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Magnet and charter schools hosting open houses for 2013-14
The metro area’s magnet and charter schools are beginning to host open houses for prospective students for 2013-14. Below is a round-up of the information I could find. If you know of other open houses taking place, please post them in comments.
You can find links to any of the schools listed here by visiting the appropriate county page under “Gifted Ed in Local Schools” on this site.
CLAYTON
Lovejoy High School – International Baccalaureate. Open houses will take place Nov. 13 and 14 at 6:30 p.m. for eligible 8th-grade students.
Fine Arts Magnet High School. Auditions in January. You must submit paperwork to the school by Dec. 16.
COBB
Campbell High School – International Baccalaureate. Open house Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Applications are due Dec. 7.
Kennesaw Mountain High School – Academy of Math, Science and Technology. Open house Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. Application deadline Dec. 7.
South Cobb High School – Academy of Research and Medical Sciences. Open house Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. Application deadline Dec. 7.
Wheeler High School – Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Math and Technology. Open house Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.
Pebblebrook High School – Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts. Auditions will be held in spring semester; arrange at your convenience.
DEKALB
DeKalb School of the Arts. Audition / admissions information will be posted online in January.
FULTON
Riverwood International Charter School. Prospective parent tours Nov. 9, Dec. 7 and Jan. 18, all at 9 a.m. Applications will be available in November and due Jan. 31.
North Springs Charter High School. Open houses Nov. 4, 2-5 p.m., Nov. 8 at 1:15, Dec. 7 at 9 a.m., Dec. 13 at 1:15, Jan. 11 at 9 a.m., Jan 17 at 1:15 p.m.
Westlake High School – Math and Science Magnet. Open house Nov. 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Tri-Cities High School – Visual and Performing Arts magnet. Auditions in February. Applications available now. Tours by appointment.
GWINNETT
Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology. Open houses Nov. 13, Dec. 13 and Jan. 15, all at 7 p.m. Open houses are organized by your home high-school cluster, and ideally you go to the one for your cluster, but you can attend any session. Registration packet will be available Nov. 1.
Could conversion to charter system affect gifted services in Fulton County?
A reader recently wrote to me with concerns about Fulton County Schools potentially becoming a charter system. The Charter System Concept Summary presented by the school system shows that under a charter model, local schools could “restructure” the current Talented and Gifted (TAG) model. This reader wondered whether eligibility criteria would change, whether TAG would continue to be offered as a full-day, pull-out class, and even whether schools could opt out of TAG altogether.
I checked in with my sources, and I’m told that state law requires all school systems — even charter systems — to provide gifted education, and the state sets the eligibility criteria for gifted services. However, local schools within a charter system could change the delivery model for gifted services, if they applied for and were granted the flexibility to do so. What exactly they could do in terms of “restructuring” isn’t clear.
Bottom line, if you’re concerned about the TAG program under a charter model, consider attending one of FCS’s three Charter System Town Hall Meetings being held this week:
- Monday, Oct. 3, at Milton Center
- Wednesday, Oct. 5, at Lake Forrest Elementary School
- Thursday, Oct. 6, at Westlake High School
All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.
Magnet school application calendar for Fulton County
It’s open season to apply for magnet schools in Fulton County, although deadlines are fast approaching. Here’s a quick roundup of the application calendar:
Tri-Cities High School – visual and performing arts magnet. Auditions will be held Feb. 12 and 26. The school will host a parent information night this Thursday, Jan. 27. Applications are due by March 3. Open to Fulton County residents only.
Westlake High School – science magnet. Application deadline is Feb. 10. Open to Fulton County residents only.
Riverwood Charter High School – magnet in international studies; also offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Accepting applications through Jan. 31. Open to Fulton County residents. Although Riverwood has accepted students from outside the county in the past, the school has announced it will not have enough space to take non-residents for the 2011-12 academic year.
North Springs Charter High School – magnet in math/science and visual/performing arts. Applications due Feb. 1. Open to Fulton County residents and residents of other counties. Non-residents must reimburse the school for the cost of attendance. The cost is likely to be between $6,000 and $7,000 per year.
Applications are available at the web site for each school. You can find links to all of these schools on the Fulton County Schools page of this site.
Open house Sunday at North Springs High School
This Sunday, you can get a closer look at North Springs High School — part of the Fulton County School system, but certainly not your average high school, and not just for Fulton County residents.
North Springs is a charter school that is a magnet school in both the arts (visual and performing) and sciences. Located in Sandy Springs, it is open to students from anywhere in Fulton County, with some restrictions (see their admissions page to get the whole picture). Students who live outside Fulton County may also attend North Springs if space is available, although these families must pay to attend. (For 2009-10, the fee was $6,300.)
The school will host an open house on Jan. 9 from 2-5 p.m. The school principal, teachers and students will be on campus to meet prospective families. Call 770-551-2490 for more details.
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