| School Profile |  | What's Unique about Open School?
Multi-age classrooms
We
have great respect for each child's unique learning style and recognize
that children learn at different rates. Once our youngest students
master important basic skills, they enter multi-age environments that
give the opportunity to excel at their own pace. Multi-age classrooms
accurately reflect the real world, where we interact, work and play
with people of all ages.
Student Leadership
From the
beginning, Open School students have had a voice in the running of the
school and take this responsibility very seriously. In fact, Open
School may be the only school in the district where students have equal
representation on the site council. By participating in the direction
of our school, our students learn real-world lessons about working as a
group, prioritizing, funding, making tough decisions, and interfacing
with the many stakeholders in education.
Advisory System
All
students participate in an advisory where each child has a voice in the
creation of their learning plan, while advisors act as student
advocates, family liaisons, and learning plan facilitators.
Narrative Evaluations
In
place of letter grades given by many schools, Open School teachers
prepare detailed narrative evaluations that outline each student's
academic and social progress, meticulously compiled and rich with
specific details about each student's growth.
Dedicated staff
Our
skilled, dedicated staff is committed to the ideals of student-centered
education. Many have personal connections to the school. "After my
daughter attended Open, it was the only place I ever wanted to teach",
says teacher Jack Mills. Many teachers share that sentiment.
First Names
To
foster a close community and remove the formality of titles, everyone
in the Open School circle goes by their first name. This reinforces the
fact that while teachers guide student learning, everyone at Open
School learns from all those around them.
Graduation Portfolio
Each
student caps his or her education with an impressive, comprehensive
graduation portfolio that demonstrates the student's accomplishments in
secondary school.
Parents: an integral part of our school
It's
no secret that parent involvement has a big impact on student success -
that's why parents have always been an integral part of our community.
Parents are encouraged to volunteer in our classrooms, at events, in
our literacy program, or on the committees that shape our school. Your
presence in school shows your child how much you value their education.
We love West 7th!
Open School is nestled in the
richly diverse West 7th neighborhood, just blocks from downtown St.
Paul. Our students benefit from close proximity to many learning
resources including the Central Library, History Center, many museums,
theaters, and parks, as well as community service opportunities.
Because our school is an easy walk or short ride on the city bus to
many destinations, the community is our classroom!
More great Open School features:
• National model for open education
• All- day kindergarten
•Suzuki strings program
•Secondary/Elementary reading mentorship program
•Daily art opportunities
•Required community and school service program
•Thematic interdisciplinary courses
•Drama productions with opportunities for all ages
•State and nationally- ranked Destination ImagiNation teams
•Open Education Abroad travel learning program
•Outward Bound service learning trips
•Student newspaper and literary magazine
•ALC After-school academic help program
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