Questions and Answers
How much is tuition?
What is a "charter" school?
Who is the sponsor and what is their role?
When will Parnassus Preparatory School open?
What grades will the school serve?
What will the calendar look like?
Where will the school be located?
Will the students wear uniforms?
How will my child transition into Parnassus Prep after having begun
education in a different setting?
Should I be concerned about sending my child to a new school?
Will you offer ability grouping?
Will
Is student achievement tested and measured like other public schools?
How are the teachers and administration at a charter school hired?
Will Parnassus Prep offer athletics and extracurricular activities?
What will parent involvement consist of?
How will Parnassus Prep attend to the needs of “Gifted” Children?
Is Parnassus Prep the right choice for my child?
What languages will you offer?
Will there be a hot lunch program?
What about transportation to and from school? Is bussing available?
What makes Parnassus Prep stand out?
I've heard Parnassus Prep will be challenging. How challenging will the
school be?
What do I do to enroll my child at
How do I find out more about
How would you recommend I find out more about classical education?
How much is the tuition?
Although the programs at
What is a "charter" school?
Charter Schools are schools of choice. Charters are independent,
tuition free public schools, started and operated by teachers, parents
and/or community members who are elected to a board of directors. They are
funded by state and federal dollars, often supplemented by grants and
donations. Charter Schools are mandated to follow all State and
Federal Education Laws, and employ licensed teachers. Charter Schools are
accountable to the Commissioner of Education and their authorizer for academic,
non-academic, and financial goals yearly. The very first
Who is the authorizer and what is their role?
We have applied for sponsorship with Friends of Education and have been
approved. They are a
nonprofit organization that was formed in 1999 and currently work with 18 charter
schools. Minnesota
law, like that of other states, includes a requirement that, for chartered
schools to open, they must be granted a charter by an entity referred to as
the "authorizer." The authorizer has key roles
throughout the development, implementation and evaluation of the schools it
oversees. Key responsibilities include financial and academic
performance to ensure compliance with the
contract and service agreement as provided for in state law and determine
whether or not to renew the charter based on the results achieved by the
school.
When will
The school will
open fall of 2011.
What grades will the school serve?
Our school will be licensed for a K-12 charter proposing grades K-8
initially, depending on enrollment. One additional grade will be added each year through the 12th
grade.
What will the school calendar look like?
We will follow a fairly traditional school year with a slightly longer day
and more days in school than the traditional district schools.
Where is the school going to be located?
Finding a facility is one of the biggest challenges charter schools face.
We will seek the best facility possible that will meet our immediate and
long-term needs. The NW Metro area is our target. This could
include
Will the students wear uniforms?
Yes. Parnassus seeks to free students from peer pressure and
economic barriers by focusing students’ attention on their work at school
rather than their attire. We believe that uniforms present a
school community which is neat in appearance, reflecting the important
nature of our school. Uniforms also promote a better work ethic,
scholarly attitude, and serve as a tool of character development because
studies show that schools with uniforms have fewer discipline problems and
higher academic performance.
How will my child transition into Parnassus after having begun
education in a different setting?
Everything possible will be considered when helping new students adjust both
academically and socially to Parnassus. During our inaugural year
all the students will be new. At other classical charter schools,
children from many different school backgrounds - home, public and private -
have successfully transitioned into the program. And, it's never too
late to start your child in a classical education. Tutoring will be
available to assist incoming students and may be offered during summer as
well as the school year to strengthen necessary skills.
Should I be concerned about sending my child to a new school?
Although
Will you offer ability grouping?
Ability grouping will be utilized in some subjects to ensure that all
students who attend are being appropriately challenged. These
groupings will be flexible and students will be evaluated frequently,
especially in the early years when academic development is most likely to be
asynchronous.
Will
Yes, yes, and yes! These subjects play an important role in our
classical curriculum. Physical education will support that a healthy
body promotes a healthy mind. Students will be taught the importance of
physical fitness and encouraged to take interest and become competent in
sports which can be lifelong activities. Both applied music and art
will be included and will have focused instruction at all grade levels, as
well as music and art history and appreciation, too. Knowledge and
familiarity of these subjects are part of being an educated person and will
establish a foundation for lifelong enjoyment of them.
Is student achievement tested and measured like other public schools?
Yes, our students will take all state-mandated standardized tests.
How are the teachers and administration at a charter school hired?
Local and national searches will be conducted to attract teachers and
administration who align with our mission, vision, and educational
philosophies, have the expertise required and a love for teaching. All
staff will hold appropriate licensure and bring a wide range of strengths to
share with each other and the students and their families. Programs in
a classical school particularly call for exceptional teaching
staff that are experts in the subject areas they teach. Teacher
training by our school will also be conducted for everyone hired and on an
ongoing basis.
Will Parnassus offer athletics and extracurricular activities?
Absolutely! We value athletics and hobbies as much as academics and
the fine arts. They are integral to developing leisure endeavors that
will span a lifetime. We strongly believe that a well-rounded,
educated person must be healthy in both mind and body. Parents
and students during the early years of our school will be very influential
in forming such activities by sharing their talents and interests.
Programs we envision may be in either lower or upper grades or both and may
even be requirements or offered as electives within the curriculum.
Some possibilities are taekwondo, fencing, tennis, golf, cross-country, soccer,
basketball, flag football, volleyball, archery, orchestra, band, choir,
drama, chess and poetry clubs, student newspaper, Roundtable (student
council), and debate. Sports and clubs give substantial
opportunities to develop skills, character and sportsmanship and assist
students in becoming models of virtuous leadership.
What will parent involvement consist of?
Because of the value the Parnassus Preparatory School Board and faculty
place on parental involvement, and due to the limited funding provided to
charter schools, we cannot emphasize enough how imperative it is that every
parent commit to volunteering: parental involvement is paramount to the
success of Parnassus. We believe that parents are the primary educators
of their children and always welcome them in any capacity at the school.
Parents will be expected to volunteer at least 20 hours per year in direct
service to the school, will be expected to attend and participate in school
events, and will be expected to support the school’s programs at home,
including homework and community service activities. Parents will
be encouraged to create "classical homes" where reading high
quality literature, creative playtime, parental interaction, listening to a
wide variety of music, (especially classical!) and observation of the world
around us is fostered, while too much time spent watching television or
playing video/computer games is discouraged. Teachers will be instructed to
respect family time and assign only relevant and necessary homework to
achieve academic success and in keeping with the grade level guidelines.
We hope that parents will consider themselves as learners, for their own
sakes and as examples for their children, and will initiate and readily
participate in parent-led discussion groups, book groups, self-study groups,
etc. and outreach programs such as English language lessons for those who
have another primary language.
How will Parnassus attend to the needs of “Gifted” Children?
A classical education is appropriate for any student and certainly for
academically gifted students. It can provide the depth and challenge that
gifted students crave. It guards against too narrow a focus too early on and
helps gifted students become intellectually well rounded. As with most
curricula,
modifications for moderately to highly gifted students have to do primarily
with pace in the earlier years and depth in the later years.
Is Parnassus the right choice for my child?
We anticipate that parents will choose our preparatory school for a variety
of reasons– such as the fun yet structured environment, high academic
standards, moral character values, etc.; however, no school is right for
every family. Here are some questions for prospective families to ask
themselves: Is a rigorous and challenging environment what you are
looking for your child/children? Does your family love learning, enjoy classical
literature, original source and high-quality books? (You won’t find
“Goosebumps series” here!) . Are you interested in providing
the best Math and Science programs available in the world to your
child/children? Do you value a broad-based
liberal arts education that provides the knowledge, the understanding, and
the wisdom as tools of learning? Do you value high standards and
character building?
Parnassus upholds a standard of work that requires a little more of
parents and students than most mainstream schools. Even many private schools
do not rise to the standards of even two or three generations ago, or the
standards in most other developed countries today. A few families may
find it difficult to trade-off some recreational or entertainment time to
focus on academics, but don’t misunderstand our work ethic. We do
not desire or expect children to work excessively as children certainly need
time to play. For this reason Parnassus has guidelines for
homework. What we want is for families to discover that their children
thrive in our environment and become very engaged in learning because they enjoy
the curriculum and enjoy being challenged.
If you are serious about finding a school that will partner with you
in preparing your child for life then you should consider
What languages will you offer?
Parnassus plans to instruct students in Spanish, Latin and Greek as
part of our classical curriculum. During the high school years we will
offer additional languages as electives, such as French or German.
Students will also have the option to continue with advanced studies in
Spanish, Latin or Greek.
Will there be a hot lunch program?
We want to offer a hot lunch program and a breakfast option for families who
desire it. Ultimately our program options will depend on volunteers
and the facility. Possibilities include working with caterers who
provide meals that meet USDA Child Nutrition requirements.
What about transportation to and from school? Is bussing available?
All public schools, including charters, are responsible by law for
transporting students within their district. This being said, there
are generally three options for student transportation: use the
district bussing, contract with a bus company, or find an alternative method
such as carpooling that is acceptable to every family. One new
charter school recently asked parents to participate in a voluntary
transportation waiver for their first year and obtained 100% participation
in the initiative. This allowed them to put more than $150,000 back
into the classroom for students' curricular materials. Bussing is
definitely an option, however, doing so can cost a considerable amount and
it can also give control of our school hours to the bussing authorities.
Some schools find that more autonomous options serve their families better.
Parnassus will likely draw students from near and far and we will work
with families to find a solution acceptable to everyone.
What makes Parnassus stand out?
What makes
I've heard Parnassus will be challenging. How challenging will the
school be?
Not nearly as difficult as the schools our founding fathers or even our
grandparents went to, but more challenging than most mainstream public
schools today. Our
workload is in line with hundreds of other classical schools and preparatory
schools across the country. Our students work harder and advance more
quickly. We do this for two
reasons: we believe children are capable of it and desire to learn and
think, and we also believe children should be prepared well to cope with
whatever life brings. More rigor now will prepare students to weather the
future and classical education has proven its worth for centuries.
What do I do to enroll my child at
Open enrollment dates for 2011-2012 will be determined and communicated, but
it will most likely take place during January 2011. The State of
How do I find out more about
We encourage you to attend information meetings and visit our website.
Dates, times and locations for information meetings will also be posted on
our website.
How would you recommend I find out more about classical education?
For starters, we suggest families read the essay by Dorothy Sayers entitled The Lost Tools of Learning. There are many different links to her
essay, we have included one of them here.
We highly recommend the following books
that have been very influential in the shaping of Parnassus Preparatory
School:
The Well Trained Mind
by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer;
Classical Education: The movement sweeping America by Gene Edward Veith
and Andrew Kern;
Climbing
Parnassus: A New Apologia for Greek and Latin by Tracy Lee Simmons.
Every organization needs some business management understanding. There are
millions of books on business administration, we've listed two below:
Built to
Last: Successful habits of visionary companies by James C. Collins and
Jerry I. Porras
Obsessions
of an Extraordinary Executive by Patrick Lencioni