Summer Dreaming
When I was a child we would “call India” the first Saturday of every month. My family in India didn’t have a phone so we would call family friends who lived nearby. We would hang up for them to run over to my family’s house and gather as many people as possible. And we would call back about 20 minutes later, eagerly waiting to pass the phone around, one at a time. Conversations were limited to Hi how are you’s as the phone was passed around the room to my brother, sister, and I. After doing the rounds with each other, my dad would take the phone, and in a fast Hindi, would learn the news about the family — who’s been sick, how the cousins did on their most recent exams, and who visited whom over the past month.
Nowadays, we talk daily in a group chat on What’s App, comment on each other’s pictures on Facebook, and FaceTime with one another on our phones. It’s amazing! Even with all of these modern forms of keeping in touch, nothing beats sitting in the same room with one another catching up. On these cold winter days, I dream about this summer when my husband and I will reach through our cell phones and travel to Mysore, India to spend long days with aunties, uncles, cousins, and their children.
In this 26th week of school, as the weather is unpredictable, the ground is saturated with moisture, and the next holiday feels very far away, I hope you do your own summer dreaming about who you will connect with after the school year ends. Happy dreaming, all!
–Dr. Shyla.
Family Arts Night
This Thursday, 6:00-8:00
Join us this Thursday for our first ever Family Arts Night where families learn different art forms together! It’s going to be a lot of fun and a wonderful evening with your family. Enter through the doors by the auditorium in the middle of the front of the building. We will have a guide for the night as well as CNH gear, baked goods, and other items for sale. It’s gonna be a great night!! See you Thursday night!
New Policy: Late Pick-Up
We have been experiencing an increasing number of families who are late to pick up their child from school at the end of the day. We understand that sometimes things happen on your way to school, and you might be a few minutes late. Unfortunately, some people are regularly late, and sometimes as late as an hour or more after the school day has ended. We do not have the staffing to accommodate these late pickups.
Please Note the New Policy: If you are late three times in a trimester to pick your child up from school or an after-school program, you will be required to sign up with our Aftercare program, UEC, so that we can send your child to aftercare if you are late again. Please make every effort to be on-time to pick up your child at 3:15 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays as well as at 1:00 on Wednesdays. Thank you!
RALLY IN ANNAPOLIS – March 11th
Next Monday, we will join the Baltimore Education Coalition, Strong Schools Maryland, and parents, teachers, and students from around the state for a Rally in Annapolis. This rally is focused on getting the legislature and the Governor to have the will and courage to increase education spending and fully fund the Kirwan Commission recommendations for public schools in Maryland. We anticipate joining over 5000 people from across the state!
A bus will leave the City Neighbors Hamilton Campus at 4:15. The Rally begins at 6:00. We will likely return by 9:00 pm.
Please join us. If you are coming (either on the bus or separately), please e-mail Mike at mchalupa@cityneighbors.org
See Our Students’ Work On Display!
The work is on display through March 24th! Gallery hours are Fridays and Saturdays 4pm-8pm as well as on Sundays 11am-3pm. Enjoy the show! I know I did at the opening reception!!
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.
An Easy Way to Support the School
Next time you log into Amazon, click on Your Account and go to “Your AmazonSmile.” You can select City Neighbors Hamilton as your charity. All you have to do after that is bookmark the site https://smile.amazon.com instead of simply amazon.com, and every time you shop, a percentage of the proceeds will be sent to City Neighbors Hamilton! It’s the same shopping, same deals, AmazonSmile simply donates to the school.