The charter middle school slated to open in September 2014 now has a new name.  It's the Oredocker Project School.  Love it?  Hate it?  Let us know.

One of the most important parts of the planning year is visiting other schools to see how they do things.  On October 2nd, four AMS teachers, including Charter Grant Coordinator Leo Filipczak, visited TAGOS Leadership Academy in Janesville.  Charter Council member, Ann Bochler, accompanied the teachers.  The Middle School Planning Grant paid for the entire trip, including the substitute teachers.

TAGOS is a fully Project-Based school for grades 7 through 12.  Almost all projects are designed and initiated by the students themselves.  TAGOS has double the rate of students with disabilities compared with the rest of the Janesville district, and many of its students struggled with grades and truancy in the traditional setting before they came to the charter school.

We were very impressed with TAGOS.  Students were empowered in their own education, they were highly motivated, and willingly spoke to us in detail about their projects with outstanding communication skills.  The charter middle school will borrow ideas from many schools, and TAGOS will certainly be one to imitate.  To learn more, visit http://www.tagosleadershipacademy.org/.