Elementary School Students

Baltimore County school officials yesterday proposed transferring almost 600 elementary and middle school students over the next two years to relieve crowding, in the system's first widespread redistricting in several years.The proposed boundary line changes, which would affect eight schools, came as school officials formally released new long-term plans to handle student enrollment growth and the system's aging buildings.The plans -- which come after last week's announcement of new enrollment forecasts through 2007 -- include a new, 592-seat elementary school in Woodlawn and a larger-than-expected new elementary in Owings Mills.

In an agonizing meeting that continued into the early hours of the morning yesterday, the Anne Arundel school board managed to make only about half the $9 million in cuts needed to meet the budget the County Council approved for it.The eight-member board had no trouble agreeing to hiring freezes for custodians and central office workers, and eliminating and reducing overtime pay, but voted against making major cuts that would most directly affect students in...

The conference room of one of Maryland's largest law firms was bustling with activity: People milled around a bank of computers creating graphics with an animation program, researching data on library CD-ROMs, reviewing accident reconstruction videotapes.But these weren't attorneys preparing for a big case. They were elementary school students learning the ins and outs of the legal profession.The 40 fifth- and sixth-graders from Patapsco Elementary School are members of the Law Club, a program the Cherry Hill school designed with Piper & Marbury LLP to encourage students to stay in school, attend college and join the professional work force.

About 800 Howard County elementary and middle school students would be assigned to new schools next fall if a redistricting plan presented to parents this week is approved by the school board.The plan would affect 338 elementary school students who would be transferred to other schools and 482 middle-schoolers, who would be assigned to the new Lime Kiln Middle School, which opens next fall.Associate Superintendent Maurice Kalin presented a first draft of the redistricting plan to parents who came to meetings at Centennial and Hammond high schools last night and Wednesday night.

In the thousands of scores churned out by the recent tests of Baltimore's elementary school students are these predictable conclusions: Schools in stable, middle-class neighborhoods scored close to or above the national average. Schools that grapple with poverty issues such as low attendance and high student turnover scored worse.But there are notable exceptions to that rule -- exceptions that provide a road map to improvement for all city schools.Carter G. Woodson Elementary in Cherry Hill faces as many challenges as any city school, but with the help of the Calvert School curriculum, boasts remarkable results.

More than 1,400 Howard County elementary and middle school students would change schools in the fall under a redistricting proposal presented to the school board last night.The board also heard a plan to double the number of high schools in the county's new technology magnet program to accommodate the strong student interest, adding sites at Oakland Mills and Wilde Lake high schools.Perhaps most notable about last night's boundary-line proposal was not the changes proposed but those that weren't -- specifically, high school boundary lines.

In Anne Arundel County middle schools, sixth-graders can take a buffet-style language class, trying a taste of French, Spanish, Russian, German, even sign language, to see which, if any, they want to study more later."

After 300 Marley Elementary school students spent about 1,000 hours reading in their spare time this semester, some got a treat: drenching the principal and assistant principal in front of all their classmates."

An article in The Sun in Anne Arundel County yesterday incorrectly identified the source of information about a cream-colored car involved in an attempted abduction in Ferndale. The description came from letters sent to parents of Ferndale Elementary School students.

Parents and community representatives gave overwhelming approval last night to a proposal to place Belvedere Elementary School students in the feeder system for Broadneck High School.The public hearing last night at Broadneck High in Arnold, attended by about 60 people, was the second to last in a series scheduled by the school board to discuss redistricting. The board will decide on final redistricting plans next month.The redistricting plan for the feeder systems of Severna Park and Broadneck high schools calls for renovations and additions to two schools and has very little effect on students.

Amid the alarming headlines about facility closings, there is a glimmer of good news for Baltimore students: For the first time, city recreation centers - a total of 35 - will partner with the city public school system to provide high-quality, seamless summer learning programs. That means a full day of integrated educational enrichment and healthful physical activity, and a more consistent program across the city. It also means that students will have access to breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack - key to keeping kids eating healthily during the summer months.

Camp offers Spanish immersion About 70 elementary school students will learn the basics of Spanish this week at the Anne Arundel County public schools' Spanish immersion camp at the Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center in Millersville. Native and non-native Spanish-speaking county teachers will provide a Spanish-only environment in which students can gain an appreciation of the language and culture, according to a school system announcement. The campers - students who will be in the first through fifth grades when school opens this month - will play word games and participate in skits, music and art. Other activities include seining, crabbing, sail decorating, swimming and canoeing.

Not that long ago, summer programs for children didn't exist in many Baltimore neighborhoods. For far too many students in our city, summer was a dreadful waste, not a stimulating season of new experiences and opportunities. But in the last three years, Baltimore has made dramatic strides in embracing and expanding high-quality summer learning opportunities. School district leaders have steadily increased funding for such programs - up from just a few hundred thousand dollars to about $10.5 million this year.

Anne Arundel County elementary school students between the ages of 5 and 11 will be offered free FluMist vaccine at their elementary schools. FluMist is a nasal spray vaccine. It will be given to students between Oct. 23 and Nov. 17. Parents should check their children's backpacks for vaccine information and consent forms. Parents must give written consent for children to qualify. More information is available at the County Department of Health's Web site, www.aahealth.org, and at the school system's web site, www.aacps.

The day every school in Maryland offers daily physical education classes, serves low-fat cafeteria meals and bans junk food is the day lawmakers can mandate a "health report card" judging student body weight. Childhood obesity is a serious epidemic in this country; in the past two decades, obesity among adolescents has nearly tripled. But it's a medical issue and needs to be handled as such. A doctor or other health professional is far better equipped to advise families about a child's development than the state's beleaguered schools.

Anne Arundel County attorneys say the county's planning director, Joseph W. Rutter, has been improperly applying some development rules. Rutter disagrees and says he will not change his practices, which he called "the only defensible standard" under the law. Without the intervention of Rutter's boss, County Executive Janet S. Owens, it is unclear how this intragovernmental conflict will be resolved or what its implications could be. The mess started in...

Anne Arundel County attorneys say the county's planning director, Joseph W. Rutter, has been improperly applying some development rules. Rutter disagrees and says he will not change his practices, which he called "the only defensible standard" under the law. Without the intervention of Rutter's boss, County Executive Janet S. Owens, it is unclear how this intragovernmental conflict will be resolved or what its implications could be. The mess started in...

Suspensions in Howard County middle schools declined last year, but the number of suspensions in elementary and high schools increased, according to a report presented to the Howard County Board of Education last night. The numbers represent a slight overall increase in suspensions of 0.17 percent, continuing a trend of more than three years, according to Eugene L. Streagle, the district's director of high schools. But Streagle said the student population has increased every year - last year by more than 4 percent - which could be a factor in the increase.

A DARK CLOUD hovers over the southern Anne Arundel communitv of Mayo. The haze came weeks before some dangerous lunatic sent a racially charged death threat to school Superintendent Carol S. Parham on March 21. Things got ominous when racism surfaced in discussions over Ms. Parham's plan to transfer the mostly white Mayo Elementary School population, temporarily, to an empty wing of majority black Annapolis Middle School. Never mind that the elementary school students would never come into contact with the middle school students.

About 800 Howard County elementary and middle school students would be assigned to new schools next fall if a redistricting plan presented to parents this week is approved by the school board.The plan would affect 338 elementary school students who would be transferred to other schools and 482 middle-schoolers, who would be assigned to the new Lime Kiln Middle School, which opens next fall.Associate Superintendent Maurice Kalin presented a first draft of the redistricting plan to parents who came to meetings at Centennial and Hammond high schools last night and Wednesday night.