Tears at Charter School Lottery; Applications Up 20 Percent

The Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School held its annual lottery for admission Thursday night.

Tears were flowing at the Thursday night's Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School annual lottery. Some were tears of joy and some tears of dispair as they learned the fate of their child's application. Gustavo Andrade, who was accepted as student #122, can't wait to go to McAuliffe. "I'm very happy," he said with a big smile. He was helping his mom fill out the application forms immediately after the lottery. The current fifth grader at Wilson Elementary in Framingham, had to translate for his mom, who only spoke Portuguese. "I heard McAuliffe is the #1 middle school in Framingham. I wanted by son to get the best education," she told Framingham Patch via translation from her son. She said she hopes her two younger daughters can …

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State Agrees to Increase Size of Christa McAuliffe Charter School

The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education unanimously voted today to increase the school's enrollment from 306 to 396 students.

The Christa McAuliffe Regional Charter Public School in Framingham will accept more students for September, after the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education unanimously voted Tuesday to approve the school’s request to increase the maximum enrollment from 306 to 396 students. McAuliffe is a Level 1 Expeditionary Learning middle school (grades 6-7-8) serving eight MetroWest communities: Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Marlborough, Natick, Southborough and Sudbury. The regional public charter school applied to the state to increase its enrollment in July 2012, in order to "stabilize the size of each grade level and ensure consistency per grade level," with six classes and three teams, said Director Kristin …

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Exploring Education

Charter School Hosts Legislative Delegation

The eighth grade students asked the legislators what inspired them to get involved in politics and government.

Friday morning, eighth grade scholars at the Christa McAuliffe Regional Charter School in Framingham had the opportunity to ask questions of the school's state representatives and state senator as part of the first-ever state legislator day at the middle school. Sen. Karen Spilka, who grew up in New York City, wanted to be a diver when she was younger. She started her political career as a social worker, after graduating from Northeastern University she told a classroom full of eighth grade scholars. Rep. Tom Conroy said an issue close to his heart is trying to solving homelessness. Representatives David Linsky and Alice Peisch talked to students about how long it takes a bill to become a law, how many bills sit in committee and never make…

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McAuliffe Charter Hosting Special Event for 5th Grade Girls

Sign your fifth grade daughter up to engage in an afternoon of hands-on learning and team-building with McAuliffe teachers & current female scholars; registration is required

The Christa McAuliffe Regional Charter Public School is holding a special event for fifth grade girls on Monday, Dec. 17 from 4-6 p.m. Sign your fifth grade daughter up to engage in an afternoon of hands-on learning and team-building with McAuliffe teachers & current female scholars. The charter is a middle school for grades 6-7-8 and admission is via lottery. There are still a few spots available in Monday's special girls only event. To register, email dopenshaw@mcaulifferegional.org

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need To Know Today: Dec. 6

Outback Steakhouse announces opening date, parks & recreation program registration, doughraiser for Framingham Neighborhood Brigade at Uno's, McAuliffe Charter performances at Barnes & Noble and Framingham Winter Farmes market opens!

Our daily column, 5 Things You Need to Know Today, will help you to get your day started and offer you some fodder for water cooler conversation. 1. Registration begins today for Framingham Parks & Recreation programming. The department is offering ski & snowboard lessons this year. There is also a one-day ski trip to Gunstock in New Hampshire during February school vacation week. 2. Framingham's Winter Farmers Market opens today at First Parish Church. The market will be held in the church's hall, which is handicap accessible. This is the first year the Framingham farmers market will be held in the winter, said manager Jackie Meninno. The market will be held the first Thursday of each month from noon to 5:30 p.m. through May. To see which…

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Leah Graves

10:45 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012

Woooo! Winter Farmer's Market!   more ›

McAuliffe Charter Only Level 1 Middle School in Framingham, Natick

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education classified the Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School as Level 1, placing it among the top 25% of schools in the state.

When the MCAS results were released last week, the Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School was classified by the state as a Level 1 school, placing it among the top 25% of schools in the Commonwealth. The Christa McAuliffe Regional Charter Public School was the only middle school in Framingham and Natick to achieve the highest rating by the state (level 1). The school recently had its charter renewed, while celebrating its 10th anniversary. The Level 1 rating means the middle school is meeting the needs of its 269 students enrolled (It has more than 300 students in 2012-13). More than a majority of the students come from the communities of Framingham and Natick. The regional charter school accepts students in grades 6-7-8 from …

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Exploring Education

VIDEO: Much Ado About Nothing At McAuliffe Charter

Students from the Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School performed Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing last week.

Students from the Christa McAuliffe Regional Charter Public School performed Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing last week. The regional middle school, located in Framingham, runs an afterschool enrichment program on Shakespeare.

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Cheers, Tears at McAuliffe Charter School Lottery

The McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School held its annual lottery for its incoming sixth grade class last night; there were 214 applicants for 126 seats.

Just like in the movie Waiting for Superman, families sat in metal folding chairs in a gymnasium Thursday night waiting for their child's name to be called. As names were read there was the occasional cheering or clapping. And, as the last name was called - Talia Muller - there were tears and disappointment. Thursday night, the Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School held its annual lottery for admission. Founded in 2002, the Framingham-based middle school is a free regional public charter school focusing on "Expeditionary Learning." "This is an exciting night," said school director Kristin Harrison. It is also challenging, as there were more applicants than spaces, added Harrison. Although the charter school's board of directors …

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Jim Rizoli

1:44 pm on Friday, March 16, 2012

Why the increase? Maybe the parents know something that we don't. Kids don't leave good schools for no reason. It's like seeing a long line at an out of the way restaurant.....gee, maybe the food is really good. Jim@ccfiile.com   more ›

Is America's Vision of Space Travel Over? [Poll]

Monday was the 50th anniversary of the first American - astronaut John Glenn - to orbit Earth; today if an American wanted o go into space, they would need to be transported by the Russians.

On the 50th anniversary of becoming the first American to orbit earth, former astronaut John Glenn said NASA is in a difficult position because the space agency must rely on the Russians to transport Americans to the International Space Station. On Feb. 20, 1962, Glenn piloted the Friendship 7 into orbit around Earth. He circled the globe three times before returning to a hero’s welcome. He later served in the U.S. Senate for 24 years and made a bid for president. He was the third American in space, but the first to orbit the planet. The Soviet Union put the first human into space and into orbit, in 1961. But in the years of the Cold War, it was a matter of national pride for the United States to catch up, and Glenn was among the first …

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James Feudo

5:00 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012

I can't speak to the political aspect of this (I haven't followed it that closely), however I feel like these private ventures are making a lot of headway. The cool part about it is the incentive - the problems that people are trying to solve can result in technologies & breakthroughs might be applied to everyday life. For example, breakthroughs in lighter materials and aerodynamics can be …   more ›

Exploring Education

VIDEO: Learning About Space in Christa's Memory

Eighth grade students presented their detailed space project at the 2nd Annual Christa McAuliffe Remembrance Event at the charter school named for McAuliffe.

From volcanoes on Venus to rovers and signs of water on Mars, eighth grade students at the Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School presented their space projects as part of the 2nd Annual Christa McAuliffe Remembrance Event. The school is named for McAuliffe, who grew up in Framingham, attended Marian High and Framingham State and later became a teacher. McAuliffe tragically died 26 years ago when the NASA space shuttle Challenger exploded.

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