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Making History with a Remote Launch

Promise Heights prepared all summer for our Community School school year 2020-21
Perhaps you've seen our social media campaigns to support enrollment and vaccinations?
August is usually the month when most people enjoy final summer celebrations, family reunions, and vacation travel. Yet in fact, for many people the summer of 2020 brought one new shared tradition: a pandemic-inspired "stay-cation." Likewise, in Promise Heights, August is always when our Community School leaders first meet with their teams and conduct planning sessions, train new PromiseCorps members and MSW interns, and work closely with public school staff to prepare for the moment when school finally begins. 
 
Yet we've all seen that 2020 continues to be that kind of year when “normal” routines have transitioned and morphed to accommodate the ongoing pandemic. We've focused on best ways to support our community and schools by assisting the effort to build enrollment in Pre-K and Kindergarten programs; ensuring that students will have appropriate supplies and technological equipment; and connecting families to immunization clinics as they must provide proof of current vaccinations even during this initial period of distance learning. So, we've been doing all of this and much more. 
 
This month's newsletter shares behind-the-scenes updates by our team leaders which reveal each team’s preparation for the 2020-21 school year. We're so proud of our team's hard and innovative work while tackling essentials for the 2020-21 academic year that will be like no other.
Insights into Our Community School Team Efforts
It's never too early to learn literacy skills! The Eutaw-Marshburn Judy Center playgroup enjoyed Lunch on the Lawn meetups. We'll continue these outdoor sessions as long as possible.

“Usually we have the opportunity to meet families when they come in for registration or get a sense of who's going to be in the classes before school actually starts. But we haven't been able to do any of that this year.

This is a really hard time for some parents who have anxiety that has been significantly worse because [the pandemic] requires extreme precautions. 
Many are fearful. Fortunately, they know that we offer therapy and wonderful mental health resources."
Clare Donofrio, MPH, LMSW, Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant at Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary
In recent weeks our Early Childhood and Community School team leaders have pulled out all the stops to ensure that the first-ever remote launch of this new school year will be as supportive and engaging as possible for both students, their families, and other caregivers. This spring our team proved that they're supremely adaptable and creative, as (nearly instantaneously) they transformed the collective and unexpected nationwide study-from-home experience into a fun and engaging way to learn.
 
Most significant: our team is upholding a tradition of responsive social and emotional learning methods—although in most cases they won't be in school buildings with their students. Rather, they are preparing a series of virtual experiences, building on the interactive videos of Story-Time readings and Second-Step lessons that they first staged on social media platforms this spring. 
 
They are also preparing age-appropriate sessions for groups of students, as well as developing innovative methods to lead virtual gatherings of parent and student groups so as to be responsive to student needs and supportive of family interactions. A perfect example of one celebration in the works: a fun virtual pajama party for families with young kids to share and enjoy a sense of togetherness with their classmates. 
 
Read on to learn more about the methods that our team is currently developing, along with the important assessment models that Hallie Atwater, Linda Callahan, Clare Donofrio, Russell Elmore, and Meaghan Tine are planning.  (Learn about this team and their plans)
YOUTH VOICES FROM UPTON/DRUID HEIGHTS


We recognize that kids will forever be changed by this historic moment in time, and we’ll be having various conversations with the youth enrolled in our Upton/Druid Heights community schools. After we hear their thoughts, we’ll be adding their commentary to our monthly newsletters. 
 
The student replies that we’ll share in our October 2020 newsletter address the question: 
 
“How has the COVID-19 pandemic made this past summer unlike any other in your life, and what was most memorable for you?” 
 
Please keep an eye out and consider how you'd reply to the same question.
Ensuring That Vaccines are Current

Promise Heights Collaborates with UMB and UMMC
The UMB School of Social Work & UMMS
Now Offers Three Special Saturday Vaccination Clinics in September
We’re sure that everyone will recall how the pandemic completely disrupted our lives and daily routines this spring, so it should come as no surprise that many families and doctors weren’t able to complete routine well-child appointments. Each year, Promise Heights diligently works to support family efforts to vaccinate their children to fulfill the Baltimore City Public Schools inoculation deadlines. Maryland Health Department regulations prohibit students from attending school if their vaccinations aren't current by the end of September, so time is always of the essence. 
 
This year our efforts are even more focused--you may imagine that with distance learning at home, the usual vaccination deadline may have been extended or waived. Nothing could be farther from the truth, as public health requirements are even more important now than ever, given the pandemic. (Click to learn more about our support of public health)
Welcoming Our New Staff Arrivals
From left: Roslyn Jones, Derris Hawkins-Smith, Yvette McCleod
"I was only gone for two years and when it was time for me to come back full time, I looked at the roster one day and saw that over 55 people are now part of the Promise Heights team!"
Yvette McCleod, the experienced UMB pro who is now our full-time Program Manager
Following extensive searches, we recently welcomed three new staff members:

  • Derris Hawkins-Smith, who made the long drive from Iowa on August 28;

  • Roslyn Jones, who hails from West Baltimore and is thrilled to give back to a community that means the world to her; and 

  • Yvette McCleod, a longstanding UMB professional who has worked with us in various capacities since our team had a nimble yet tiny staff. Get to know our new team members
It's Not Too Late To Fill Out Your 2020 Census!
(As of September 9, 2020, only 55.1% of people in Baltimore City have responded)
School lunches. Plans for highways. Local schools. Head Start programs. Medicaid. Medicare Part B. Support for firefighters and families in need. Census results affect so much in your community, every day for the next ten years.
Here's how to stay up to date with our news and join our lively conversations:
PROMISE HEIGHTS promiseheights.org
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