New Arts-Focused Public School enrollment application opens, information sessions scheduled for this month | the details

Phoenix International School of the Arts, also known as PISOTA, is hosting virtual information sessions this month for community members interested in learning more about the new public high school. PISOTA will be the first public charter school within Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) and is scheduled to open in August 2023. PISOTA will open in La Plata as a middle school serving students in grades 6-8. Students must apply for enrollment consideration for the 2023-2024 school year.

Interested families can complete an online application on the PISOTA website.

Since 2019, PISOTA’s founders—consisting of students, parents, teachers, education researchers, and community leaders—have consulted and collaborated with the Charles County community at large to design PISOTA.

In Maryland, public public schools are part of their local school district with the oversight of the local Board of Education. Maryland public charter schools are held accountable to the communities they serve, their local Board of Education, and the Maryland State Department of Education. Charter schools are also publicly funded and require no tuition or entrance exam for students.

PISOTA will have an arts-focused program of study using the Cambridge International Education curriculum that meets Maryland State Department of Education and CCPS and assessment requirements. Once open, PISOTA would be another public school within CCPS. The school is subject to all expectations set forth in a charter agreement with the Charles County Board of Education, but is overseen by a board of trustees and a chief executive officer.

Virtual information sessions are scheduled for Monday, November 21 and Tuesday, November 29, both at 6:00 p.m. Participants will need an active Zoom account to join the sessions. Translation assistance will also be available for community members who join and speak Spanish. Details of the session are below; both sessions will cover the same information.

Information session Monday, November 21, 6:00 p.m

Tuesday, November 29, 6:00 pm information session

Topics for discussion at the information sessions include the arts disciplines that will be offered through PISOTA, the major academic subjects that will be taught, transportation arrangements for students accepted to participate in PISOTA, and other unique opportunities that will be available. for PISOTA students.

Students must complete an online application for PISOTA enrollment review. For students to be considered during the open enrollment period, an application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, December 16. The application is available at https://pisota.org/apply.

The application will remain open after the open enrollment period; any student applying on or after December 17th will be placed on a waiting list and considered for enrollment on a space-available basis following the January 2023 lottery selection process.

To learn more, visit Phoenix International School of the Arts (PISOTA).

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,000 students in grades kindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 37 schools that provide a technologically advanced, progressive and high-quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, career and higher education.

The Charles County Public School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in programs, activities or employment practices. For questions, please contact Kathy Kiessling, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at County Public Schools Charles, Administration Jesse L. Starkey Building, PO Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks before the event.

CCPS provides equal, nondiscriminatory access to school facilities in accordance with facility use rules for certain youth groups (including, but not limited to, Boy Scouts).