STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The director of the proposed Staten Island Green Charter School for Environmental Discovery said her school would aim to top the borough in literacy rates, promising 85 percent of students above grade level within two years. Dr. Carol B. Reiss spoke about her school at the Community Education Council 31 meeting tonight during a public hearing...
The former St. Mary School in Rosebank -- which has a coal furnace -- is possible home for Staten Island Green Charter School.Dr. Carol B. Reiss spoke about her school at the Community Education Council 31 meeting tonight during a public hearing on its proposed charter, which is being considered by the State University of New York. The K-8 school is slated to open in 2013, if its charter is approved.
The school seeks to meet its goals through "exploratory community-based learning" focused on the environment -- including solar energy -- and aligned to state and Common Core standards, Dr. Reiss said.
Students would tend an urban farm, and the lunch menu will be vegeterian and gluten-free.
The school's goals would include 85 percent of all students in their second year at the school scoring at or above a Level 3 on the English Language Arts exam -- at or above grade level.
"I know some of you are saying, 'Well, that sounds a little ambitious," Dr. Reiss said. "But we understand how we're teaching. We've developed a curriculum that actually aligns with these measures for all students."
The school will also look to have a greater percentage of students at grade level than the local school district average, and to have at least 20 percent of students hitting the top level, 4, on state exams.
Some members of the CEC seemed skeptical. Vice President Frank Squicciarini said other charter schools had predicted similar outcomes -- and haven't met them.
"What happens when you don't reach that grade, that number?" Squicciarini asked.
But Dr. Reiss insisted they would meet their goals, and had advantages other schools don't -- like starting with the students from when they are very young, as opposed to schools that start at grade six.
"We have to do it, or we will not stay open," Dr. Reiss said. "If I don't make these metrics, I won't be open in five years."
When asked how the school aimed to perform better than the school district average, Dr. Reiss said they will be able to offer more one-to-one attention to each student.
"We have the opportunity to work more closely with students through the experiential model," she said.
The school doesn't have a physical home yet, Dr. Reiss said, but is considering the former St. Mary School in Rosebank -- a building that would require substantial work to be aligned with the school's green goals, as it is currently coal-powered.In terms of its environmental goals, one lesson plan for young students featured them planting seeds. The lessons incorporate all the subject areas -- so students learn about plants as a science lesson, and counting seeds as a math lesson.
Dr. Reiss said the aim is to give students a specialized focus in the "green economy" through an environmental program "infused with technology and literacy" and with a central focus on math and science.
The school would seek to target some children before they even enter the school -- they are partnering with the Jewish Community Center to offer a privately funded "developmental kindergarten" in Stapleton, for 4-year-olds. Those students wouldn't necessarily be guaranteed a spot at the charter school, to which students are admitted by lottery.
The school will also partner with Columbia University and the College of Staten Island, among other organizations, Dr Reiss said.
The school would target students from Stapleton, New Brighton, Rosebank and the greater North Shore area, but all New York City children can apply.