Anne Arundel Schools Report Record Enrollment

From Anne Arundel County Public Schools:

Approximately 81,000 students – the most ever – are expected to fill seats in schools across the county when the 2016-2017 school year begins for most students on Monday, August 22.

Those students will be greeted by expanded offerings, a new and exciting curriculum in second grade, and a new $24 million elementary school in West Annapolis.

Elementary school students in the Chesapeake and Northeast clusters will have the benefit of additional instructional opportunities as part of the expansion of the Enhancing Elementary Excellence (Triple E) program. Triple E infuses an additional, exciting area of study for students within the existing school day and allows teachers to have much-needed increased collaborative planning time. With the start of this school year, Triple E will be in place in five of the county’s 12 clusters.

At the middle school level, Central Middle School will add seventh grade to its Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) magnet program and Lindale will add an eighth-grade class. Monarch Global Academy Public Contract School will also expand by adding a seventh-grade class.

Staggered start for students

With the exception of two schools that will open a day late due to planned construction projects, the first day of classes for students in first through fifth, sixth, and ninth grades will be Monday, August 22. The staggered openings of secondary schools will give sixth- and ninth-graders a chance to get acclimated to their new surroundings before the remaining students return to class on Tuesday, August 23.

Kindergarten, prekindergarten, and ECI students will also start school on a staggered schedule. Parents should see the school calendar for details.

Delayed openings

Planned construction projects at Benfield and West Annapolis elementary schools will necessitate a one-day delay in their opening for students. Staggered start schedules at these schools will be moved by one day to accommodate the late opening.

Students at the Mary Moss at J. Albert Adams Academy will not utilize the staggered start. All students at the school will begin class on Tuesday, August 23.

In addition, Central Special School, Marley Glen Special School, and Ruth Parker Eason Special School will open for students on Tuesday, August 23. Parent conferences at those three schools will take place on Monday, August 22.

Back home

After two years of attending class at Annapolis Middle School, students and staff at West Annapolis Elementary School will return to a modernized building this fall. The 53,885-square-foot facility has a capacity for 314 students and cost $24 million. A ribbon-cutting for the new school will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, August 22, the day before classes begin.

Construction completion

Students and staff at Benfield Elementary School will see their modernization project completed this winter. The $34.9 million project will nearly double the square footage of the building, which can accommodate 552 students. Students and staff have remained in the school while construction has been under way.

This winter will also bring the completion of the new Severna Park High School facility. The $130 million facility, being constructed next to the existing school, is expected to open in January 2017.

Back-To-School Nights

All schools have scheduled Back-To-School Nights to provide parents with a chance to learn more about the instruction their children are receiving and the teachers who are providing that instruction. Detailed information on dates and times for every school can be found here.

New faces in new places

Compared to this time a year ago, the nine-member Board of Education has four new faces: Terry Gilleland, Eric Grannon, Maria Delores Sasso, and student member Carolyn Williams. All were appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan.

Gilleland represents District 31 on the Board, Grannon represents District 33, and Sasso represents District 30. The five-year terms of Gilleland and Sasso expire on June 30, 2020, while Grannon’s term expires on June 30, 2021.

Williams, a senior at Glen Burnie High School, is serving a one-year term as the Board’s 45th student member. Her term expires on June 30, 2016.

There also are new principals at 19 schools across the county. Eleven of those schools – North County and Southern high schools; Old Mill Middle School South; Belvedere, Crofton, Folger McKinsey, Fort Smallwood, Point Pleasant, and Seven Oaks elementary schools; Chesapeake Science Point Public Charter School; and the Mary Moss at J. Albert Adams Academy – will be led by first-year principals. Seven schools – Broadneck and Old Mill high schools; Annapolis Middle School; Old Mill Middle School North; and Mills-Parole, Freetown, and Waugh Chapel elementary schools – have new principals who have moved from other principalships. In addition, Sue Myers has been named principal at Monarch Annapolis Contract School, which will open in August 2017.

Significant calendar changes

The school calendar approved by the Board of Education contains significant changes from previous years. Of note:

• Three one-day opportunities for parent-teacher conferences will replace the traditional two-day conference window in November. Conferences will be held on October 20, 2016; December 2, 2016; and March 3, 2017.
• The Thanksgiving break for students is no longer a full week. All schools and offices will be closed from Wednesday, November 23, 2016, through Friday, November 25, 2016, but will be open on Monday, November 21, 2016, and Tuesday, November 22, 2016.
• Schools will be open on the Rosh Hashanah (October 3, 2016) holiday but closed on the Yom Kippur (October 12, 2016) holiday.
• Monday, April 17, 2017 (the day after Easter), may be used as a potential makeup day if more than the five days built into the calendar for inclement weather closings have been utilized.
• The last day for graduating seniors is Thursday, May 18, 2017.
• The last day for students is Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

More information can be found here.

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