*2008-2009 Enrollment Information*

This year's lottery was completed in January. If you were not admitted this year be sure to apply next year!

 2008-2009 Enrollment Application

Click here for the 2008-2009 application. Print it out, fill in the information, and turn it into the school office.

2008-2009 School Year Lottery

The lottery for enrollment for the 2008-2009 school year will be held on Friday, January 25, 2008 at 11 AM.

**If you do not receive a lottery number by January 21, 2008, please contact Lynne Shapiro at Elysian Charter at 201-876-0102, ext. 12 or e-mail her at enrollment@ecsnj.org.    

Enrollment at Elysian    

     Elysian is open to all Hoboken children (and out-of-district children, if space permits) regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, ability or academic achievement. There is no admission requirement or testing. There is no tuition. Acceptance is based primarily upon the results of a public lottery. 

Admissions Timeline and Recruitment Activities

     The admissions process is handled by an Enrollment Coordinator in coordination with the Outreach Committee (which is comprised of parents, staff, and Board members) the Administration and the Board of Trustees. The coordinator oversees open houses, conducts tours, and plans the end of year orientation for incoming students and their families. 

September:

  Elysian begins taking calls about enrollment for the upcoming school year. Names and addresses are collected.

October:

  A mailing is sent out to interested families regarding upcoming tours and open houses. Letters are also sent to previous applicants

telling them that, if they are interested, they must reapply for the next school year before the lottery. 

November:     

 Application forms are available. Ads are placed in local papers. The ads include information about the lottery and weekly Wednesday

morning tours. Tours are led by our school Enrollment Coordinator. The Director also speaks with prospective families. A public Open

House is held on a weekday afternoon or evening. The Open Houses provide potential parents with an opportunity to get an overview

of the school and its philosophy. Parents meet staff members and ask questions. They are given a packet of materials to read, which

includes the school's mission, middle school schedule, and samples of classroom newsletters (from each grade) as well as samples

of the school-wide newsletter. Different dates and times are planned, intended to accommodate the schedules of various families.

December:      

  A second public Open House is held on a weekday afternoon or evening. 

January:          

  A third Open House is held on a Saturday morning.  Lottery is held. Every January our public lottery is conducted. The process is as

follows:

-         For each grade, the students are divided into two groups: In-District and Out-of-District

-         Each student receives a number. Hoboken residents are chosen first and then children from outside of the district. As numbers are chosen, a list is established.

-         The list is posted publicly. Families are invited to attend the lottery.

-   We start with the Hoboken list. If we exhaust the Hoboken list, we move on to the Out-of-District list. Sometimes in the upper grades, we will exhaust our waiting lists completely. At that point, with no one on any list, someone who walks in might get a spot.

-         This process continues for each grade.

  As expected, we usually have the most open spots in Kindergarten, however due to attrition, we often have openings in other grades. We follow our official waiting list determined by the lottery. Hoboken residents and the siblings of current students are given preference. Out of district children are placed on a separate list.

  After the Lottery date, anyone else who comes in for admission of that year, goes on a waiting list (also separated into Hoboken and non-Hoboken). We always go to the Hoboken list first. There are no qualifications for entry, no interviews, no acceptance procedures. It's simply a question of who is next on the list.

  Once the academic year passes, parents must enter the lottery in January every additional year to get onto the new waiting lists. Old waiting lists are destroyed at the end of the academic year.

    Tours and Open Houses

  We encourage prospective parents tour the school during a typical school day when children are present. Tours are scheduled beginning the first week of November and every Wednesday morning until the first week of June. Tours are given at 9:00 AM sharp. Please call Lynne Shapiro at (201)876-0102 to sign up for a tour. In addition, we recommend parents attend one of the three annual Open Houses to meet staff members and discuss the school philosophy. See the school calendar for dates and times. 

  Parents who complete applications for incoming siblings must be sure that the application reaches the school's enrollment coordinator prior to the lottery!  If they do not get their applications in to the school before the lottery, they will lose their sibling preference rights.

Open houses 2007-2008:

Dec 1 (Sat)
Open House for Prospective Parents,
10 AM Sharp!

Jan 15 (Tue)
Open House for Prospective Parents,
6:30 PM Sharp!

Jan 19 (Sat)
Open House for Prospective Parents,
10 AM Sharp!

Tours of Elysian
Wednesdays 9:00 AM
301 Garden Street
(enter on 3rd Street between Bloomfield and Garden) Beginning the first Wednesday in November.

Please call 201-876-0102 to make an appointment for a tour (ask for Lynne Shapiro).

Remember:  Regardless of what you hear about how difficult it is to win the lottery to get into Elysian Charter, ALWAYS enter.  ALWAYS enter each year in grades above kindergarten.  YOU CAN'T get in if you don't try.  It never hurts to try.