Relocation of Kindergarten and Grade 6
Why put 6th grade students together in one elementary building?
Traditionally sixth grade students transition into the culture of the middle school. During the sixth grade year, the students from both elementary schools are combined and the teachers facilitate team building as a class. The sixth grade team teachers deliver the sixth grade curriculum, with students passing between classrooms but within close proximity in a 6th grade “floor” or wing.
Keeping the sixth grade students together in one building will facilitate and support the delivery of curriculum and team building, essential to the success of sixth graders as middle school students. In addition, keeping the entire class together makes staffing more cost effective and supports the collaboration among sixth grade teachers, which has historically been one of the strengths of the sixth grade year. Teachers of different core subject areas will not have to travel between buildings in order to accommodate the entire sixth grade roster.
Furthermore, with all the sixth grade students in one location, there will be multiple opportunities for students to interact as a full class throughout the year in collaborative learning experiences . Some of these include the Fern Hollow Nature Center project, the Roman Feast, community service, and other character building activities designed by the teachers to enhance student learning.
Why did you choose Edgeworth for the “Kindergarten Center”?
Although we won’t know the actual 2011-12 enrollment numbers until we have Kindergarten Round Up at the end of February, historical data for the last 5 years, indicate that, on average, 56% of the kindergarten students reside in the Edgeworth attendance area while 44% come from the Osborne attendance area. There are greater numbers of Edgeworth students who walk to school as compared to Osborne.
Won’t you be transporting a lot of students who would normally have walked to their respective school?
In selecting Edgeworth for kindergarten and Osborne for sixth grade, an attempt was made to disrupt as few families as possible. It is also important to keep in mind that the two schools are only two miles apart.
For the current school year, the total number of K-5 Osborne students who are classified as “walkers” is 40. At Edgeworth, there are more than 100 students in grades K-5 who walk.
Under normal circumstances, both Edgeworth and Osborne students are bussed to the middle school beginning with their sixth grade year. For 2011-12, Edgeworth students will be transported to Osborne rather than the middle school.
