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Charter Schools are tuition free public schools that are allowed to be more innovative, yet provide a structured, disciplined learning environment and are held accountable for improved student achievement.
Wisconsin’s charter schools provide a choice in education for the state’s families and help Wisconsin’s public school system improve the quality of education for ALL students with innovative curriculums.
CHARTER SCHOOLS:
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Give schools leaders more flexibility when managing their school, allowing them to respond to parents and students needs.
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Enable schools to focus their primary mission on improving student achievement.
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Give schools more flexibility and control to design their curriculum.
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Increases parental options for where to send their child to school.
Charter schools provide teachers the flexibility to innovate in the classroom and are held accountable for improved achievement, while at the same time strengthen the public school system (from WCSA website).”
Our charter will be open to all students in the Hortonville Area School District who will be in grades 6-8 for the upcoming school year. Students in other school districts may apply through open-enrollment. The enrollment cap at Fox West Academy will be set at a maximum total of 60 students (approximately 20 students per grade). If the number of students that apply to attend the charter exceeds the enrollment cap, the applicants will be selected through a lottery process.
Parents of potential students are encouraged attend an informational session or meet with Fox West Academy staff. Then submit an application* (either online or on paper). The deadline for applying to Fox West Academy is April 30. Applicants will be informed of their status for the upcoming school year by May 15.
*Students enrolling from other districts must also complete an open enrollment application.
We have successful students with a variety of learning abilities and interests - from struggling learners through those identified as gifted (and everyone in between). The nature of project based learning is often well suited to students that find learning in a traditional classroom setting difficult or unmotivating; Fox West Academy is ideal for students and parents who seek a rigorous, challenging curriculum, and for students that would like to take a more active role in the direction of their learning.
An essential element in the design of Fox West Academy is for students to set individual learning targets and monitor their progress regularly with the help of an advisor (teacher). Because of the focus on the individual learner, our curriculum can provide challenging and meaningful learning experiences for each student.
All students that apply to Fox West Academy have an equal chance of being selected*, provided there is available space. There is no preference based on student ability, past school performance, or location within or outside of the school district. If the number of students that apply to attend Fox West Academy exceeds the space available, applicants will be selected via a lottery process.
*For application process requirements, exceptions and/or exemptions, please see our Lottery Process page found under Application Process.
Fox West Academy is housed in a shared wing of Hortonville Middle School at 220 Warner St. Hortonville, WI 54944.
We will host regular presentation nights to showcase student projects 4-5 times during the school year. This is a time for students to demonstrate their learning and highlight their discoveries and growth. The presentations take many forms, including (but not limited to) presenting a study of findings on a particular issue in front of an audience, showing the premier of a student-produced video, setting up a demonstration booth, and even describing the writing process and sharing a poem or song that was written as part of the project, for example.
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Fox West Academy is currently seeking individual community members, businesses, and service organizations willing to help provide information and experiences that will benefit students. If you feel you might have something to offer, or if you have ever thought to yourself, “I wish kids were learning about __________ in school,” we’re hoping to hear from and work with you.
We will be having several informational meetings about Fox West Academy in the upcoming weeks and months. If you’re interested, we would love to talk to you about our vision in greater detail. In addition, if you are willing and you share our vision of an integrated, project based learning environment for middle school students, we invite you to take any opportunity that might come along in the days, weeks and months ahead to spread the word about Fox West Academy. Please forward any correspondence or contact information to (or from) any other community members that you know of that might be interested in contributing ideas or building partnerships. Please contact Dan Lundstrom, Jenni Koenecke, or Greg Hall if you are interested in getting involved.
The following points outline the rationale for our district’s pursuit of a charter school. The explanation comes directly from former Curriculum Director, Zola Nimmer, and was included in our DPI charter school grant application:
“…one of our Strategic Plan’s belief statements is that children learn in different ways and at different rates. We know that needs and interests vary; learning styles vary; intelligences and talents vary; individual strengths and skill levels vary. However, our effort and desire to provide a 21st century curriculum that is truly responsive to individual students’ needs and interests is often impeded by the traditional school schedule and routine operating procedures…
As reflected in our Curriculum Action Plans which were developed in response to our Strategic Plan’s Curriculum Goal, we value curriculum integration, flexible grouping, an appropriately challenging and meaningful curriculum for each student, stronger partnerships with area businesses and institutions of higher learning, opportunities to deepen understanding through a problem-based curriculum, the use of technology for improving learning on both a local and global basis, and helping students identify strengths upon which they can build their lives and careers. Establishing the Fox West Academy of Collaborative Learning is one way to address the structural impediments that presently inhibit our goal to meet the individual needs of our students and more efficiently accomplish what we value.
With a more flexible schedule, we will be able to group students in different ways that more effectively accommodate their learning. With teachers who are committed to an instructional approach that requires collaborative planning and team teaching, we will be able to help students understand the connections between disciplines and broaden their base of conceptual understanding. With a project-based approach, we will be able to provide students with the opportunity to delve more deeply into their learning and apply their knowledge and skills in ways that are more relevant and meaningful to them.”
In a typical middle school setting, students have a different instructor for each subject or content area. The daily schedule is divided into 8 periods of approximately 47 minutes, and students proceed from one classroom to the next throughout the day. Two of the periods are exploratory classes (including band, art, physical education, etc.), there is a scheduled lunch, and generally a help period (or study hall) each day as well. There may or may not be projects, units, or themes that tie subject areas together, and most often the assignments and projects that students complete are developed and chosen exclusively by the teacher (with occasional exceptions).
At Fox West Academy, instead of an 8 period day students have longer blocks of time, allowing subject areas to be integrated fluidly.
- Students experience a daily curriculum that combines all of the core content areas through project based learning.
- The teacher/advisors collaborate to instruct students.
- Structured lessons are led by one or more of the instructors based on the strengths and expertise of the teachers and/or guest experts.
- Ideas and concepts are explored deeply through teacher developed and student selected projects.
- Learning takes place both inside the classroom and out in the community beyond school building walls.
- Students still select exploratory classes and have the option of music and band (for example).
In a nutshell, project based learning is an instructional approach that promotes hands-on and real-world application of the concepts that we learn in school. Through the use of individual and collaborative projects of varying lengths and complexities, we integrate the different areas of the curriculum to make it clear to students that what we learn doesn’t just apply to one “subject” and that the importance of understanding the things we explore in school has value in future learning and careers.
The ultimate goal is for each student to develop communication and problem-solving skills, recognize how they learn best, and apply newly learned skills and concepts in situations that will have an impact on and/or connection to our local and world communities.
Our mission at Fox West Academy is to help students identify and strengthen their individual learning styles, develop problem-solving skills, and utilize time management strategies that so that in any situation they will be able to adapt, grow, thrive, and be successful - whether it is in an education setting, future careers, or even in a student's personal life.
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Fox West students of the same grade all take exploratory classes with their HMS peers (of the same grade); however, Fox West students do not stay together as a group during exploratory classes. They may have a few other Fox West Academy students in the same exploratory classes (along with HMS students), but all students from a given grade share exploratory classes for both schools.
For example, during the 3rd and 4th period, all of the 6th graders of both HMS and Fox West Academy go to their exploratory classes. 5 Fox West 6th grade students might have art with 18 or so HMS 6th grade students; 8 Fox West kids might have Spanish with 14 HMS kids during that same hour, etc.
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Questions from our May 31 Fox West Academy Family Meet/Greet |
Please review this document concerning questions that were asked during our Fox West Academy Spring, 2011 Meet and Greet for our students and families. You are welcome to submit your questions or comments by following the link on the left. |
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