About PPPCS

Educating the Whole Child

The mission of Patterson Park Public is to develop well educated, community-minded children by providing high-quality, community-based education that capitalizes on the diversity of nearby neighborhoods and uses the resources of Patterson Park. The school culture is based on students, staff, and parents functioning, seeing themselves, and behaving as one community. Collectively, we have a number of goals for our students. These include to:

• Encourage Independent and Responsible Thinkers…by encouraging students to explore and question as they master content standards at each grade level.
• Instill a Love of Learning…by emphasizing real-world application of content to reinforce the relevancy of what is learned in the classroom.
• Create Community-Minded Citizens…by engaging students in character-building activities and by providing community service learning opportunities.
• Encourage Global Awareness and Curiosity…by exploring and embracing the diversity of classmates and school families.
• Build Leadership Skills…by mentoring students to be leaders in the classroom, in community service activities, and in other activities at the school.
• Pursue Continued Education…by consistently reinforcing the importance and expectation of continuing education through high school and at the college and/or vocational school levels.

Channeling Curiosity

Patterson Park Public embraces a cross-curricular learning model that incorporates real-world experiences with traditional classroom-based learning. We believe that when subjects are integrated, learning becomes more real and engaging, enhancing understanding of the targeted concepts. We see our neighborhoods and Baltimore City as a living classroom, and supplement classroom learning with field trips that utilize Baltimore City’s breadth and depth of cultural, educational, historical, environmental, and scientific institutions.

Examples of our instructional methods include the following:

• Grade Level Based Themes
• Whole body and hands-on learning and role playing infused in small-group and whole-class activities
• Cooperative learning
• One-on-one tutoring
• Peer tutoring in projects and daily lessons
• Instruction in technology 
• Field trips
• Demonstrations
• Presentations involving hands-on items relevant to the unit of study
• Creation of models, diagrams, and projects
• Experimentation
  

The curriculum for academic subjects is supplemented by instruction in art, music, physical education, Spanish, and community service.

We use the following text resources for all students beginning in Kindergarten: Saxon (Math), Houghton Mifflin (Reading), FOSS (Science), and trade books in accordance with Core Knowledge. Our curriculum aligns with the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum and Core Knowledge standards, assuring that students are prepared to succeed on the Maryland State Assessment (MSA) tests.

Building Character

We believe in educating the whole child, therefore character education is a central element of our mission. Our character education program focuses on the following expectations:

• Respect, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Caring, Fairness, and Citizenship
• Tolerance
• Integrity
• Community service and membership
• Understanding and appreciation of cultural differences 

The diverse community at Patterson Park Public facilitates and exemplifies the lessons of democratic principles and community responsibility.

Embracing Community Partnerships

As a community school, Patterson Park Public offers education, services, support, and opportunities that result in improved student learning and a healthier community. Our students and their families benefit from a number of community partnerships, such as: Audubon Maryland DC, Baltimore City Community College, Community Conferencing Center, Community Mediation Program, Creative Alliance, International Refugee Center, Living Classrooms, Villa Maria Mental Health Continuum, Cub Scouts,  Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, and Volunteer Maryland/Americorps.

We have a partnership with Fitness Fun & Games to provide both before and aftercare for our students on site.

Engaging Families

Patterson Park Public embraces the research that shows that students with families that are involved in their education do better in school. All families choosing to enroll at Patterson Park Public commit to 15 or 30 volunteer hours (depending upon whether it is a single or dual parent family) per school year. This volunteer commitment can be met in many ways – from volunteering in the classroom to participating in various school committees or taking your child to a museum. We also encourage involvement in Hands on Patterson Park Public (HOPPP), the organized group at our school the supports the voice of school families. Patterson Park Public also has a mandatory school uniform policy, to which all families are expected to adhere.