We know that you are as excited to meet your teacher as they are to meet you!  

School starts on September 8 and we have created times this week for you to informally connect with your teacher and start getting a sense of all of the great things that await you this school year.

Sign up to "take a peek" this week!  www.signupgenius.com/go/CCPCSpeek

Classroom assignments were shared via robocall and text last week.  If you did not receive this information or you registered after the messages were sent, contact our office at 443-642-3600 to find out your teacher assignment.

"Take a peek" will take place in zoom and you can access with a computer or a smartphone.

Our staff have been so busy planning for students' virtual arrival on Tuesday, September 8.  Part of this is making sure that students have EVERYTHING they may need at home to support learning.  As we put the finishing touches on at-home learning kits and get our student technology ready to lend out, the only thing we need now is YOU.

It is important that you sign up for a time this Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday to pick up the items your child will need to participate in distance learning at Creative City.  We will have paper, pencils, hard copy books, art materials, math workbooks, and more for our first round of supply distribution. There will be a supply kit for every enrolled student at Creative City.

​Additionally, those who need to borrow a student device or a hotspot will be able to do so at the same time.  ALL LEARNING WILL BE VIRTUAL / ONLINE, so ensuring that each student has a working device at home is extremely important.

Reserve a time to pick up your materials now: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C45ACAE22A6F85-school

We are having people reserve time to make sure that we are avoiding large crowds and handling distribution of materials and devices in a way that is as safe as possible for all.

If you have questions or need more information, call our office between 8:30 and 3:30 at 443-642-3600 or contact Ms. Lee, our Community School Coordinator, at 410-598-2538 or MLee@phrmd.org.

(Later this evening, we will post links for you to sign up to take a "Peek at Your VIRTUAL Seat" with your child's teacher!)

Did you receive Ms. Canino's robocall tonight?  It had important back to school information.  Here is what it said (just in case!):

"We are getting very close to the first day of school on Tuesday, September 8! School will be all virtual in the fall. 

I'm calling to share information about how to access learning materials, borrow student technology, and meet your child's teacher before school begins.  Our final deliveries of chromebooks, hotspots, and learning materials are being received at school this week and we will be open for pick-up at our school this Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  To limit crowds and maintain health safety, we will be asking families to sign up for a slot to pick up their items.  This sign up will be available by Monday evening.  

We will also be hosting virtual "Take a Peek at your Seat" sessions for you and your child to meet your teacher, learn about the school schedule, and begin getting ready for school.  These will be small group Zoom sessions and will also be by appointment.  Sign ups will be on our website by Monday evening as well.  

We are really looking forward to getting started with everyone.  We wanted to call this evening so that you could enter the week with as much information as we had available to share.  Be well, and we will notify you when the sign up forms are available Monday evening."

Hello, Family!  
 
Welcome Back!  We are excited for an adventure-filled year of learning and growing with all of you!  This letter contains information that will help you get ready for the first day of school which is ​Tuesday, September 8, 2020.   WE WILL BE ALL VIRTUAL / ONLINE.
 
As you know, CONNECTION “with each other, our environment, our neighborhood, and our world” is an important part of Creative City’s culture.  This year, our theme, “We Connect for Success!” brings our commitment to build, maintain, and strengthen connections to learning into the virtual world.
 
During virtual learning, our scheduled instructional day (beginning at 8:30 am daily) will include live instruction from our Creative City staff as well as recorded and posted materials to be completed independently. While interaction will be happening on a screen, there will also be hard copy books, work on paper, and other concrete ways that students will interact with school. And of course, we will still form relationships with one another that support success for all. 
 
This year, there is a whole new set of things to learn in order for families to support their children in distance learning. Families and students will participate in our school’s “Doing Digital” sessions, which will teach you how to use the learning platforms, applications, and other online resources your child will be using while we are teaching and learning online.  We are also going to have small group sessions where students and families can meet their teacher and get acquainted with the plan for the year.  
 
And, of course, our staff is currently getting their “classrooms” ready. We are prepping At-Home Kits of supplies and resources for each child, including books for home libraries.  Very soon, we will reach out again with details for next week when you can pick up school supplies and, as needed, student chromebooks.
 
You should have received a call tonight informing you of your child's homeroom teacher. We did it this way to get the information to you in the fastest way possible without encountering possible postal delays.  Please check your voice mail for a message from Creative City, or contact our office at 443-642-3600 if you did not receive this information.

Please contact us if you have any questions at all between now and the first day of school.  We are excited to begin this year with you!
 
​

Hello, Family!  

We are all in our different spaces, caring for our families, keeping things safe, happy, and loving, and wondering what the fall will bring for us as a school community.  Please allow me to share our thoughts about how we should proceed to ensure that our students learn, grow, and succeed in the safest possible way we can provide.​

Administration has been working to get the materials, technology, and resources to ensure that the instructional program – whether in-person or online – will be engaging, rigorous, and focused on student achievement. We are adapting and revising curriculum to ensure that our students will have the opportunity to learn and grow academically this school year.  The school staff be learning new techniques for online learning that will improve remote instruction and learning. 
 
While we wait for the district to make its decision, our school administration and Board of Directors are researching and planning with the intent to follow CDC guidelines and information provided by evidence-based science to make our onsite environment as safe as possible for everyone. Our Re-opening Committee is forming as a group of mixed stakeholders (staff, parents, and community members) who will bring knowledge, talents, and time to making sure that our plans for the fall are as sound and well-formed as possible. The facility's refitting during this pandemic to meet in-person activity standards and the purchasing of cleaning supplies,  PPE, and health/safety checking tools is essential for us to continue serving the needs of our community -- academically, socially, and emotionally.
 
No matter what decision is made, everyone will have a concern about safety that is valid and is valued.  To that end, we will have school options for families and for staff that take into considerations everyone’s concerns and needs.  Therefore, the following will be developed to support our instructional program:

• A Virtual Academy Option for families who feel safer with their children attending school through distance learning only
• A Remote Instructor Option for staff members who feel safer working with classes through distance learning only

 
We also understand that there will be a need for in-person instruction in the fall, so there will be an In-Person Staff Cohort who are comfortable and able to work onsite with students as well as remotely through distance learning.
 
Every stakeholder group is entitled to choose the manner of their contribution and engagement in our instructional program that best suits their needs.  Creative City is committed to honoring the choices everyone may need to make for themselves and their families. 
 
Though we will continue to solicit feedback from you, please feel free to contact us at any time.
 
I love you all, and I can't wait to be all together soon.  Be well!
 
Traci Mathena
Principal
Creative City Public Charter School