September 1, 2021

 

Dear Students, Parents and Staff:

Since March 2019 we have experienced many hardships due to the Covid pandemic. Many of us believed that, by now, the pandemic would be a thing of the past, left only to discuss in our classes in an historical context. Sadly, this is not the case and, with the Delta variant now impacting schools throughout the country, I know that many of us remain anxious about what to expect when schools reopen on Monday, September 13th. 

As the leader of Benjamin Banneker Academy for Community Development, I am confident – now more than ever – that we will meet the challenges of this persistent pandemic and ensure that every scholar, parent and staff member is safe within our school building. As a school community we have met many challenges in the past, and yet we have succeeded. 

Given the length of time since we’ve been together in a traditional academic setting and considerable challenges that we’ve experienced since March 2019, I felt it was important to revisit, and reiterate, our core beliefs as a school community:

We believe that effective teachers:

• Create opportunities for intellectual risk-taking, collaboration, problem-solving, and application of classroom learning to real life situations.
• Implement strategies that promote ownership of learning to all students.
• Design rigorous instruction to integrate a variety of innovative technological tools and resources to enhance learning.
• Demonstrate ongoing professional growth in order to increase the quality of instruction that scholars receive.
• Collaborate with colleagues to share and discuss exemplary practices, interpret student performance data, and formulate assessments that promote twenty-first century skills.

We believe that successful scholars:

• Communicate in a meaningful way for a variety of purposes and audiences.
• Identify and apply critical and creative thinking skills to solve problems.
• Allow their peers the opportunity to express and empower themselves, with an awareness of and appreciation for their diverse perspectives, identities, and backgrounds. 
• Pose questions, examine possibilities, and apply skills to find solutions to authentic issues.
• Make positive choices related to physical and mental wellness.
• Contribute to the local and global community in a collaborative and respectful manner.

We believe that effective partnerships:

• Build opportunities for scholars with colleges and universities to better understand the rewards and challenges of post-secondary education and provide both advanced coursework and the accumulation of college credits.
• Work with all school constituencies to help close the opportunity gap for our scholars.
• Continuously improve our two-way communication with parents and guardians in support of our scholars.
• Continuously work with our district and Central partners to provide the necessary resources to scholars, parents and staff.

In conclusion, I wish you all a wonderful school year. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me and know that my door is always open.

In Partnership

Dr. Kinsley Kwateng, Principal.