"Everyone is smiling, feeling refreshed, and looking forward to the new school year. And, every year, a bunch of our alumni come to Back to School Night, also. It's like a big GLCPS family reunion."
Aside from greeting their friends and sharing a meal together, families receive important information about their students' homerooms, assignments, schedules, transportation and uniforms. The evening is also an opportunity for students and their families to meet and ask questions of staff and representatives of the Board of Trustees. They can also learn more about extracurricular activities, health topics, and other important opportunities available through GLCPS.
GLCPS also had two area institutions participating in Back to School Night this year. Representatives from Southern Mass Credit Union (SMCU) were on hand to talk to students and families about their School Savings Program.
Also on hand was the Big Blue Bus, courtesy of BayCoast Bank. Anyone who was interested could tell their story about why education is important to them. The crew from BayCoast Bank videotaped the stories for their project highlighting education as a path to success.
Open to New Bedford residents, GLCPS is a tuition-free public charter school that serves 500 students in grades 5-12. GLCPS offers an exciting and challenging interdisciplinary curriculum with an emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, project-based learning, and the arts. Students who apply are chosen through a blind lottery. Enrollment applications for next year's lottery will be available beginning in December of 2017.