Press Release: On Thursday, October 25 the Bridge School – a new cooperative school – will open its doors from 4-7pm to welcome the community and visitors to its new location in Normandy Park. The school relocated to Normandy Park in September 2012 and is inviting friends, neighbors and anyone interested to join them for a tour and to enjoy a tasty treat. The school is located at 19901 1st Avenue South, Suite 408, Normandy Park Town Center.

The Bridge School is thriving in its second year and currently serves thirty-six Kindergarten through Fourth grade students (with plans to expand to Sixth Grade by 2015).  The school was founded by a grassroots group of Highline area parents who wanted a community-oriented school with a progressive, experiential approach.  

Involving parents and caregivers within the classroom is a cornerstone of cooperative school programs.  Enrolled families must agree to certain participatory requirements including working weekly in the classroom, fulfilling a class job or board position, helping to maintain the school and attending monthly parent meetings.  An unexpected bonus has been how many parents and grandparents have volunteered additional time to bring skills and knowledge into the classroom; these regular enrichment activities have included archery, conversational Spanish, cooking and outdoor education skills.

Parent support in the classroom allows teachers to focus on creative and individualized instruction; additionally, parents, teachers and students really get to know one another as they work together, forming a strong school community. All this parent participation helps keep tuition low to increase accessibility for families.

Cooperative schools have been around for many years and are becoming popular all over the country.  Schools that use this model support strong teacher-family partnerships. Teachers plan and implement the curriculum while parents work in the classroom and run the business of the school.  The Seattle area is home to a number of successful co-op schools including University Cooperative School, KapKa Cooperative School and public cooperative schools in the Edmonds, Northshore and Marysville school districts.

The Bridge School is a program of the Burien Cooperative Education Project (BCEP).  For more info about The Bridge School please go to www.bridgeschoolcoop.org, e-mail info@buriencoopeducation.org.

Burien Cooperative Education Project does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, family make-up or circumstances or any other legally protected status in the hiring of staff or in the administration of educational policies or programs, admissions policies or any other school administered programs.

Tags: Burien Bridge School | Burien Cooperative Education Project | Burien Education | Cooperative Elementary | Normandy Park