On 3/3/09 we had our first public meeting. The meeting was presided over by Steven Newby, Director. In attendance were: Jason and Sarah Morriss, Laura Daly, Carrie Work-Archote, Toni Stafford, Gene and Donna Pulaski, and Susan Todd.
Introduction by Steven Newby:- We’ve been planning for 2 years but we don’t have all the answers yet, we want people to help us create the school.
- We’re opening in Leslie on August 24th, 2009.
- The school year will last 36 weeks. There will be 2 weeks off for Christmas and 1 week for Easter.
- It will be a one room school house with 12-15 kids. We may one day add more students and add a second teacher. Or maybe not, we’ll decide as we go.
- Attendance options are 1-3 days a week. This is not a standard educational model.
- We’re applying for 5013c status (nonprofit organization) so that we can apply for grants. This would create less drain on the families themselves.
- We believe that the parents are the front line of the kids’s education. We strive to reach multiple learning styels We want to meet each student’s particular learning style.
- We want the kid to have a number of different experiences. Each kid has his/her own Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Based on the child’s skills and interests, the education is tailored to fit the individual.
- Grading is done through a portfolio for each student. It will show meaningful reflection of what they’ve done in school. For example, if they’re studying the presidents and they write a story about the president they put that into the portfolio. Perhaps it’s pictures of projects they’ve made. Observations that the adults make of the students.
- Each student’s individual goals and objectives are set (in the ILP). For math perhaps the student must know their muliplication talbes by the end of the sememster. Throughout the semester we do different examples and then document that by planing evidence in the portfolio. At the end of the semester the parents/teacher/kid meet again to review the portfolio9 an make sure that the goals and objectives were met. Each student judged individually rather than comparing them to each other.
Questions, Comments, and Conversation:
Donna and Gene: How does the full time or part time enrollment work? Our daughter goes to public school, and has a private tutor. We’re not sure if the current superintendent is flexible for part time enrollment. Their daughter is limited by her current schedule. She’s 9.5 years old. We don’t feel like we can home school her. I (Gene) went to a one room school. That was much better education than my daughter could get. We don’t want to take her out of public school, we’re looking to augment that education with something else.
Steven: LCLC is a private school operating 3 days a week. The other 2 days worth of education would be up to the families. Certain families may want to have homework sent home, others may want to create their own curriculum.
Gene: it seems it would really benefit people who are already home schooling. Those kids are missing out on the social aspects.
Laura: That was my vision, it's somewhere between an alternative to public school and home school. The idea is parents working together to help teach the kids. If one parent is good at math, then they teach math. Parents share the responsibility. As a new school we don’t have the demand to meet 5 days a week.
Steven: But we can explore that avenue more.
Susan: Is this a legal alternative to public school? Will you have to do the testing?
Laura: We haven’t yet found any state regulations for private schools.
Susan: Twenty years ago I wrote to the state to get regs for private school… they were extensive. When my daughter (who had been homeschooled) recently applied for college we made a transcript and they didn’t like it. They did an interveiew and that combined with ACT scores were sufficient. Many schools actively seek kids with alternative education.
Then the guests (Pulaski's and Susan Todd) left and the founders continued with regular business:
- School Location: Steven didn’t hear from American legion yet.
- Next Meeting: Pat’s not here so we don’t know about that yet.
- Incorporation: Toni filed with the AR Secretary of State to reserve the name, Leslie Creative Learning Cooperative. Toni also filed the Articles of Incorporation and LCLC is now officially incorporated. We've faxed in the request for an Employer Identification Number, even though we may not need it right away.
- Fund Raising: Aaron Chadwick's "Munch Bunch" truck doesn't work, so that's not an option. Decision: Hatch and sell chicks and starter plants at the upcoming Leslie Farmer's Market.
- The School Website/Blog: Carrie tried to make a slide show, she couldn’t do it. She created a flikr account for the school, not public, and hasn’t linked it yet, she'll keep trying.
- Board: We've voted for the treasurer and the director, we still need a secretary. We need the Core group assignments for the Board of Directors in order to apply for the non profit.
- Banking: We need to set up the bank account so that we can start the prepay tuition.
