by Monarch Academy | Feb 25, 2021 | News
Monarch Global Academy Laurel, a public contract school with Anne Arundel County Public Schools, was reauthorized as an International Baccalaureate World School for the next five years. The school provides the Primary Years Programme, which offers a curriculum designed to prepare kindergarten through sixth grade students for future education and careers.
“We’re proud to announce our reauthorization as an International Baccalaureate World School,” Principal Donna O’Shea said. “Evaluators were astounded by our knowledge of the program and gave us a stellar report regarding our growth of the Primary Years Programme. Our commitment to inquiry and excellence was evident.”
As an International Baccalaureate World School, Monarch Global Academy Laurel develops students’ academic, social and emotional wellbeing, focusing on international-mindedness and strong personal values. The program incorporates local and global issues into the curriculum, asking students to look at six related transdisciplinary themes, including “who we are,” “where we are in place and time” and “how the world works.”
The evaluation report for reauthorization recognized Monarch Global Academy’s understanding of the Primary Years Programme philosophy, collaborative learning structures and commitment to student-centered learning. The school was encouraged to serve as a model program by participating in school visits, regional and global conferences and professional networking.
Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate is a nonprofit educational foundation offering four programs of international education that develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills needed to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.
by Monarch Academy | Feb 25, 2021 | Events, News
Monarch Academy Annapolis, Monarch Academy Glen Burnie, and Monarch Global Academy Laurel will hold virtual open houses through spring for interested families. All three Monarch Academy schools are charter or contract schools with Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
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.
Among the school’s offerings, classrooms partner with teachers in Central and South America to teach Spanish language and culture. In addition, the school exclusively offers Canopy, a course that provides students the opportunity to learn, and practice social-emotional skills utilizing an arts-integrated approach.
The school also offers the eSchool @ Monarch Academy Annapolis, a blended distance learning permanent program option for pre-K through fifth grade students. Instruction is 80% virtual and up to 20% in-classroom and provides the same rigorous programs and services. The eSchool will continue even after Anne Arundel County Public Schools opens for hybrid or fully in-person learning. Additionally, the school hosts Transformation Theatre Company summer camp for Anne Arundel County students in third through eighth grades. The camp runs from July 5 to Aug. 13.
The school is located at 2000 Capital Drive in Annapolis is open to all Anne Arundel County students entering prekindergarten through fifth grade.
Monarch Academy Annapolis will offer open houses on:
- Monday, March 22, at 6 p.m.
- Saturday, April 17, at 1 p.m.
Monarch Academy Glen Burnie offers students expeditionary learning, which emphasizes high achievement through active learning, character growth and teamwork. At Monarch Academy, students spend much of their time engaged in learning expeditions and in-depth studies of topics that engage students in comprehensive research of a subject, hands-on learning experiences and projects that address audiences in the community.
The school is located at 6730 Baymeadow Drive in Glen Burnie and is open to all Anne Arundel County students entering kindergarten through eighth grade in the fall of 2021.
Monarch Academy Glen Burnie will offer open houses on:
- Tuesday, March 16, at 6 p.m.
Monarch Global Academy Laurel also offers an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and project-based learning. At Monarch Global Academy Laurel, students gain a perspective on their impact and contribution to the world by spending much of their time engaged in units of inquiry and in-depth studies.
The school this year divided students into four virtual houses with related virtual activities and pep rallies to encourage them and build community during virtual learning. The house system was inspired by The Ron Clark Academy, a widely recognized nonprofit middle school in Atlanta, Georgia.
Monarch Global Academy Laurel is located at 430 Brock Bridge Road in Laurel and is open to all students entering kindergarten through eighth grade in the fall of 2021 and who live in the Brock Bridge, Maryland City, and Jessup elementary schools attendance boundaries.
Monarch Global Academy Laurel will offer open houses:
- Thursday, March 18, at 10 a.m.
- Monday, March 29, at 6:30 p.m.
To register for an open house, apply, for more information on admissions, visit MonarchAcademy.org.
by Monarch Academy | Feb 16, 2021 | Events, News
Monarch Academy Annapolis, a public contract school with Anne Arundel County Public Schools, announces the launch of Transformation Theatre Company, a performing arts summer camp July 5 to Aug. 13. One- and two-week camp programs will be available for rising prekindergarten through eighth grade students in performing arts, instrumental rock music, choral music, songwriting, dance, and drama.
Campers will have the opportunity to discover and develop their talents under the guidance of performing arts educators with performance experience. Each program will culminate with a showcase event for families. Academic tutoring will also be available upon request for children who would benefit from academic support during the camp day.
“We are thrilled to offer a robust theatre performance camp this summer at Monarch Academy Annapolis,” said The Children’s Guild Alliance’s Chief of Educational Services Kathy Lane. “We are committed to the integration of the arts in our curriculum and school environments. We are excited to offer the families of budding thespians and musicians in our Monarch community, and throughout Anne Arundel County, this transformative opportunity.”
Broadway Bound, for students in third through eighth grades, is a weeklong camp from July 5 through July 9 focusing on the three main components of musical theatre: singing, dancing and acting. Director Vicki Smith is a performing arts and production specialist for The Children’s Guild Alliance and Monarch Academy schools and owner of StageWorkz Theatre Arts Project.
Monarch Rocks! is a weeklong music camp from July 12 through July 16 for beginner and intermediate students in third through eighth grades. Instruction will include making music and songwriting using guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and vocals. Students will work collaboratively writing songs and playing in a band. Monarch Rocks! Director Sean Lane is a music teacher and registered music therapist at The Phoenix Academy in Annapolis. He has maintained a full schedule of performances for the past 20 years and has performed at inauguration events for the past three presidents.
It’s Showtime is a two-week camp from July 19 through July 30 for students in third through eighth grades. On the first day, campers will learn the auditioning process, an opportunity for beginning performers to practice in a safe environment. It’s Showtime Director Karin Abbott has been teaching for 22 years and is the arts integration specialist at Monsignor Slade Catholic School. She formerly worked at Monarch Academy Annapolis. Abbott has provided musical theatre workshops and camps for children and teens in Anne Arundel County for 13 years.
Merry Tales is a weeklong camp from Aug. 2 through Aug. 6 for students in prekindergarten through second grades. Campers will explore and perform fairy tales. They will be introduced to theatre, speaking and stage presence, while they practice reading comprehension strategies. Merry Tales Director Meg Nemeth is the arts integration teacher at Monarch Global Academy Laurel. Additionally, she teaches middle school theatre and leads the school’s drama club in full-scale plays and musicals.
Kids First Chorus offers a one- or two-week camp for the weeks of Aug. 2 and Aug. 9 for students in third through eighth grades who want to gain skills in singing, performing, a cappella, show choir, hip-hop, and a bit of pizzazz!
Campers will learn skill sets in: vocal technique, harmonizing, stage presence, choreography, and vocal projection for theater and concerts. Campers will also learn the teamwork skills necessary to join their voices together in harmony!
In addition to learning skills in the two-week camp, there is potential for Monarch Academy and Children’s Guild students who take part in the Kids First Chorus camp to perform with the Kids First Chorus later in the school year at different events.
The camp is open to children living in Anne Arundel County, and scholarships are available on a sliding scale on a first-come, first-served basis for Monarch Academy families.
For more information on Transformation Theatre Company, including dates and costs, visit MonarchAcademy.org/camp.
by Mary Lankester | Feb 9, 2021 | News
From Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Students in Early Childhood Education and prekindergarten through fifth grade whose families selected for them to return to school buildings in a hybrid environment will do so on March 1 under a reopening plan presented by Superintendent George Arlotto to the Board of Education at its February 3, 2021, meeting.
Under the plan, students in grades 6, 9, and 12 who are taking part in hybrid learning would return on March 8, followed by students in grades 7, 8, 10, and 11 on March 22. Students at all three levels would attend class in school buildings on either Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday each week. All learning would take place virtually on Wednesday, when schools would undergo a thorough cleaning.
Approximately 39 percent of elementary school students will return in a hybrid format. That number is 36 percent in middle school and 34 percent at the high school level.
On January 14, 2021, the Board of Education directed Dr. Arlotto to begin the hybrid reopening of schools for as many students as possible by March 1. That is the same timeline that has been publicly urged by Governor Larry Hogan and Maryland State School Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon.
Dr. Arlotto also provided the Board with the following timeline that will see smaller groups of students come back to buildings beginning next week:
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- February 11, 2021: Center of Applied Technology – North; Developmental Centers (Phase I elementary)
- February 16, 2021: Developmental Centers (Phase II elementary)
- February 18, 2021: Center of Applied Technology – South; Developmental Centers (secondary)
- February 22, 2021: Elementary ED Regional Centers (Glendale ES, Odenton ES, Rolling Knolls ES); J. Albert Adams @ Mary Moss Academy (all grade levels); Phoenix Academy (ED elementary students)
- February 25, 2021: Secondary ED Regional Centers (Bates MS, Chesapeake Bay MS, Chesapeake HS); Secondary Autism Classrooms (Old Mill MS South and Old Mill HS); and Phoenix Academy (alternative education programs and ED secondary students)
School-based staff would return to buildings no later than February 17, 2021, with school system central and satellite office staff returning on a similar timeline. Teachers and others involved with instructing small groups of students will return earlier.
More information on the reopening of schools, including safety protocols and other mitigation measures, can be found at www.aacps.org/spring2021.
