When is the first day of school?
Classes begin on Monday, August 31st.
What are school hours?
Classes begin promptly at 8:15 AM. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, school ends at 3:15 PM. Every Wednesday, school closes at 1:00 PM to allow for collaborative staff planning and development.
All City Neighbors Hamilton students are entitled to participate in the universal school breakfast program, which provides breakfast free of charge. If your child is participating in the program, he/she should be arrive at school between 7:45 and 7:55 AM. If your child is not eating breakfast at the school, he/she should arrive at school at 8:00 AM. Teachers will dismiss students, and prompt pick up is expected. Please see “Dismissal and Pick-Up Information” form for late pick-up policy and procedures.
What is the lateness policy and procedure at CNH?
It is imperative that students are in their classrooms and ready to learn no later than 8:15 AM. A student’s tardiness not only negatively impacts that student’s learning for the day, it affects the learning of the entire class. It also undermines the ideals of responsibility and schooling that we expect at City Neighbors Hamilton.
Tardiness disrupts the classroom, does not allow students the necessary time to begin their day calmly, and can set a rushed tone for the rest of their day. Students who arrive late miss important activities, making the transition into their school day tense and stressful—not conducive to learning.
Because of our strong commitment to responsible schooling, which includes students arriving on time, we have implemented the following policy and procedures for students who are tardy:
• Any student arriving late to school (any time after 8:15 AM), must be escorted to his/her classroom by a parent, guardian, or any other adult responsible for dropping off the child at school. Late-arriving students will not be allowed into their classrooms without an adult accompanying them.
• Students who are late to school more than three times in a trimester will be required to meet with the principal to discuss intervention strategies.
What if my child has an appointment and must arrive late to school?
If your child will arrive late to school due to a scheduled appointment, please inform the school office and the teacher in advance. Students who arrive after 8:15 due to a planned appointment, must be escorted into the school office by an adult to retrieve a late pass before being allowed to join their class.
What do I do if I need to collect my child before regular dismissal time?
If you need to pickup your child early from school, please give notice to the teacher. When you arrive to collect your child, please stop by the school office and someone will send your child from his/her classroom to meet you.
What is the dress code at CNH?
City Neighbors Hamilton does not require their students to wear uniforms. However, to promote and ensure a safe, respectful learning environment, we have implemented a dress code for the entire CNH community.
In general, we require children to wear clothing and shoes appropriate for the weather and for participating fully in school activities. Please make sure your child’s clothing is comfortable. Be aware that, because our curriculum is hands-on and project-based, clothing will often get dirty or soiled.
We realize the following guidelines may seem inapplicable to your young children, but we have developed this policy with future students in mind, as well as the entire City Neighbors Hamilton community. With that in mind, please observe the following guidelines:
• No clothing with logos that represent:
hate images; hate speech; violence or exclusionary messages; sexually explicit messages, references, or graphics; contraband (alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, weapons).
• No see-through or revealing shirts or blouses. Shirts with shoulder straps must be at least 1” in width.
• No shirts that expose undergarments. (Sleeveless dresses, blouses, or collared shirts are acceptable.)
• No midriff or cropped shirts. All shirts must cover navel.
• Pants must be worn above the hips. No sagging pants.
• No clothing with revealing rips or tears.
• Shorts or skirts should be no shorter than just above the knee. Girls should avoid wearing skirts on physical
education days, or wear shorts beneath their skirts.
• No key chains or metal fasteners worn with clothing.
• No sweatshirt hoods, hats, caps, or bandannas worn indoors during school hours. If headwear is needed for any extraordinary reason, either personal or medical, please see the school principal.
• No flip-flops, high-heeled shoes, or “heelies” (shoes with wheels).
• Athletic shoes are required for physical education classes.
If the dress code is violated, the parent/guardian will be contacted immediately for an appropriate and timely remedy.
Are students permitted to have or use cell phones or electronic devices in school?
Cell phones and/or electronic devices (iPods or any other mp3 players, radios, CD players, electronic gaming devices) are not necessary or appropriate in a school environment, and the risk of them being lost or damaged is high. Please do not send your child to school with cell phones or electronic equipment. Any cell phone or electronic device in the possession of a student will be confiscated and returned to the parent at the end of the school day.
How about non-electronic toys?
As a school, we promote active and engaged play. At recess and during “down time”, we believe that children learn most and best by playing together: socializing, imagining, cooperating, competing, laughing, and talking. Toys brought from home can impede this valuable time and play. In addition, these items can get lost, damaged, or cause issues among peers. Please do not allow your child to bring toys from home unless they are specifically requested by the teacher.
Will there be a Family Handbook with more exciting information about CNH?
Yes! Look for the Family Handbook to come home in September.
When are the next meeting dates at City Neighbors Hamilton?
Please check our calendar for the next date.
Why build another school?
When the waiting list for City Neighbors Charter School (CNCS) grew to over 300 applicants, with very few openings each year, the board of City Neighbors responded to the community need and decided to open a second K-8 school. At the same time, as CNCS faced the pending graduation of its first eighth grade class, the Board decided to open a high school – slated for opening with 9th grade in 2010. In the Fall of 2008, the Board of City Neighbors Charter School submitted two charter applications with Baltimore City Public Schools – City Neighbors Hamilton and City Neighbors High School. Both applications were approved, and we are excited to open City Neighbors Hamilton this fall with grades K through 3rd, adding a grade each year until 8th, reaching a maximum enrollment of 198 students. City Neighbors High School is scheduled to open for the 2010-2011 school year.
What is the average class size?
City Neighbors Hamilton has a class size of 22 children.
Where is City Neighbors Hamilton located?
City Neighbors Hamilton is located in Northeast Baltimore, in what was formerly Hamilton Middle School, located at 5609 Sefton Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21214.
What is the focus of City Neighbors Hamilton?
City Neighbors Hamilton is an arts-integrated, project-based, Reggio Emilia-inspired, inclusive school. Founded with the same guiding spirit and charter as City Neighbors Charter School, City Neighbors Hamilton strives to be a model of urban, progressive education – emphasizing the arts and project-based learning with a keen eye toward child development. Education at City Neighbors Hamilton is engaging, well-rounded, integrated across disciplines, and ideally meaningful and relevant to children and their worlds. This pedagogy is nestled within a school structure that encourages and relies on strong family involvement and community interaction.
For more information on arts-integration, project-based learning, Reggio Emilia or other program philosophies or practices, please see the following FAQs.
What is project-based learning?
A project is an in-depth investigation of a topic. There are three phases to project-based learning. These three phases include:
1. The development of guiding questions through some combination of teacher and student input.
2. The collection of data and information and the representation of their findings
3.The sharing of work with families, peers or school community members
project-based learning is often driven by student interest; it can also be informed by the Voluntary State Curriculum or overall school themes. Through project-based learning, students have the opportunity to learn in more real-world ways, develop skills of collaboration, discussion and exploration, learn how to effectively explore and present information on any topic, and discover what it’s like to plunge beneath the surface of a topic.
What is arts integration?
Arts integration is a methodology and a philosophical approach to education that creates personal connection and added depth in the classroom through a creative inquiry-based process of teaching and learning. Using the arts can assist students in understanding and applying skills. Through the connection of personal experience with the subject matter, and an emphasis on the process of discovery which allows for unexpected outcomes, teachers help students to develop more complex thinking skills.
Educational research supports arts integration. The arts reach students who are not otherwise being reached. The arts reach students in ways that they are not otherwise being reached. The arts connect students to themselves and each other. The arts transform the environment for learning. The arts provide learning opportunities for the adults in the lives of young people. The arts provide new challenges for those students already considered successful. The arts connect learning experiences to the world of real work.
Arts integration is not just teaching arts for their own sake. Arts integration is not about artist residencies or occasional arts projects that connect to other curricular subjects. Arts integration is about nurturing the development of cognitive, social, and personal competencies of each student and enriching and supporting their learning and growth in every area of their development.
What is Reggio Emilia?
Reggio Emilia is the name given to a teaching style that has evolved in the Northern Italian municipality of Reggio Emilia. Fundamental to this educational philosophy is the perception of children as being strong, intellectually rich and possessing great potentials. In this educational model, the teacher works with children to stimulate and deepen critical thought in a research partnership. In Reggio Emilia, knowledge is seen as something that is socially constructed and should be based on ideas and experiences that are real and meaningful to the child. One aspect of Reggio Emilia in evidence at CNCS is a respect for children's creative capacities and individual learning styles. There are five core tenets to Reggio Emilia:
• Teachers’ on-going commitment to enhancing their understanding of children
• The organization of the physical environment that creates community and
connection
• Long-term projects as vehicles for learning
• Nurturing the “hundred languages of children” – encouraging them to express
their understanding and learning in many different ways.
• Parental and community support for all children in the community.
What is inclusion?
An “inclusive school” rests on the belief that all students, no matter their ability and as much as possible, should be educated in general classrooms. City Neighbors is an inclusive school. For the most part, all students have their educational needs met in their home classroom. With the support of classroom assistants and our Inclusion Team of our Special Education teachers, our Social Worker and our Literacy Specialist, educational and social needs are attended to as students work in large groups in the classroom as well as smaller groups that can work in a quieter part of the room or in other rooms. Groups are usually organized according to skill and need and often include students who have been identified in the IEP process along with “unidentified peers”. The goal, based on the CNH Mission, is to educate all students together by making differences ordinary.
What is the voluntary state curriculum?
The Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC) is the guideline from the Maryland State Department of Education that defines what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. The VSC (“Voluntary State Curriculum”) is used to guide our curriculum and inform our assessment of student progress. A copy of the full VSC can be found at http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum.
How many grades will the school have?
In 2009-2010, CNH will open with K through 3rd grade. The school will add one grade each year until the 8th, with a maximum enrollment of 198 students.
Does CNH provide Before/ After care?
Yes. Please see "School Life.”
What has been done so far to prepare for opening day and how can I help?
The Building Committee has been extremely busy getting our facility ready for opening day! During the May 13th Community Meeting, staff and parents had the opportunity to select which committee they wished to join in order to prepare for opening day. The following committees were established:
• Building Committee
• Family and Community Relations
• Communications Committee
We are always seeking more parents and volunteers to join these committees. If you have any special skills and/or interests, and would like to share them to help create our new school, please contact CNH Office Administrator, Stephanie King, at sking@cityneighborshamilton.org.
How will families be notified regarding progress and events?
There are several ways parents can keep themselves in the loop:
• Come to our Community Meetings! You will find the next meeting date in the
calendar menu. This is a great opportunity for all CNH families to participate in
planning and discussion of our new school.
• The CNH website will be updated regularly with information and photos, so check
it often!
• Newsletters will be mailed to CNH families keeping them informed of events and
progress.
Is it too late to apply for City Neighbors Hamilton for 2009-2010?
As of this moment, our K-3rd grade slots are filled and we have a waiting list. However, as with any school, we expect some movement over the summer, possibly creating vacancies. We encourage interested families to download and complete our online application.
Classes begin on Monday, August 31st.
What are school hours?
Classes begin promptly at 8:15 AM. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, school ends at 3:15 PM. Every Wednesday, school closes at 1:00 PM to allow for collaborative staff planning and development.
All City Neighbors Hamilton students are entitled to participate in the universal school breakfast program, which provides breakfast free of charge. If your child is participating in the program, he/she should be arrive at school between 7:45 and 7:55 AM. If your child is not eating breakfast at the school, he/she should arrive at school at 8:00 AM. Teachers will dismiss students, and prompt pick up is expected. Please see “Dismissal and Pick-Up Information” form for late pick-up policy and procedures.
What is the lateness policy and procedure at CNH?
It is imperative that students are in their classrooms and ready to learn no later than 8:15 AM. A student’s tardiness not only negatively impacts that student’s learning for the day, it affects the learning of the entire class. It also undermines the ideals of responsibility and schooling that we expect at City Neighbors Hamilton.
Tardiness disrupts the classroom, does not allow students the necessary time to begin their day calmly, and can set a rushed tone for the rest of their day. Students who arrive late miss important activities, making the transition into their school day tense and stressful—not conducive to learning.
Because of our strong commitment to responsible schooling, which includes students arriving on time, we have implemented the following policy and procedures for students who are tardy:
• Any student arriving late to school (any time after 8:15 AM), must be escorted to his/her classroom by a parent, guardian, or any other adult responsible for dropping off the child at school. Late-arriving students will not be allowed into their classrooms without an adult accompanying them.
• Students who are late to school more than three times in a trimester will be required to meet with the principal to discuss intervention strategies.
What if my child has an appointment and must arrive late to school?
If your child will arrive late to school due to a scheduled appointment, please inform the school office and the teacher in advance. Students who arrive after 8:15 due to a planned appointment, must be escorted into the school office by an adult to retrieve a late pass before being allowed to join their class.
What do I do if I need to collect my child before regular dismissal time?
If you need to pickup your child early from school, please give notice to the teacher. When you arrive to collect your child, please stop by the school office and someone will send your child from his/her classroom to meet you.
How does CNH do lunch?
Once school begins, a tentative monthly menu will be distributed in the Monday Mailer and posted here under the "School life section". Daily fare includes a hot or cold entrée, 2-3 side items, and one ½ pint of milk. Students are offered these items and must take at least 3. (An entrée sometimes counts as more than one food item.) Special dietary requests such as vegetarian or non-dairy can be accommodated in a limited fashion, but require a written note from a physician to be on file in the school office. The cost of school lunch varies depending upon a student’s eligibility for a free or reduced-cost lunch. If your child forgets his/her lunch, we are able to provide a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, free of charge.
What is the dress code at CNH?
City Neighbors Hamilton does not require their students to wear uniforms. However, to promote and ensure a safe, respectful learning environment, we have implemented a dress code for the entire CNH community.
In general, we require children to wear clothing and shoes appropriate for the weather and for participating fully in school activities. Please make sure your child’s clothing is comfortable. Be aware that, because our curriculum is hands-on and project-based, clothing will often get dirty or soiled.
We realize the following guidelines may seem inapplicable to your young children, but we have developed this policy with future students in mind, as well as the entire City Neighbors Hamilton community. With that in mind, please observe the following guidelines:
• No clothing with logos that represent:
hate images; hate speech; violence or exclusionary messages; sexually explicit messages, references, or graphics; contraband (alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, weapons).
• No see-through or revealing shirts or blouses. Shirts with shoulder straps must be at least 1” in width.
• No shirts that expose undergarments. (Sleeveless dresses, blouses, or collared shirts are acceptable.)
• No midriff or cropped shirts. All shirts must cover navel.
• Pants must be worn above the hips. No sagging pants.
• No clothing with revealing rips or tears.
• Shorts or skirts should be no shorter than just above the knee. Girls should avoid wearing skirts on physical
education days, or wear shorts beneath their skirts.
• No key chains or metal fasteners worn with clothing.
• No sweatshirt hoods, hats, caps, or bandannas worn indoors during school hours. If headwear is needed for any extraordinary reason, either personal or medical, please see the school principal.
• No flip-flops, high-heeled shoes, or “heelies” (shoes with wheels).
• Athletic shoes are required for physical education classes.
If the dress code is violated, the parent/guardian will be contacted immediately for an appropriate and timely remedy.
Are students permitted to have or use cell phones or electronic devices in school?
Cell phones and/or electronic devices (iPods or any other mp3 players, radios, CD players, electronic gaming devices) are not necessary or appropriate in a school environment, and the risk of them being lost or damaged is high. Please do not send your child to school with cell phones or electronic equipment. Any cell phone or electronic device in the possession of a student will be confiscated and returned to the parent at the end of the school day.
How about non-electronic toys?
As a school, we promote active and engaged play. At recess and during “down time”, we believe that children learn most and best by playing together: socializing, imagining, cooperating, competing, laughing, and talking. Toys brought from home can impede this valuable time and play. In addition, these items can get lost, damaged, or cause issues among peers. Please do not allow your child to bring toys from home unless they are specifically requested by the teacher.
Will there be a Family Handbook with more exciting information about CNH?
Yes! Look for the Family Handbook to come home in September.
When are the next meeting dates at City Neighbors Hamilton?
Please check our calendar for the next date.
Why build another school?
When the waiting list for City Neighbors Charter School (CNCS) grew to over 300 applicants, with very few openings each year, the board of City Neighbors responded to the community need and decided to open a second K-8 school. At the same time, as CNCS faced the pending graduation of its first eighth grade class, the Board decided to open a high school – slated for opening with 9th grade in 2010. In the Fall of 2008, the Board of City Neighbors Charter School submitted two charter applications with Baltimore City Public Schools – City Neighbors Hamilton and City Neighbors High School. Both applications were approved, and we are excited to open City Neighbors Hamilton this fall with grades K through 3rd, adding a grade each year until 8th, reaching a maximum enrollment of 198 students. City Neighbors High School is scheduled to open for the 2010-2011 school year.
What is the average class size?
City Neighbors Hamilton has a class size of 22 children.
Where is City Neighbors Hamilton located?
City Neighbors Hamilton is located in Northeast Baltimore, in what was formerly Hamilton Middle School, located at 5609 Sefton Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21214.
What is the focus of City Neighbors Hamilton?
City Neighbors Hamilton is an arts-integrated, project-based, Reggio Emilia-inspired, inclusive school. Founded with the same guiding spirit and charter as City Neighbors Charter School, City Neighbors Hamilton strives to be a model of urban, progressive education – emphasizing the arts and project-based learning with a keen eye toward child development. Education at City Neighbors Hamilton is engaging, well-rounded, integrated across disciplines, and ideally meaningful and relevant to children and their worlds. This pedagogy is nestled within a school structure that encourages and relies on strong family involvement and community interaction.
For more information on arts-integration, project-based learning, Reggio Emilia or other program philosophies or practices, please see the following FAQs.
What is project-based learning?
A project is an in-depth investigation of a topic. There are three phases to project-based learning. These three phases include:
1. The development of guiding questions through some combination of teacher and student input.
2. The collection of data and information and the representation of their findings
3.The sharing of work with families, peers or school community members
project-based learning is often driven by student interest; it can also be informed by the Voluntary State Curriculum or overall school themes. Through project-based learning, students have the opportunity to learn in more real-world ways, develop skills of collaboration, discussion and exploration, learn how to effectively explore and present information on any topic, and discover what it’s like to plunge beneath the surface of a topic.
What is arts integration?
Arts integration is a methodology and a philosophical approach to education that creates personal connection and added depth in the classroom through a creative inquiry-based process of teaching and learning. Using the arts can assist students in understanding and applying skills. Through the connection of personal experience with the subject matter, and an emphasis on the process of discovery which allows for unexpected outcomes, teachers help students to develop more complex thinking skills.
Educational research supports arts integration. The arts reach students who are not otherwise being reached. The arts reach students in ways that they are not otherwise being reached. The arts connect students to themselves and each other. The arts transform the environment for learning. The arts provide learning opportunities for the adults in the lives of young people. The arts provide new challenges for those students already considered successful. The arts connect learning experiences to the world of real work.
Arts integration is not just teaching arts for their own sake. Arts integration is not about artist residencies or occasional arts projects that connect to other curricular subjects. Arts integration is about nurturing the development of cognitive, social, and personal competencies of each student and enriching and supporting their learning and growth in every area of their development.
What is Reggio Emilia?
Reggio Emilia is the name given to a teaching style that has evolved in the Northern Italian municipality of Reggio Emilia. Fundamental to this educational philosophy is the perception of children as being strong, intellectually rich and possessing great potentials. In this educational model, the teacher works with children to stimulate and deepen critical thought in a research partnership. In Reggio Emilia, knowledge is seen as something that is socially constructed and should be based on ideas and experiences that are real and meaningful to the child. One aspect of Reggio Emilia in evidence at CNCS is a respect for children's creative capacities and individual learning styles. There are five core tenets to Reggio Emilia:
• Teachers’ on-going commitment to enhancing their understanding of children
• The organization of the physical environment that creates community and
connection
• Long-term projects as vehicles for learning
• Nurturing the “hundred languages of children” – encouraging them to express
their understanding and learning in many different ways.
• Parental and community support for all children in the community.
What is inclusion?
An “inclusive school” rests on the belief that all students, no matter their ability and as much as possible, should be educated in general classrooms. City Neighbors is an inclusive school. For the most part, all students have their educational needs met in their home classroom. With the support of classroom assistants and our Inclusion Team of our Special Education teachers, our Social Worker and our Literacy Specialist, educational and social needs are attended to as students work in large groups in the classroom as well as smaller groups that can work in a quieter part of the room or in other rooms. Groups are usually organized according to skill and need and often include students who have been identified in the IEP process along with “unidentified peers”. The goal, based on the CNH Mission, is to educate all students together by making differences ordinary.
What is the voluntary state curriculum?
The Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC) is the guideline from the Maryland State Department of Education that defines what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. The VSC (“Voluntary State Curriculum”) is used to guide our curriculum and inform our assessment of student progress. A copy of the full VSC can be found at http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum.
How many grades will the school have?
In 2009-2010, CNH will open with K through 3rd grade. The school will add one grade each year until the 8th, with a maximum enrollment of 198 students.
Does CNH provide Before/ After care?
Yes. Please see "School Life.”
What has been done so far to prepare for opening day and how can I help?
The Building Committee has been extremely busy getting our facility ready for opening day! During the May 13th Community Meeting, staff and parents had the opportunity to select which committee they wished to join in order to prepare for opening day. The following committees were established:
• Building Committee
• Family and Community Relations
• Communications Committee
We are always seeking more parents and volunteers to join these committees. If you have any special skills and/or interests, and would like to share them to help create our new school, please contact CNH Office Administrator, Stephanie King, at sking@cityneighborshamilton.org.
How will families be notified regarding progress and events?
There are several ways parents can keep themselves in the loop:
• Come to our Community Meetings! You will find the next meeting date in the
calendar menu. This is a great opportunity for all CNH families to participate in
planning and discussion of our new school.
• The CNH website will be updated regularly with information and photos, so check
it often!
• Newsletters will be mailed to CNH families keeping them informed of events and
progress.
Is it too late to apply for City Neighbors Hamilton for 2009-2010?
As of this moment, our K-3rd grade slots are filled and we have a waiting list. However, as with any school, we expect some movement over the summer, possibly creating vacancies. We encourage interested families to download and complete our online application.
