio of about 12:1. It should be noted that our highest use of teacher’s aides will be in Kindergarten classes, resulting in an even lower ratio for our youngest students.

Yes. This opportunity is the same as in any other Baltimore City public school.

Yes, parents are allowed to visit/observe in their child’s classroom as long as the teacher feels that it is not disruptive.

Children with an IEP or 504 will be served according to their plan. We will have in-class and pull-out services.

Please see the News post “Before and AfterCare with UEC for Fall 2015.”