Upcoming charter school boasts big plans

By Cortney Drakefore and Alana Ransom

BengalNews Reporters

 The building located on 113 Lafayette Ave.  will be renovated soon to become the new West Buffalo Charter School in August 2012.   

            Renovations on the former hospital turned apartment building have yet to begin. There are still tenants in the building. However, construction workers have been accessing the building to make sure all permits are in place and promises to have the building complete before the kids arrive at the new school on August 13.


 School leader Andrea Todoro introduces the West Buffalo Charter School:

The school program will focus on developing an exceptional foundation of reading, academic and personal skills that will give students the means to succeed and reach their full potential.

 With high expectations for all students and a rigorous curriculum benchmarked to the NYS Learning Standards, West Buffalo Charter School is committed to sustaining a safe, caring, learning community that respects diversity and encourages strong home, school and community partnerships according to the school’s brochure. 

Todoro has been reaching out to families in the community since December. The school has been to numerous events, anything involving kids, said Todoro. They have promoted at the Boys and Girls Club, Head Start Program, and different community centers in the local neighborhoods. Brochures, postcards, and applications have been mailed out at community events in the area. They recently had a lottery of 54 seats and extra students were put on the schools waiting list.

The curriculum will be based on the basic English language. Other programs offered will be art, music, dance, technology, physical education, and computers. The school has partnerships with the Massachusetts Avenue Project, D’Youville College, Buffalo Speech and Hearing Center and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Massachusetts Avenue Project will educate students on nutrition and will be adding a green space most likely by the back fenced-in play area.

“The goal is to have students harvest vegetable and herbs and use that in the lunch program so that it will be student grown, student harvested and then used in their lunch program,”  said Jesse Meeder, farm manager of MAP's  Growing Green program. 

The school evolved from a literacy intervention curriculum designed by Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center called, "Language to Literacy,” said President and CEO Joseph Cozzo of the Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center.

The school is integrating this “Language to Literacy” program and D’Youville  will be contributing student teachers. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra assists with music education in which musicians will come over and work with the students.

            The school has plans to be a small-school learning environment. With a small class size of 18 students and a high teacher to student ratio, the school hopes to provide more nurturing, individualized and differentiated student instruction. There will be longer, family friendly school days and an extended school year of 200 days. They will focus on language acquisition, building literacy and reading proficiency.

            Most of the community is excited about the changes, while others may feel a little upset because of having to move out of their living space, Todoro said.

            “Feedback about the new school was positive mostly but the negative only came from people who had to move,” said Todoro. “People are excited the building is going to be put to good use.”

            The renovations are specific. Todoro hopes to make the school a place that fits the needs of the people using it.

            “We have major input with the renovations,” said Todoro. “The landscapers come up with ideas and bring it to us and we change what we feel will fit best for the students.”

The school will open August 2012 with 162 students in grades K-2 and will grow every year to K-4, reaching a total enrollment in three years of 270 students

            “I think it is a good investment. Good investment for the neighborhood, good investment for the children and it’s really a win-win situation for everybody,” said Todoro. Edited by Shayna McKie

           

Program teaches refugee kids about school

By Katie Anderson and Danielle Wayne
BengalNews Reporters
 As refugee children in excitement blurt out responses, instructors remind them to raise their hands first.
 With school supplies scattered across the table, refugee children attempt to grab the items called out by the instructor.

  Megan Schear, center, teaches two refugee students.

 For almost two months now, refugee school age children, from pre-kindergarten to high school students, have found a place to go while awaiting placement in the Buffalo Public School System. Buffalo Beginnings is a program funded by Buffalo State College and Journey's End Refugee Services, Inc. that welcomes refugees from countries all over the world, such as Iraq, Burma, Nepal and India.
 While newly relocated refugee children wait to be placed in a school, they can attend the program to learn about the American school system as well as American society.
 “The goal of the program is to both help with academics and English learning as well as socialize the students to be able to function well in an American classroom,” said Karalynn Brown, a program coordinator.
 From 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Buffalo Beginnings is located at the Buffalo State Community Academic Center, 214 Grant St. As of right now, the program usually consists of about five children, but is welcome to growth. Instructors in the program educate these refugee youth about things such as holding a pencil, raising their hands and writing their names.
 Brown said that some refugees who just arrive to the country, because of medical of other reasons, have about a two-month waiting period before they’re allowed to enter the school system.
 “If they’re waiting to be placed in a school, they don’t really have much to do,” said Brown. “So if we can get them into a classroom setting, get them used to the American school system and use that time when they’re waiting, I think it’s beneficial for them.”
 <iframe src="http://archive.org/embed/BuffaloBeginnings_548" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0"></iframe>During this waiting period, Buffalo Beginnings prepares refugee youth with age-appropriate games and activities that incorporate English vocabulary.
“With each week we have different topics to incorporate vocabulary and American social norms,” said Megan Schear, a program coordinator.
 Buffalo Beginnings bases its set of courses on the Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance curriculum. Brown said the core curriculum is a good mix of both American academic and social issues that refugee children learn.
 Buffalo Beginnings, however, is not only for refugee children. Their mothers are also able to attend the program in order to practice their English. For part of the program, the instructors pull aside the mothers or older children to work on conversational English with them said Brown.
 “It’s pretty typical of refugee families that the dad works and the mom stays at home,” said Brown. “So that’s why we offer the parent component as well—for the mother to be with the child and get out of the house and work on her English as well.”
 Buffalo Beginnings has recently had three of its students enter the public school system. Buffalo Beginnings instructors said they do receive positive feedback from both students and teachers in the school systems. Attending the program has helped ease the cultural shock refugee students face when entering the public school system, said Schear.
 The program is looking to expand into the summer, said Maureen McCarthy, staff associate of the Academic Center. Edited by Mackenzie Clarke