Applying to City Neighbors Hamilton
To apply for enrollment to City Neighbors Hamilton Charter School (CNH), a separate Enrollment Application must be completed and submitted for each child you wish to enroll.
Enrollment Applications for City Neighbors Hamilton Charter School will be accepted from December 1, 2009 through 3:00 PM on February 24, 2010.
Before making application, it is strongly recommended that interested families attend an Open House, which consists of an informational session and school tour. Open Houses will be held prior to the application deadline date. In order to accommodate working families, both evening and daytime sessions will be made available. Due to volume of interest, we are not able to accommodate individual informational sessions and school tours. Click here for open house dates and times.
Applicants must be residents of Baltimore City. If your child is selected for enrollment via the lottery process, you will be asked to supply proof of residency.
Applications must be made by custodial parents or guardians. Applications will not be accepted from siblings or any other non-custodial relatives or friends. Be sure to complete the application thoroughly, neatly, and accurately. Incomplete applications will not be considered. City Neighbors Hamilton will not be responsible for incorrect, inaccurate, or illegible information.
Applications will be accepted in one of three ways:
· hand-delivered to City Neighbors Hamilton Charter School, during regular school office hours, 8 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday (recommended); or
· mailed to City Neighbors Hamilton Charter School, 5609 Sefton Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21214; or
· faxed to City Neighbors Hamilton Charter School: 410-426-0190.
Hand-delivery: Because the enrollment period includes Winter Break and other school holidays, please contact the school office first to ensure school is in session: 443-642-2052.
Mail: City Neighbors Hamilton will not be responsible for lost, delayed, or misdirected mail. Please call to verify receipt of applications one week after mailing the application.
Fax: City Neighbors Hamilton will not be responsible for mechanical or equipment failure. Please call to verify receipt of fax 24-hours after sending.
Late Arriving Applications: Applications received after 3:00 PM on February 24, 2010 will be placed at the bottom of the waiting list in the order they are received and will not be included in the lottery draw, should one be necessary (see below).
Lottery
If the number of applicants for a given grade does not exceed the number of available spaces, all applicants in that grade will be offered admission to the school.
If the number of applications for a given grade exceeds the number of available spaces, students will be selected for admission by random lottery on a grade-by-grade basis.
The lottery draw will be held at 1 PM on February 26, 2010 at City Neighbors Hamilton Charter School, 5609 Sefton Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21214.
Accepting a Space
An acceptance card and registration form will be mailed to all accepted applicants by March 5, 2010. Both the card and registration form must be hand-delivered by or postmarked no later than April 2, 2010. If we do not receive this written decision of acceptance postmarked by April 2, 2010, we will offer the available slot to the next applicant on the waiting list. A verbal decision of acceptance is not sufficient and a space will not be held.
Waiting List
Wait-listed applicants will be notified of their placement on the waiting list by March 5, 2010. Wait-listed applicants will be notified when and if an appropriate opening becomes available. The waiting list for enrollment does not carry over from year-to-year. Interested families not selected in the lottery draw must reapply for admission the following year.
Enrollment Priority Policy
Priority in the enrollment process is as follows, in the order listed:
1. Current students
2. Children of Founders
3. Children of CNH staff
4. Siblings of current CNH students
5. New applicants
Siblings: A sibling is defined as
· a brother and/or sister who reside in the same household and share a common parent, or
· are legally adopted, or
· are the legal responsibility of the same parent.
Cousins, nieces, and/or nephews sharing the same address with a current CNH student or CNH applicant, and who do not meet any of the above criteria, are not considered siblings. A separate Enrollment Application must be completed for each sibling.
Founder: Any child of a Founder, as designated by the Board, is automatically given an available space if they indicate interest.
Age Requirement for Kindergarten
A child must be 5 years old on or by September 1, 2010 in order to enroll in our kindergarten. City
Neighbors Hamilton will not accept an application for early school admission unless the child has completed the required assessment and the parent is in possession of the results at the time of making application. Those results must accompany the application.
Late Acceptances
In order to ensure full enrollment, spaces that become available and are offered to candidates on the waiting list during the summer months will require a shorter turnaround time between notification of acceptance and confirmation from families accepting or declining the offer. That timeline becomes even more condensed as the beginning of the school year approaches and once school is in session. We assume all families who have made application have explored our website, attended an Open House, and are prepared to make an informed decision in regard to City Neighbors Hamilton being a good fit for their child.
Statement of Educational Equality
City Neighbors Hamilton is committed to a policy of educational equality. Accordingly, the whole school admits students and conducts educational programs, activities, and employment practices without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, ancestry, disabilities, or any other legally protected classification.
Applying to the “Original” City Neighbors
Application and enrollment for City Neighbors Hamilton and our sister school, City Neighbors Charter School, are separate and distinct. If you wish to apply to City Neighbors Charter School, please visit http://www.cityneighbors.org/.
Important Enrollment Dates and Times for 2010-2011
· December 1, 2009 thru February 24, 2010, 3:00 PM: Enrollment Applications accepted
· January 13, 2010, 6:30 PM to 8 PM Open House
· January 22, 2010, 9 AM to 10:30 AM Open House
· February 5, 2010, 9 AM to 10:30 AM Open House
· February 17, 2010, 6:30 PM to 8 PM Open House
· February 24, 2010, 3:00 PM: Deadline for submission of completed applications
· February 26, 2010, 1 PM: Lottery Draw at CNH
· March 5, 2010: Written notification to families of acceptance or wait-list status
· April 2, 2010: Postmark deadline for notification from accepted families
Find the Enrollment Application here.
