Tapestry Charter School is a public charter school in Buffalo, New York, that provides education to K-12 students. Established in 2001, it has since emphasized environmental education and project-based learning.
Furthermore, its environment encourages compassion, diversity, creativity, collaboration, leadership, and community. Every student at Tapestry is trained socially and academically in preparation for college education.
Tapestry also operates an interdisciplinary curriculum where subjects are combined and taught together rather than taught separately. As a result, students will learn to see the connection between various subjects. This will help them apply their knowledge and become problem-solvers in a real-world setting.
Additionally, the institution is strongly dedicated to inclusivity, equity, and social justice. Hence, it maintains a diverse, inclusive community that encourages differences and boosts empathy and understanding.
In a nutshell, Tapestry Charter School, Buffalo, New York, is a vibrant community of leaders and learners. It has also been continually recognized for its academic excellence. Meanwhile, graduates of this institution move ahead to study in prestigious universities and colleges.
Tapestry Charter School has also been ranked one of the top public charter schools in New York.
Table of contents
Background Information
In 2001, some individuals passionate about developing a school committed to excellence, accountability, and choice founded Tapestry Charter School. Its name, “Tapestry,” focuses on integrating various learning approaches into one.
The school started with over 100 students in grades K-4 and was initially based in a former Catholic building. As it grew, it relocated to a larger facility and began a new state-of-the-art building.
Presently, Tapestry Charter School serves 800+ students in grades K-12 from the Buffalo, New York environs. At the same time, Tapestry’s student body is diverse, with many students from various socioeconomic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds.
History of Tapestry Charter School
Tapestry Charter School was approved by the State University of New York Board of Trustees to begin in September 2001. It started at 40 North Street with 100+ K-4 students, supporting administration, staff, and faculty while sharing the same vision.
Later in 2005, the Tapestry Charter School Board of Trustees amended its charter to include a high school. Through the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Tapestry Charter established a High School in 2006. This high school began with a 9th-grade class of 50 students, focusing on Expeditionary Learning, and located at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf.
In 2007, Tapestry Charter High School expanded its 9th-grade class to 75 students. And in 2009, TCS increased one grade yearly. Thus, it became a comprehensive K-12 school in the 2009-2010 school year, having 515 students.
In the same year, Tapestry Charter High School relocated to 10 Days Park for a year while building and redeveloping its new location at 65 Great Arrow. TCS had its first set of graduating senior students (98% of its first senior class) in June 2010.
Meanwhile, 100% of TCS’s graduating classes have been offered admission into college. In the fall of 2010, the institution relocated to its new and present residence at 65 Great Arrow Avenue.
At the same time, Tapestry began the second phase of new construction at 65 Great Arrow, constructing a two-story building in addition to the existing one. This new building was intended to house its K-8 grades.
Grades And Programs Offered
Tapestry Charter Public School has three different schools: lower, middle, and high. And these schools are made up of different grades.
Lower School
The lower school is made up of grades K-4. It offers students a rigorous and robust curriculum following the New York State Next Generation Standards and readies students with the fundamental knowledge they require to succeed academically.
Furthermore, elementary students gain exposure to wellness, art, dance, library & STEAM, music, and physical education, alongside learning their core subjects. They also partake in crew daily.
Tapestry Charter Public School, Buffalo, New York, believes in blending social and emotional learning and robust instruction with small groups to meet every student’s needs. At TCS, every family is valued and involved in their child’s education.
Middle School
Tapestry’s middle school consists of grades 5-8. The institution provides its middle school students with a core curriculum based on the New York State Common Core standards. It also prepares students to pass the New York State Regents exams.
In addition, Tapestry Public Charter School, Buffalo, New York, has various programs to meet every student’s needs. These include accelerated and enrichment course offerings such as Earth Science and Algebra taught in 8th grade. Lastly, TCS focuses on Expeditionary Learning and integrates fieldwork and service learning into rigorous, engaging units of study.
High School
Tapestry’s high school comprises grades 9-12. The institution offers high school students programs in art & art integration, special education & ELL, college & career readiness, and Expeditionary Learning.
Expeditionary Learning is an educational model that promotes critical thinking among students and challenges them to actively take on roles in their communities and classrooms. As a result, they engage better and achieve higher in school.
Schools offering the Expeditionary Learning model inculcate in students character development and academic skills they require to reach their full potential as leaders and learners. Meanwhile, student-led conferences, intensives, crew, and expeditions are structures you can expect from the Expeditionary Learning model.
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Unique Features of Tapestry Public Charter School
Here are the unique features of Tapestry Public Charter School, Buffalo, New York:
- Student growth
Tapestry has an advanced distinctive, innovative K12 student growth plan to enable students to engage their world by focusing on math, literacy, and college & career readiness.
- Financial and operational needs
They ensure the sustainability of the institution’s program by tackling Tapestry’s essential financial and operational needs.
- Cohesive and effective board governance
Tapestry develops a cohesive and effective board governance structure that engages the board of trustees with students, staff, and the community in proactive and collaborative stewardship.
- Positive impact
They increase the school’s positive impact on their local community and the world so everyone can benefit from their achievements and dedication to justice.
- Character and culture
The school encourages character and culture in its community to enable every member to show respect, responsibility, integrity, and perseverance continually.
- Teacher experience
Tapestry engages instructional and leadership staff to further its teacher experience with a committed focus on advancing leadership, talent management, recruitment & retention, and teacher’s voice demands.
Admission Process
Admission into Tapestry Charter School is made via a random lottery available to the public to fill up openings every school year. Meanwhile, the admission process at Tapestry Charter School, Buffalo, New York, is very straightforward.
Every lottery acceptance is a precursor and doesn’t become final until Tapestry receives all critical paperwork. This includes proof of residence, an original copy of your child’s birth certificate, a recent physical (from the Doctor), and immunization records. You must have finished the school’s online registration through SchoolMint.
However, you must complete and return this paperwork by Friday, May 12, 2023; otherwise, the student’s seat will be given to the next child on the waiting list.
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Eligibility Requirements, Application Process, And Deadline
After the lottery, accepted students for kindergarten admission must fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
- Be at least five years old on or before December 31.
- They must have an assessment from the preschool teacher (if applicable).
- Be given a kindergarten readiness test.
- They must provide current immunization records.
For ALL accepted students, you must complete the following items for the application process:
- Copy of birth certificate
- Record Release Form
- Online registration form through SchoolMint
- Copy of IEP or 504 plan (if applicable)
- Custody or guardianship paperwork (if applicable)
- Immunization form
- Residency verification form and required documentation
- Physical form
- Completion of an intake interview with Tapestry staff
- Copy of current report card and State testing scores (if applicable)
- Application for free and reduced breakfast and lunch
- New York State Textbook Request Form
General Policies:
- Selection of all applicants will be made through the lottery process.
- If applying for many kids in your family, you must complete a separate application for each child applying for admission.
- Students with continual registration at Tapestry Public Charter School don’t need to reapply at the end of the school year.
- Any student who withdraws from Tapestry Public Charter School and wants to return to the institution must reapply as a new student.
- If there’s a vacancy in the requested grade, families with siblings will be given “preference.”
Note: You must submit all K-12 2022-2023 applications by Monday, April 3, 2023. Meanwhile, the lottery schedule for K-12 is on April 12, 2023. However, information about lottery results will be communicated via email or text from SchoolMint.
Curriculum & Instruction
Tapestry is an accredited public charter school licensed by the DeKalb County School District with lower, middle, and high schools. Its curriculum features the following:
- Personalized and differentiated curriculum
- Small and co-taught classes
- Dedication to arts such as drama, visual arts, and music
- A focus on science and technology
- Social-emotional learning
- Academic rigor that’s wholly inclusive and supports different learning profiles.
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Extracurricular Activities
Besides educational and academic work, Tapestry Public Charter School offers extracurricular activities and clubs to help students build skills in various areas. These activities and clubs include the following:
Fine Arts
Tapestry’s art course offerings cover various types of visual arts, including casting, ceramic, painting, printmaking, and sculpting.
Art Club
In this club, students can delve deeper into fine arts. They use the school as their canvas; you can see the art club’s murals around it.
Music Appreciation
Middle and high school students particularly enjoy this activity. And the school uses their interests as a springboard to study different arrays of music techniques and styles. Also, music appreciation allows students to perform on other instruments and create music with diverse approaches.
Beginning and Advanced Band
The Beginning and Advanced Band at Tapestry enables new and experienced students to learn or sharpen their skills using an instrument. Hence, they perform at Tapestry concerts and throughout the community.
Student Government Association
The student government at Tapestry Charter School, Buffalo, New York, works with faculty and staff to create fun school activities and events.
Garden Club
Staff and parents support Tapestry in maintaining its school garden. This educates students about soil health, food origins, responsibility, home gardening, community, food preparation, safety, native plant species, and bugs.
Chorus
The chorus club is available to every student that wants to sing a wide array of music with their friends. Meanwhile, this club is the favorite of all students. Further, the chorus club collaborates with other Tapestry musical groups to perform at school events and throughout the community.
Robotics
Tapestry’s robotics club participates in the state’s competitions. The club also assists students in developing problem-solving skills, technical knowledge, creativity, and teamwork.
Technology Student Association
TSA is part of an international organization that assists students in building business education, engineering, science, mathematics, and technology skills.
Spanish Club
Tapestry’s Spanish club is an extension of the school’s Spanish curriculum. Here, students delve deeper into Spanish-speaking cultures and might even travel to some of them.
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Student Life
In addition to offering extracurricular activities and clubs, Tapestry Public Charter School provides afterschool programs to Tapestry families at an extra fee. Some of these programs include:
- Knitting club
- Chess club
- STEAM club
- Cooking club
- Kindness club
- Coding club
- Girls on the Run
- Chorus Club
- Irish Classical Theater Company
- Dance Company club
Student Demographics
Tapestry Public Charter School, Buffalo, New York, has 52% of female students, 48% of male students, and 72% of economically disadvantaged students. See other student diversity below.
| Minority enrollment | 78.4% |
| White | 21.6% |
| Black/African American | 54.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 14.2% |
| Multiracial | 7.4% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.3% |
| American Indian/Alaska native | 0.4% |
| Native American | 0.4% |
| International | 0% |
| Unknown | 0% |
Student Support Services
TCS offers several student support services to help students improve emotionally, academically, and socially. Below are some support services students enjoy:
- Special Education
Students with disabilities at TCS enjoy special education services. This is aimed at assisting them in accessing the curriculum and partaking in the school community.
- Counseling
Tapestry has a counselor who provides personalized and group counseling services to students with academic or personal challenges.
- English Language Learner (ELL) Program
TCS provides an English Language Learner program to students who are not native English speakers. It improves their English Language proficiency and boosts their academic performance in school.
- Academic Support
This is one of the support services students enjoy at Tapestry Public Charter School. However, it is mainly for students having challenges with specific skills or subjects. Such support could include small group teachings, tutoring, or extra resources to assist such students in catching up and maintaining track.
- Health support services
TCS has a nurse offering students first aid, health education, and primary medical care.
- Enrichment programs
The institution provides various enrichment programs like clubs, arts, and music to encourage students to develop new skills and explore their interests.
Generally, Tapestry’s goal is to provide an inclusive and supportive environment where every student can succeed and attain their full potential.
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Student Culture and Community
Tapestry’s school culture and community are characterized by inclusivity, community, and a dedication to environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the institution encourages and values integrity, respect, and responsibility among its staff, students, and families.
Tapestry Public Charter School also promotes a collaborative learning environment, allowing students to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects. These projects help them to develop a sense of connection and community between various subject areas and grade levels.
Tapestry also creates an environment that supports parent and community involvement. Hence, it has several opportunities for families to support school events, volunteer, and give feedback on school programs and policies.
Again, its dedication to environmental sustainability reflects in its curriculum and practices. Its building is created to be environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient while teaching students to be actively involved in reducing their ecological footprint.
Furthermore, environmental education is infused into the curriculum, and students learn to think critically about ecological challenges. They are also taught to understand their role in building a sustainable future.
Generally, Tapestry Public Charter School’s student culture and community focus on building an inclusive and positive learning atmosphere where every student feels supported and valued. The institution builds a community of responsible, dedicated, and engaged learners in making the world a better place.
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Faculty And Staff
Tapestry Charter School prioritizes top-quality education and needs its teachers to possess a valid New York State teaching certification or to be in the process of getting it. Also, most of Tapestry’s teachers have advanced degrees in their specialization subjects and good teaching experience.
Moreover, Tapestry promotes continuous professional development and offers teachers opportunities to partake in workshops, conferences, and other training. This is to improve their skills and stay updated with the trending teaching practices and methods.
Furthermore, the institution’s recruitment process is a thorough and rigorous one. It involves reviewing applicants’ teaching philosophy, experience, and qualifications.
Again, Tapestry employs teachers committed to building an inclusive and positive learning environment and those committed to project-based learning and environmental sustainability.
In summary, Tapestry Public Charter School, Buffalo, New York, has experienced and well-qualified professionals as teachers. And they are dedicated to offering interdisciplinary education to every student.
These experts work in synergy to support all students’ academic, emotional, and social needs. They also help them build the required knowledge and skills to succeed in career, college, and life.
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Parent Involvement
Tapestry Charter School, Buffalo, New York, supports and fosters parent involvement in their child’s education. The institution believes parents play a vital role in fostering their children’s academic success and emotional stability.
Therefore, they encourage parents to get involved in the school’s activities and decision-making processes. Furthermore, Tapestry provides several opportunities for parents’ engagement.
Such opportunities include:
- Serving on different advisory boards and school committees.
- Partaking in school activities and events.
- Volunteering in the classroom.
Again, it promotes open communication between teachers and parents and offers endless opportunities for progress reports and parent-teacher conferences.
Tapestry’s Parent Teacher Organization is essential for supporting school initiatives and programs and facilitating parent involvement. Through the PTO, the institution gets sponsorship for several events and fundraisers throughout the year; this includes book fairs, community service projects, and family nights.
Parent involvement is an essential aspect of the Tapestry Charter School community. And the school works to promote solid partnerships between students, staff, and families to encourage student success.
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Importance of Parent Involvement
Parent involvement is an essential part of the Tapestry Charter School community. And it has positively impacted the student’s educational process, social & emotional development, and the entire school’s success.
When parents engage in their children’s education, they can give extra encouragement and support, reinforcing learning and fostering academic success. This could be constantly communicating with teachers to stay updated about their child(ren) ’s progress and needs, participating in school activities and events, and assisting with homework.
Alongside the educational benefits, parent involvement at Tapestry helps encourage a sense of connection and community. They can also work in synergy with staff and other families to develop an inclusive learning and positive environment that enables every student’s emotional and social development.
Additionally, parent engagement can positively impact school governance and culture. Parents can assist in developing school programs and policies by participating in decision-making processes and school committees. Doing this will meet the needs of families and students.
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Opportunities For Parent Involvement at Tapestry Public Charter School
Tapestry Public Charter School offers various opportunities for parent involvement to foster community building, support student learning, and encourage environmental sustainability.
Below are some opportunities for parent involvement at Tapestry:
- School Committees
Parents are welcome to serve different school communities like the Health and Wellness Committee or the Environmental Stewardship Committee.
- Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parents are invited to regular conferences with their child’s teacher to talk about the child’s academic progress and anything they want to share.
- Community Service Projects
Tapestry usually partners with local organizations to offer opportunities for families to volunteer and positively impact the community.
- Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)
The school’s Parent Teacher Organization conducts several events and activities yearly. This includes community service projects, social events, and fundraisers.
- Volunteer Opportunities
TCS invites parents to volunteer at school events, on field trips, and in the classroom.
- Classroom Support
Teachers may require the help of parents to Foster classroom learning via activities like providing snacks, leading small-group activities, or reading to students.
Tapestry encourages and recognizes parent engagement at all levels since parents are critical partners in fostering students’ learning. The ways mentioned above are opportunities the institution provides for parents to be involved in their child’s education.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Open application for the 2022-2023 school year starts on Monday, December 6, 2021, and ends on Friday, February 17, 2022, at 4:00 pm.
Tapestry is a Public Charter School licensed by the DeKalb County School District. For the 2022–2023 school year, any student in the DeKalb County School District in grades 6–12 is qualified to attend. However, this depends on the availability of the lottery and seat(s).
Kindly note that parts of Decatur and Atlanta are also in DeKalb County. However, they are zoned for the City of Decatur and Atlanta Public Schools. For your child to attend Tapestry, you must show evidence that you reside in the DeKalb County School District. However, children of full-time employees and board members are exempted.
It will be held on February 25, 2022, by 9:00 am. Moreover, families are welcomed but not meant to attend the lottery. Families will be emailed about their child’s placement, and the lottery results will be published on the website.
No. Tapestry does not participate in the School Choice Lottery. You only have to fill out the school’s online application to apply to Tapestry.
References
usnews.com – Tapestry Charter School
niche.com – Students at Tapestry Charter School
tapestrycharter.org – Curriculum & Instruction
en.wikipedia.org – Tapestry Charter School
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