by Monarch Academy | Dec 14, 2020 | News
We are collectively living through one of the most sweeping health crises in our history. This issue of Transformation shares how The Children’s Guild Alliance has relied on empathy and action to persevere during these challenging times.
The holidays are difficult for many of our families, especially this year. We introduce our Holiday Gift Catalog and invite you to help us spread joy with an array of gifts from school supplies and daily essentials to gift certificates or a special experience such as a trip to the beach.
We are thankful for the success of our virtual Kids First Celebration and congratulate our 2020 Sadie Award recipients Guy and Nupur Parekh Flynn. We also congratulate the recipients of our 2020 Monarch Award, the highest honor bestowed upon our staff. Their dedication has been truly inspirational during a year of unforeseen stress and change.
Our staff continue to amaze us with their creativity and commitment. From virtual pep rallies to flexible mental health services, we are educating and caring for the whole child. We also welcome new staff members hired to build a more inclusive school culture.
Learn how The Guild is making the most of grants and special funding to launch preschool programs in Annapolis and College Park. We have also received grants to fund our community-building efforts during distance learning and support our ongoing food distribution program in Annapolis.
This issue of Transformation highlights how The Guild has transformed its approach during COVID-19 to meet the needs of our students. As you read these stories, join us in celebrating learning, giving, and putting “kids first”.
by Monarch Academy | Oct 14, 2020 | News
Andrew Ross will step down as president and CEO of The Children’s Guild Alliance on June 30, 2021, after 26 years. The Children’s Guild Alliance, a nonprofit organization based in Baltimore, serves children, families and child-serving organizations.
When Ross joined The Children’s Guild, the organization had two special needs schools, one group home and a $6 million budget. Today, with a $82 million budget, the organization serves close to 6,000 children through two special needs schools, four charter/contract schools in Anne Arundel County and Washington, D.C., three therapeutic group homes, a treatment foster care program and a behavioral health program that serves students in 90 schools in Baltimore, Howard, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, and Cecil counties.
Ross was instrumental in the development of TranZed Apprenticeships, the TranZed Academy for Working Students and the Transformation Education Institute that holds national conferences and programs for child-serving professionals throughout the year.
“Among Dr. Ross’ greatest contributions was the introduction of Transformation Education to The Guild and caring for the whole child. Transformation Education puts the needs of the child ahead of the needs of the adult and creates a culture for learning to meet the individualized learning styles of each child in creative, attractive environments,” said Chris Zimmerman, chair of The Children’s Guild Alliance board of directors.
Most recently, Ross launched Kids First, a national campaign to transform the way America cares for and educates its children. Effective July 1, 2021, Ross will become senior advisor to the Kids First campaign, which will work nationally to create the cultural awareness, teacher preparation and political will to put kids first.
Ross said, “Until June 30, I will continue to support the deployment of the new initiatives in The Guild’s strategic plan to include a preschool in College Park and Monarch Academy Annapolis and the expansion of our special education schools to serve more students with autism. I will also continue to support our work on diversity, equity, inclusion and Kids First. In addition, I will be preparing the organization for a seamless transition to a new president and CEO.”
The Children’s Guild Alliance retained Koya Leadership Partners, an executive search firm, to implement a national search for Ross’ replacement. Zimmerman will head the search committee, which will work to hire the new CEO by March 2021.
“It has truly been an honor to have led The Guild over the past 26 years. Life has taught me that this change will result in great opportunity and growth for the organization and for me,” Ross said.
by Monarch Academy | Oct 14, 2020 | News
The Children’s Guild Alliance experienced a year like no other in its 67-year history. Our amazing team responded to the COVID-19 crisis with extraordinary compassion, energy, creativity, and commitment. Through these difficult and challenging times, we pulled together and accomplished more than we ever could have imagined.
We invite you to take a moment to read this year’s annual report and celebrate the many ways The Children’s Guild Alliance supported children this year.
Annual report highlights:
- The heroic efforts of our staff members during the pandemic.
- Our rapid transition to distance learning through the distribution of more than 1,000 Chromebooks so our students could continue learning even though in-person teaching stopped on March 13, 2020.
- The opening of food distribution centers in our schools and the delivery of more than 10,000 pounds of food to our students and their families in Annapolis, Washington, D.C., and the surrounding communities.
- Our launch of teletherapy to provide social and emotional support for 2,550 students and their families in more than 90 schools.
- An agreement with Steve Wozinak’s Woz U and Infosys, the seventh largest tech employer in the U.S., to provide nontraditional apprenticeships as an alternative to college.
This is just a sampling of the milestones achieved in 2019-2020. We could not be more grateful to our students, families, staff, and friends for making this school year a success. Together we are transforming the way America cares for educates its children.
by Monarch Academy | Sep 29, 2020 | Events, News
The Children’s Guild Alliance in collaboration with Towson University’s department of special education will present the inaugural Kids First National Conference on Oct. 26 and 27, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT each day. The virtual conference will equip educators, child-serving professionals and families with strategies to support and engage children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As we grapple with how to deliver education and care for our children and families in a COVID-19 world, we must rethink how we do our work and transform the way America cares for and educates its children,” said Andrew Ross, president and CEO of The Children’s Guild Alliance. “This year demands transformation and innovation, our focus at the Kids First National Conference, where we’ll present strategies that address the needs of the whole child.”
The conference will feature child and educational experts, including the keynote speakers:
- Robert Jackson will present “Power of the Educator: Becoming Culturally Aware of Staff and Students.” Jackson received the 2019 Motivational Educator of the Year Award and has written six books, including his latest book, “Becoming the Educator They Need: Strategies, Mindsets and Beliefs for Supporting Male Black and Latino Students,” released last year. An expert in teaching cultural diversity, restorative practices, socio-emotional learning and retaining troubled students in school, he delivers keynote addresses and workshops across the country.
- Joe Sanfelippo will present “Hacking Leadership: Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love.” Sanfelippo is the superintendent of the Fall Creek School District in Fall Creek, Wisconsin, which was named an Innovative District in 2016 and 2017 by the International Center for Leadership in Education. He co-authored “The Power of Branding: Telling Your School’s Story,” “Principal Professional Development: Leading Learning in a Digital Age,” and “Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love.”
Other speakers include career child advocate Frank Kros, Stephen F. Austin State University Assistant Professor Jim Ewing, veteran administrator and author Shauna King and educator Steve Parese.
The conference will offer 150 workshops and panels to address challenges, innovations and transformation strategies in serving the whole child. Interactive sessions will cover topics on leadership; education; juvenile justice; mental health; and family, children and adolescent issues. Networking events and opportunity to review sessions on demand will also be offered.
In addition, The Children’s Guild Alliance will host a preconference from Oct. 18 to 25 with workshops and keynote presentations about innovation and transformation. Speakers come from organizations including The Children’s Guild Alliance, Zoom, Four Rivers Media, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and Oral Roberts University.
Participants who register for the conference’s Leadership Track will join other leaders and sessions will present innovative ideas and promote reflection to help participants move their organizations forward in both the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 landscapes. Leadership Track participants will develop a work plan to drive transformation in their organizations, schools, districts, communities, states or nationally. Leaders will gain insight and ideas from outside of their fields, generating solutions from multiple perspectives.
Conference participants will receive a certificate of attendance and Category I social work continuing education units. For more information and registration, visit KidsFirstConference.org.
by Monarch Academy | Sep 11, 2020 | News
The coronavirus pandemic has brought many challenges to life as we know it. Our new issue of Transformation highlights how The Children’s Guild Alliance has responded and continues to put kids first during these unprecedented times. We share stories about our staff and how they developed new ways to deliver education, services, and operations. Learn how our educators adapted to distance learning and connected with students and personalize their virtual learning.
Join us as we reimagine The Kids First Celebration as a virtual event and redirect the funds raised to support our Chromebook campaign. Learn about our new Chromebook initiative established to provide every student with the technology they need to access online learning.
Of special interest is our recent launch of food distribution centers in Annapolis and Washington, D.C. Recognizing the impact of the pandemic on food insecure communities, we have pivoted our services to ensure the families and communities we serve continue to be fed.
We invite you to read this issue of Transformation and support and celebrate the very real ways The Children’s Guild Alliance is stepping up during these difficult times to meet the needs of the whole child.
by Monarch Academy | Aug 11, 2020 | News
This was sent via blast email 8/11. If you did not get this email, please contact the school to make sure you are on the email distribution list.
Greetings Monarch families,
I would like to welcome new families to our Monarch community and welcome back our returning families and students as we get ready to start the 2020-21 school year. Our teachers and staff have been thinking about and working on this school year all summer, and we are excited to soon begin!
As you know, per AACPS we will be in a virtual learning environment through January, and students and teachers will be engaged in daily live classes. This model will be more robust and academically rigorous than last spring as we work to ensure that our students grow in their grade level skills and abilities across content areas. To do this, we are committed to the Monarch Way, which is firmly grounded – whether virtual or face to face – in growing and supporting positive relationships among our community members, instruction / learning that is relevant, engaging, and meaningful, and the character development inherent in our Habits of Excellence. Our teachers worked this summer to develop virtual fieldwork, find experts that can join us on-line, and explore ways to engage students in a vibrant, collaborative learning community on-line.
As I explained before, as a public charter school, we get to make decisions about our curriculum and our instructional philosophy, but we also have to follow regulations and decisions from MSDE and AACPS. To that end, we continue to await information regarding student attendance and the parameters for a live teaching and learning schedule. When I receive that, I will quickly send you our plan so you can make the necessary arrangements in your family. I expect that information this week.
It is our aim to give every child a Monarch issued Chromebook for ease of access and to reduce the stress of sharing devices in the home. Hopefully, our order comes in on time, and we are able to start the year giving all children a Chromebook. If that is not possible due to production and delivery factors out of our control, we will contact families and create a need based list for distribution as they become available. To assess immediate needs, please complete the quick Monarch technology survey by Friday, August 14th. This survey is in lieu of the AACPS survey. AACPS does not provide Monarch with technology.
Survey link
To ensure that our students have all that they need at home, all Monarch students in grades K-8 will receive a string bag with grade specific school supplies and instructional materials. Bags will include pens, paper, eraser, pencils, dry erase sleeve, dry erase marker, scissors, glue, headphones, clipboard, post it notes, and ruler, as well as content and grade specific materials such as Humanities workbooks, novels, math manipulatives, reading supplies, and math workbooks. It is important that every child picks up their specific grade level supply bag so they have what they need for virtual instruction on the first day of school. If you have several children in your home, please label each child’s materials and find a place to store them for daily access and use.
This would also be a good time to explore locations in your home / day care setting where your child can focus, keep their work organized, and complete tasks on and off of the computer. Eventually students will be back in school. You may want to take advantage of sales and tax free week to purchase a backpack, lunchbox, and other typical school needs to keep for when we transition.
Please put the following dates on your calendar:
Materials Pick Up
Date Time Last Names
September 2 8-11 a.m. A-E
September 2 12-3 p.m. F-L
September 3 8-11 a.m. M-R
September 3 12-3 p.m. S-Z
Join us for a virtual Back to School Night to meet our amazing Monarch staff!
Date: Thursday, September 3rd
Time: 3 repeating sessions at 4:00, 4:30, and 5:00 p.m.
Location: Back to School Night will be virtual through Google Meets. Meeting links for each teacher will be sent on September 1st.
We will send weekly updates throughout the remainder of the summer.
Wishing you all a restful August,
Kim Jakovics
Principal
