"Put a Park in Madison Park" Meeting, Mon. 11/1 at 7pm at Pinewood Elementary

For those who do not know...there is another neighborhood initiative that involves something more fun than CMS!  There is a proposal to place a neighborhood park where the old Pinewood Elementary School was located.  As part of the "Put a Park in Madison Park" effort a town-hall style meeting will be held to discuss design concepts for the site of the old Pinewood Elementary School. This meeting will take place on Monday, November 1 @ 7pm at the new Pinewood Elementary.  Please join the Facebook group "Put a Park in Madison Park" to stay informed on the progress of this effort. 

Pinewood Elementary Fall Festival Sat. 10/23, 10am-2pm

The 2nd annual Pinewood Fall Festival will be held on Saturday, October 23rd.

The school had a great turnout last year and are planning to add a "Wellness Walk" that will begin at 9am.  The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas will be on site to take donations as well.  In addition to the "Wellness Walk" and Blood Drive, there will be a Raffle, Bake Sale, Bouncers, Popcorn, & Hot Dogs.  Come support your neighborhood Elementary School!

CMS Update

My head is spinning trying to keep up with all of the information regarding the proposed changes for CMS.  Here is the link to the report that was discussed in yesterday's work session.  The biggest change to our area schools is a proposal to move Smith's Language Program to Waddell and to assign current Waddell students to South Meck, West Meck or Harding, with Harding going from a full magnet to a partial.  I did not see any mention as to whether or not the current Smith facilities would be used by another program.   Pinewood Elementary is on the list to receive "targeted assistance" for their "perception issue" since students consistently choose to opt out.  This help would come in the form of stronger PTA/PTO partnerships, amped-up community outreach and aggressive PR support through increased communications.  Please post your comments or attend our meeting with Eric Davis, Board Chair, tomorrow at 7:30am at Caribou Coffee, Park Road Shopping Center.

Come tour Pinewood Elementary Monday, 10/25 10-11:30am

Pinewood Elementary is holding a "Community Cruise" on Monday, October 25th from 10:00AM - 11:30PM.  This event will give you an opportunity to tour the school, sit in on a class and attend a Q & A session with Principal Sexton.  Childcare will be provided.  If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to lisacharde@earthlink.net .


View the Flyer for the Community Cruise.

Meeting to Discuss Neighborhood School Initiative, Wed., 10/6, 7:30pm at Pinewood Elementary

A special meeting will be held by Madison Park Reisdents to discuss an initiative to have Madison Park added to the Myers Park High School district and to show our support of neighborhood schools.  Please join us at Pinewood Elementary on Wednesday, October 6th at 7:30pm.  We need your input...please get involved!

Meet with CMS Board member Kaye McGarry, 9/29 from 7:30-9:00am

Yet another chance to have coffee and speak with a school board member...

On Wednesday, September 29th, Kaye McGarry will be at Starbucks Coffee, 8951-A South Tryon Street, Charlotte, 28273 (Village at Whitehall near Ayrsley), from 7:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. She will be available to discuss school-related issues and to answer questions citizens may have regarding Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Kaye McGarry is a strong supporter of neighborhood schools.  Here is an exerpt from her latest newsletter:

During the summer community forums, I heard many parents express reasons why they thought neighborhood schools were important. Among those reasons were:      

       
• Parental involvement is easier and more likely when a school is closer to home        
• There is more opportunity for greater school pride when the school is close to home        
• Whether families in a community have school-aged children or not, they are much more willing to volunteer and/or support a school in their neighborhood        
• Keeping a child off a bus an hour or two a day has to be good        
• There may be more opportunity for after-school programs for those desiring such when a child goes to school close to home        
• You can inject diversity all sorts of ways, from guest classroom teachers to projects highlighting various cultures      

Meet with CMS Board Chair, Eric Davis, 9/30 at 7:30am at Caribou Coffee

Madison Park residents have an opportunity to speak with Eric Davis, CMS Board Chairperson for our district.  Please join us on Thursday, September 30th at 7:30am at Caribou Coffee, Park Road Shopping Center, as we discuss the future of our neighborhood schools.  THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC MEETING...IT IS A MEETING JUST FOR RESIDENTS OF MADISON PARK.  Please share your thoughts regarding our schools while you get your caffeine fix!

Put Madison Park in the Myers Park District

An exciting initiative is taking place here in Madison Park!  In support of CMS placing top priority on neighborhood or "home" schools, we would like to petition the board to place Madison Park in the Myers Park High School District.  Please take a moment to sign the petition.  As mentioned in the previous posts, the school board has to make some tough decisions and their vote is scheduled for November.  If there is to be a change in our schools...this is the time!  There is a possibility that boundaries may be redrawn and that schools may close or programs may change.  Even if you don't have school aged children, changes to our schools will impact our property values and a switch to Myers Park could result in a real boost to our neighborhood!

CMS to discuss schools on "the list" on Tuesday

All three of Madison Park's "home schools" are on the CMS list for closings and other changes.  The board is planning to discuss school fates on Tuesday.  The work session is scheduled for 1pm in Room 267 of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth Street.  The board's regular meeting starts at 6pm in the government center's meeting chamber.  Both meetings are open to the public.  For the article in Saturday's Charlotte Observer click here.

A Comprehensive Review of CMS - what changes will we see?

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education launched a comprehensive review of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools this summer. The board has held several work sessions and forums in an effort to involve the community and gain their perspective.  More work sessions are scheduled for next week  and throughout October.  Click here for a list of dates and times.  The review is expected to be completed by November and the board will vote on changes that will take effect in 2011-12.  
During these work sessions, the Board will apply guiding principles to review CMS programs, transportation, funding, bell schedules, student assignment, facilities and capital needs to develop a comprehensive plan for next school year. The 2010 guiding principles are different from those in the past in that they are prioritized with "home schools" listed at the top of their list.  What changes will we see, if any, in Madison Park's home schools?  What would we like to see take place?   

Welcome!

This blog has been created to serve as an additional source of neighborhood information for the residents of Madison Park in Charlotte, NC.  If there is a topic of community interest that you would like to have posted here, please contact me.