Our school is 2 hands old! This Spring we will have a number of opportunities to celebrate City Neighbors Hamilton’s birthday (stay tuned!). This is a great time to think about what CNH means to you and how you can support it in that way. What might your birthday gift be to the school? How can you help it grow into the next year confidently and with pride?

To me, CNH means family to me — a family that supports, pushes, disagrees, and celebrates each other. The definition of the word “family” has had many different meanings throughout my lifetime. As a child, my immediate family moved a lot, all over the country. My immediate family of 5 was what I knew. My extended family lived in either India or Missouri. We loved our extended family, but they were always so far away. With moving so much, we created family wherever we lived and learned to build friendships quickly. I learned that you have the family you are born into and the family you create. In a short year and a half, City Neighbors Hamilton has become family to me. CNH welcomed me with open arms and a warm smile. CNH has opened my eyes to new perspectives and has continued to celebrate our collaborative successes. What a special community. And, as we figuratively blow out the school’s 10 candles this spring, I look forward to what years 11-20 may bring. Happy Birthday, City Neighbors Hamilton!

Information for Lobbying in Annapolis Tuesday Night

We are all set for Tuesday night’s Public Charter School Facilities Funding Advocacy Night in Annapolis.    Thank you for agreeing to join on this very important evening.
Right now, 43 City Neighbors parents, staff and students are on the way to Annapolis!    37 folks are signed up for the bus, and 6 people are meeting the group there.

First, logistics.

If you are taking the bus

1.  The bus will leave from the parking lot of City Neighbors High School at 4:00 pm.  Please arrive to board the bus by 3:45.

2.  Bag dinners and/or pizza (and waters) will be available on the bus, as food is not allowed in the Senate room where we will be meeting.

3.  You will be dropped off in front of the building in Annapolis and will need to go through security.   Everyone over 18 must have a valid ID, or you will not be allowed in.

4.  The event will begin at 5:30 with various speakers.

5.   At 6:00, legislators will be coming in to visit and talk with folks.  On the bus, you will be given a briefing sheet and some questions to ask on the bus.   During the legislator visit time, we will also ask people to write letters that we will hand deliver that night.

6.   At around 7:15, we will return to the bus and depart Annapolis at 7:30.   ETA home – 8:45.
Please be on time.   Being late will hold up the entire bus.  If there is some complication, please text Kate Seidl (one of our bus captains for the evening) at 734-476-8812.

If you are meeting us there  —Please meet us in the Miller Senate Building East 1.   If someone is not at the guard station to direct you, please just ask the guard.  My cell is 781-799-9612.

Now the content.  —We are in Annapolis supporting Senate Bill 172/House Bill 156 – The Public Charter Schools Facilities Fund.   This bill would create a permanent, annual fund to support charter school facilities costs. Currently, charter schools do not receive any facilities or capital (building) funds, are (in Baltimore) required to pay the debt service on City Schools buildings, and then pay for their own facilities costs. This bill would right that inequity.
I’ve included the one-pager for your review.  You will receive more information on the bus.
Please let me know if you have any questions (as it’s hard to remember all the important details to share).  If anything comes up before Tuesday, please contact me at this e-mail or on my cell at 781-799-9612.
Thanks….and see you all Tuesday!

Eat Dinner Thursday Night and Support the School!

City Neighbors Summer Program Open House — THIS THURSDAY, 5:30

Keep an Eye on the Weather!

We have a Winter Storm Watch from Tuesday night through Wednesday night. Please Note: If we have a delay on Wednesday morning, dismissal will be at 2:00.  Shyla will send a message on Jupiter, email, and Facebook if this is the case.

In the event schools are closed Wednesday for inclement weather, our enrollment lottery will be postponed–once again–to Friday, February 22 at 1 PM in the school library.  Please pass the word to anyone who may be interested.

Diversity Spotlight — February

Welcome to the first installment of Diversity Spotlight from the City Neighbors Hamilton Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Once a month in the “What’s Good?” newsletter, we’ll share a conversation starter, and we’ll continue the conversation at the Families of City Neighbors Hamilton page on Facebook.

This month, we want to start a conversation about what diversity looks like at City Neighbors Hamilton. We can look at our own demographics. We can compare our demographics to the School District overall.

Race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status are some of the most consequential aspects of diversity. It can be helpful to think about more aspects of diversity, too. Next month, we’ll explore some of them. In the meantime, here is our Question of the Month.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH: Think about your family—can you think of something special you bring to our school’s diversity, or maybe a challenge that you and perhaps other families face that some in our community might not realize?

We’ll post this question at the Families of City Neighbors Hamilton page on Facebook; you can answer in the comments. Or, e-mail your answer to llanahan@gmail.com and Lawrence will post it. (There’s a way to account for diversity—we know some of you don’t use Facebook!)

Thank you for reading. We look forward to celebrating our differences, learning from them, and discovering what we have in common, as well as working to ensure that our differences do not turn into disadvantages.

We’ll be back in March!

Raina Wilson and Lawrence Lanahan

Family Arts Night — March 7, 2019

We are excited to announce the first CNH Family Arts Night on March 7 from 6:00-8:00 pm. Click here for a draft schedule of the evening.

This evening event is a celebration as well as a presentation of learning. Over the course of the evening, your family will rotate through visual and performing arts classes led by students as well as master classes led by guest artists. Each grade will lead an activity based on the arts class they have are participating in this trimester. These classes are bolded in the attached schedule. These classes are mandatory for the grade level leading. The other classes are “touchback” classes that relate to the arts learning they had in the first trimester.  We will be sharing more details as we get closer to the date!  Best, Ms. Breai and Ms. Cohen

Arts Fundraising in March

Create personalized gifts with your child’s artwork! Click here to visit the Square 1 Art website to see the types of items you can order. Order forms will be available March 6-20 with products arriving in April before Spring Break.

Breakfast with your Sweetheart

A big THANK YOU goes out to Ms. Keara, our Cafe Manager who made this event a success! Ms. Keara prepared french toast with powdered sugar, homemade whipped cream, and berries along with yogurt and granola, bananas, orange juice, and coffee. Another big THANK YOU goes out to Ms. LaShawn, Mr. Robinson, and their bandmate, Erica, for creating the ambiance with their soulful music. What a beautiful morning with over 140 CNH family members plus staff. A final big THANK YOU goes out to the parents and staff who helped with the food preparation, serving, and clean-up. Keep an eye out for future breakfasts this spring!