Public Elementary school or Charter school recommendations, please (Portland, Sunnyside: home, transfer)

[CantStandTheHeat]

My eldest currently attends an amazing charter school that we waited two years to get her in to. It is the highest ranked charter in the whole state. Her teachers are amazing and the parent involvement is phenomenal. One of the best features of this school is that the teachers are not required to give a specific amount of homework to kids. They are able to assign work as needed. The school has a science-based curriculum and a unique approach to learning modules. Every quarter the class shifts focus to a new topic and each academic and artistic activity is interrelated as much as possible. For example, when studying about chemistry the kids made foods in class, such as cookies, and discussed the chemicals involved in helping the cookies rise, the role of heat in the process, etc. They wrote short stories related to their experiences and at the end of the quarter had a fair during which they sold cookbooks compiled by the class to raise money for more classroom activities and a party. Art and music were also incorporated. In this way they learned music, artistic techniques (chromatography pictures), scientific method, reading, mathematics, history and social context. And this is second grade! Awesome! Even more awesome, because the very hands-on approach keeps the kids engaged and improves retention of what they have learned. My daughter comes home excited to tell me about what she did at school. A 180 degree difference from her two years in a public school, even though her elementary school had an A+ ranking (based on those darned tests).

I have tried googling Portland Charter schools and I have looked at Portland's charter school lists as well as GreatSchools. I did not find these sites to be very helpful or illuminating. There are over 100 recommendations for my child's current school on GreatSchools, but I only came across 3 Portland charter schools on that site. Does this mean the charter system there is not very good? The only charter I found that looked decent was a Waldorf based school.

Are there any schools that might compare to this methodology in the Portland area? Your insight is really appreciated! Please, only public or charter recommendations. There is no possible way we could pay for private. Thanks!

[Yankeemama]

Check out Odyssey School which is a charter school. Charter schools here are basically public but not neighborhood schools. We have magnet schools, foreign language immersion schools and art focused schools. There is a transfer program where you can check out schools in February, I think, then you can apply to different schools outside of your neighborhood school. I love my kids' neighborhood school and I feel that it is competitive with private schools in the area. Close-in schools in Portland usually have foundations which pay for art, P.E., and music teachers so I recommend checking out close-in schools. My kids are in a great learning environment. The parents in this area are very involved and seem to value education and a sense of community. Buckman Elementary is art focused, Odyssey Charter is history based, Richmond( double check this name) in Woodstock neighborhood is Japanese Immersion, Sunnyside Environmental is highly regarded. Do research and I think you will find something that works fir your family.

[ahoffelt]

This link on the Portland Public website has a list of all of the charter schools. Overall, the charter schools offered in Portland vary in quality. I agree with the previous poster about Odyssey and Sunnyside Environmental.

Charter Schools - Education Options - Portland Public Schools