FAQs about Howard Street Charter School
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Is Howard Street a private school?
No, Howard Street Charter School (HSCS) is part of the Salem-Keizer School District, and, as such, is a public school. It is subject to federal, state and District policies as specified in the charter.
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Is tuition charged for going to Howard Street?
No, as a public school, there is no charge.
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How is Howard Street different from the other middle schools in the district?
Most importantly is the difference in our curriculum. Students are required to take three years of art, drama, and high school level foreign language in addition to science, mathematics, social studies and language arts. Spanish is the current foreign language available at HSCS. Our elective classes change each year depending on our staff, scheduling demands and student interests. We regularly offer electives in instrumental and vocal music and are the only public school in Salem that has dance as an elective subject.
Howard Street students are required to perform community service as part of their educational experience. This can be done through organized school activities or individually through church, scout, neighborhood or other organized group activities. Sixth graders are required to perform 5 hours, seventh graders are required to perform 10 hours and eighth graders complete 15 hours for a total of 30 hours during the middle school experience.
Another obvious difference is the size - we currently have 52 students in each of the three grades. This allows for a tight "family type" community and closer relationships between the teachers and students.
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Do you have sports or P. E. at Howard Street?
Because we want our emphasis to be placed elsewhere, we do not have organized sports or P.E. here. We do require students to take Health/Fitness classes in order to pass the state Health and PE benchmarks. The dance classes provide a physical outlet, as well as students' use of the gym at breaks and lunchtime. All of our students, however, are welcome to join an organized sports team at their resident middle school. Arrangements may be made through the office for release during the last period elective class during the specific sports season.
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Do you have school bus transportation provided for your students?
No. Parents generally provide transportation and often form carpools with other parents. Some students ride the city bus, while others walk or ride bikes. Our students are allowed to ride the district school buses coming to South High on a space available basis.
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Do your students have to meet State Assessments and other benchmarks?
Most definitely. Our students are tested using the state assessments and complete district work sample requirements. In fact, our students consistently score very well on state assessments in reading, writing, science, speaking and math.
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How can I get my child into Howard Street?
We have an application process, which begins in January of the students' fifth grade year. An open house is held in February, and applications are due in early March. As applications are received, they are given a number and on the date we hold the lottery (the second week of March), numbers are drawn lottery style. Those whose applications are chosen will be contacted by telephone or by mail to inform them of the results. The lottery drawing is open to all, however, and anyone may attend. Those not initially drawn are placed on a waiting list and that list follows students through their 7th and 8th grade years.
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What about siblings? Can they attend Howard Street too?
It depends on the age of the sibling. If the sibling is in middle school and has a Howard Street application on file, he/she may enter Howard Street at the same time as the sibling who was chosen in the lottery. If the sibling does not have an application on file, he/she has to complete an application the next January and may enter Howard Street at the start of the next school year. A younger sibling secures a slot at Howard Street for 6th grade ONLY if the older sibling will also be attending Howard Street that year. If the older sibling has completed 8th grade, the younger sibling has to enter the application process as a new student.
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I've heard that Howard Street is a TAG school. Is that correct?
No, we accept applications from any student living within the Salem-Keizer school district. Because the lottery drawing is random, we have students in our school that place on all spectrums of the learning curve. Our curriculum is designed to challenge middle level students and includes high school level foreign language and math courses. Students are expected to value learning and participate actively in their education.
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On the other hand, do you have IEP and special education services at your school?
Yes, currently we have one part time LRC teacher and a half-time LRC assistant who provide services at the school. If an application of a student who is on an IEP is drawn in the lottery, the district is contacted to see if Howard Street is an appropriate placement for the student. The elementary school IEP team has the final say in whether placement at Howard Street is appropriate or not.
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If a student leaves Howard Street, then decides he or she doesn't like their new school,
can they come back?
No, once a child leaves Howard Street voluntarily, they need to re-apply and will be placed at the bottom of the waiting list for their current grade.