There’s a new school in town in Brooklyn's Lefferts Gardens area, one that will offer a unique curriculum focusing on experiential learning, Science, and principles of sustainability. By partnering with the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Prospect Park Zoo and Audubon Center at Prospect Park, as well as other organizations, the school will extend the four-walled classrooms to learning opportunities in the out-of-doors and surrounding cultural centers.

Lefferts Gardens Charter School, a new public charter school, is set to open its doors this September, 2010. The K-5 school is opening on the eastern edge of Prospect Park in Brooklyn's community school district 17 (including Prospect Lefferts Gardens and parts of Crown Heights and Flatbush). The school will be located in PS 92, which is on Parkside Ave between Bedford and Rogers Avenues near the park.

“We are keen on establishing a welcoming environment for students and parents,” said School Leader Marc Magnus-Sharpe. “By introducing our curriculum at an early age, we can begin the essential building blocks that are crucial for creating life-long learners.”

LGCS will use an environmental science program to develop academically motivated and civic-minded students to succeed in competitive high school and college programs. LGCS will draw heavily on local resources including the fields and trees, water and wildlife of Prospect Park to create on-site learning opportunities. The school’s board and leadership team lives in and around Lefferts Gardens and is committed to threading together the wealth of programs and cultural traditions of the district, which will be at the heart of this community school.

The school will open with Kindergarten and 1st grade classes. Each class will have 25 students. There will be two teachers per class, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.5:1. The first year, 75 kindergarten students and 75 first graders will be admitted. Each year following, a new group of 75 kindergarten students will be added as the school grows to K-5.

As a free, public school, LGCS is open to all children living in New York City. A parent that is interested in having their child attend needs only to complete a simple application. In the event that there are more applications than they have seats, applicants will be selected by lottery. It is important to remember that, like all charter schools, Lefferts Gardens Charter School determines admissions by lottery. No preferences are given to children whose parents volunteer, make donations, or work for the school. Students living in district 17 will be given priority. After the first year, siblings of current students will have priority before the lottery. Race, religion, disability and language proficiency will not be factors in admission.

Since receiving its charter and its placement in P.S. 92, the school’s board and leadership team have focused their efforts at outreach to the community and families, especially those living in District 17. Ten information sessions have been hosted and three more are scheduled in the coming weeks. Outreach efforts include mailing an application to every family of 5 and 6 year olds in the district. In addition, the school has delivered materials and/or met with every elected official and requested guidance so that they have the best resources to reach out to every family in the community. Current efforts also include placing informational flyers in all the many places around the district where prospective families might gather, including pre-K centers, hair salons, popular restaurants, libraries and community churches.

If you are the parent of a 5 or 6 year old or a teacher candidate and would like to learn more, visit the school’s website www.leffertsgardens.org . And if you have a suggestion for locations where the school’s leadership team can come and make a presentation, contact them at 212-437-8314.
Please mark your calendars: LGCS has an application deadline of March 31, 2010 for the September 2010 placement. Applications are available online at www.leffertsgardens.org or you can call 212-437-8314 and request one be sent to you.