Students and parents in Framingham, Ashland, Natick, Marlborough, Hudson, Sudbury and the surrounding towns of MetroWest haven't had many choices when it came to their 6th and 7th grade education. But that's all changed with the opening of the Advanced Math and Science Academy charter school (AMSAcs)http://www.amsacs.org/ in Marlborough, MA slated to open this coming September.
(PRWEB) February 2, 2005 -- "There are numerous options for private schools in the elementary years," said Jill Whalen, an Ashland mom of three who plans to send her son to AMSAcs this fall. "Unfortunately, for the middle school grades, it has been difficult to find a school that we felt would provide the best possible education for him." Whalen's son Timmy, currently a 6th grader at the private Pincushion Hill Montessori School http://www.pincushion.com/ in Ashland, was in the 99th percentile overall on a recent standardized California Achievement Test (CAT).
Timmy's dad, Don Whalen, a structural engineer and the in-house counsel for a Cambridge construction company, was searching the Internet one night for a math problem to challenge Timmy with, when he stumbled upon an article about AMSAcs. The next day he called Dr. Julia Sigalovsky, Lead Founder/Executive Director, to learn more about the school in order to see if it might be a good fit for their family's needs. Sigalovsky told him of her plans for the school, and pointed him to its website: http://www.amsacs.org/ for more information and an application for enrollment.
The Whalens feel strongly that Timmy's private school education has played a large part in his high achievement test scores and overall ability to be an independent thinker, but like many MetroWest private schools, Pincushion doesn't go beyond the 6th grade level. "Knowing this would be Timmy's last year at Pincushion has been somewhat stressful for us, because up until now, we hadn't been able to find a school that we felt would fit all of Timmy's educational and emotional needs. When Don learned about AMSAcs, it was like a dream come true," said Jill. The fact that it was a public charter school that would save them money on a private school, made it all the more appealing to the Whalens.
"The public schools in the area are great" mentioned Jill, whose oldest daughter Corie is graduating from Ashland High School in May. "We just feel that each child is unique and some are a better fit for a traditional public school education than others."
Charter schools are part of the public school system, so there are no fees or academic proficiency requirements needed to attend. Indeed, AMSAcs encourages students of all interests and abilities to apply. The draw of charter schools for families like the Whalens is that the curricula often rival those of a private school, but without the hefty price tag. For instance, tuition for the 2005 - 2006 school year for a 6th or 7th grader at Worcester Academy http://www.worcesteracademy.org/ -- which many Pincushion graduates apply to -- is $17,300.
According to the AMSA Charter, their curriculum will include 11 subjects (not counting Physical Education): Math, Information Technology/Computer Science/Engineering Design (IT/CS/ED), Physics, Chemistry, Biology, World Geography, History, World Literature, English Language, Foreign Language, Arts/Art History. AMSAcs does not use existing curricula for any of the subjects. The curricula in all subjects are unique and teams of professionals -- experts in each subjects field, have developed the outlines.
The Whalens were notified of Timmy's acceptance to AMSAcs on December 31st when the first enrollment cycle was completed. A total of 131 students from 37 towns in the greater MetroWest area and beyond are currently enrolled in AMSAcs 6th and 7th grades. AMSAcs has plans to expand each year, enabling current and future students to continue all the way through 12th grade.
AMSAcs is currently in the final enrollment cycle, and applications must be submitted by 5 PM on March 10, 2005. There is still space available in both 6th and 7th grades, and a good chance that all applications will be accepted. In the event that there are more applications than available spaces, students will be chosen by lottery.
The following is a schedule of public informational meetings being held for anyone interested in learning more about AMSAcs:
02/02/05 Wednesday 6:00 PM Acton Memorial Public Library, 486 Main St. (Rte. 27) in Acton Center
02/07/05 Monday 5:00 PM Framingham Public Library, 49 Lexington Street, Framingham
02/16/05 Wednesday 6:00 PM The Walker Building, 255 Main Street, Marlborough (3rd floor)
02/28/05 Monday 6:00 PM Newton YMCA, 276 Church St, Newton
03/02/05 Wednesday 6:00 PM Clinton Bigelow Public Library, 54 Walnut Street, Clinton, MA
03/03/05 Thursday 6:00 PM Ashland Senior Community Center, 162 West Union Street (Rte 135)
The Academy of Math and Science charter school facility is located off Rte. 495 in Marlborough at 201 Forest Street.
For more information about the school or the application process, please contact Dr. Julia Sigalovsky, Executive Director by phone at: 617-721-0610 or by email at: j.sigalovsky@AMSAcs.org.
AMSAcs is also now hiring teachers for the upcoming school year. If you would like to be a part this unique educational institution of the future, please email your interest and resume to Dr. Sigalovsky at the above email address.
Contact Jill Whalen at: prweb@highrankings.com or 508-309-3037.
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