Union County Real Estate Talk

Matthews NC Elementary Schools

Moving to Matthews NC?  If you are the parent of young children, you are probably very interested in the elementary schools that serve Matthews students.

Newcomers to Matthews should first do some research on the school system.  The Town of Matthews doesn't own the schools within its borders.  The Matthews schools are part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), a county-wide school district.  This means that the pupil assignment zones don't correspond to town boundaries. 

Click here to learn some basics about the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Where will Matthews students attend elementary school?

There are three elementary schools located within the Town of Matthews. They are Matthews Elementary, Elizabeth Lane Elementary, and Crown Point Elementary.  These schools serve most Matthews students although some students will attend school outside town limits. 

Click on the links below to learn more about each Matthews school, including location and school report cards.

Matthews Elementary

Elizabeth Lane Elementary

Crown Point Elementary

Want to know more about schools and living in Matthews NC?  Request a free Matthews NC relocation package.

Copyright 2011.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Matthews NC Elementary Schools*

Five Things You Should Know About Charlotte NC Schools

Moving to Charlotte NC?  If you are a parent, you are very interested in the schools.  It's possible that you are relocating from an area where each town has its own school system.  You will find that the school systems are very large in Charlotte because they are county-wide systems.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is the system that serves the City of Charlotte and the small towns that lie within Mecklenburg County.  It is an award-winning system and was named the top urban school district in 2011.

What else should you know about Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools?

Click on the link below for an introduction to the Charlotte NC schools and a list of five things you should know about CMS.

Charlotte NC Schools--An Introduction

Want to know more about living in Charlotte NC and its schools?  Request a free Charlotte NC relocation package.

Copyright 2011.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Five Things You Should Know about Charlotte NC Schools*

Charlotte NC Schools—How to Pick a Public School for Your Child

Yesterday I attended a talk given by the Superintendent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), Dr. Peter Gorman.  Dr. Gorman is the dynamic leader of the Charlotte NC schools, the 18th largest school district in America.  He spoke about the challenges of running this large system that covers 500 square miles and has 176 schools with 137,000 students.

Dr. Gorman is focused on attaining school success.  He measures school success by emphasizing student growth rather than proficiency.  Each student should have at least a year’s academic growth by the end of the school year.  Dr. Gorman noted that 89% of the CMS schools averaged a year’s growth last year compared to only 54% five years ago.

The talk turned to picking a school for a child who will attend Charlotte NC schools.  Dr. Gorman outlined six steps to take in order to choose the best school for your child.  These six steps are information gathering activities.  Most of the information can be found on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools website.  Here are Dr. Gorman’s six steps and links to the website pages where the information can be found.

How to Pick a Public School for Your Child

1. Read the School Progress Report for the school.  School progress reports for each school include test results, an explanation of the results, surveys of the school from students and parents, and safety audit reports. 

http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/accountability/Pages/SchoolProgressReports.aspx?year=2008-2009

2. Look at the School Quality Review.  School quality reviews are independent reviews of a school by a team of three trained and highly experienced educators.  These reviews focus on the quality of education in each school in the areas of achievement, learning and teaching, curriculum, leadership and management and parental involvement. 

http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/accountability/cfsi/Pages/SQRs.aspx

3. Review the School Improvement Plan.  Each school improvement plan identifies areas for improvement and measures to be taken specific to the individual school. 

http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/accountability/cfsi/Pages/SIPs.aspx?year=2009-2010

4. Use the School Comparison Tool to compare individual schools.  This tool presents a scorecard for high academic achievement with goals and actual results for each school.  Two schools can be compared side-by-side. 

http://pmd.cms.k12.nc.us/Strategic%20Goals/Goal%20I%20-%20High%20Academic%20Achievement/Compare.aspx

5. Visit the school.  Dr. Gorman advises visiting the school at its busiest time.
6. Hang out at the school pick-up line and ask the parents what they think of the school.

Learn more about Charlotte NC Schools

Charlotte NC Schools—Magnet Programs are an Option for Students

Charlotte NC Schools Send Parents to School

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Charlotte NC Schools—How to Pick a Public School for Your Child*

Charlotte NC Schools—Magnet Programs are an Option for Students

Students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) have options other than the traditional neighborhood school.  Magnet schools are one of those options.  CMS offers theme-based magnet programs to provide opportunities geared to student interests, abilities and talents.  The school system believes that the magnet programs foster innovation in learning, greater parental involvement and student engagement, and higher student achievement.  Students receive traditional academic instruction but also education tailored to the student’s special interest or talents.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools currently offers 11 magnet programs or themes in 40 schools.  Some of the themes are available only in one school while others are county-wide.  Some of the themes focus on subject areas, others focus on learning methods.  A list of the themes and a brief description follow.

1. Center for Leadership and Global Economics (K-5)  Focuses on developing leadership skills needed to participate in the global economy.  Offers the first Arabic language instruction in a North Carolina School.
2. International Baccalaureate (Three programs for K-12)  Focuses on internationalism and service to society with rigorous academic study.  Includes a diploma program for Grades 11 and 12.
3. Learning Immersion and Talent Development  (K-5)  Provides a rigorous academic curriculum challenging students to reach their fullest potential.  The program in K-2 identifies gifted children to continue in the talent development program in grades 3-5.
4. Math, Science and Environmental Studies (K-12)  Provides special classes focusing on science, technology, environment and math.
5. Military and Global Leadership (6-12)  Provides a traditional curriculum in a structured, military-themed school atmosphere.
6. Montessori (PreK-7) Provides instruction in the non-traditional Montessori approach where students work individually or in small groups.
7. Paideia (K-5)  Provides a rigorous liberal arts education that enables students to learn the duties of citizenship in a democracy.
8. Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology (9-12)  Provides practical classroom instruction in three academies:  The Academy of Information Technology, the Academy of Medical Sciences and Biotechnology and the Academy of Engineering.
9. Traditional (K-5)  Students are taught a rigorous traditional curriculum in a structured classroom and held to a high standard of academics and conduct.
10. Visual and Performing Arts (K-12)  In addition to a traditional academic curriculum, students receive instruction in the visual arts, theater arts, music and dance.
11. World Languages (K-12)  Students have the opportunity to become fluent in Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.  Students have the opportunity to become fluent in three languages by grade 12.

Any student may apply for a CMS magnet program through a lottery process.  Transportation is provided if the magnet school serves the student’s transportation zone or is a countywide program.  CMS hosts a series of magnet-school fairs to provide information about the various programs in January.  Online application for the magnet schools begins January 8, 2010 and continues through February 8, 2010.

Click here to learn more about magnet programs in the Charlotte NC Schools.

Copyright 2010. Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Charlotte NC Schools—Magnet Programs are an Option for Students*

Charlotte NC Schools Progress Reports Make Comparing Individual Schools Easy

All public Charlotte NC schools are part of a countywide system known as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS).  Over the past several years, CMS has developed an evaluation and reporting system for each of its schools that incorporates more than the traditional test scores that parents typically use to compare schools. This system culminates in a School Progress Report for each school.  The 2008-2009 School Progress Reports were just published online and can be found at the CMS website.

What can you learn from the CMS School Progress reports that will help you find the schools that best meet your child's needs?  Each report includes the following information:

• a letter from the principal describing the school's strengths and weaknesses and plans for improvement over the coming year.
• key facts about the school, including school population and demographics.
• the school's progress toward key performance measures identified in the CMS 2010 Strategic Plan.
• Pass rates on the federal and state tests and testing growth comparisons.

I took a look at the progress reports for two of the Charlotte NC schools in Matthews NC:  Matthews Elementary School and David W. Butler High School.  Here are some of the things I learned about these two schools.

• Matthews Elementary had 88.6% of its students performing at or above grade level compared with 72% last year.
• Twenty seven percent of the teachers at Matthews Elementary were National Board-certified teachers.
• Ninety five percent of Matthews Elementary parents thought that Matthews is a safe school.
• Eighty eight percent of Matthews Elementary parents were satisfied overall with the school compared with 86% last year.
• Matthews Elementary made Adequate Yearly Progress meeting 21 of 21 goals set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
• On the North Carolina ABCs testing/assessment program, Matthews Elementary students had a proficiency of 88.6%.
• At Butler High School, the pass rate on Advanced Placement tests was 84.6%
• The participation rate in Advanced Placement courses at Butler High School was 96.5%.
• Butler High School's graduation rate was 80.1%.
• Butler High School's average SAT score was 1553 above both national and state averages.

Learn more about Charlotte NC schools and living in Charlotte NC and area small towns.

Copyright 2009.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Real Estate.  *Charlotte NC Schools Progress Reports Make Comparing Individual Schools Easy*

How many times have we heard that lack of parent involvement and poor parenting skills are the real reason for poor student achievement in the public schools?  In Charlotte NC, there's an innovative new program available to help parents and their children.  It's called CMS Parent University.  CMS stands for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, one of the nation's largest urban districts. 

CMS just released the course guide for the 2008-2009 spring semester of Parent University.  I thumbed through the catalog recently and I think Parent University is really cool!  The courses are grouped into four categories:

• Parenting Awareness.  Courses to empower parents to raise confident, educated children.
• Helping Your Child Learn in the 21st Century.  Courses to teach parents how they can support their children academically.
• Health and Wellness.  Courses to help families build healthy lifestyles physically and emotionally.
• Personal Growth and Development.  Courses to help parents grow personally and professionally.

There are courses for children of every age level, including pre-school children.  They're free.  They are given in various locations around Charlotte, sometimes in the schools and sometimes, off-site.

Here are just a few of the courses available during the coming semester.

Parenting Awareness

• Managing Behavior Through Positive Discipline
• Conflict Resolution
• Internet and Cyber Safety

Helping Your Child Learn

• How to Help Your Child Study
• Helping Your High School Student Prepare for College
• Transitioning from Elementary to Middle and Middle to High School courses

Health and Wellness

• Teen Driving Safety
• Bullying Prevention
• Healthy Meals for Families

Personal Growth

• Job Searching
• Resume Writing
• Financial Literacy for Families

Learn more about Charlotte NC schools:

School Progress Reports in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Want to know more about schools in Charlotte NC and its surrounding small towns?

Visit www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com

Copyright 2009.  Carol Fox.  All rights reserved.  "Charlotte NC School System Sends Parents to School"

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public School system, which serves Charlotte, Matthews, Mint Hill and all of Mecklenburg County, just added another tool that enables parents to get detailed information about each school in the district.  This tool is called the School Progress Report 2007-2008.  The School Progress Report is a natural follow-on to the information in the CMLS Data Dashboard.  It is a four-page document that includes a letter from the school principal, key facts about the school, performance measurements in each of seven strategic planning goals, and a detailed description of the various performance indicators used in the report.

The School Progress Reports were sent home with each student recently and are available on the CMLS web site.  They can be found in the quick links on the right side of the CMLS home page.  The Data Dashboard and the School Progress Reports are part of the school board's push for greater transparency and accountability in the schools.

Related article

Matthews NC and Mint Hill NC Schools:  New Tool for Schools Comparison

Want to know more about schools in Charlotte NC and surrounding areas?  Visit the Education Page at www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com.

About the author:  Carol Fox of Allen Tate Realtors is a veteran real estate agent who has helped families choose the right homes and neighborhoods in Charlotte NC for over twenty years.

Copyright 2008. Carol Fox. All rights reserved.  "School Progress Reports in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools" 

Public schools in Matthews NC and Mint Hill NC are part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System (CMS), one of the largest systems in the country.  CMS just unveiled its Data Dashboard, an online database that puts information about the system and each of its schools into a central web site.

The Data Dashboard is the place to start if you want to learn about Matthews and Mint Hill schools and compare them with other schools in the CMS system.  The information presented includes not only test scores but also results of student and family surveys as well as service goals, such as whether the buses run on time.  CMS identified seven Strategic Goals with performance targets for year 2010.  These goals provide the organizational categories for the information.

What can you learn about the schools in Matthews and Mint Hill from the Data Dashboard?

• How does this school compare academically with other schools at CMS?  Check the High Academic Achievement category.
• How do teacher credentials at this school compare with others and is the school fully staffed?  Check the Effective Educators category.
• How does this school's technology compare with other schools?  Check the Adequate Resources category.
• Do students and parents feel safe at this school?  Check the Safe Schools category.
• Is this school making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and how does it compare with other schools in the system?  Check the Freedom, Flexibility & Accountability category.
• Do the buses run on time?  Check the World Class Service category.
• Do parents think this school is responsive to them?  Check the Parent Community Involvement category.

According to the Data Dashboard home page, CMS is providing the website to create a more open and transparent system and to assess the school system's progress toward their strategic goals.  The information and format are a great tool for parents and educators alike.

Visit the Education Page at www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com to learn more about schools in Matthews and Mint Hill NC.

About the author:  Carol Fox of Allen Tate Realtors is a veteran real estate agent who has been selling real estate in Matthews and Mint Hill NC for over 20 years.

Copyright 2008.  Carol Fox.  All rights reserved.  "Matthews NC and Mint Hill NC Schools:  New Tool for Schools Comparison"