School Reopens Monday, February 15th

Back in school again tomorrow!  First thing we'll do is look at our snow policy and see if it needs revising. Secondly, we'll have to figure out how to make up for lost time.  Ideas?

Urgent Appeal Blizzard 2010

The blizzard and unprecedented snowfall that continues to come down has presented challenges for all of us.  For some, it has been a serious inconvenience and for others it has presented critical problems such as those needed to get to medical treatments.  The effects of this storm on folks who rely on an hourly wage and unable to work are often devastating.  Many of our people live paycheck-to-paycheck and losing a week’s pay or more will be hard to recover from.  Not only are folks not able to make an income, but also will have increased energy costs and other expenses because of this storm.  The impact is not just immediate but the ripple effect on people’s lives will continue for many weeks to come.

We can do something to help. It is an important time to support local organizations that provide food and emergency assistance.  In our neighborhood, one organization stands out, the HWRMW pantry, an ecumenical effort located at Hampden United Methodist Church at 3449 Falls Road.  The Community School will be collecting food and donations to give to this pantry and would like your help.

Greg Little, a volunteer tutor at our school, helps staff the pantry along with a variety of volunteers.  Next Thursday, February 18^th at 5:00, he will take whatever food and donations we have collected over to the pantry for distribution.  You can send tax deductible donations to the school for them.  They should be made out to The Community School with pantry written in the memo. You can also donate food items, especially: cereal, tuna, canned or dry soups, beans, and peanut butter. You can drop these items off at the school anytime through the 18^th.

If you need emergency assistance the pantry gives bags of food out to anyone who comes to the church on Wednesday mornings from 9-12. There is also limited emergency assistance available as funds permit.  They also help process applications for energy assistance and referrals for other kinds of help. The pantry serves residents from zip codes 21211 and 21209 and you need to bring proof of address.

Times of crisis often bring out the best in us. It’s been wonderful to see neighbors out working together to shovel the snow, digging out each other’s cars, and clearing the walks of elders. The snow piles are huge and obvious, but some of the problems it causes are not so visible and the desperation behind closed doors can’t always be seen.  Let’s all do what we can.

School Cancelled until Monday

It's Official (In case you couldn't guess).  The Community School is closed for classes until Monday.  City schools are closed Monday for President's Day, but we are open.  Be careful  Stay warm and indoors.  Let me know if you need anything.

SCHOOL CLOSING UPDATE

We will NOT hold classes on Tuesday the 9th because the city has not cleared most of the side streets, including ours, and the #27 bus is not running. The office will be open, and tutoring will be available for any student who would like to come to school.  We have not determined make-up days yet.

Reunion

This was just posted on the TCS Facebook page: Bridget White 

we should have a reunion... I miss everyone. The idea of a reunion is mentioned all of the time.  What do you think?  Any ideas?  Want to work on it?

School Day or Snow Day?

Everyone knows that the school generally does not close for snow days. Historically it goes back to when all of the students came from the Remington community and walked to school and the school was in our community center.  Even if school was closed, everyone seemed to show up at the Center anyway. Then it was a tradition that if someone didn't show up on a snow day, the class would walk to his or her house to get them.  Fun, fun.

As the student body has branched out to not only come from the multiple communities around the school, but also from around the city, we have had to rethink this policy.  Safety and accessibility are the big concerns and so we are closed for icy conditions or when buses aren't running.

Because the city is still digging out side streets, we decided to not have regular classes tomorrow. I've already heard from a student who wishes school would be open and said she would walk to get here. So I decided to not hold regular class, but to be open if a student wants to come in.

What do you think our policy should be?

First Post

Not sure whether this will be a new communication tool for the school or just something to fill the days during the wait-out of blizzard 2010, but here goes.  The website is updated frequently to give supporters of the school a way to keep up with activities.  This blog would give more than a snapshot of activities.  It will be a chance to give more detail into what's going on around the school: lessons learned, issues, concerns, accomplishments...

It is also a way for two way communication, so that it's not just news and views from the school, but reactions and thoughts from the the entire school community.

Like all else new that we do, this is an experiment.  Join in. Share. Make your mark. Let us know what you think.