New Wellington Charter School To Open In August

The new Renaissance Charter School at Wellington is set to open for the 2014-15 school year, and enrollment is now available for it, along with several other Renaissance schools in the area.

The Wellington Village Council voted last year to approve the school, along with a daycare center. Construction is already underway on State Road 7, south of Stribling Way.

“Our schools all go by the same educational model,” spokeswoman Colleen Reynolds said. “The thing parents really like about the Renaissance Charter Schools is that the curriculum is personalized. Each child has a personal learning plan, and they set goals for students to meet. Everyone is involved in getting students where they need to be academically.”

The 75,000-square-foot building will serve about 1,200 students. The school will open with kindergarten through sixth grade, adding grades seven and eight in the following years.

Reynolds said that parents like the school curriculum for its data-driven system.

“We determine what benchmarks there are for students and revisit them often to determine where they need to be,” she said. “We have an information system called Power Schools where parents can get real-time data on their students.”

This means parents will know sooner if issues arise in a student’s performance.

“There is no more getting a progress report three-quarters of the way through the year to find out the student isn’t turning in their homework,” Reynolds said. “Parents can go on the computer and see how students are performing. If, say, a student bombed a couple of quizzes in their math class, parents can learn of it early and find out what is going on.”

The tuition-free public charter schools are operated by Charter Schools USA and governed by Renaissance Charter School Inc. The company manages approximately 70 schools in seven states.

In addition to the Renaissance Charter School at Palms West, which opened last year near Palms West Hospital, the company will open two other new schools in central Palm Beach County.

The schools are open to all Palm Beach County students. If more students apply during open enrollment than there are seats available, a random lottery will be held.

“We have experienced a high degree of demand in Palm Beach County,” said Richard Page, executive vice president of development for Charter Schools USA. “We are now managing six schools in this county and look forward to providing high-quality educational options for students and parents. We have an excellent relationship with the Palm Beach County School District as we work together to provide the best education possible for all students.”

The Renaissance Charter School at Cypress will open at Okeechobee Blvd. and Benoist Farms Road, and the Renaissance Charter School at Central Palm will open on Military Trail in Lake Worth.

Enrollment for the schools began Saturday, Feb. 1 and runs through Friday, March 14. Enrollment is open to anyone living in the county, regardless of where. Interested families can apply online at the individual school’s web site.

Additionally, several public information meetings will be held for prospective families.

Families interested in the Wellington location can attend informational sessions on Thursday, Feb. 20 and Wednesday, March 5 at the Renaissance Charter School at Palms West (12031 Southern Blvd.). For more information, visit www.wellingtoncharter.org.

The Cypress location will have its next meeting on Thursday, March 6 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center (151 Civic Center Way). For more information, visit www.cypresscharter.org.

The Central Palm location will hold its sessions on Tuesday, Feb. 11 and Tuesday, March 4 at the Boynton Beach Civic Center (128 E. Ocean Ave.). For more information, visit www.centralpalmcharter.org.