New School Openings: Clinton Hill, Prospect Lefferts, Carroll Gardens
Hi and thanks for reading!
Get your daily dose of A Child Grows sent to your inbox free! Subscribe to our newsletter (email: achildgrows@aweber.com).
Brooklyn Free School's new location in Clinton Hill
Clinton Hill: I was walking through Clinton Hill this morning and saw that the The Brooklyn Free School has a sidewalk chalkboard (how appropriate!) announcing the location of their new space at 372 Clinton Avenue (between Greene and Lafayette). There were piles of garbage going out and new furniture going in. (This school won our giant book giveaway last fall through Usborne Books.) The Brooklyn Free School was previously located in Park Slope since September 2004, but after a long search, they purchased a 25 foot wide, 7,000 square foot building in Clinton Hill. The building used to be a daycare so it has a lot of necessary elements already in place. The school is opening at the beginning of 2010. About the school from their website: “The community is composed entirely of parents, students, educators and others who believe that freedom and democracy are not just textbook concepts, but a way of living and learning – for our children as well as ourselves. The Brooklyn Free School is dedicated to the belief that all students must be free to develop naturally as human beings in a non-coercive educational environment and empowered to make decisions affecting their everyday lives and that of their community. The school has accepted students aged 5 through 15, and is serving students up to 18 years of age. Students are not segregated by age. There is no set curriculum except the establishment of an all-inclusive democratic system that runs the school, and the communication of that system to all members of the school. “
Prospect Lefferts Gardens: A new charter school has also been announced for Prospect Lefferts Gardens that will be opening in the fall of 2010. It will have a progressive focus and partnership with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The students will be chosen by lottery in the spring. No location has been set yet. (This info is in from Joyce Szulfita, our School Expert)
Carroll Gardens: The International School of Brooklyn is moving from Prospect Heights to a larger facility on Court St. and Nelson in Carroll Gardens. They will be able to grow to middle school and should be accepting a larger class into their nursery program next fall.
Low-key sidewalk announcement
Update on PLG school:
The LGCS mission is to utilize an environmental science program to develop academically motivated and civic-minded students to succeed in competitive high school and college programs. The proximity of several community-based environmental institutions provides a unique opportunity for learning that extends beyond the classroom. Graduates of LGCS will leave with an understanding of the relationship between science, the environment and the everyday world.
There will be an informational meeting this Saturday, January 9 from 10am to noon to provide more information about the school, its curricular focus and goals, student eligibility, and other questions interested parents may have.
The meeting location is:
Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch
Grand Army Plaza
2nd floor meeting room
An important note: like other charter schools in New York City, admission to LGCS will be determined by lottery. Preference will be given to residents of District 17.