Our Community

Involvement of parents and other community members is integral to the vision and mission of PPPCS. School, family, and community partnerships are essential for student learning and success. Thus, PPPCS will become a member of the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) through Johns Hopkins University Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships. Membership will provide school staff with technical assistance on how best to forge family-school partnerships. In addition, PPPCS has received over 25 letters of support from prominent individuals and community organizations.

PPPCS comprises parents, guardians, and community members, all with tangible ties to the community and passionately committed to Baltimore city living, the education of children, and the success of this school. There is representation from all six of the neighborhoods bordering Patterson Park. The design team for the charter school encompasses neighborhood volunteers whose professional and life experiences range form teacher to nurse, from artist to project manager, from scientist to lawyer, and from grant reviewer to architect.

Central to the PPPCS mission is a school culture that is based on students, staff, parents, and guardians functioning and behaving as one community. We envision parents, guardians, and community members devoting their time to help with the school's policies, educational agenda, and community building ambitions. Our school has a family resource center, and over the next few years, we will offer expanded learning opportunities for the parents and community including ESL and computer classes.

PPPCS has developed several community partnerships. The diversity of the neighborhood surrounding Patterson Park invites community partnerships with a variety of organizations that help advance outreach efforts, complement our core curriculum/enrichment programs, and provide community service training and enhance the school's mission through hands-on learning opportunities. Committed partners include Audubon Maryland-DC, Baltimore American Indian Center, the Creative Alliance, Centro de la Comunidad, the Friends of Patterson Park, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Living Classrooms Foundation.

The foundation of a well functioning and cohesive community is the involvement of engaged and responsible individuals. PPPCS incorporates a character education program across the curriculum and all grades. We are using Character Keys, a nationally recognized, nonsectarian character education program.