YEah! Longleaf Arts Charter got a location downtown! (Raleigh, Garner: 2015, how much)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Although it is only likely to be good for one year. (the year my dd will still be in middle school) Then they will have to expand or relocate. I'm starting to hope they will end up in Garner the following year because although that is not very convenient for me, it will be even more inconvenient for a lot of other people than downtown Raleigh, thus increasing my own child's chances for 2014-2015.
This is shaping up to be an interesting opportunity, especially for those who would like a seat at Enloe but can't get one.
I saw this yesterday, and am SO excited! Can't wait for applications in March, dd is thrilled at the location (and she noted that she could just wait for me to pick her up after school at Benelux Cafe in city market, she'd be more than happy to wait there for me...they have great coffee!). I'm just hoping that they'll be able to have at least one info session that's NOT on a Monday or Tuesday, because we have music obligations those nights. But, when it gets down to it, even if we don't make it to an info session, we will still apply, because, after reading the charter application, I really like the philosophy and plans.
So excited about this school! Would have preferred the Garner location, and it sounds like that is still a possibility next year, but literally the new location is only 10 more minutes into Raleigh. No biggie. We have met with some of the organizers and was very impressed with them and their vision. We are a visual arts kind of family and are so excited about this opportunity. Now we just have to win the student lottery to get in.
Does anyone have any feedback on how things went this year? My dd is doing a shadow in the spring. I'm curious if expectations were met and if people are happy with the teaching staff and leadership.
Love, love, LOVE the school. The combination of art into every aspect of the curriculum has been a game changer for us. My daughter goes there and she absolutely loves it. She has always been more of a "B or C" in the grades type-of-student at Dillard. It has really helped a lot with having a child that is more left-brained. Having that as part of the curriculum has kept her attention. her grades are up and there is never a fight to do homework and the like. All positives.
Also, the teachers all seem quite open to talking with parents.
The only negative is the pick up and drop off. There just is not much room on the street and too many parents just don't seem to understand how to pick up their kids in spite of the school explaining it multiple times. This is not the schools fault, it's parents that can't follow instruction.
Shadowing day is a great idea. It's a fun school and hopefully you and your child like it also.
Love, love, LOVE the school. The combination of art into every aspect of the curriculum has been a game changer for us. My daughter goes there and she absolutely loves it. She has always been more of a "B or C" in the grades type-of-student at Dillard. So far regardless of the class, my daughter has been able to complete art projects related to the subject. It has really helped a lot with having a child that is more left-brained. having that as part of the curriculum has kept her attention.
Also, the teachers all seem quite open to talking with parents.
The only negative is the pick up and drop off. There just is not much room on the street and too many parents just don't seem to understand how to pick up their kids in spite of the school explaining it multiple times. This is not the schools fault, it's parents that can't follow instruction.
Shadowing day is a great idea. It's a fun school and hopefully you and your child like it also.
Thank you for the response. Is the drawing a requirement? My daughter is a music/theatre person and NOT gifted in visual arts at all. She can draw stick figures and hates it when teachers expect drawings or visual presentations except if they are able to use technology such as a Powerpoint presentation or a video. She would be extremely frustrated in a school where drawing was a large part of the curriculum in core classes. Does this only apply to kids whose focus is visual arts?
Hi Peggoty,
My daughter is also shadowing in the spring with the hopes of attending next year. I've visited since school started and I would not say that drawing is a part of the core curriculum at all. For example, in one class students were making posters, some were beautifully illustrated and some were not, but that was not a requirement of the project and I can't imagine that visual presentation in a core class would ever be more important than the content. There are lots of ways to visually present things other than drawing.
I would say the drawback of the school actually is the lack of technology. They have one small computer lab but no computers in the classrooms (BYO Tablet), not enough projectors for each class (so doing a powerpoint or video for a project might be problematic). However, they may have addressed that already this year or have plans in place for next year.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
The teachers I met are dedicated and effective. The school was fully enrolled but isn't any longer because the kids who didn't really want to be there or could not behave appropriately have left. They were working hard to meet the needs of all students. I liked it a lot!
Hi Peggoty,
My daughter is also shadowing in the spring with the hopes of attending next year. I've visited since school started and I would not say that drawing is a part of the core curriculum at all. For example, in one class students were making posters, some were beautifully illustrated and some were not, but that was not a requirement of the project and I can't imagine that visual presentation in a core class would ever be more important than the content. There are lots of ways to visually present things other than drawing.
I would say the drawback of the school actually is the lack of technology. They have one small computer lab but no computers in the classrooms (BYO Tablet), not enough projectors for each class (so doing a powerpoint or video for a project might be problematic). However, they may have addressed that already this year or have plans in place for next year.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
The teachers I met are dedicated and effective. The school was fully enrolled but isn't any longer because the kids who didn't really want to be there or could not behave appropriately have left. They were working hard to meet the needs of all students. I liked it a lot!
Sorry did not mean to give the impression that drawing was a requirement. It is not. For our daughter who likes it, she has been allowed to use that strength in visual art's in each of her classes. It has helped to keep her engaged in her classes and that we very much appreciate.
I am unsure about the music and drama side as yet. My son in the 8th grade has shown an aptitude for drama so we will be exploring that more for next year. From what I have heard the kids enjoy the music and drama classes, but we currently do not have a student enrolled in those areas.
Also on the technology side, the students are each issued iPads for classes. So the need for "computers" or visual projectors really are not that big a deal. There are apps that are installed on the student ipads that the teachers use. With the world moving to the cloud and being mobile, Longleaf seems ahead of the game by comparison. We found that in Dillard school "computer classes" were really get-on-the-internet-and-solve-the-puzzles. Or use MSWord to make a book report. They really did not show the kids how to copy files, folder structure, ect. So not sure how much use that class really is for my kids (we are a tech savy family).
I checked with my daughter last night on what she hears the students complain about. Some of the students that do not like the school are ones that do not care for the strict rules. For instance they are very firm on a dress code. Dresses must come below the knee, no saggy pants, etc. Personally I am all for a stricter dress code. On the flip side many of the kids have dyed hair which would be common in an art curriculum based school. Right brained kids are a little more expressive. (Mine has a blue streak in her blond hair). Personally my wife and I very much appreciate the stricter dress code. We felt that at Dillard they were a little slack in that department.
On the downside they have had problems with the wi-fi in the building. They also rely a lot on donations, being a first year school. Not that it is a problem, they just are not going to have the nicest tables, desks, chairs, projectors, etc. But as was mentioned this is their first year and they are ironing out the kinks.
My daughter is happy, and her grades are great. She tackles her homework without any fighting or arguing each night. We could not be more pleased with the school. Anxious to hear how the shadowing day works for your kids. Please report back here!
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I have a rising kindergartener and I'm already interested. ha ha!
