Looking for Something Different for Your Child's Public School Education?

Madison Metropolitan School District's

pen lassroom rogram

Lincoln Elementary School
909 Sequoia Trail
Madison, WI 53713
(608) 204-4900

Important Dates, Admissions information and application: see below.

The wonderful photographs of Open Classroom children were taken by Gigi Miller. Click on any photo for a full size image.

Lisa Stein, Shannon Stetter, Carolyn Konkol Individual Open Classroom Sites

Is the Open Classroom Right For Your Family?

Do you value an exploration-based approach to learning?

         

Do you enjoy being involved in your child's learning?

List of Open Classroom Website Topics

Open Classroom Mission
Description
Family Involvement
Open Classroom Community Council
Admissions
Application

Links

Open Classroom Community Council (under development)
Midvale-Lincoln Elementary School School Home Page
Translations In Spanish and Hmong (under developement)

Open Classroom Mission

The Mission of the Open Classroom Community is to offer multi-age learning environments with partnerships among teachers, students, and parents,
while providing continuity in learning and teaching.

We believe:
Optimal learning occurs in nurturing environments that foster self-esteem, risktaking and decision making.
Learning includes the social, emotional, and intellectual development of the child.
Students learn best when curriculum is developmental and integrated with instruction that accommodates individual differences.
Academic excellence is increased through inquiry-based projects, student exploration and self-discovery.
Multi-year relationships create a cohesive family atmosphere in which every student is an expert and learns from others.

Description

The Open Classroom at Lincoln, a 'school-within-a-school', is the only alternative elementary program offered to MMSD families.

It has a long history dating back to 1976, when "Open Classroom" was the current innovation and was housed at Longfellow School.

Today, there are still some of the same components of the program that distinguish it from traditional instructional models.

The Open Classroom Community consists of a culturally, racially diverse K-5, multi-age, educational program consisting of three classrooms which emphasize inquiry, experiential, project-based learning.

Students engage in academically rigorous exploration and discovery of theme-based subject matter.

Collaborating on projects, students develop skills in teamwork, conflict resolution, self-reflection and taking multiple perspectives.

Does your child enjoy interacting with children and adults of all ages and backgrounds?

         

In the Open Classroom children...
Know everyone in all three classrooms by the end of the first year of attendance.
Transition smoothly from one grade to the next, because they already know the teacher and the teacher knows them.
Teach and learn from each other through the Math and Reading Buddies program and project collaboration.
Learn how to think critically and become risk takers.
Benefit from teacher collaboration on student assessment, projects and shared materials.
Develop a combination of intellectual and interpersonal skills that form a solid foundation for future learning and living.
Enhance acceptance and capacity for working with people who are different from them.

Family Involvement

Another important component to the program is the strong partnership among students, parents and teachers.

Families who enter the Open Classroom join an enthusiastic and supportive community. The Open Classroom thrives, and relies on, its families' diverse knowledge and personalities.

Parents, siblings, aunts, grandparents, mentors, close friends - all are welcome and choose how to participate.

Volunteers are in the classrooms, at potlucks, providing resources and expertise to support instruction, and tromping around the city on field trips.

By sharing some of their time and resources, Open Classroom families enjoy the satisfaction of having helped to mold their children's learning experiences.

Open Classroom Community Council

Mission:        Our aim is to support teaching and learning in the Open Classroom.

Goals:        Through our efforts we hope to...

                     Provide a structure to enable the diverse Open Classroom parents to be meaningfully involved in the Open Classroom instructional, administrative, and social activities.

                     Create deeper community ties within the Open Classroom and at Lincoln Elementary

                     Advocate for the Open Classroom whenever needed

Everyone in the Open Classroom Community is welcomed to come to the monthly meetings, from 6 - 7:30 p.m., with childcare provided. Each meeting is a working meeting and devoted to supporting the Open Classroom in the areas of Instruction, Administration, Community, and Advocacy.

Teaching and Learning in the Open Classroom

Admissions

The Open Classroom is a Madison Metropolitan School District program and is free to all students who reside in the district. Interested parents should contact Lincoln Elementary School for an application. Deadline for applications is in April for the upcoming school year. If applications exceed vacancies, twenty students per classroom, a lottery will be used for selection of new students.

Please take some time to learn about the Open Classroom in order to ensure that it is the right match for your child. Read the information in this web site, talk to an Open Classroom teacher or parent or come in for a visit. Also, please note that if you do not live in the Midvale-Lincoln attendance area, you will be responsible for transporting your child to school.

For more information or to set up a visit: Open Classroom teachers:

Carolyn Konkol, K-1; Shannon Stetter, 2-3; Lisa Stein, 4-5, at (608)204-4900.

Important Dates For Applying for the School Year 2005-2006

Open Classroom Application due by April 1, 2005

All children new to the district must register and go through screening process at their home schools before school begins in the fall.

Lottery completed and returned to staff, April 5-7, 2005

Letter sent to current OC Families confirming return and placement, April 6-11, 2005 (included in 3rd quarter report cards)

Parents are sent selected or non-selected letters, April 8, 2005

Deadline for confirmation of returning students, April 15, 2005

Selected OC families must confirm acceptance by April 20, 2005

Open Classroom Enrollment Application

Child's Last Name: _______________________________________________

Child's First Name: _______________________________________________________________

Child's Middle Name: ______________________________________________________________

Date of Birth: ___________________________________________________________________

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): ____________________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: ___________________________________________________________________

Home Phone: ____________________________________________________________________

Email:__________________________________________________________________________

Neighborhood School: _____________________________________________________________

Current School and grade: __________________________________________________________________

Is a sibling of this child currently in the Open Classroom Program?_______Yes _________No

How did you learn about the Open Classroom Program?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature:

________________________________________________________________________________________________