Practical Matters

Sample Schedule Definitions

Crew =  Robust advisory - 12-14 students with one adult leader. Crews engage in team-building, mindfulness, personal and academic reflection, arts integration, and mutual support. 

Skills Workshops = Students select skills they want to work on with teacher support, through online instruction, or independently to pass competency exams and prepare for college or career.

Lunch Preparation = Crews rotate responsibility for preparing lunch for the rest of the school

Essay Block = All students choose a topic related to projects, skills, LTIs, or topics of interest to write or revise a five-paragraph essay each week, to be given feedback by peers, crew leaders, and content teachers. 

CAP Blocks = Community Action Projects: Students choose from a selection of projects each quarter that match their interests or help them meet competency requirements.  Project Block 1 is for G1 (9th/10th) students only.  Projects involve groups of students developing expertise in a particular area and using that expertise to meet an authentic need in the Annapolis community.  Projects are usually interdisciplinary, research-based, and arts-integrated.. 

WBL = Work-Based Learning – students are out in workplaces throughout the community learning in job placements - unpaid internships or paid apprenticeships.  Younger students who have not yet found career interests or shown the responsibility to be in workplace settings will stay with their Crew to engage in fieldwork, community service, career exploration, shadowing, or other real-world learning, generally off-campus.

Early Dismissal = Students without an LTI placement will be dismissed at 1pm on Wednesdays to continue learning at home.  Teachers engage in collaborative planning and professional development during this time block.

Pick Me Up = This is a vertical (all grades) Crew led by seniors.  This weekly structure drives peer mentoring of younger students and promotes awareness of the continuum of learning and growth at New Village Academy. Biannual Exhibition events are planned in Pick Me Up crews.     

Practical Skills = Crews learn personal health and wellness, take on more in-depth school-based chores and repairs, and engage in activities to prepare for adult life. 

Crew Closeout = Students and staff prepare the building for closing together in crews – cleaning, sweeping, vacuuming, and replenishing basic supplies. 

Afterschool Fitness/Arts Options = Students and staff have the choice to stay after school to share fitness activities, including yoga/meditation, basketball, or running and rotating artistic and musical pursuits. 

School Council = All students and staff are invited, but not required, to stay after school to contribute their ideas and votes to the school decision-making process.

G1 = Students preparing for Gateway One, equivalent to 9th and 10th grade       

G2 = Students preparing for Gateway Two, equivalent to 11th and 12th grade.

School Location - Coming Soon!

New Village Academy is currently in negotiations with Westfield Annapolis Mall to locate our school on the second level of the old Lord & Taylor building above the Container Store.  We will be in the Annapolis Community with access to public transit and opportunities for internships, apprenticeships and community projects.