We have compiled a list of questions on charter schools in general and questions pertaining to the Northland Pines School District's Montessori Learning Center. The questions are listed below, click on the question to view the answer.
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Charter schools are public schools that are tuition-free and give parents and families a choice for education.
No. All Wisconsin charter schools are and must be public schools. They are all tuition-free.
Since charter schools are public schools, the money that they receive comes from the same source of funding for all public education. The money is simply moved from one provider of public education (the district), to another (the charter school). Charter schools often bring new resources into a community’s public school system through foundation, state, and federal government grants.
Wisconsin’s charter schools are open to all children in the state. Some charter schools are at capacity and have waiting lists; in these situations, a lottery system is used to determine which students can attend.
The Northland Pines School District works very hard to have all students reach their maximum potential. To continue to obtain this goal the district explored educational improvement options for students. The idea of the charter schools was the result of committees examining how to best serve the needs of all students of the Northland Pines School District. There was a committee made up of educators and community members and they concluded project based charter schools would help more of our students reach their potential at the MS level. This led to the development of the SOAR Charter school, which opened in the fall of 2013 to 5th - 8th grade students. With the success of SOAR the committee morphed into a planning committee to begin an elementary charter school and another committee to expand SOAR to the High School. NPSD received a planning grant in the summer of 2014 to help develop a Montessori charter school for students 4k-4th grade which opened in the fall of 2015.
Current Northland Pines area students, open-enrolled individuals, and home-schooled students are eligible to attend.
The Northland Pines Montessori Learning Center currently serves students 4k through 4th grade in a multi-age setting.
Northland Pines already has the SOAR Charter Middle School for grades 5-8 and the SOAR Charter High School Charter for grades 8-12.
4K students are in a multiage room with Kindergarten students. The Kindergarten students attend NPMLC five full days a week but the 4K students attend Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The 4K students have the option of staying full days or half days. If the 4K students stays full days there is the option of bussing home but if the family chooses half days parents will need to provide the means of transportation.
Charter schools bring forward-thinking curriculums to our state’s children and are “innovation labs” within existing school district budgets.
The Northland Pines Montessori Learning Center (NPMLC) is developed around the Montessori educational philosophy that was originated by Dr. Montessori. “The Montessori Method of education, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood. Dr. Montessori’s Method has been time tested, with over 100 years of success in diverse cultures throughout the world. It is a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the whole child—physical, social, emotional, cognitive.( http://amshq.org/Montessori-Education/Introduction-to-Montessori).”
Students at the Montessori Learning Center are assessed through standard based grades based upon a curriculum connected with the state, local and national standards. They will take the same district and state assessments that the NPSD students take to track students’ progress. They have the same report cards as the other elementary schools because students learn the same concepts, just in a different manner.
The Northland Pines Montessori Learning Center accepts 12 students per grade level.
According to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), if more students than the NPMLC can enroll, a lottery will take place to determine who will be accepted. We will open enrollment in December of 2016 for the 2017-18 school year. Students within and outside of the district will have equal opportunity to be enrolled in NPMLC. If more students apply than we can enroll a waiting list will be developed.
Mrs. Foster is the teacher in the Children's House. Mrs. Hoffman is the teacher in Elementary 1 and Mrs. Rickman is the teacher in Elementary 2. We also have a paraprofessional, Mrs. Lorgus, who helps out in all three "houses."
Students at the Northland Pines Montessori Learning Center will follow a similar school calendar as the NPSD. The school times are a little different to insure that all students in the district can be bussed to St. Germain in time. The school day at NPMLC officially begin at 8:45 and end at 2:50 and students k-5th grade attend five days a week. 4k students attend Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The 4K students have the option of staying full days or half days. If the 4K student stays full days there is the option of bussing home but if the family chooses half days, parents will need to provide the means of transportation.
The Northland Pines Montessori Learning Center is located in a wing at St. Germain Elementary School which allows them to share the library, kitchen, playground and other resources with St. Germain Elementary School.
Northland Pines Area Students will be provided transportation. There is a bus from Land O’ Lakes/Eagle River to St. Germain. St. Germain students will be bussed to the school. 4k students will have the same option of transportation but if parents choose to send their 4k child for half days the parents will need to pick the child up at 12:30.
You can also contact the Principal of the Montessori Learning Center. His name is Tony Duffek. He can be reached via email, tduffek@npsd.k12.wi.us, or you can call him at 715.542.3632.
We are already at capacity for the 2017-18 school year. The Northland Pines School District will begin accepting applications in January 2017 for the 2018-19 school year. If more students apply than we have seats for we will have a lottery. There is also an established waiting list.
Yes, students that are already enrolled in the Montessori Learning Center keep their seat from year to year. A current NPMLC student can leave and go to another school if his/her family chooses to do so.
Students are able to participate in all St. Germain clubs, sports and extracurricular activities.
The unique features include:
- multi-age classrooms and flexible grouping
- personalized learning that accommodates variations in learning abilities, styles, and interests
- research skills applied to practical problem solving needed for lifelong success in the 21st century
- state-of-the-art technologies that accommodate and accelerate learning, and allow access to regional and global networks
- integrated learning that connects subject areas like the sciences, math, literacy and the fine arts
- partnerships with resources, agencies and businesses in the larger community
- teaching a love for learning and lifelong learning.
Determining if the NPMLC is a good fit for your child is a very difficult and personal decision to make. It is difficult to say what specific type of child would benefit from the Montessori Approach the most because kids differ in so many aspects and every child learns differently. We encourage you to take time researching the Montessori approach, attend informational meetings, and ask questions. The reality is that we will now have four high quality elementary schools in our district and we are confident that your child can be successful in any of these settings. You just need to make the decision that best fits with your values and child’s best interest.
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