The High Road School of Prince George’s County (High School) is a Type 1 educational program serving the instructional and behavioral needs of emotionally disturbed adolescents and young adults in a supportive and structured environment. With over 20 years of company experience informing all of our practices and procedures, our programs are custom‐designed to focus on personalized academic and behavioral goals so that students may either return to a less restrictive setting as quickly as possible or graduate from our school as equipped as possible to lead fulfilling and productive lives.

Because we enroll only high‐school‐aged students, we’re able to target the most age‐appropriate and relevant areas of study and training, like our Transition Program, to prepare students for young adulthood in society at large, and our “School‐to‐Work” Program, to prepare them for future careers most suited to their particular aptitudes and abilities.

Our school is designed and prepared to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of each of our students.  In addition to our Special Education Teachers, we employ several on-site social workers to provide emotional support to our students and parents alike.  In addition, supplemental reading instruction is provided by a reading specialist and our certified Speech/Language and Occupational Therapists work with students as per their IEP (Individual Education Plan).

Throughout it all, our comprehensive, school‐wide behavioral management system expertly addresses the special needs of our student population by providing supplementary services as needed and delivering one‐on‐one instruction and attention within a time‐proven, truly effective educational model. With the greatest strengths of our program working on behalf of all of our students every day — like our small class sizes, our computer‐enhanced tutorials, and our interactive and individualized approach to learning —we’re able to lead our students toward success in all facets of their lives, in the classroom, at home, and in the community. Parent/guardian support and involvement make a great deal of difference in a student’s ability to succeed.  As a result, our school is committed to providing opportunities for families to attend meetings, trainings and events throughout the school year.

The Help for Haiti Bake Sale

February 24, 2010
High Road School of Prince George's County
8723 Ashwood Dr
Capital Heights, Maryland 20743
11:30 A.M

Graduation 2010

The High Road Schools of Southern Maryland will be having its Annual Regional Graduation, Tuesday, June 8 2010 at the Prince George's Ballroom beginning at 6pm.  More details will be forthcoming soon.

Sports Update

The High Road School Dragons are rolling along this season with a record of 4-0.  The Dragons remained unbeatedn with to wins over the High Road Schools located in Lanham & La Plata.  The team looks to move to 6-0 with wins this week.  Stay tuned for thenext Dragons Update.

5th Annual Fine Arts Festival

April 29

Please mark your calendars now to be a part of history as our students celebrate the 5th anniversary of this signature event. This event promises to entertain and inspire.  Look for more details after the holiday season.

Fall Events

The High Road School of Prince George’s County has already had 2 events within in the first 6 weeks of school, Senior Night and Back to School Night.

It began with Senior Night where the 2010 Senior Class was invited to learn all that they will need to know for a successful senior year.  Information included, the High School Assessments (HSA) and Graduation Requirements.  Several seniors with their family members attended and asked a great deal of questions.  It was clear that the parents and guardians made the most of this opportunity.

About a week later, the school played host for Back to School Night.  This was a chance for the parents, guardians and family members from all grades to visit the school, meet with teachers, related service providers and learn about the early progress of their child.  Like Senior Night the week before, this event was very well attended.

Flag Football 2009: The Championship

The 2009 High Road Schools Flag Football Season began with 10 teams participating throughout the season.  However, in the end, there were two teams that earned their right to play for the Championship.

Archbishop Curley High School was the site as the Southern Region Champion, Capital Heights High Dragons, and the Northern Region Champion; New Hope Academy Pride would meet to determine the champions of the 2009 Season.  We would thank Father Michael Martin, Mr. John Kogler and Coach Sean Murphy who were both very hospitable to our schools in allowing us to have our championship game on their campus.

Capital Heights featured a “run and shoot” style of spread offense where they were slinging the ball all over the field.  New Hope ran a “double-wing” with a lot of pre-snap motion and misdirection.  The field could be seen as the third opponent.  It was muddy; the kind of conditions that football enthusiasts love.  There were a couple of spots on the field that had an inch or two of sitting water, but that wouldn’t stop these young men from giving everything they had to represent their schools with both outstanding play and stellar sportsmanship.

When the day ended, New Hope Academy had opened up a couple of touchdown lead that Capital Heights just couldn’t overcome.  Several of the students stand out as giving an outstanding effort. The coaching staffs were extremely proud of the play on the field.  However, what was most impressive was the sportsmanship demonstrated by these young student athletes. 

Congratulations on another successful season.

Student Awards

The High Road School of Prince George's County - High School is pleased to announce the following Award Winners for the month of September:

Student of The Month- Francis Holt

Most Improved Behavior- Daniel Warner

Most Improved Academics- Shante Jenifer

Honor Roll

The High Road School of Prince George's County (High School) are pleased to announce the students who made the honor roll for the first quarter of the school year.  These students demonstrated all the hard work and perseverance necessary to excel in their academic course.  We are so very proud of their accomplishments.

9th Grade
Francis Holt
Adriana Mclean

10th Grade
Da'trell Butler
Meosha Devine
Rasheed Ferreria
Dennis Tibbs

11th Grade
Ashley Mattocks
Ashley Pannell
Dominic Wilson

12th Grade
Joshua Sweeney
Derrick Whitmire

2010 High Road Schools Basketball Schedule

The High Road Schools of the Maryland South Region announce their 2010 schedule.  The coaches students have already began their preparation for the new season.  Everyone is very excited about another season of great sportsmanship and competition.

2010 HRS Basketball Schedule

Regional Reading Program

Since 2008, Ms. Chantelle Gordon has been the Reading Specialist for the High Road Schools of the Southern Maryland Region (Beltsville, Capitol Heights and La Plata).  Her primary responsibilities as the reading specialist include:

providing research based assessments to students requiring reading remediation using informal reading inventories and formal reading assessments

providing support to classroom teachers and directors on current reading topics and strategies

working one-on-one with students to provide assistants to those students who may be reading below their grade level 

assessing the reading strengths and needs of students; communicate findings to classroom teachers, parents, and directors in order to develop an effective reading program.

Ms. Gordon travels between 4 schools providing services to students referred to her by the school staff.
A typical reading sessions consists of:

one-on-one for individualized service
30-45 minutes on average (up to two times a week)
practicing reading aloud for increased fluency

A typical session is structured in the following manner:

Session begins vocabulary review using flash cards, making words, or various word work games. (approximately 10 minutes)

The session continues with pre-reading strategies (i.e. webbing, making predictions) or phonics work depending on the individual reading needs of the student. (approximately 10 minutes)

The session concludes with the student reading text from be a book, a short story, or an article once again depending on the current progress and needs of the student. (approximately 10 minutes).

In addition, a variety of strategies are implemented these might include reading games that tend to focus on word work and vocabulary review.  Students are able to learn or brush up on existing skills without even realizing it. 

Current Reading Strategies Most Commonly Implemented by Ms. Gordon includes:

Read Alouds (to increase fluency)
These can be -timed readings and/or repeated readings.  The student is asked to read aloud from a selected text below grade level to practice fluency; also to increase student motivation to read and increase confidence!

Fry Phrases (to increase sight word recognition and fluency)
Fry sight words are written on index cards in short 3 word phrases, the student reads the phrases aloud practicing intonation.

Webbing (for pre-reading strategies & to check prior knowledge of a subject)
The student will build upon word recognition based on a certain topic or main word.

Ms. Gordon would like to highlight several students from within the region who have demonstrated outstanding progress and commitment to reading

Frankie H. (9th grade)
High Road School of Prince Georges County – High School (Capitol Heights)     

motivated to read
enjoys reading outside of school
enthusiastic
has made tremendous improvements with fluency and sight word identification
enjoys playing reading games

Josh S. (12th grade)
High Road School of Prince Georges County - High School (Capitol Heights)

enjoys reading anything about Star Wars and technology
highly motivated to read
reading level has improved 6 grade levels since initially starting to work with a reading specialist

Vasco W. (8th grade)
High Road School of Prince Georges County – Middle School (Capitol Heights)

increased motivation to read and attend reading sessions
reading level has improved two reading grade levels

Kevin O. (11th grade)
High Road Upper School of Prince George’s County (Beltsville)

enjoys reading about reptiles especially snakes and iguana's
motivation to read has increased tremendously
increased sight word and grade level vocabulary

Jacob B. (5th grade)
High Road school of Southern Maryland (La Plata) 

enjoys various reading games
motivated to read
has made tremendous improvements with sight word identification and vocabulary

We are so proud of the continued progress of these 4 individuals as well as all the students who have worked to increase their reading fluency and comprehension.  For additional information or questions, please feel free to contact Ms. Gordon @ cgordon@highroadschool.com.

High Road Sports

The High Road Schools are committed to providing services, programs and activities that provide opportunities for students to grow both inside and outside of the classroom.  For several years the High Road Schools have had an Inter-High Road School Sports league.

The 10 schools throughout Maryland including Baltimore, Capitol Heights, Lanham, and Beltsville & La Plata compete throughout the school year in three sports.

Fall – Flag Football
Winter – Basketball
Spring – Kickball

These teams provide an opportunity for our students to gain knowledge and skills in team sports and sportsmanship.  Only students (on blue level) that have demonstrated the ability to make sound decisions can participate in practices and games.  The league provides students a chance to interact with student from other High Road Schools and to show school pride for their own.

Each sport season has its own playoff and crown champions for that season.  In flag football, the playoffs are in a bowl format similar to the NCAA.  Naturally, we have our own form of March Madness to crown our Basketball Champions.

Each year, all the schools get together for a Sports Banquet where the students are celebrated for their athletic performance and sportsmanship.  All participating students receive a participation award at the banquet.

For more information about our Sports League Programs, please contact your child’s school and ask for the team coach.

The Transition Programs of the High Road Schools of Southern Maryland (locations in Beltsville, Capitol Heights, Lanham & La Plata) are designed to provide students an opportunity to prepare for independent living after graduation.  To achieve these objectives, there are many components of our Transition Programs.

Students learn a variety of occupational skills such as interview techniques, resume writing and career exploration.  To achieve maximum success, students are exposed a variety of careers, jobs and skill sets.   In addition, orienting our students to the world of retail sales and customer service provides valuable experiences that will benefit them in any future career.
Each of our schools, offer as part of our program a Promotional Items Department.  Students have at the fingertips several technical machines which can customize a wide variety of items such as mouse pads, t-shirts and tote bags.

In an effort to promote the great work of our students, the High Road Schools of Southern Maryland are proud to introduce our region-wide Production Catalog.  At affordable prices and great quality you can purchase personalized t-shirts for your upcoming high school reunion or tote bags commemorating your family picnic.  With the holidays coming, you may need to be stocking stuffers such as key chains, mouse pads or coffee mugs.  Our schools even offer gift baskets containing an assortment of our products.

The students are preparing for a very busy holiday season so please don’t delay in placing your order. Please feel free to download a copy of our 2010 Brochure or contact our Customer Service Center at (301) 210-4860, our Mr. Kevin Mattison, Transition Coordinator of the High Road Upper School of Prince George’s County, will be able to direct you to any one of our Customer Service Representatives.

Immunization Notice for Parents

State law now mandates that every child of school age be immunized against both hepatitis A and B and provide proof of varicella (chicken pox).  The immunization record must contain both date and month of varicella.  If you have not already done so, please obtain updated shot records.

Dear Parents and Guardians:

It’s great to be celebrating the start of another new school year.  We have gotten off to a great start so far.  Since school opened on August 24, we have had 2 great events.  Senior Night and Back to School Night.  Both events proved to be successes as parents and students had opportunities to visit the school and interact with their child’s staff.

Last year, we accomplished great strides in academic performance.  The Class of 2009 was the first who had to pass the High School Assessments in order to receive a high school diploma.  With the help of our dedicated and supportive staff members, along with concerned parents, all of our seniors were able to graduate with high school diplomas!  This success also would not have occurred without students who were willing to make their academic studies a priority.

It is our goal for this year’s senior class to have the same accomplishments as their predecessors.   As this year progresses, we will continue to encourage our students to meet the requirements toward earning a high school diploma.  In order to achieve this, our students must put academics FIRST.  Gone are the days when students can earn a high school diploma in spite of earning “D’s and E’s”. Now students must demonstrate mastery in four subjects: English 10, Algebra, Biology and Government to earn a high school diploma.  We urge parents to become involved in their child’s education by keeping in touch with teachers, visiting the school periodically, and attending school events.  Together we can create an educational environment that continually exemplifies what is possible in public education.

Our staff is committed to providing your child with all tools necessary to achieve academic success.  By working together, our goals will be much easier to achieve.

If the first 6 weeks of school is any indication, this should be a great school year for all of our students.

Sincerely,

Carmen McGinnis
Director

High Road Schools specialize in serving students who face learning, language, and social challenges. Our focus is on developing comprehensive educational programs that meet the individualized needs of all our students.

Through intensive tutorial-based classroom instruction, our custom-designed programs encompass the particular learning strengths and abilities of each student. As we tailor our academic and social skills programs to fulfill personalized goals, we are able to meet each student at his or her specific performance level. Consequently, the student can advance at his or her own pace in a supportive environment that is conducive to learning. At High Road Schools, small class sizes, one-to-one instruction, focused individual counseling, and comprehensive support services all combine to form the foundation for a positive educational experience.

By incorporating personalized interventions into the academic and social curricula, we concentrate our efforts on helping students develop confidence and competence. As the student builds on classroom and community successes, those achievements lead to strengthened self-esteem. They develop confidence in their capabilities as both students and individuals. In the process, they not only attain their academic objectives, but they become equipped with the tools and means that will ultimately pave the way toward a productive and fulfilling future.

Maryland High School Assessments

The facts you need

Beginning with the most recent  graduating class (2009), all high school students are required to take and pass the statewide High School Assessments HAS  in order to graduate high school.
Naturally, there is a great deal of questions and anxiety as we near graduation.  Ms. Carmen McGinnis and the staff of the High Road High School of Prince George’s County have worked hard to reduce the anxiety of parents and students alike by providing all the information they would need regarding these assessments.

Please click the link below for more detailed information regarding the Maryland HSA's.  Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Ms. McGinnis or Mr. Richardson @ (301) 324-8902.

HSA Presentation