Updates from Hale Cook - Clarification on Enrollment

Enrollment Numbers Clarified - Pre-K Counts toward the Target of 350 Students to open in 2011 

There was some confusion on Sunday as to why the Pre-K registrations were not being counted towards the numbers needed to reopen Hale Cook Elementary School. The Steering Committee has clarified that ALL students (Pre-K through 6th Grade) will count towards the critical mass needed to open the school is 2011. This is great news - and means the school can take a variety of forms in its first year - whether or not we fill all grades, we are prepared to open our doors if we have enough students enrolled. Please be sure to pass this information on to your neighbors, particularly those who might be on a waiting list somewhere else - we are ready and look forward to the last few weeks to push enrollment towards our target.

Who's behind Hale Cook?

Meghan Flavin of the Steering Committee has committed hours of personal time to promote Hale Cook and create fun activities for your children.

We've also had a lot of questions about who started the initiative to reopen Hale Cook - and we're proud to tell you that this effort has come from your own neighbors and community! The Steering Committee is made up of dedicated, unpaid volunteers both with children and without who are interested in making Hale Cook Elementary a successful neighborhood school. While we have worked with the School Board and will be coordinating more closely with the School District, we are working on your behalf to ensure the needs of our community are met with a sustainable and academically successful neighborhood school.

This is also why we invite you to bring your questions, concerns, ideas to our attention - we want to ensure your feedback is heard and that you feel part of this effort. We have started a blog to create a dialogue with you, we've been taking your emails and phone calls, and even chat on Facebook! We've really enjoyed hearing from you and keep the great ideas coming!

And what about the school boundaries? Located near the south end of the KCMO School District, the boundaries may still be a work in progress - so keep applying! We know that there is a lot of interest from parents who live just over the proposed school boundaries. As we have said, even if you don't live in the specified boundaries (Brush Creek to Holmes to 75th Street to State Line), we are still encouraging you to apply. Why? Because the boundaries have been drawn so Hale Cook will not take students away from other schools but they might not fully reflect the neighborhood as we all understand it. We have seen, however, that the School District has been willing to work and support this effort and your interest (an enrollment form) will make a good case for reconsideration of how the neighborhood is defined. There is no busing for this school so we want to encourage an environment where students could potentially walk to school and participate in a full extra-curricular environment. In short: if you want your children to  attend Hale Cook, send in your enrollment form and the School District will consider each application.

What happens in 2012? If we don't make our enrollment target for Fall 2011 (but we remain optimistic), we are committed to continuing this effort and will work to open the school in the Fall 2012. We are preparing to engage more volunteers in our efforts as we acknowledge that community involvement will make Hale Cook Elementary a success in its first year and beyond. The Steering Committee has heard some great ideas for events, community participation, activities on the campus, partnerships for programming, fundraisers, etc. and we look forward to a kick-off meeting in April 2011 to reorganize and include you and your ideas in this exciting effort moving forward.

Tell us more about Standards-Based Curriculum  The school will be based on the successful standards-based curriculum model which has been piloted with great feedback in five KCMO public schools and elsewhere in the country. We are posting some case studies and more information on the blog about standards-based curriculum for your reference.

Pass it on - enrollment is open! Submit an application today. Complete an enrollment form on our website for both the tuition-based Pre-K and elementary program which is due March 31, 2011.  We have 45 confirmed applicants and continue to receive more enrollment forms daily (including several on Sunday!). With waiting lists from other schools becoming available, we encourage you to invite your neighbors to consider Hale Cook as a great public school option for 2011. The Pre-K program is a great way to prepare your 3 and 4 year olds for school through cognitive development, communication skills, and early learning.

Hale Cook to march in the Brookside St. Patty's Parade!

Come cheer us on as we show our Hale Cook Eagle spirit in the 2011 Brookside 31st Annual St. Patrick's Warm-Up Parade on Saturday, March 12 at 2pm. Parents and students who have enrolled are invited to join us - please let us know if you are planning to come as there are only 15 spots left! Come show your school spirit and join Hale Cook as we march through the neighborhood.