Links
Calendar
<<Sep 2010>>
SMTWTFS
29 30 31 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 1 2
Archives
Log in/out

‘School News’

PostHeaderIcon Before and After Care

Do you need someone to watch your child or children before and/or after school? If so, please contact Amy Calvert at 608-3869 for more information! Reasonable rates right here in your own neighborhood.

PostHeaderIcon Area Crime Alert!!

Sunday afternoon (5/23/10) between 5 and 6 pm, two men in a black Acura 4 door sedan with very dark tinted windows and L.E.D. type lighting, approached two of our neighborhood children at the corner of Rt. 2 and Cypress Creek Road.  The window opened just a little bit and the man asked the two kids if “they wanted some candy”.  The two kids tried to ignore the two men in the car and crossed route 2 and headed down Cypress Creek Road.  The car followed them.   Read the rest of this entry »

PostHeaderIcon Council In Action

Council In Action

by Cathleen M. Vitale

Councilwoman, District 5

As I sat at the County Council meeting casting my votes for my eleventh and final budget, I reflected back on budgets of past years.  When money was plentiful, I was proud to be a part of Councils that saved money, put maximum dollars in the rainy day fund and made sure we had healthy fund balances.  When years started to get lean, we sharpened our pencils, cut new projects and stayed within our affordability levels.  Somehow we continued to put money away, always preparing for the pending monsoon. Read the rest of this entry »

PostHeaderIcon SPHS Great News!

PRESS RELEASE

ANNAPOLIS, THURSDAY, May 20, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COUNTY COUNCILWOMAN CATHLEEN VITALE, REPUBLICAN, DISTRICT 5, ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY COUNCIL HAS AGREED TO FULLY FUND SEVERNA PARK HIGH SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY BUDGET.

THE FEASIBILITY STUDY HAS BEEN FUNDED FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011 AS WAS REQUESTED BY MS. VITALE DURING LAST YEAR’S BUDGET WITH DESIGN AND PLANNING FUNDING FOR FISCAL YEARS 2012 AND 2013, AND CONSTRUCTION FUNDING BEGINNING FISCAL YEAR 2014 AS RECOMMENDED BY ALEX SZACHNOWICZ OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

“THIS PROVIDES FULL FUNDING FOR THE SEVERNA PARK HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT,” SAID MS. VITALE.  “SEVERNA PARK HAS HAD AN INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL 50 YEARS.  THIS PROJECT WILL ENSURE THAT THE STUDENTS OF SEVERNA PARK WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR TRADITION OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN A FACILITY WORTHY OF THOSE EXPECTATIONS.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT COUNCILWOMAN CATHLEEN VITALE AT 410-222-1401.

PostHeaderIcon SPHS Meeting Update

From Maureen Carr-York in response to the SPHS meeting May 12th in Annapolis:

Tonight’s budget hearing at the Arundel Center was well-attended by Severna Park families. We had an excellent representation of students, young parents, older parents, alumni, and senior citizens. We heard from an 8 year old Green Hornets team who hope to have the school ready for their arrival as freshmen. We heard from a representative of our Chamber of Commerce. We heard from our State Senator from District 33. We even heard from a resident of Severna Park who has no children but values our school and everything it means to our community. Thank you for the wonderful turnout and for sharing your perspectives with the County Council. Thank you also to those community members who turned up and waited just to stand and be counted as concerned citizens. Your presence was more important that you can imagine. I know that many of you had to juggle your schedules and miss other events to attend the hearing. Thank you for making our community high school a priority and for making the huge efforts many of you did just to be there. Now we need to follow up with e-mails or letters to each member of the Council, thanking them for their patience and attention and asking for their support. Let’s keep up the effort and continue to advocate for our school and our community!

Maureen

PostHeaderIcon SPHS Update

Letter from Maureen Carr-York:
It is always difficult to describe the capital budget process.
In summary, last year, the SPHS project was ultimately placed in the Capital Budget for feasibility study funding in 2011.  There were a number of elementary schools also slated for feasibility study in 2011, including our own Benfield.
Technically, the elementary schools were “ahead” of the high school project in the order of “priority” on the list submitted by the Board of Education.
However, funding for every one of these projects was requested by the BOE for this budget year and the County Executive may use his discretion when he has to postpone some of the projects to future years.
The Severna Park community has been heard and in his address Mr. Leopold said
“To the parents, students and teachers in the Severna Park feeder system, this Capital Budget program includes funding for the design and construction of Severna Park High School .  I have walked the   halls of this school with students, parents and staff, and I agree that it is time to improve this facility.”
This is a tremendous step in the process and many have worked tirelessly to bring the message to our County Executive .
However, the job is not yet done.
For the next month, the County Council will work with the budget and may deny funding for SPHS.  Our County Councilwoman , Cathy Vitale, will be our advocate among her colleagues but it is up to us to help her convince those Council Members that the County Executive was correct in placing SPHS in line for funding over the next 5 years.  Some of those Council Members will be hearing from their constituents who would prefer the high school wait yet again so that their elementary school projects will not have to be postponed for two years.
We, the citizens of Severna Park , have generously supported project after project in every council district while waiting for SPHS to be funded.  It is not wrong to ask our fellow Anne Arundel County residents to support our long-overdue renovation or replacement school.  We would all prefer to see our backlog of renovation projects fully funded but that cannot happen in this economic condition.  Truly, it is time for this 50 year old high school.  In turn, we will support the elementary schools originally scheduled for feasibility study funding in 2011, including our Benfield, in 2013 or earlier if the budget permits.
So, the next step is to call, write, or e-mail every one of the members of the County Council and beg them to support the project with full funding beginning this budget year.  Thank them for their time, their service, and their willingness to fairly consider the needs of our high school even though it is not in their district.

PostHeaderIcon Cathy Vitale’s Column

COUNCIL IN ACTION

By Councilwoman Cathleen M. Vitale

Anne Arundel County Council, District 5

There were times over the past two months when I wondered if the snow would ever stop, the roads would become clear or we would ever get to spring. As I sit down to write this month’s column on a sunny afternoon, I see signs of spring everywhere. Neighbors taking a walk, children learning to ride bikes, the noises of spring are all around. What a wonderful County we live in; how fortunate we are. Living as close as we do to both the heart of the State and National government, Anne Arundel County citizens watch with careful eyes and ears to legislative activities that are sure to affect all facets of their lives. I have often said that we live in a County where its citizens are active, informed and engaged in what happens on a National, State and Local level. It is with my thoughts on those words that I write this month. Read the rest of this entry »

PostHeaderIcon SP High School Repairs

The High School is in desperate need of repairs. Here is one way to get our county executives to help us out.

It is well known that Severna Park High School, 50 years old and never renovated, is in deplorable condition.  It has been slated to renovation or replacement for years but has been put off again and again due to the high cost associated with any high school renovation.

PostHeaderIcon Gang Awareness Night

Gang Awareness Night will be held Thursday, Oct. 29 at Brooklyn Park Middle School 200 Hammonds Lane from 7 until 9pm. Come join parents, friends, neighbors and community leaders as we educate you about gang symbols, graffiti and general information. We will also educate you on warning signs for your child. Strive to make our communities safer!

Sponsored by County Exec John Leopold, AA County Police and Greater Brooklyn Park Council. For more information, contact Barbara Ramsey at ramsbj@verizon.net or 410-636-4580 or Joan Harris at jharris@aacounty.org or 410-222-1323.

PostHeaderIcon School Begins Next Week!

Anne Arundel County schools will be in session beginning Monday, August 24th. Please visit the Capital’s website for school bus information (www.capitalgazette.com) as the schedule will NOT be published in the paper this year. It is also on the school’s website at www.aacps.org.

Oak Hill Elementary School begins the school year on Tuesday, August 25th due to summer construction completion.

As always, take care driving in the neighborhood during the morning and afternoon school bus pick-up times and keep an eye out for any unusual activity during those times. Our children are our future. Please keep them safe.