LANSDALE – The school board discussed the application of the Collaborative North Penn Charter School (CNPCS) at their monthly action meeting. Presenters from the Souderton Charter School began the discussion by explaining the values of the charter school and differences from public North Penn schools.
In the first year, the school will only include kindergarten through third grade and contain 106 students. Eventually the school is expected to expand to kindergarten through eighth grade in the 2018-19 school year. The average class size will be 21 students, but every classroom will have two teachers in it to facilitate learning. Different facilities are being looked at as to where the school will be located; a current strong contender lies in Kulpsville near Christopher Dock High School.
Modeled after the Souderton Charter School, the CNPCS will break away from the molds of public school teaching and opt for smaller learning environments, individualized projects, and more hands-on opportunities for the students. Classrooms will not actually be called classrooms; instead, they will be home bases, as the school will be set up with different room sizes for breakout sessions and small group studying. Each student will receive an individual learning plan as well. The presenters also stressed the number of field work the students get to participate in. She specifically mentioned that during some times of the year, sixth through eighth graders travel once a week to different locations, all for educational purposes. The funding for these field trips will be supported by intensive fundraising on the student’s and parent’s part.
Parent inclusion will be a major part of the charter school. Monthly evening collaboration sessions will be in place to introduce new ideas and get to know the faculty. Feedback will be constantly going back and forth between the faculty and parents to better the school.
If any parent wishes to be on the email list to receive updates about the status of the charter school, he or she can call 215-721-4560 to ask for more information.