Thursday, Jun. 19, 2008

Image School at North Manatee

Imagine your child excited about going to school and coming home full of happy chatter about what he learned every day!
That's the experience of parents whose children attend Imagine School at North Manatee. Imagine is a charter school, a public school that's privately run so parents and teachers can have a more active role in the quality of education. Imagine Schools now number 20 in Florida, 50 nationwide. Their students think of school as fun which greatly enhances both learning and life skills.
Their secret? Project CHILD, says Principal Christy Catlin, pictured above. The letters stand for Changing How Instruction for Learning is Delivered.
How does it work? Three grade levels form a cluster for instruction in the core subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics. Each classroom in the cluster has learning stations, equipped with learning materials including computers, where students work as partners and teams. Cluster teachers each teach their specialty, such as mathematics, and stay in the same cluster, so a child has the same teacher for the same subject for three years. Project CHILD builds relationships, says Christy. The teacher knows each child's weaknesses and strengths and can tailor the child's education individually.
The results are incredible in attitude, learning, motivation, behavior, and self-esteem.
Right now the two-year-old school teaches preschool through 5th grade in temporary quarters next to the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. But in another year they'll be moving to Artisan Lakes, a new subdivision being built on Moccasin Wallow Road, and will work to expand to 8th grade.
Our school has a very positive impact on the community, says Christy, a Florida native with 10 years experience in charter school administration, with a choice in education and children being successful in school.

Resources:
Image School at North Manatee
941-723-1205