Catalyst Elementary School- Circle Rock：催化剂小学圆的岩石.doc

Catalyst Elementary School- Circle Rock5600 W. Washington Unit 7020 Chicago, IL 60623P: 773.534.6316F: 773.534.6267MissionCatalyst Schools Chicago serve as a catalyst for transforming inner-city communities by developing highly educated, concerned, committed citizens of character who understand their role as agents for change within their communities. Catalyst Schools will transform lives and neighborhoods by providing quality educational opportunities built on commitment, collaboration, and community.Catalyst Schools are Kindergarten through 8th grade elementary schools, in the North Lawndale and Austin neighborhoods. The schools were designed and proposed to CPS by San Miguel Febres Cordero School Inc. (DBA San Miguel Schools Chicago), a not-for-profit, 501 c (3) corporation that currently runs two successful alternative middle schools in Chicago inner-city neighborhoods (Back of the Yards and Austin). These schools were born out of the belief that character, zeal and opportunity, rather than social class or environment, are the determining factors for achieving ones goals in life. A not-for-profit with its own board, Catalyst Schools, through Renaissance 2010, will capture the essence of the actual results that San Miguel has achieved and expand what we offer to a broader community of need.The schools have a small student to teacher ratio of 13 to 1, allowing for plenty of individualized attention and support. We will also collaborate with other organizations inside and outside of the community to ensure that there are options for our graduates at both the high school and post-secondary levels.Catalysts Main Educational Pillars The Catalyst educational model puts into practice advice from solid academic research combined with years of practice in the inner-city communities on the South and West sides of Chicago.Back to the Basics: The educational program is a back to basics approach that focuses heavily on reading and mathematics, while all other basic course subjects such as social studies, language arts, history, and science are also emphasized. During the school day (which runs from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.) students read for 80 minutes a day in the classroom and study math for an additional 80 minutes daily. In a year, students will read on average 100 books - not including textbooks! Students also attend Character Counts classes which focus on personal character and values development.Longer School Day: Students begin their day at 8:00 am and finish at 3:30 p.m. while the mandatory after-school Renaissance program goes from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. The Renaissance program involves children in the arts, athletics, leadership, and other academic pursuits not available during the normal class day.Small by Choice: The fundamental axis of the entire educational enterprise is relationships. Children are known by name, greeted each morning when they enter, and have personal relationships with their teachers. Each child comes to an awareness that the adults in this educational community care about them, their aspirations, and about their families, and neighborhood. Catalyst Schools implements a team teaching approach where for every group of 30 students, 2 certified Master teachers and 1 volunteer aid ensure proper support and supervision. Parental Involvement: The Catalyst educational community includes, in a special and critical way, the students parents or guardians who must sign a parental involvement contract, which commits them to participation through regular and frequent parent/ guardian meetings and helping their child with his or her daily homework. It is important that the school remain small so that real relationships and a learning community can be formed. We work with the students and their parents/guardians to develop each students Personal Goals for Achievement (PGA) - a written document developed by the student, parents and teachers outlining specific milestones that the student will strive to achieve. As equal partners, students, parents, and teachers work in community to ensure that each student meets his/her PGA. Parents sign a Parental Pledge of Support (PPS) acknowledging their valuable roles in helping the student achieve his/her PGA and what steps will be taken to meet this goal.High School Support: The Catalyst staff is committed to seeing every student succeed, in high school and beyond. We work with students beyond their 8th grade graduation so that they achieve at least a 2.75 GPA in, and graduate from, high school. Catalyst Schools is rooted in the philosophy that education is primarily focused in the relationship between teacher and student. Teachers view themselves as models of healthy adulthood for their students. This primary relationship between student and teacher spills into a sense of community in the school. The Catalyst Graduate Support staff is responsible for keeping in touch with Catalyst alumni, serving as mentors, tutors and advisors as they go through their high school years. Our goal is 100% graduation from high school and to get our students to college.Community Involvement: Catalyst Schools is an anchor as well as a change agent in the neighborhood. We reach out to the family of each child to enable them to have the courage and conviction to change where necessary to ensure that their child gets the education they deserve. Through our Community Outreach Programs we build bridges with neighborhood residents and collaborate with other for profit and not-for-profit agencies and institutions that also serve or provide services to the neighborhood community. Typical activities promoted by the Community Outreach Program are: computer literacy classes, job fairs, language and/or immigration classes, social events, sport activities and many more.Catalysts Formula for Success Catalyst was designed following the education model of the San Miguel Schools of Chicago of small classroom sizes, focus on reading and math, and strong parental support and community involvement. The schools - like Catalyst - serve inner-city students and families most in need. San Miguel Schools are located on the South and West Sides, respectively the Back of the Yards and Austin communities. Catalyst Schools will be located in North Lawndale and Austin.After ten years of experience, the educational model has proven phenomenal results:Students have shown tremendous gains in reading and math over the course of two or three years at the San Miguel