Dear CPS families,
As we enter the last phases of construction for our new elementary school, I have been working with the team to plan not only for its opening next year but also to determine the grade configurations that will serve all of our students.
While I had initially intended to preserve Helen Paul Learning Center as a standalone early childhood learning center, with the recent investment from our community through bond funding, we have an opportunity to bring our youngest learners to the new elementary building. By locating the early childhood grades at our new elementary site, students moving from kindergarten to 1st grade will stay in the same building with the same friends and caring adults.
In addition to minimizing transition points for students in the early grades, I also want to make sure that the excitement of opening a new school building does not inadvertently create “extra” transitions for students in other grades. We know from research that students need consistency in their learning experiences, and moving them between buildings unnecessarily does not serve their best interests as learners.
To that end, we will stagger grade-level moves into the new elementary building across both the 2024-2025 school year and the 2025-2026 school year.
In the 2024-2025 school year:
● Students in pre-K-3rd grades will be at our new Cherokee elementary school
● Students in 4th and 5th grade will be at Wells Middle School
● Students in 8th grade will be at Catoosa High School
In the 2025-2026 school year:
● Students in pre-K-5th grades will be at our new Cherokee elementary school
● Students in 6th-8th grade will be at Wells Middle School
This means, of course, that Helen Paul Learning Center - in its current role - will close at the end of this school year. We look forward to supporting the team members at Helen Paul Learning Center as they move over to the beautiful new classrooms and spaces in the new Cherokee Elementary. Given the growth we have been experiencing in other program areas of our district, I certainly expect that the Helen Paul Learning Center building will continue to have an important role in our school community. I do want to be clear, however, that there are no plans for the building at this time.
I will continue to share information and updates about grade configurations for next year and the opening of our new building over the coming months.
In service,
In service,
Robert Schornick
Superintendent
Catoosa Public Schools