GREAT FALLS — In the video above, Aneesa Coomer reports on the formal opening of a charter school in Great Falls at Morningside Elementary School (4119 Seventh Avenue North).
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Students cut the ribbon in a celebration for the new Public Charter School at Morningside Elementary School on Tuesday morning.
The CORE school is a partnership between University of Montana Western and Great Falls Public Schools for college students to learn as teaching assistants. They will learn from and teach alongside the elementary teachers, who according to GFPS each have a graduate degree in Education.
GFPS Superintendent Heather Hoyer said in a news release: "Great Falls Public Schools is thrilled to announce the opening of our first Public Charter School, dedicated to training the next generation of educators. This innovative institution will provide an immersive, hands-on learning experience for master teachers and college students that equips future teachers with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in the classroom while providing a rich educational experience for students and families. We are excited to see the positive impact this school will have on our community and the field of education as a whole."
This program is the first of its kind in the state, where Montana Western students are employed at the elementary school for the duration of their program, and hopefully remain in the area after graduation to bring well qualified teachers to the Great Falls Public School District.
Estee Aiken, the Dean of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Montana Western says, “We call this a ‘grow your own’ model. It allows them to come back into the community that they are already living in to be professionally employed. And so it's win-win. They get to be with kids throughout their program, they get to stay in the community that they love, and they get to be really highly qualified, well prepared educators”.
There are thirteen teaching assistants from Montana Western at the CORE school this year. Their first year of the program, they will be learning from Morningside teachers in the classroom. The second year, they will go out to other schools in the district as teaching aids. During their third and final year, they will return to Morningside as student teachers. CORE School at Morningside Elementary Principal Jennifer Martyn says, “They'll already know the building, already know the teachers here, already know the students. And we're really excited for that experience. For them, we think that we really have a successful student teaching experience and therefore be successful in the classroom”.
This partnership also benefits the elementary school students, putting well qualified educators and extra support into the classroom. Martyn explains, “We're really excited about the teachers and the plans and the visions they have to get students really engaged in their learning. So we're still following our state standards. We're still following our district curriculum, but we have a lot of opportunities where we're getting some grants.We're bringing new things into the classroom, we're hoping to get some field trips, K-6 this year. And so we're just looking for some new innovative ideas”.
Teachers at the CORE School will also be hired as adjunct teachers at UM Western. Aiken says, “I'm really excited that they're going to be our adjuncts, that our students get to learn from the best in the field, and that we get to perpetuate this model of teacher practitioner”.
The CORE School also has a wishlist of items that would enhance the school. This includes a stove, comfortable chairs for studying, an electric tea kettle, student mailboxes for classrooms, clear bins for library books, a whiteboard easel, and rocker chairs.
If you are would like to help with any of these items please contact Nelson at becky_nelson@gfps.k12.mt.us.
For more information on the CORE School at Morningside Elementary, click here.
