Frederick Classical Charter School is a proposed public charter school in the process of completing their application. They will go before the Board of Education in the coming months for approval. They began as a small group of parents looking for an alternative approach to education within the public school system. The school will be a free, public charter school, open to all Frederick County children, Kindergarten-8th grade. 
The organization will continue to host monthly public information nights at various libraries in Frederick, in addition to participating with many upcoming fundraisers and events. 
Check out the school’s website.
Contact: Michele Perry

Looking for fun, socialization, and a way to meet the requirement for a child’s suggested 60 minutes of exercise per day?
Try “Kid-Fit 2010” After-School Ballroom Line Dance for Middle- and High-Schoolers at DanceWorks, Ballroom and Latin; 500 W. Patrick St., 2nd floor, Frederick, MD 21701 (next to Rita’s Italian Ice), schooldays at 3pm, 3:30pm, 4pm, or 4:30pm.
Cost: $5/person/half-hour class; Family Rate of 10% discount for 2 or more members. Valor Discount also applies for children of police, firefighters, military, or veterans.
These are drop-in classes; no pre-registration is required. A parent or guardian is required to sign a release form, and is welcome to join in the class as well. The cost for parents is $5/person/class.
Attire: Suede-soled ballroom shoes, Bloch dance sneakers, or regular indoor-only sneakers or socks are fine. No midriffs please, and jeans/cargo pants are discouraged.
Dances taught include Rumba, ChaCha, Swing, Salsa, Samba, and Merengue. They’re easy enough to learn thoroughly in a few lessons, and even if the kids aren’t doing the steps exactly right, they’ll still be getting exercise and having fun. 
Tables are also available for children to do their homework while they wait for their rides, or for the parents to sit and have some coffee while the children dance.
For more information contact LeAnn or click here.

Bar-T offers before- and after-school care and summer camps in locations throughout Montgomery County, as well as in the Urbana area of Frederick.  Specialty summer camps offer programs in climbing, horseback riding, baseball, dance, soccer, and basketball.  Two camp locations offer programs for teens.  Additionally, Bar-T offers outdoor education programs, as well as sports leagues in soccer, football, cheerleading, and basketball.  For more information, click here.

Mom’s Day Out (MDO) is a safe, loving, God-centered environment for preschoolers from 2 to 5 years. Their stated purpose is to help your child meet their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs by staff who loves the Lord and desires to share His love with your child. 

Registration Day:  Mon., March 8, 10am – 12:30pm
Regular Program Schedule:  Open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 9:30 am – 1:30 pm.  Parents may register for one, two, three, or all four days of the week.
Cost:
Registration fee = $20.00
Daily fee = $30.00
 
Location:
Grace Community Church
5102 Old National Pike
Frederick, MD 21702
301-473-4337, x 305
For more detailed program information, click here, then choose “Ministries” at the top, then “Mom’s Day Out” at the bottom.

Information on spelling bee prep clubs was posted on Dec. 14. To clarify, the spelling bee mentioned below is a special county-wide bee sponsored by the Gazette and Frederick County Public Libraries. This year is the third annual bee of this kind. This is SEPARATE from the spelling bees that are run in the public schools. Your child does NOT have to qualify at school to participate, though there are qualification bees that will be held at local libraries. Any child meeting the age qualifications can register for the Gazette/FCPL bee. Even students from outside the county can participate if they have an FCPL card. For complete information on the Gazette/FCPL bee, click here or see the bottom of this post.
PREP CLUB INFORMATION: In preparation for the 2010 Frederick County Spelling Bee, Middletown and Urbana Branch Libraries have begun Spelling Bee Prep Clubs.

Middletown Spelling Bee Prep Club:
Wednesdays, 7-8pm, going on NOW
Contact: Sharon Kalbarczyk, 301-371-7560
The club plays Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune type games to practice spelling words.

Urbana Spelling Bee Prep Club:
Tuesdays at 7 pm:  January 12, 26; February 9, 23 Contact: 301-600-7000
SPELLING BEE INFORMATION: The 2010 Frederick County Spelling Bee is sponsored by the Gazette and FCPL. FCPL said they expect more than 100 spellers to compete in the countywide competition. Qualification bees are:
Sat., Mar. 13, 11am and 2pm, C. Burr Artz Public Library
Sat., Mar. 20, 11am and 2pm, Urbana Regional Library
Sun., Mar. 21, 2pm, Thurmont Regional Library
Forty finalists will be chosen to participate in the Championship Bee, May 2, 2pm, Weinberg Center for the Arts.
To qualify, students must be at least in fourth grade and not have passed beyond the eighth grade on or before Feb 1, 2009. Spellers can register at any FCPL branch or online at www.fcpl.org. Registration for the bee begins Feb. 1.

Cadette Troop C81374 is sponsoring a new Daisy troop in Middletown. Open to any Kindergarten and first-grade age girls in Middletown and surrounding areas, the troop’s kick-off meeting will be Thurs., Jan. 21, 3:30-5pm, on the stage at Middletown Primary School.  The troop plans to meet the third Thursday of each month, with a field trip in June.
Click here to ask for more information.

In preparation for the 2010 Frederick County Spelling Bee, Middletown and Urbana Branch Libraries have begun Spelling Bee Prep Clubs. FCPL said they expect more than 100 spellers to compete in the countywide competition. Qualification bees are:
Sat., Mar. 13, 11am and 2pm, C. Burr Artz Public Library
Sat., Mar. 20, 11am and 2pm, Urbana Regional Library
Sun., Mar. 21, 2pm, Thurmont Regional Library
Forty finalists will be chosen to participate in the Championship Bee, May 2, 2pm, Weinberg Center for the Arts.
To qualify, students must be at least in fourth grade and not have passed beyond the eighth grade on or before Feb 1, 2009. Spellers can register at any FCPL branch or online at www.fcpl.org. Registration begins Feb. 1.

Middletown Spelling Bee Prep Club:
Wednesdays, 7-8pm, beginning Jan. 6
Contact: Sharon Kalbarczyk, 301-371-7560
The club plays Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune type games to practice spelling words.

Urbana Spelling Bee Prep Club:
Tuesdays at 7 pm:
December 1, 15
January 12, 26
February 9, 23
Contact: 301-600-7000

Why Chinese?
Mandarin Chinese is claiming prominence among the world’s languages as China opens to the world its culture, society, and economy. Children who are able to speak or understand the Chinese language and culture will find many doors of opportunities opening to them in the future, such as journalism, government, advertising, business, and other fields. Children exposed to critical world languages and culture at an early age have the potential to become the international leaders of the future.

Class Description:
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Time: Tuesdays, 3:30-4:30 PM, Ten weeks beginning Dec. 1
Location: Middletown Elementary School
Ages: Grades 3-5
Program developed by LIFE & Discovery, Inc.

Cost for new students: $145 (includes a course book)
Discount Available: $25 off each student if enrollment reaches 12 or more

Subjects covered:
Spoken and written language
Tone, stroke, radical parts, characters, pinyin
Practical vocabulary study units
Culture: Various cultural topics and activities during weekly classes
Research: Weekly rotating student research & presentation of a Chinese cultural topic (1 – 2 minutes)
Individual Names: New students will be given a Chinese name

For more information or to enroll, click here.