Sunshine and Bumblebees

I hope that you had a wonderfully relaxing three-day weekend! My weekends have been filled trying to convert our backyard into a living pollinator garden.  It is much in transition, but it has been fun trying to decide which flowers should go where and what it will look like once the seeds grow and blossom.  Our living wall is starting to live, and our flowers are starting to attract bees. The gorgeous weather of this three-day weekend filled my soul with happiness as my husband and I puttered in the yard, our dog slept in the shade, and our daughter crawled in the yard.  It has been wonderful.  With three (or four) weeks of school left (still waiting to hear on the official last day of school), I look toward summer with warm weather, long days, and a slower pace.
This summer will most certainly look different for all of us as we find our way through the summer into the next school year with a temporary new reality.  We are in this together and will figure it all out as a community. For now, enjoy the flowers, the bumblebees, and the sunshine.
Have a wonderful 37th Week of school and 8th Week of Distance Learning!
Love,
Dr. Shyla.
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No School on June 2 for Election Day

School will not be in session on Tuesday, June 2 for Election Day in Maryland.  Keep an eye out for messages from your children’s teachers regarding next week.  On Tuesday, we do not have school due to it being Maryland’s Election Day.
Friendly reminder: Be sure to mail in your ballots!
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Order Your Yearbook Now!

The 2019-2020 school year has certainly been one to remember. The 2019-2020 CNH Yearbook will celebrate the amazing work that happened in school as well as the learning and creating that has thrived at home during distance learning.

Yearbooks will be arriving in early June and are available for sale using online payment only through CashApp and PayPal.

Please type “Yearbook – Students Full Name” into the Notes/Comment section on CashApp or PayPal. 

 

We will be distributing yearbooks via curbside pickup once the books arrive. Stay tuned for more information!

If you have any questions about the yearbook, please feel free to reach to Ms. Cohen at hcohen@cityneighborshamilton.org.

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8th-Grade Graduation

The 8th grade Class of 2020 has had one historic (and bummer of a) spring.  First, their service-learning trip to Puerto Rico was canceled due to earthquakes. It was rescheduled for Miami and then quickly canceled due to a global pandemic. Next, they haven’t had the chance to end the school year together in classes, the past 2.5 months. Finally, they aren’t able to have a traditional graduation ceremony.  The Middle School Team has been working very hard to put together a week filled with celebration for them next week.  All of next week will be their “Miami Week” without assignments and with other alternative activities to do together (on Google Meet).
Thursday, June 4 is their graduation celebration which begins at the school and concludes on Zoom.  Please read below for a description of the events and how you can participate.
  • 5:00 — Parade around the school. Students who travel to the school in a car may decorate their cars and drive around the building for people to cheer them on. Staff will be distanced around the building cheering as the students pass by.  Students who arrive at the school not in a car may bring signs and noisemakers and will line up along the fence on Sefton for people to cheer as they pass.
    • If you’d like to cheer for our graduates, you may park in designated areas in the parking lot, honk your horn, and cheer out of your windows for them.
  • 5:20 or so — Celebrate each student “in-person”. After the parade around the school, cars will line up along the fence on Sefton, in front of the school, and park. Students will be called one-by-one to exit their car and walk to the auditorium entrance to the school for a special photo opportunity and for students to cheer for each other from their cars. (All families must stay in their cars.  Photos will be taken by school staff and sent to each student.)
    • Due to space limitations along Sefton Ave, this part of the celebration is only offered to 8th graders and their families. 
  • 7:00 — Graduation Ceremony on Zoom. We will include all of the parts of the traditional graduation ceremony at CNH with guest speakers, warm diplomas, the Obi Okobi award for social justice, and a heartwarming slideshow.  This is open to all CNH families.  Zoom login information is below:

Hope to “see” you “there”!  

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Picking Up Student Belongings at School

We are awaiting guidance from the district for best practices with allowing students to come and pick-up personal belongings from school. We are not permitted to schedule this before the stay-at-home order is lifted in Baltimore City, which for now is June 1. Once we have a plan, approved by the district, we will send an email to you with the specifics of the plan. Thank you for your patience with this!
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Great Work Happening with Distance Learning

Your children’s teachers have been working diligently to maintain rich and meaningful learning in a City Neighbors Way without warning or specific training during these unprecedented times.  We would like to highlight great work happening in various classes.  If you would like us to highlight the work of a teacher or teachers, please email Shyla at srao@cityneighborshamilton.org. Thank you!
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Meet with Dr. Shyla

If you ever want to meet with me, feel free to make an appointment using my appointment calendar. I am always open to hearing ideas, sharing stories, helping solve challenges, and listening to concerns or celebrations.  We can meet over the phone or Google Meet or Zoom.  I’m happy to accommodate whatever format works best for you.  Click here to make an appointment.