Hello and Welcome
Three Brainerd Lakes Area residents (Charles McQuinn, Nicole Mills, and Courtney Neifert) began meeting in August 2008 with the common goal of starting a charter school. The Discovery Woods Development Team submitted a proposal to the Minnesota Department of Education in July 2009. It was one of four groups granted approval this year to develop a charter school. Discovery Woods formed a school board and is working to secure facilities, recruit staff (spring-summer) and raise funds. We are looking for community members interested in getting involved in school development by joining a committee. If you are interested in becoming a part of the effort, please let us know by using the link on the right side of this page to fill out a committee application form. Thank you!
Teachers, an Exciting Opportunity
Charter schools offer new career opportunities for teachers and teaching assistants. In Minnesota, at least one teacher employed by the school must hold a charter school board position. This gives the teaching staff power in decision-making and regulation of the school. Lead teachers need a valid Minnesota teaching license and additional Montessori training in order to head a class at Discovery Woods. Each class of 24-26 students will have at least a part-time educational assistant and support for children with special needs.
Montessori classrooms differ from traditional classrooms in many ways. Learning materials are arrayed on the many shelves arranged into curriculum areas of math, geometry, language, geography, science, history, art and music. Small and large tables are used in order to give children the opportunity to work individually or in small groups. Each room also contains a large open carpeted space for the class to use as workspace, and to gather for whole class meetings or lessons. The teacher gives small group lessons and individual help throughout the morning. Meanwhile, students who are not attending a lesson are expected to plan, record, and do their work. Children who need help may ask classmates or the educational assistant when the lead teacher is occupied giving lessons. The environment is dynamic, with a calm hum of activity. Students are allowed to move around the room, socialize, and collaborate to accomplish their work. When children are given some freedom with responsibility, they become more interested and engaged in learning. Because students can move when they are restless, work on the floor or at a table, they are able to achieve greater periods of concentration and attention.
Montessori teachers may spend more time organizing and giving lessons, but less energy disciplining and motivating their students. Children typically spend 2-3 years with the same teacher in the multi-age class, so only a portion of the students will be new each year. This allows teachers to become more familiar with each child’s strengths and weaknesses, and offers stability from year to year when the majority of the students are returning to the same room and routine.
We are looking for teachers and assistants with these qualities:
- Previous experience working with children
- Interest in the Montessori Method
- Enthusiasm
- Dedication
- Flexibility
- Good organizational skills
Educational requirements for lead teachers:
- Minnesota teaching license
- Desire to become Montessori certified at St. Catherine’s or similar program
Montessori training courses are divided into:
- Early Childhood (preschool-kindergarten)
- Elementary I (grades 1-3)
- Elementary II (grades 4-6)
Look at the St. Kate’s Web site to learn more about their Montessori training.
Please contact us if you would like to learn more about these career opportunities!
Parents, Come See the Difference
The Plan
Discovery Woods will be a small public school serving 76-102 children the first year, and growing to just a couple hundred students as demand increases. We plan to enroll students in kindergarten through 5th grade in 2010. The following year, 6th graders could attend. We hope to add a 7th and 8th grade five years later. Classes will contain 2-3 grades combined until we grow into the ideal Montessori groupings of: Early Childhood-Kindergarten (Children’s House), 1st-3rd grades (Elementary I), 4th-6th grade (Elementary II) and 7th & 8th grade (Junior High).
A New Kind of School
Montessori classrooms are unique environments filled with beautiful materials built for hands-on learning. Montessori teachers act as partners with their students in multi-age groupings. Each classroom becomes a family-like community that fosters social and academic success, cooperation and respect. Montessori elementary curriculum includes math, geometry, language, geography, science, history, art and music.
Compare the difference between traditional and Montessori classrooms:
| Traditional Classroom | Montessori Environment |
| Single-graded classrooms | Multi-age groupings |
| Whole class instruction | Individual and small group instruction |
| Textbooks, worksheets, blackboard lessons | Specialty multi-sensory materials |
| Students passive, quiet in desks | Students active, engaged in their work, freedom to talk and move |
| Curriculum structured with little regard for child’s interest | Children choose own work from interests and abilities |
| Teacher has dominant role in classroom | Teacher guides students; children are active participants in own learning |
| Instruction pace set by group norm or teacher | Children set own pace to learn information |
| Children guided to concepts by teacher | Children formulate own concepts from self-teaching materials |
| Students leave for special help | Most abilities accommodated in classroom |
| Children expected to go to school to learn district-approved curriculum | Children respected for their intelligence, creativity and imagination |
| Excitement for learning declines each year | Cultivates a love of learning for life |
For more information, visit this Montessori Charter School Web site to see what Discovery Woods hopes to achieve in the near future.
Future Enrollment
Discovery Woods has been provisionally approved to open a charter school by the Minnesota Department of Education. Student admission forms will be made available when the school becomes fully chartered. Enrollment will occur in the late spring to early summer 2010, so please continue to check this website for updates. If the school receives more applications than spots available, names will be drawn randomly by lottery until all grades are filled and a waiting list is generated.
Discovery Woods will be a tuition-free public charter school. It will be open to any and all students, and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, or disability.
Serve as a Board or Committee Member
Discovery Woods School Board
A seven-member charter school board has been appointed to govern Discovery Woods. Founding School Board terms vary from one to three years, enabling 2-3 positions to open for election or re-election every year. Anyone interested in serving on the school board is encouraged write an email, fill out an application, or serve on a committee to get involved before the next election cycle.
Public charter school boards must contain at least one teacher employed by the school, one parent, and one community member (who is not a current parent and has no direct affiliation to the school).
Board Responsibilities
Board members will be responsible for making a wide range of business-related decisions in addition to supporting the mission and vision of the school. Each board member will be expected to serve on one committee. Attendance at two meetings per month will be required; the monthly board meeting and monthly committee meeting. Board members will also be required to take financial and personnel training. Experience serving on a non-profit board or in one of the following areas would be helpful: business management, law, architecture/design, human relations, accounting, fundraising, and education. Most of all, we want school board members to share a passion for the charter school and a willingness to learn.
If you are interested, please fill out our Board Member Application
After you have filled out the application, please also send an email to info@discoverywoods.com to let us know you would like to serve on the school board. Thank you!
Creation of Board Committees
Committees made up of one to two board members and several non-board members will accomplish most of the tasks related to starting the charter school. We are looking for people interested in serving on these committees as non-board members. Committees will be divided into the following groups:
Board and Personnel Development: Board member and school director recruitment, training and evaluation
Resource Development: Determines fund-raising goals and raises money
Facilities: Locates a building for the school, develops a facilities plan
Finance: Creates and follows the school budget, revising as necessary
Curriculum: Develops curriculum, accountability, and assessment goals
Outreach: Takes charge of marketing, forms community partnerships
If you would like to serve on one of these committees, please fill out our Committee Member Application
If you choose to fill out this application, please also send an email to info@discoverywoods.com to let us know you would like to serve on a committee. Thanks!