Hi,

The Emerson Lily Free School will be openning this Fall.  For those of you who are interested, there will be a meeting this Saturday at 3pm at The Gristmill Cafe in Andover, NJ (4 Lenape Road; Newton, NJ 07821).  We will be discussing fundraising, promotion, and getting to know each other better before the school year.  Any questions from the curious are welcome.  We'd appreciate any help in getting this learning community started.  Besides our full-time day program, we will also be accepting part-time students.  The Emerson Lily Free School is also a Cooperative Community Life-Long Learning Center, which can be used by the local community for workshops, discussion groups, and events.  We welcome and encourage parent involvement.

Some time in our first year, we will be starting a Skillshare Network, hooking up people in our community who have a skill or knowledge to share, with learners seeking help. 

>Imagine a school without any grades, homework, or tests. Imagine giving students complete freedom to be themselves. . . to choose what they will learn and when. . . a school that is run by the students, along with the help of a supportive staff.

There is such a school starting this September, in Andover Borough, The Emerson Lily Free School.

Free Schools promote self-initiative, self-reliance, and self-confidence.

This is the end of one-size-fits-all education and the beginning of student freedom!

Vision Statement

We are a democratic community of learners who believe in the freedom, happiness and self-determination of the student.

Mission Statement 

At The Emerson Lily Free School, the student designs his or her own curriculum. The students and staff take an equal part in the school’s Consensus decision-making process. Students take responsibility in the running of the school as well. Conflict resolution is promoted with coaching in empathetic communication skills and the support of the school meeting. As an extension of cooperation among people, the Free School also values cooperation with the Earth and its resources.

Peace,

Abe Karl-Gruswitz

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Abe Karl-Gruswitz
973-786-5396
abe@...
The Emerson Lily Free School
www.emersonlilyfreeschool.org
The Ecovillage New Jersey project
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EcovillageNWNJ

"...if you hyperexploit your surroundings you will deplete them and die;
the only way to survive in the long run is to give back more than you take."  Derrick Jensen