Each of our schools’ leadership teams analyzed the factors that impact their students’ ability to engage deeply and achieve academic success. They shared stories of their students and families, some of whom are facing serious challenges associated with physical wellness, social-emotional stability, unique learning needs, family security, mental health, violence, and food/housing uncertainties. They discussed the obstacles that their students face daily when preparing to come to school on time, ready to learn.

At Belvedere Elementary, our welcoming culture features an inclusive faculty and staff that  celebrate differences. Belvedere Elementary is proud to host the specialty sites for students receiving special education services on the Broadneck peninsula. Belvedere Elementary is the location for the Alternative Curriculum Class (ACC) and the Early Childhood Intervention Class (ECI), serving students with disabilities and providing them with opportunities for inclusion with their general education peers. While the students enrolled in these programs comprise only a modest fraction of our overall student population, we believe that they promote habits of empathy and inclusion among our student population. As a faculty, we are also working toward excellence in gifted and talented education and consistently working to challenge our highly able learners. We are actively pursuing recognition as a school that provides Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) from the Maryland State Advisory Council on Gifted and Talented Education. Our students and staff are uniquely equipped to work with students at all levels of ability, from students with significant special needs to students who require a high level of academic challenge. 

While we are proud of our successes, we are committed to reaching out to students with chronic absenteeism and other challenges. Our goal is to build relationships with these students and families, so the students can attend school on a regular basis and reach their fullest potential. At Belvedere, we are dedicated to making sure we build strong connections with our families by communicating closely about their students’ achievements and the many activities, programs, and initiatives offered at school. For example, our school hosts Title III events for the Broadneck region to ensure that families who speak languages other than English feel welcome in our schools and in our school system. In addition, our Positive Outreach Program, #FindYourAwesome, helps us recognize what makes each one of us uniquely AWESOME.

The leadership team in each AACPS school reviewed all of the factors that may influence their students’ engagement and achievement in school; these challenges include academic data elements, community history, and socio-economic aspects of each community. The school’s leadership team identified the following elements as impactful for their students.

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