Students, teachers and administrators are anticipating some big changes and new beginnings at the start of the 2012-13 school year.
However, some schools will face larger transformations than others.
Jonathan Montessori in Chaska moved into its new permanent home at the former St. Andrew West Lutheran Church building on Aug. 20 and held orientation for new children on Aug. 28. The move was prompted by the growth of the World Learner School, which the Montessori helped start in 1995.
Jonathan Montessori is private and serves students from 2-1/2 to 6-1/2 years of age, while World Learner School is a tuition-free charter school that serves students from 6-1/ 2 to 14.
The two schools shared space under one roof on Hundertmark Road just west of Highway 41, but a relocation was necessary for the Montessori to achieve its goals and gain the exposure it desired for the program, said Randi Shapiro, executive director.
?Our new building means having a permanent home for Jonathan Montessori,? she said. ?Our own personality as a school can really flourish and we can begin education much earlier in the community. We are also more accessible now being on the main level.?
Shapiro said the new building is located on 6.5 acres, ?allowing a deeper connection to the natural world.? The building has several windows which allows for observation and exploration. This is important to the school?s philosophy because it wants to inspire children to be good stewards of the earth.
The school is looking forward to working on the second phase of its move. This phase includes adding two classrooms and a courtyard so it can begin its toddler program in fall of 2013, and developing a natural playscape next summer.
?We are looking forward to being together as a school community with more than twice the space we had before,? she said.
Moving from warehouse
Southwest Christian High School has been getting its newly constructed 63,000-square-foot facility ready in recent weeks for its first day of school on Sept. 4. The new campus is located in Chaska, just southeast of Highway 212 and Bavaria Road. The school was previously housed in a converted warehouse on Peavey Road.
According to Sue Beuning, director of admission, the new location will have a positive impact in several ways including state-of-the-art science labs, a music room designed for ?great acoustics,? a media center that offers a quiet study area and flexible meeting space, and a new gymnasium and outdoor fields to support on-site athletic practices and games.
?Bottom line, education is always about whether you have quality teachers. However, it is also true that if classrooms are cramped, too cold or too hot, which was often an issue at ?the warehouse,? or lacking in resources or technology, learning will suffer,? she said. ?The new campus provides lots of classroom space, natural light, and flex spaces for small groups or independent learning.?
Beuning believes students will become more engaged in their learning. The new environment sets a tone of excellence and the students know that hundreds of people ? donors and volunteers ? have given generously so their school is the best it can be, she said.
?Even though our location and building has changed, our foundation remains the same. Our board, staff, and community of families is absolutely committed to honoring God in all we do. Our earnest desire is that the graduates of Southwest Christian High School will be ?lights? in their university settings, workplaces, families, and communities,? she said.
New in District 112
District 112 is seeing some new schools opening and the relocation of others within the district.
La Academia Dual Language Immersion School is opening for the first time this year. The new immersion program is housed in the same building as the district?s Kindergarten Center in Chaska. Between the two entities there will be around 400 to 500 students in the building.
La Academia is starting with kindergarten and first grade sections. As those students progress the district plans to build the program through the fifth grade.
Cathy Gallagher, director of teaching and learning, said La Academia kindergarten and first grade teachers are excited to welcome the families and meet their new students.
?Spanish-English dual immersion is the perfect fit, we know it?s a demand in our community,? she said. ?This model allows us to enrich the language skills of both native English and native Spanish speakers. Learning languages at an early age has life-long benefits. ?
The district also is launching the Integrated Arts Academy, an alternative high school for grades 9-12, in September. The academy will serve district residents as well as open-enrolled students, according to the district?s website.
?We have a talented group of staff who are going to integrate all the graduation requirement into the visual, culinary and horticultural arts curriculum. This is going to be an exciting program and students will even be able to earn some college credit,? said Jackie Johnston, the academy?s principal and community education director.
Each of these curriculum requirements will be supported by partnerships with businesses and agencies connected to them. Free transportation will be available to all residents of District 112.
The Early Childhood and Family Learning Center has moved all of its programs to the ?Green House? wing of the Chaska High School building. The location was changed because the center wanted to house all of its early childhood and family education locations in one place.
Previously, the classes were offered in multiple locations such as the kindergarten center, Bluff Creek Elementary School and the District Education Center. The new location offers 10 classrooms plus teacher office space. About 75 staff will work out of the site and the community education office also has moved there.
?Working in partnership with special education allows the district to provide better aligned services to children before they?re in kindergarten. We look at this as the one-stop shop for everything pre-K,? Johnston said.
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