Monarch Academy Annapolis Launches Distance Learning eSchool and Pre-K options; Host Virtual Open Houses on July 27 and Aug. 24
Monarch Academy Annapolis, a public contract school with Anne Arundel County Public Schools, is approved to launch a blended distance learning eSchool option and full-day prekindergarten program, in addition to the school’s currently established in-school programming for families in the Annapolis area. The programs will be available starting in the 2020-21 school year.
eSchool @ Monarch Academy Annapolis
The eSchool @ Monarch Academy Annapolis blended distance learning option will continue as a permanent program for Pre-K through fifth grade students. Instruction will be 80% virtual and up to 20% in-classroom and provide the same rigorous programs and services.
“International Baccalaureate education, arts integration and social-emotional skill building—the best of what Monarch Academy Annapolis has to offer—will be part of our new, innovative eSchool option,” said Kathy Lane, chief of educational services for The Children’s Guild Alliance, which operates Monarch Academy Annapolis. “We are proud to provide this program for families in the Annapolis area next year and into the future, as we continue our mission to transform the way America cares for and educates its youth.”
Jessica Sanders’ daughters Isabella, age 10, and Victoria, age 9, have attended Monarch Academy Annapolis for two years.
“With the uncertainty of what in-school learning will look like next school year, we were very excited to see the option to apply to the new eSchool @ Monarch Academy Annapolis,” Sanders said. “We believe the eSchool will provide our family with the flexibility needed to safely and adequately educate our children in this unprecedented time.”
Prekindergarten
Monarch Academy Annapolis will be launching a full-day Pre-K program this fall. Pre-K eligibility is subject to state enrollment criteria, including income and age. The program will equip children with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary for success in kindergarten and beyond. Pre-K students must be 4 years old by Sept 1, 2020.
Virtual Open Houses
Monarch Academy Annapolis will hold virtual open houses for families interested in either the existing in-school option, as well as the new eSchool and Pre-K programs, on July 27 and Aug. 24 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The school is open to students who live in the Annapolis area entering Pre-K through fifth grade in the fall of 2020. Bus transportation is provided for in-school students from established stops.
Located at 2000 Capital Drive in Annapolis, Monarch Academy Annapolis is a primary performing visual arts school and follows the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, which challenges students to think critically and take responsibility for their learning as they explore local and global issues.
Monarch Academy Annapolis offers new facilities, creative-learning environments and an outdoor classroom and activity areas. Before- and after-school clubs focused on science, technology, engineering, math and the arts. For students enrolled in eSchool, and while all students engage in distance learning, the school provides Chromebook laptops and WiFi hotspots.
In addition, students who apply for the 2020-21 school year are eligible to attend the school’s Transformation Theatre Company, a performing arts summer camp launching in June 2021.
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Celebrating Family Appreciation Week
We are excited to celebrate The Children’s Guild Alliance’s first “Family Appreciation Week,” June 8-12, 2020 to thank our families for your role in providing distance learning to your child/ren during the sudden closure of schools due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Family Appreciation Week is designed to show our deepest appreciation for your continued partnership in your child/ren’s education.
Our families are our heroes in so many ways, and we value all of you. We have always known families play a vital role in the education of our students, as you love, nurture, protect, teach, provide for, and serve as role models for our students. Strong families, such as yours, provide much needed support and guidance to ensure our students succeed as leaners and members of a global community.
The Children’s Guild Alliance and our schools have always celebrated and honored our families as a key partner in your child/ren’s education. Now, more than ever, families have stepped up, during a time when your child/ren need you most. We want to recognize the incredible job our families have done, and the many sacrifices you have made, to ensure your child/ren’s education continued in as meaningful a way as possible, during these truly unprecedented times.
Additionally, follow us on our social media channels with hashtag #FamilyAppreciationWeek2020, as we celebrate our families throughout the week through. You can share too on your social media using #FamilyAppreciationWeek2020.
We thank you for choosing one of our Children’s Guild Alliance schools as the school of choice which allows your child/ren to excel and achieve.
We celebrate you for your vision to see, the courage to try, and the will to succeed. Together, we will create a brighter tomorrow for each our students, transforming the way America cares for and educates its youth.
With gratitude,
Kathy Lane
Chief of Educational Services
The Children’s Guild Alliance Schools Achieves High Engagement in Distance Learning
While schools remain closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, The Children’s Guild Alliance schools in Maryland and Washington, D.C., continue to implement distance learning designed for students with disabilities, providing special education and related services and achieving 85% student engagement.
“Every day missed is a day you don’t get back, especially for our students with disabilities who need consistent, predictable structures and interventions,” said Kathy Lane, chief of educational services for The Children’s Guild Alliance. “We took action immediately following the school-closure announcements, reaching out to every student across our schools and providing them with Chromebooks, Wi-Fi hotspots and the tools needed to continue their education while also ensuring they had access to meals.”
The Children’s Guild Alliance operates special education day schools in Baltimore and Prince George’s County, Monarch Academy public charter and contract schools with Anne Arundel County Public Schools and The Children’s Guild District of Columbia Public Charter School.
Teachers reach students using online platforms including Google Classroom, Google Hangouts, and Google Meet as well as i-Ready online assessments and individualized instructional programming. Small groups of students connect with teachers and each other daily during morning meetings, lunch groups and multiple 20- to 30-minute instructional periods. They study English and the humanities in the morning and science, technology, engineering and math in the afternoon with a social-emotional wellness period in the middle of the day.
“We set a high expectation for ourselves and students right out of the gate.”
“We set a high expectation for ourselves and students right out of the gate,” Lane said. “Students benefit from a regular routine and continued learning, but we also haven’t lost sight of our greater mission of serving the whole child. We serve children with special needs and they require our best, now more than ever.”
The Children’s Guild Alliance provides teletherapy for families, including one-on-one coaching for parents. The schools have safely continued mental health counseling, behavior intervention for students, mental health, speech and occupational therapy and other services virtually without a reduction in services.
“We are committed to serving our families, pandemic or not, and have developed strong relationships with the parents and caretakers of our students,” Lane said. “Many sit down with their children during instructional time, which is one reason we have seen such high participation rates. Most of our students look forward to interacting with their educators and therapists online as they seek to connect with those who care for them and to provide some sense of normalcy in an unusual and dynamic environment.”
The Children’s Guild Alliance schools created continuity of learning plans for distance learning for students with disabilities with individual education plans (IEPs), which outline educational goals for each student. These individualized continuity of learning plans guide the establishment of learning schedules, virtual lessons and classroom websites, interactive videos, regular communication and staff feedback on student assignments and assessments.
“I’m so proud of what our teachers and students have accomplished under such challenging circumstances,” Lane said. “They’re responding well to distance learning, staying engaged and participating regularly. We’ve created a multitiered system of virtual support and personalized learning that puts kids first.”