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Attention 4th Grade Parents - You can help!
Your support can help make the John W. Lavelle Preparatory Charter School a reality on Staten Island.
We are now at the point of applying for a Charter through the New York City Department of Education. As part of this process, we need supportive signatures of parents whose children will be entering the 6th grade in September 2009. As long as you live in New York State, you are eligible to sign the petition. All New York State residents will be eligible for admission although Staten Island residents will receive priority. By completing and signing the Intention to Apply, you are not making a binding commitment. During the Spring of 2009, you will have the option of applying, but only if Lavelle Prep exists.
Without the signed petitions of you and parents like you, Lavelle Prep will not become a reality. By signing and returning the Intention to Apply, you help insure that this option is available. It does not, however, guarantee your child’s admission to the school.
To complete the petition, click on the link below, print out the “Intention to Enroll” Form, complete it and mail it to The Verrazano Foundation. If you need further information, please leave a message at 718-667-2832 and we will return your call as soon as possible. Or email information@verrazanofoundation.org
For parent petition, click here.
From the Tools of Recovery
The Verrazano Foundation Spearheads Charter School Planning
VF President Ken Byalin with Hughes
Hubbard attornies. Photo courtesy of
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.
From the Arts of Recovery
Coming Soon to South Beach:
The Arts of Recovery Retrospective
Unity by Melissa Farrell
Presented by The Verrazano Foundation in collaboration with Snug Harbor Cultural Center, South Beach Psychiatric Center, and the Art Lab, the Arts of Recovery 2007 is made possible in part by an Encore Grant from the Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island, with public funding from the New York State Council on the Arts. Additional support is provided by The Staten Island Foundation, Independence Community Foundation, Richmond County Savings Foundation, Verizon Foundation, and Councilman Michael E. McMahon.
From the Business of Recovery
Verrazano Careers Offers Mentoring Workshop:
Verrazano Careers, sponsored by The Verrazano Foundation in collaboration with the New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), presents seminars for people living with mental illnesses interested in exploring career options. Previous workshops have focused on careers in mental health and human services and in visual arts. Planning is now underway for a workshop for people interested in business careers.
From Bearing Witness
Deborah Max's I'm not angry, but sometimes I forget that
Most days I don’t feel like a mental patient. In itself that might not seem like an odd statement, but when you examine my history or simply the fact that it’s my predisposition to insanity that pays my bills, you might expect that I’d wear crazy year round.
From the Spirit of Recovery
"By practicing awareness, by being aware of feelings without reacting, just being aware of fear or anger or the tendency to energetic action, I found over a long period of time, that I could ride the wave of fear without reacting and without re-focusing."
Pushing the Envelope!
2007 was a year of challenges and a year of progress both in our arts initiatives and in our development of a charter school that will provide an arts-focused, college-preparatory education to a population composed primarily of students living with emotional disorders.
The John W. Lavelle Preparatory Charter School will be located on Staten Island, will serve students in grades 6 through 12, and will eventually serve 450 students a year. Without the option which Lavelle Prep will provide, many of these students will be forced into hostile educational environments where they face intolerance from peers and discouragement from faculty. Not surprisingly, these young people often fail to realize their potential, leave school without graduating, and are unable to find appropriate employment. By providing a secure and supportive environment in which to learn and by equipping students with the tools they need to self-manage the potentially disabling challenges they face, Lavelle Prep will enable students to succeed in high school, college, and beyond.
To make Lavelle Prep a reality is a daunting task. While the idea of recovery, -- that people living with mental illnesses can learn to self-manage their disabilities and become constructive members of society, -- gains wider acceptance annually in mental health programs for adults, the idea of recovery remains virtually unknown among providers of children’s mental health services and unheard of in education. As we brought this idea forward, designing a school around it, we faced resistance from educational bureaucrats anxious to minimize the failures of Special Education programs for young people living with emotional disorders. We also found some wonderful support. Staten Island’s elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, have rallied around our concept, supported our initiative, and helped to open doors. Although initially skeptical of our vision, the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence is now an important source of support and has given us a $50,000 planning grant. And we are winning over the New York City Department of Education which has reviewed our program concept and invited us to submit a charter application.