Being home the past 13 months during the pandemic has reinforced how important family is to the core of my being.  I have cherished every moment with my daughter, Aruna, have loved having my dad live with us half of the time (the other half with my brother), and melted when my sister and I were both fully vaccinated (she is a teacher) and could actually HUG each other after a year!!  I look forward to moments of normalcy in these abnormal times. A caveat to what I just wrote above is that the pandemic is far from being over [...]

March 12, 2020 was the last day that we were full in-person school. On Friday, the 13th, teachers worked feverishly to put together two week worth of work packets for students.  We had no idea that one year later, we would be teaching online with district-wide phased in reopening plans, and a new normal of mask fashion statements. On that date a year ago, my daughter was bald, crawling, and saying vague approximations of words.  She now has a head of hair and is running around, talking in toddler sentences, and potty training.  I just purchased a number of masks for [...]

 Aaaahhhhh, this is the week ahead.  Allow yourself to smile…. And find some time outdoors.  :-) Happy Week 26, everyone! --Shyla. ************************************** Noteworthy Upcoming Dates: Wednesday, March 10 Virtual Open House for Summer Camp:  https://bcps-k12-md-us.zoom.us/j/89716390809?pwd=UjhBR1FsNHRjeTBXcXVPVitHK2oyQT09 THIS FRIDAY, March 12 End of Trimester 2 March 15-19 School-wide Materials Pick-Up March 17 Report cards will be mailed by this date March 19 Family Arts Night! March 19 Summer Camp Applications due: 2021 City Neighbors Summer Camp Application Saturday, March 27 - Monday, April 5 Spring Break!  Classes resume on Tuesday, April 6 April 12 First Day of In-Person Learning at CNH ************************************** This [...]

Last week I posted a picture of a robin and wrote about the Spring weather to come that week… then I woke up to big, fat beautiful flakes of snow falling to the ground the next morning and couldn’t help but to laugh out loud. If that doesn’t illustrate how I thought things would go with each twist and turn of the way this past year, nothing would! At this point, we are planning to have students in the school building all five days each week beginning on April 12th (more information below). With Baltimore City’s positivity rate at 1.9% as [...]

Last Friday I saw three Robins in the tree outside of my daughter’s bedroom window.  Today I heard an orchestra of birds chirping around my house as the birds seem to be returning for Spring.  With the 10-Day forecast in Baltimore in the 50’s most days, it’s going to feel so great!  We DO still have another month until the official Spring Equinox on March 20th, but let’s allow ourselves to savor these next days of warmer weather and sunshine. In the last 75 days of the school year, we have a lot to accomplish -- stay on track with our [...]

  Between the 100th day of school on Thursday and Rollin’ With Your Sweetheart on Friday, last week was amazing!! Thank you to all of the families who came by the school on Friday to pick-up a goodie bag, make a yard sign that highlights something about the school, and spend some time outdoors and socially-distanced, enjoying the DJ and each other.  What a special afternoon. Rollin’ With Your Sweetheart is the manifestation of an idea that came from the Culture of Care Committee that consists of parents, caregivers, Mr. Jerred, and Ms. Lauren.  It was so amazing to see the [...]

On Friday, I announced that the CNH Board of Directors voted to provide targeted in-person instruction beginning on April 12. Leading up to April 12, staff, board members, and family volunteers are going to work collaboratively to identify to what capacity and frequency we can safely reopen,  ensure that the school building meets all criteria in the BCPSS Standard Operating Procedures for reopening school buildings, and plan how we will best meet the needs of our students both in the school as well as online. Each week, I will post ways in which you can participate in this process. At this [...]

I used to teach a graduate course focused on the History of Art Education. The course had historically used THE pivotal text in the field so I used the same text when I started teaching the course.  According to THE pivotal text, only DWMs, as I called them, (Dead white men) impacted the field of Art Education. Well, except for Maria Montessori who got basically a paragraph nod in the book.  Upon further analysis, the book did not acknowledge the different goals and expectations for Black, Brown, and Native Americans versus White Americans when public school was developed in the U.S..  [...]

If you could tell the world what our school is about, and what we stand for, what would you say?  You have the opportunity to amplify an aspect of our school for the community by making a yard sign (or two)! Come by the school any day between 10:00-2:00 to pick up a yard sign and Sharpie marker -- as you see the materials are in the front lobby and are easy to grab and go.  Exclaim what makes our school special and impactful on a sign and bring it back to the school to put it in our front yard. [...]

I am participating in a Meditation Challenge on the 10% Happier app. Today’s lesson was focused on overcoming life’s challenges, especially in this difficult time. They reminded us that we have survived 100% of our life’s challenges. This statement made me think about the quote from James Baldwin above. Part of overcoming obstacles is to face them, consider what can be changed, and focus on what we can do. When the obstacle extends beyond us as individuals to the larger community, I like to focus on how we can link arms to hold each other up and face adversity as a [...]