ABOUT OUR SCHOOL
A charter school is a public school operated independently of the local
school board. In our case, we have our own School Board separate from the
Hoboken Public School Board. We are a public school funded by the government,
which charges no tuition. Admission is strictly regulated by the state and is by
a public lottery. Charter schools are often known to have a curriculum and
educational philosophy that is different from other schools in the system.
Although our curriculum changes and moves with the times, we are, in how we
work, different from the average public school. Small, innovative, and caring,
with a closely-knit community of Elysian families we believe our school to be
very special, indeed.
To learn more about Charter Schools click here!
The Elysian Charter School is based on many of the philosophies taught at the Bank Street College Graduate School of Education (in New York City). We are child-centered, holistic, and progressive.
In the forward of Progressive Education for the 1990s: Transforming Practice, Joseph Featherstone writes about the challenge of progressive education: “...making live experience count for more in learning, making schools and classrooms into communities of learning, helping children learn how to make and remake knowledge, creating a culture commensurate with the dream of democracy, developing schools that can embrace cultural difference instead of smothering it....”. The staff at Elysian Charter School is open to new ideas, to creating new curriculum, to having the children become active and responsible for their own learning.
In a progressive setting, language, conversation and discussion are seen as very important parts of the learning process that leads to the development of critical thinking skills. Elysian's curriculum meets the required New Jersey State Standards and grows directly out of the work created by teachers who collaborate on a regular basis. We always keep our focus on the whole child who always has strengths on which he or she can learn and grow. Our goal is to educate children to become curious lifelong learners with an appreciation of the arts, the diversity of all peoples in the world, and the self-confidence to fulfill his or her life's dreams.
In the early 1800s, Hoboken was a weekend retreat for Manhattanites who traveled by ferry to escape congestion in the noisy city. The undeveloped north part of town was comprised of a wooded walkway along the Hudson River and an open meadow for recreation. It was on this meadow, known as Elysian Field, where the first game of modern baseball was played in 1846. In classical Greek mythology, Elysian was the place where virtuous mortals went in their afterlife— it was a kind of heaven, or a paradise. Over the years, the term elysian was used to describe a place of complete happiness. The name of the school recalls Hoboken’s unique place in history, its relationship to the larger metropolitan area, the Hudson River, and the pride that comes with being the birthplace of “America’s pastime".
The Elysian Charter School of Hoboken was conceived and developed in
1995–1996 by a broad-based Hoboken community group called Mile Square Families.
Members of this group, comprised primarily of Hoboken parents with young
children, shared a sincere interest in public education and an overall
commitment to the betterment of the quality of life for children and their
families in Hoboken.
For many months, the group met to plan the basic mission and design of a charter
school, and submitted an application to the New Jersey Department of Education
in 1996. The charter was granted in January 1997, and the Elysian Charter School
of Hoboken opened the following September. It was one of New Jersey’s original
thirteen charter schools.
Located along the Hudson River, in the New York City metropolitan area, Hoboken is an ideal location for a school which focuses on the ways in which children can understand and appreciate the human and natural resources of the area through interdisciplinary learning and critical thinking
Elysian Charter School consists of a Board of Education made up of parents and community members. Our board generally meets once a month, on the 3rd Monday of the month at 7pm. Click here to learn more about our board. Elysian Board of Education.
Robert Sinnott is Custodian of School District Records, in accordance with Public Law 2001, c.404. The public is allowed to inspect documents every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday when school is in session from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Copying fees are as follows: For the 1st page to the 10th page: $.75 per page, for the 11th page to the 20th page, .50 per page, for all pages in excess of 20, .25 per page.
Click HERE for a form to access this information. Print out the form, fill it in, and either fax or hand deliver to the school.
