Columbus School Begins Admission Process

NORWALK, Conn. – Applications are being accepted for the 2012-13 school year at Columbus Magnet School, an alternative public elementary school open to all students in kindergarten through fifth grade living in Norwalk.

Admission is by a lottery, which has been restructured to draw students based on their home-school districts. Siblings at Columbus will be factored in by district before the lottery draw.

There will be an informational lottery Open House for prospective parents at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in the school library.

Guided tours will be offered by the Columbus Student Ambassadors at 11 a.m. Wednesdays from Feb. 15 to March 21. Reservations are required.

The school is also offering an integrated Literacy and Art Activity Workshop, to provide an opportunity for parents and children to experience the type of learning experiences Columbus Magnet School offers children. Families will receive ideas for activities they can do at home or at the library with books they read together.

The first workshop runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 29 at the George Washington Carver Community Center, 7 Academy St. The second workshop runs from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 3, at the South Norwalk Branch Library, 10 Washington St. Refreshments will be provided.

To sign up for a workshop or for information about the lottery process, call Teri Gaberman, parent coordinator, at 203-899-2840, Ext. 118, or by email at gabermant@norwalkps.org.

Applications should be submitted in person or mailed to: Columbus Magnet School, 46 Concord St., South Norwalk, CT 06854. Applications are available at the school's main office and on the school's website at www.norwalk.k12.ct.us/columbus. All applications must be submitted on or before 4 p.m. Friday, March 23.

Columbus Magnet School's constructivist program addresses the intellectual, social and emotional needs of each child through a hands-on, experimental, arts integrated model. The Bank Street/H.O.T. School program uses a social studies-based integrated curriculum.

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