Opal Museum School

Preschool (Ages 3-5) and Early Kindergarten (Ages 4–6)

 

2013-14  SCHOOL YEAR APPLICATIONS

Opal Museum School is now accepting applications for the 2013-14 school year. Click here to download an application or pick one up at the Museum’s box office during regular business hours. Applications can be submitted by mail or dropped off at the Museum box office during regular business hours. Non-refundable application fee of $50 (check or money order only). Application is not complete until payment is received.

 

Mail completed application and fee to:
Attn: Opal School
4015 SW Canyon Road
Portland, Oregon 97221

 

CLICK HERE to step into the classroom and experience a day at Opal Museum School.

The child has a hundred languages, a hundred hands, a hundred thoughts, a hundred ways of thinking, of playing, of speaking … and a hundred, hundred more…
– Loris Malaguzzi,Early Childhood Schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy

MISSION

The mission of Opal Museum School is to inspire imagination, creativity and the wonder of learning by providing environments and experiences that fully engage the active minds of young children.Portland Children’s Museum is home to Opal Museum School and Opal Charter School.  The Museum School, a learning community for children ages 3-5, is a tuition-based program.  The Charter School, serving children in grades K-5, is a Portland Public School.Our schools are inspired by the early childhood schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy; built on inquiry-based learning strategies; and influenced by a strong image of children as intelligent, creative and resourceful.

VALUES WHICH INFLUENCE OPAL MUSEUM SCHOOL

  • We hold a powerful image of all children as intelligent, creative and resourceful with gifts and abilities that the world needs
  • We value differences and respect all families as collaborators who contribute distinctive experiences and wisdom
  • We create learning communities of children, families and staff who organize their work by listening to each other
  • We present the arts as languages to inspire creativity, imagination and communication
  • We pay attention to the learning strategies children use to make sense of the world
  • We are inspired by the Early Childhood Schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy and constructivist practices in the United States and beyond

LEARNING STRUCTURES OF OPAL MUSEUM SCHOOL

  • Explore Time is for children to playfully investigate environments that are carefully prepared to engage them in thinking about a particular question, problem or medium.  Examples include the use of the light table, construction area, art studio and more
  • Studio & Project Work is designed for children to work with materials such as clay, paint and natural materials to study a topic of interest and participate in long-term projects with classmates
  • Story Workshop is an opportunity for children to strengthen their language and literacy development by playing with a variety of objects and materials to tell stories from their real or imaginary lives.  They develop competence with the story form and communicate their stories using a wide variety of media
  • Outdoor Time happens every day!  Children spend time on the playground or nearby arboretum.  They make connections with the natural world, including weather, the seasons and the plants or animals living in Washington Park
  • Math & Reading Workshop supports the emerging skills of our Early Kindergarteners as they build their understanding of mathematical problem solving and reading
There’s lots of ways to tell a story.  You can sing it and you can dance it and you can read it.  And the oldest way of telling a story is when someone tells a story to another.– Eliza, age 5
*Tuition and fees are non-refundable; no financial support available
One of the qualities that distinguishes human beings from other living things is our ability to imagine possibilities that are not yet visible to the world. It is our imagination that allows us to hold on to a vision, see through the eyes of another, give meaning to moments of our lives, feel compassion and bring new ideas to life.
– Karen Gallas

ENROLLMENT

Open enrollment begins on February 1, 2013. Applications will be available at the Museum’s box office or website. Priority is given to returning students and their siblings. After your application is processed, you will be notified about your child’s placement within 30 days.  Once the program is full, your child will be placed on the waitlist for 2013-14. If your child does not meet the age requirement for the 2013-14 school year, please do not apply at this time. Please Note: Opal Museum School and Opal Charter School share the same educational philosophy, however enrollment in Opal Museum School does not lead to enrollment in Opal Charter School.

Children in Opal Museum School are required to enter the lottery for enrollment in Opal Charter School. Children must be 5 years old by September 1 to enter the lottery for Kindergarten.  Lottery applications are available from March 1-31.

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