Even though the Arlington Promise Neighborhood’s planning grant ran out in September 2011, it hasn’t stopped making its community better for students and families.

Since the end of the grant period, The Community Group, the lead agency for the planning which has a successful record operating Community Day Charter Public Schools, was asked to begin managing the school as a turnaround effort by the state-appointed receiver leading the district following the low performance of the Lawrence Public Schools district. Following a promising first year (2012-13) offering Kindergarten and first grade as a district school under TCG management, Community Day Arlington Elementary School will reopen this fall expanded to a Kindergarten through grade 4 school.

Students aren’t waiting till fall to start learning again; they had a great visit to the Harvard Museum of Natural History last month. Following the visit, which was one of many learning experiences students had during the summer, a museum staff member was so impressed with the students that she wrote a letter to the editor of our local paper praising them for being “respectful, intelligent, articulate and superbly well-behaved.”

Arlington has a lot to be proud of!