As mothers of preschoolers, eventually all of us will face the inevitable: the day when our preschoolers won't be preschoolers anymore. They will be kindergarteners and as responsible parents, we need to find the best school to meet their needs. That day comes sooner than we can imagine; actually almost a year sooner. My daughter will start kindergarten next fall, but due to applications and deadlines, I have to start making decisions now. So I am doing my due diligence and researching schools and planning school visits.
In past years, other moms have shared their school research--one put together a multi page booklet. With baby number two (my ticket to stay in MOPS another half decade) sleeping on my breast as I type with one and a half hands, keyboard balanced on my Boppy, I don't have the time or energy to put together anything so elaborate. But I have tracked down some info and key dates for the schools we are looking at, as a downtown family living near Redeemer. Since these may be some of the same schools you are interested in, I thought I would share.
Magnet schools are the cream of the public school crop. Each school has a special focus and educational philosophy and requires parental involvement. Personally, I think that the rest of the IPS schools suffer because IPS puts its best resources and energy into the magnet schools- at least their test scores are going to be lower at other schools if all of the best students go to a few select schools. Actually, only Sidener Academy selects their students based on previous academic performance and test scores (and doesn't start till the 2nd grade), but all of the magnet schools emphasize academic achievement and all the students have one thing in common: parents who care enough to send them there.
The deadline to apply for a magnet school is December 15. You can choose up to 3 schools and rank them in order of preference. Space is limited and students are selected based on 1) siblings (once you get one child in, the rest are pretty much guaranteed), 2) proximity (it helps to be within a mile of the school) and then it is a lottery system beyond that.
Most magnet schools now offer one year of free, full-time Pre-K preschool, which is rumored to help you get into that school for kindergarten.
Center for Inquiry
There are three CFI schools: school #84 in the Broad Ripple area and two downtown. School #2 is at 14th and New Jersey- it serves downtown and the east side (it is often referred to as the Center for Irvington). School #27 is a newer location and close to 19th and Central.
When you apply, the location is determined by your address (it is my understanding you can't specify a specific CFI). All of the info I have gathered is true for all 3 schools.
CFI follows the International Baccalaureate philosophy and curriculum are International Baccalaureate rated school (yes, that is true of #27 now too, as of last month). Also, #27 and #2 were awarded as 2014 Magnet School of Excellence. The CFI schools promote intercultural understanding and respect and teach Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, alternating semesters from kindergarten on. Classes are project based, student driven and emphasize inquiry.
http://magnet.ips.k12.in.us/center-for-inquiry/
The CFI schools offer daytime tours, every other Friday from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., future dates are:
October 24,
November 7 and 21,
December 5 and 12,
and after the application deadline on January 23, February 20, March 30 and April 17.
The CFI schools also offer Evening Information Meetings beginning at 6:30 p.m. on the following dates:
October 29,
November 13,
and December 11.
The Butler Lab
Another intriguing option is School #60, which is a magnet school affiliated with and supported by Butler University's College of Education. The Butler Lab follows the Reggio Emilia learning philosophy, which is an Italian teaching philosophy that is student centered and focuses on problem solving and creative arts. The Butler Lab is located at 34th and Pennsylvania Avenue, just north of downtown.
http://www.myips.org/ipsbutlerlabschool
The Butler Lab offers daytime tours every other Wednesday at 9:30 am, future dates are October 22, November 5 and 19. and December 3 and 17th. (Yes, that is the exact same time as our next 5 MOPS meetings.*)
The Butler Lab is also hosting Open Houses at 5:30 pm the first Wednesday of the month, future dates are:
November 5
December 3
*I plan to skip the tours, and just go to an open house. If I like what I see (more than CFI which is our neighborhood school), then I will schedule time to observe a class (which I hear they are very good about doing) on a day that we don’t have MOPS.
Paramount Center for Excellence
Since we moved so close to a well-regarded magnet school, most of the charter schools I was considering fell off my radar. But not Paramount. I am too intrigued by what they have to offer to not at least visit, and it isn't that far, located on the near east side, by Brookside Park.
Paramount is a project-based school teaching Core Knowledge. They offer a Space/Science curriculum that includes access to an in-school Planetarium. Students learn Spanish starting in kindergarten. After school, students can participate in sports, the Green Team (gardening) and/or a Robotics club. The school has chickens, goats and a reportedly fantastic garden (my husband is excited because Purdue Extension is going to host a workshop there on October 23 to show off their high tunnel- I honestly don’t really know what that means- a fancy greenhouse, I think). They have Macs and iPads; they sound really cool. Even if we don't end up going there, I can't wait to visit.
www.paramountindy.org/
Paramount offers school tours every Friday at 10 am. I believe the deadline to register is in March. (But I can’t find anything on the website or my brochures with a date.)
The Oaks Academy
By all accounts, the Oaks Academy is an awesome school- actually two schools, one in Fall Creek Place and one near Brookside Park. If you want more info, just mention the Oaks out loud at MOPS and someone will enthusiastically explain to you why the Oaks is so amazing. I know they focus on classical studies with a Christian focus, require strong parental involvement and offer scholarships to ensure socio-economic diversity. That impresses me. But, we won't qualify for assistance- and with two kids and two mortgagees and me trying to stay home a little longer, I am going to have a hard time convincing my husband to pay ~$9K a year (less for kindergarten, I believe). But I do plan to visit, just so we are aware of all of our options.
The deadline to apply is February 6, 2015.
http://www.theoaksacademy.org/
The Oaks Academy has Parent Preview days from 8:30-11:30 am on the following dates:
October 22 (Brookside)
November 12 (Fall Creek)
January 21 (Brookside)
February 4 (Fall Creek)
The Oaks Academy will also host Open Houses from 4- 6pm on the following days:
January 21 (Brookside)
February 4 (Fall Creek)
If none of those dates work for you, just call and schedule a visit. The school asks that you RSVP for the Parent Preview days, but that isn’t necessary for the Open Houses.
St Richard's Episcopal School
Once upon a time, if you wanted your child to go to a good school downtown, this was your only option (or so I have been told). My sister in law went here for kindergarten; she is 48; times have changed. (Not that St. Richards isn’t a great school, I am sure it is awesome- there are just other options now.) But, part of me is thinking about dragging my husband here (calling his bluff, since I recall him telling his relatives our daughter would probably go there, back when she was still a baby), just so when he complains about how much the Oaks costs, I can remind him what expensive really is.
St Richards is located on 33rd street between Meridian and Pennsylvania (next door to the Butler Lab). If you are interested, call the school to schedule a visit.
http://www.strichardsschool.org/
So that is my research in a nutshell, an admittedly long rambling nutshell. Now I have to drag my husband to all these places. The fact that we live very close to one of the CFIs is a big draw. A friend, who is happy with her daughter’s kindergarten at CFI, laughed when I said I planned to visit several schools to do my due diligence and said “Yeah, I said I was going to do that too.” So, I guess check back with me in January to see if I followed through.
In past years, other moms have shared their school research--one put together a multi page booklet. With baby number two (my ticket to stay in MOPS another half decade) sleeping on my breast as I type with one and a half hands, keyboard balanced on my Boppy, I don't have the time or energy to put together anything so elaborate. But I have tracked down some info and key dates for the schools we are looking at, as a downtown family living near Redeemer. Since these may be some of the same schools you are interested in, I thought I would share.
Magnet Schools
I think I have decided to stop admitting to people that magnet schools are part of IPS--at least to suburban friends and in-laws that assume I have to send my children to a private school because we live downtown, and then turn up their noses when I say we are seriously considering IPS schools. IPS gets a bad rap.Magnet schools are the cream of the public school crop. Each school has a special focus and educational philosophy and requires parental involvement. Personally, I think that the rest of the IPS schools suffer because IPS puts its best resources and energy into the magnet schools- at least their test scores are going to be lower at other schools if all of the best students go to a few select schools. Actually, only Sidener Academy selects their students based on previous academic performance and test scores (and doesn't start till the 2nd grade), but all of the magnet schools emphasize academic achievement and all the students have one thing in common: parents who care enough to send them there.
The deadline to apply for a magnet school is December 15. You can choose up to 3 schools and rank them in order of preference. Space is limited and students are selected based on 1) siblings (once you get one child in, the rest are pretty much guaranteed), 2) proximity (it helps to be within a mile of the school) and then it is a lottery system beyond that.
Most magnet schools now offer one year of free, full-time Pre-K preschool, which is rumored to help you get into that school for kindergarten.
Center for Inquiry
There are three CFI schools: school #84 in the Broad Ripple area and two downtown. School #2 is at 14th and New Jersey- it serves downtown and the east side (it is often referred to as the Center for Irvington). School #27 is a newer location and close to 19th and Central.
When you apply, the location is determined by your address (it is my understanding you can't specify a specific CFI). All of the info I have gathered is true for all 3 schools.
CFI follows the International Baccalaureate philosophy and curriculum are International Baccalaureate rated school (yes, that is true of #27 now too, as of last month). Also, #27 and #2 were awarded as 2014 Magnet School of Excellence. The CFI schools promote intercultural understanding and respect and teach Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, alternating semesters from kindergarten on. Classes are project based, student driven and emphasize inquiry.
http://magnet.ips.k12.in.us/center-for-inquiry/
The CFI schools offer daytime tours, every other Friday from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., future dates are:
October 24,
November 7 and 21,
December 5 and 12,
and after the application deadline on January 23, February 20, March 30 and April 17.
The CFI schools also offer Evening Information Meetings beginning at 6:30 p.m. on the following dates:
October 29,
November 13,
and December 11.
The Butler Lab
Another intriguing option is School #60, which is a magnet school affiliated with and supported by Butler University's College of Education. The Butler Lab follows the Reggio Emilia learning philosophy, which is an Italian teaching philosophy that is student centered and focuses on problem solving and creative arts. The Butler Lab is located at 34th and Pennsylvania Avenue, just north of downtown.
http://www.myips.org/ipsbutlerlabschool
The Butler Lab offers daytime tours every other Wednesday at 9:30 am, future dates are October 22, November 5 and 19. and December 3 and 17th. (Yes, that is the exact same time as our next 5 MOPS meetings.*)
The Butler Lab is also hosting Open Houses at 5:30 pm the first Wednesday of the month, future dates are:
November 5
December 3
*I plan to skip the tours, and just go to an open house. If I like what I see (more than CFI which is our neighborhood school), then I will schedule time to observe a class (which I hear they are very good about doing) on a day that we don’t have MOPS.
Charter Schools
Charter schools are alternative schools. Contrary to popular belief, they are public and free. They just aren't part of IPS. While the schools don't have to follow the same standards as IPS, someone (generally the mayor) holds a charter for the school, which is it's own set of standards. The risk of a charter school is that the charter can be pulled, and the school closed, if the school doesn't meet academic standards, or stay fiscally sound. A couple of years ago several MOPS moms found themselves scrambling to find schools for their older kids when the popular Project School was closed just before the school year started. I am consequently leery of charter schools (though I will very likely send my daughter to Herron, across from Redeemer, in 10 years when it is time for high school.) But the benefit of charter schools is that they are free to offer different and exciting educational programs and philosophies.Paramount Center for Excellence
Since we moved so close to a well-regarded magnet school, most of the charter schools I was considering fell off my radar. But not Paramount. I am too intrigued by what they have to offer to not at least visit, and it isn't that far, located on the near east side, by Brookside Park.
Paramount is a project-based school teaching Core Knowledge. They offer a Space/Science curriculum that includes access to an in-school Planetarium. Students learn Spanish starting in kindergarten. After school, students can participate in sports, the Green Team (gardening) and/or a Robotics club. The school has chickens, goats and a reportedly fantastic garden (my husband is excited because Purdue Extension is going to host a workshop there on October 23 to show off their high tunnel- I honestly don’t really know what that means- a fancy greenhouse, I think). They have Macs and iPads; they sound really cool. Even if we don't end up going there, I can't wait to visit.
www.paramountindy.org/
Paramount offers school tours every Friday at 10 am. I believe the deadline to register is in March. (But I can’t find anything on the website or my brochures with a date.)
Private Schools
Everyone knows what a private school is, right? A school you pay for. Private schools aren't necessarily parochial (i.e. affiliated with a religious organization), but it seems all the options around here are. While we don't really want to pay for school (aren't tax dollars enough?) we do want to do our due diligence and examine all of our options. There are obviously some great private schools.The Oaks Academy
By all accounts, the Oaks Academy is an awesome school- actually two schools, one in Fall Creek Place and one near Brookside Park. If you want more info, just mention the Oaks out loud at MOPS and someone will enthusiastically explain to you why the Oaks is so amazing. I know they focus on classical studies with a Christian focus, require strong parental involvement and offer scholarships to ensure socio-economic diversity. That impresses me. But, we won't qualify for assistance- and with two kids and two mortgagees and me trying to stay home a little longer, I am going to have a hard time convincing my husband to pay ~$9K a year (less for kindergarten, I believe). But I do plan to visit, just so we are aware of all of our options.
The deadline to apply is February 6, 2015.
http://www.theoaksacademy.org/
The Oaks Academy has Parent Preview days from 8:30-11:30 am on the following dates:
October 22 (Brookside)
November 12 (Fall Creek)
January 21 (Brookside)
February 4 (Fall Creek)
The Oaks Academy will also host Open Houses from 4- 6pm on the following days:
January 21 (Brookside)
February 4 (Fall Creek)
If none of those dates work for you, just call and schedule a visit. The school asks that you RSVP for the Parent Preview days, but that isn’t necessary for the Open Houses.
St Richard's Episcopal School
Once upon a time, if you wanted your child to go to a good school downtown, this was your only option (or so I have been told). My sister in law went here for kindergarten; she is 48; times have changed. (Not that St. Richards isn’t a great school, I am sure it is awesome- there are just other options now.) But, part of me is thinking about dragging my husband here (calling his bluff, since I recall him telling his relatives our daughter would probably go there, back when she was still a baby), just so when he complains about how much the Oaks costs, I can remind him what expensive really is.
St Richards is located on 33rd street between Meridian and Pennsylvania (next door to the Butler Lab). If you are interested, call the school to schedule a visit.
http://www.strichardsschool.org/
So that is my research in a nutshell, an admittedly long rambling nutshell. Now I have to drag my husband to all these places. The fact that we live very close to one of the CFIs is a big draw. A friend, who is happy with her daughter’s kindergarten at CFI, laughed when I said I planned to visit several schools to do my due diligence and said “Yeah, I said I was going to do that too.” So, I guess check back with me in January to see if I followed through.
