The Love of Learning for a Lifetime

INNOVATION DIVERSITY EXCELLENCE GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP TRUSTWORTHINESS

Welcome to Sela Public Charter School, home to 140 students, ages 3-4 (Early Childhood Program) through Grade 2. The moment you enter our school, you will feel the energy and warmth found in our diverse community of children and adults. Since 2013, our school has remained true to our mission: to offer children of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds in the District of Columbia, from Pre-K to 5th grade, the opportunities to achieve academic excellence in a safe, nurturing environment that focuses on Hebrew language immersion, promotes the value of diversity and provides the skills for taking action in the world.

At Sela, you can count on teachers, leaders, and staff members to fulfill our obligation to bring our students a first-class education with a focus on cultivating a lifelong love of learning in our students. Recently, I read a blog that delineated the seven essential habits of the mind that students need in order to become successful lifelong learners (from Tony Wagner, Harvard University’s Education Specialist). In thinking about how a Sela student will manifest lifelong learning, Wagner’s essential skills provide a benchmark:

1. Formulate good questions

2. Communicate in groups and lead by influence

3. Be agile and adaptable

4. Take initiative and be entrepreneurial

5. Use effective written and oral communication skills

6. Know how to access and analyze information

7. Be creative and imaginative

During this school year, Sela students will engage in learning experiences in both English and Hebrew that will foster their ability to collaborate, communicate and think critically and creatively. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) will be integrated in our instructional programming. We believe that the emphasis on STEM as well as a focus on enhancing our students’ reading and writing skills (through the workshop approaches from Columbia University’s Teachers College) will provide our students with a well-balanced education that will best position students for success in the future.

I hope you will take a moment to read our mission, philosophy, five pillars and core beliefs, and will then explore the wealth of information about our school on this website. However, the best way to fully understand the essence of our school is to visit our school. Please come by and experience what truly makes Sela Public Charter School distinct.

We know that this will be an amazing school year filled with a tremendous amount of learning, growth, and achievement!