News Archives - The Children's Guild

Commemorating Juneteenth

A message from Andrew L. Ross, President and CEO, The Children’s Guild Alliance:

Today we commemorate Juneteenth, the day that slavery ended in the U.S. on June 19, 1865. As we paused to reflect on racial injustice and inequalities, Juneteenth reminds us there are many events and contributions by African Americans that were never taught in school.

In order to respond to this meme that has been as much a part of The Children’s Guild Alliance, as it has been part of our society, our educators, under the leadership of Kathy Lane, Chief of Educational Services, will be reviewing our curriculum to look for areas in which we need to add the “real complete” American History to it.

Over the summer, our instructional coaches will be attending a university course that teaches a comprehensive African American History. Our goal is to ensure our faculty have a complete set of the facts and embed them in our curriculum to make them available for our students this fall.

As an organization, this is one way we can make sure that the spirit and meaning of Juneteenth gets passed on to all children. There may be a long way to equality and justice, but it is important that we take this vital step, given it is readily in our power to do.

Monarch Academy Annapolis Holds Virtual Open House on June 24 and Launches Full-year Distance Learning Option

Monarch Academy Annapolisa public contract school with Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS), will hold a virtual open house for families interested in enrolling in the school on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The school is open to students who live in the Annapolis cluster entering kindergarten through fifth grade in the fall of 2020. Bus transportation is provided 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.

AACPS, our authorizer, has approved Monarch Academy Annapolis to launch a blended distance learning option starting in the 2020-21 school year and continuing as a permanent program for kindergarten through fifth grade students who enroll at Monarch Academy Annapolis. The new eSchool @ Monarch Academy Annapolis will be an 80% virtual and up to 20% in-classroom learning model and provide the same highly regarded and rigorous programs and services in a blended distance learning environment.

Registration is now open on first-come, first serve basis, for the new eSchool option.

“We learned with the COVID-19 school closures, that some students truly excelled and thrived in a distance learning model and we are proud to offer our new eSchool option as a permanent program at Monarch Academy Annapolis”, said Kathy Lane, chief of educational services for The Children’s Guild Alliance, which operates Monarch Academy Annapolis. “This is an opportunity to transform the way America cares for and educates its youth. This innovative option for families in the Annapolis area provides a new, parallel approach to our academic programming rooted in International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, arts integration and social emotional skill building.”

Monarch Academy Annapolis offers new facilities, creative-learning environments, an outdoor classroom and activity areas. In addition, before- and after-school clubs focus on science, technology, engineering, math and the arts. For students enrolled in eSchool, and while all students engage in distance learning, the school provides Chromebooks and Wi-Fi hotspots to all enrolled students.

Additionally, students who apply for the 2020-21 school year are eligible to attend the school’s Transformation Theatre Company, a performing arts summer camp.

To attend the virtual open house or apply to the existing or eSchool program, visit MonarchAcademy.org/Annapolis/admissions/. For more information, call 443.678.3407 or email [email protected].

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

Our Message of Solidarity

Dear Colleagues and Families,

The tragic and senseless death of George Floyd shouts that in America not everyone is free to walk the streets without being harassed or fearing for their lives. We abhor the hate-inspired speech and actions that treat some lives as disposable and regards acts of violence against the defenseless as routine and normal.

Today, the leadership of The Children’s Guild Alliance stands with our African American colleagues, students, families, and community in America to fight for the rights endowed to all Americans and to affirm their struggle for dignity and respect. We also stand against oppression and intolerance in any form.

The role of The Children’s Guild in fighting this injustice must be what it has always been, providing safe space for all children, their families, modeling zero-tolerance for hatred and bigotry in any form and to confronting it head-on within both our organization and the communities in which we serve. We will seek to live in such a way as to inspire our children to rise above the hatred and intolerance that is far too prevalent among us. We will continue to remove barriers to learning and provide resources for our children to succeed.

The Children’s Guild is more than an agency that provides education and behavioral health services to children and families and training to adults serving children; it has a responsibility to advocate for social justice and challenge the status quo when government bureaucracies establish systems, policies, and regulations that undermine the well-being and best interest of children.

Built into our mission is a process of adult and organizational transformation that teaches children the values and life skills necessary for a successful life. The values throughout our schools and programs emphasize living responsibly, serving causes larger than one’s self, contributing to one’s family and community and to stand up for what is right and just.

Our staff are caring and thoughtful people who live these values and understand that their first responsibility is to assure that The Children’s Guild and the schools and programs it operates is a welcoming place that emanates caring and respect for every child and their family. Visitors and families report that this caring radiates from the staff members, our physical environment, and our foster homes.

Let us renew our commitment to work for justice and racial reconciliation in our society so that what radiates from our employees will one day be experienced by all throughout our country.

Sincerely,

Andrew L. Ross
President & CEO
The Children’s Guild Alliance