Clay Hill Public Charter School

 
 

Grades: Kindergarten - 5th grade
Address: 6410 E. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21224
Website: www.clayhillpcs.org

 
 

About Us

A partner school to Patterson Park Public Charter school in Southeast Baltimore, Clay Hill Public Charter School (CHPCS) opened in Fall 2021 serving 186 students in grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade. CHPCS is growing year by year to serving 540 students in grades Kindergarten through 8th when at full capacity.

CHPCS's mission is to be a place where children thrive as members of a vibrant and inclusive learning community with families, caregivers, staff, and neighbors engaged in a practice of whole-child education. By teaching and learning from one another, we embrace unique identities and cultivate an atmosphere of love.

CHPCS's vision is life-long learners, healthy families, and strong neighborhoods.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about what happens at CHPCS every day.

Curriculum

The CHPCS curriculum reflects the best practices at Patterson Park Public Charter School while also reflecting the identities, interests, and needs of the unique CHPCS student body.

• Whole - Child: The CHPCS curriculum is rooted in serving the whole-child using the Community School model through our school values of children, equity, love, creativity, wellness, and collaboration. This looks like but is not limited to, believing in the awe-inspiring power of children and together ness, embracing unique identities, creating a network of support, fostering critial thinking, and improving physical, mental, social and emotional health

• Interdisciplinary and Thematic Instruction CHPCS will use a motivating learning model that teaches the same theme to create meaningful connections across subject areas. For example, in 3rd grade, students will study the Chesapeake Bay in social studies class and then illustrate algae blooms and draw crabs from real life examples in art class. At CHPCS, students will be engaged in their own learning by pursuing their own interests and having choice about how they find answers and solve problems. The curriculum will promote a love of learning through additional instruction in art, music, physical education, Spanish, and community service.

• Cross-Curricular and Community-Based Learning: Instruction at CHPCS will aim to engage every type of learner by using hands-on and real-world learning experiences. We believe that when students can apply what they are learning to real life, it is more authentic and engaging. We see our neighborhoods and Baltimore City as living classrooms and take advantage of all they have to offer. For example, in 6th grade math, students will participate in an “Aquarium Design Challenge” where they apply lessons about surface area of three-dimensional shapes from math class to engineering concepts studied in science.

• Partnerships: CHPCS manages over 15 partnerships to support our curriculum and supplement our school operations. Some examples include:

- Language Project - provide Spanish Language lessons during the school day

- Baltimore Symphony Orchestra – Provides musicianship classes during the school day

- Y of Central Maryland - Provide aftercare programming

- Villa Maria Health Continuum – Provides on-site mental health care

- Maryland Food Pantry - Supplies our on-site food pantry

- Vision for Baltimore - Preforms free vision screenings and provide free glasses to students who need them

Open House

CHPCS is hosting a Visiting Day on November 17th at 9am and an Open House on January 21st at 11am for all prospective families. All events will take place at CHPCS, 6410 E. Pratt St. Balitmore, MD 21224. We look forward to meeting your family and answering your questions about our whole-child education.

How To Apply

CHPCS is open to all children residing in Baltimore City on a space-available basis within each grade level. Our school does not discriminate on the basis of intellectual or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, disability, proficiency in English or any other basis prohibited by law.

For the 2023-2024 school year, CHPCS is accepting applications for students entering grades K-5th. Apply at www.clayhillpcs.org/enrollment.

Enrollment for School Year 2022-2023 Key Dates:

  • February 15, 2022: Deadline for accepting applications from families to be included in the lottery

  • February 24, 2022: Charter enrollment lottery at 9am at CHPCS, 6410 E. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21224

  • March 9, 2022: Lottery notification letters mailed

  • CHPCS is a tuition-free, public school open to all Baltimore City Public School students. We do, however, provide the following enrollment preferences, per charter law:

    • Clay Hill Public Charter School Founders will get preference in the enrollment lottery.

    • Clay Hill Public Charter School Staff Members will get preference in the enrollment lottery.

    • Siblings of Clay Hill Public Charter School students will get preference in the enrollment

    lottery.

    • We have been approved to provide an enrollment preference of 15% of available seats to students who receive English as a Second Language services, subject to verification.

    • We have also been approved to provide an enrollment preference of 35% of available seats to students whose families qualify for economic support, subject to verification.

    • Families who are unable to provide verification or do not qualify for preference areas will lose any seat provided based on preference and be moved to the bottom of the waitlist at the time of non-verification.

    Check out our partner school, Patterson Park Public Charter School, here!