County Early Childhood Programs Gear Up for the New Year

Planning for Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ youngest students involves valuable parental input.

Though Hurricane Irene backed up timing a few days, it’s back-to-school time for all students across the Broadneck peninsula and most are returning to what they have come to know as a routine school day. But for some parents and young children, school is a totally new experience. Anne Arundel County Public Schools offers an early childhood program that provides instructional services to not only kindergarten but pre-kindergarten students as well. Kindergarten Kindergarten teachers have been busily reading notes from preschools where their new students have previously attended and been meeting with their pupils’ parents, gathering special and valuable input so that the teacher can adequately know the child’s true promise and challenges. “…

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Whiz Kid of the Week

Whiz Kid of the Week: Jackson Halla

This Arnold student is learning he has talents in many areas.

Whiz Kid of the Week:  Jackson Halla  Grade:  Incoming 4th grader School:  Arnold Elementary Family:  Parents Charlie and Lisa Halla, brother Shaun, grandmother Judy Accomplishments:

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Elementary School Science Fair Winners Announced

Students from Belvedere, Arnold, and Cape St. Claire elementary schools bring home honors from countywide competition.

The Anne Arundel Public School’s  Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)Elementary School Science Fair was held at Severna Park Middle School on May 18 and 19. Students from Arnold, Belvedere, and Cape St. Claire elementary schools entered the competition and several walked away among the top entries. Projects were submitted by dozens of third, fourth and fifth graders from throughout the county. The local winners were: Arnold Elementary Student Grade Project Place Category Alianna Jacobs   5th Oil Filtering   First Environmental Sophie Jacobs   3rd Cricket Bait   Second Environmental   Kaylie Jerdal   4th We Play vs. Wii Play Basketball Honorable Mention Medicine and Health Belvedere Elementary Student Grade Project Place …

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Whiz Kid of the Week

Whiz Kid of the Week: Hope Brooks

This high school senior is bringing lessons of sustainability to the area's youngest students.

Hope Brooks has always had a passion for all things green. Her mission in life is to promote the idea of sustainability, and this spring, she has taken that message to young people who, she believes, can really make a difference. Brooks is pursuing her Gold Scout Gold Award with Troop 1207, and through a grant from Unity Gardens has developed and implemented an environmental awareness after school enrichment class for students at Arnold Elementary School and titled it “Maryland Coastal Region Native Garden and After School Class – Go Green!” The class, made up of about a dozen students, meets on Tuesday afternoons and has researched, designed, and planted a native garden on the grounds of the school. The group also received support from …

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Arnold Elementary Jumps from the Heart

Students hold annual Jump Rope for Heart last week, raising over $10,000.

The music was thumping as were the heartbeats of many students at Arnold Elementary School last week during the school’s annual Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser. Jane Bounelis, physical education teacher at the school, said she had been participating in the Jump Rope for Heart program for about 20 years. “The boys and girls sure did have a great time at our special event,” said Bounelis. Jump Rope For Heart is a national fundraising program sponsored jointly by the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The event promotes physical activity, heart healthy living, and community service to children. According to the Jump Rope for Heart website, these events have funded …

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Patch Pick: Arnold Elementary's Tami Galloway

Arnold Elementary School community overwhelmingly supports their principal's secretary as the "Best in Broadneck" on Administrative Professionals Day.

Today is Administrative Professionals Day so Broadneck Patch went on a search for someone whose presence and work efforts make a difference in this community. We didn’t have to search long to see the deep love and appreciation for Tami Galloway, the principal's secretary at Arnold Elementary School. In fact, in just 24 hours, we had more than 65 parents and staff members share their support for her win. It was tough to choose just some of the comments from those who appreciate Galloway’s friendliness, her extraordinary ability to know all students’ names and the names of their family members, and her awareness of what staff members need and when they need it. Galloway has been with the school nearly 10 years, but many can’t imagine how the…

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'Grandfriends' Welcomed at Arnold Elementary

Grandparents and other special guests travel to Arnold Elementary to share some special memories with youngsters.

The hallways and classrooms of Arnold Elementary were packed with some special visitors last week, many of whom hadn’t stepped foot in a classroom for many years. The occasion was the school’s annual “Grandfriends’ Day,” when grandparents or other special guests are allowed to come to school and learn what their special little ones are accomplishing every day. “Grandfriends Day holds a special place in the hearts of the entire Arnold community,” said Arnold Elementary principal Rosemary Biggart. “Each year our staff crafts a morning of lessons that celebrate heritage, blending school as it appears in the 21st century with the experiences of those who remember a time without cell phones, Ipods, laptops or reality shows, and for whom ‘…

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A Note from Councilman Dick Ladd

Budget, development, and schools on the mind of our County Councilman.

By Dick Ladd, County Council, R-District 5 Budget season will soon be here. The County budget is again in a deficit situation ranging between $30 million and as much as $70 million. The size depends on the assumptions one makes: more or less furlough days than last year; providing or not providing the full increase requested by the Board of Education; the amount of cash balances there are in various places or how much money the state sends down net of new bills to pay. The budget office anticipates a small increase in revenue over last year and a need for a virtual freeze on all county expenses. Unfortunately, projected recurring income will not be enough to pay for a number of must-pay increases such as the Board of Education’s “…

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Whiz Kid of the Week

Whiz Kids: SRMS Black Saga Champions

Local Severn River Middle School students win Black Saga competition at Towson University.

Sixth graders Jasper Frazee, Ethan O’Malley and Phillip Schofield from Severn River Middle School recently defied the odds and won top honors in the state Black Saga competition after achieving a perfect score in the Championship Round.  Two teams from Severn River Middle School participated in the 14th Annual Black Saga Competition at Towson University on March 19.  The second Severn River Middle School team included eighth grader Kate McCarrren and sixth graders Matt Barzal and Robin Roper. Thirty-eight middle schools and 57 teams participated. This was the first year for Severn River Middle’s participation in the Black Saga Competition but two members of the winning team, Jasper Frazee and Ethan O’Malley, participated in the competition…

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Career Day at Arnold Elementary School

Parents share a variety of expertise and tools of their trade with Arnold's future workforce.

If you had traveled to Arnold Elementary School (AES)  last Friday, you could have seen a veterinarian, an architect, a microbiologist or a Secret Service agent during the school's annual Career Day. The event, put together each year by AES guidance counselor Dena Smith, provides an opportunity for parents of students to visit the classrooms and share their expertise and job experiences with younger kids. “It’s one thing for us to tell students they need certain skills later on in life,” said Smith. “It’s another when adult guests explain what it takes to do their job."  In one classroom, David Price, a production manager for a company that makes drywall and cement, brought along video to show students how different machines make and …

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