WINDSOR TERRACE — A new environmentally-themed middle school founded by local parents is still accepting applications, and any fifth grader in the city is invited to apply.
The Brooklyn Urban Garden School, a charter school that will be housed inside the Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School building, is an "innovative" option for kids who didn't get slots at popular schools like M.S. 51, the Math & Science Exploratory School, and New Voices, said BUGS co-founder Miriam Nunberg.
Fifth grade families received notifications last month about which middle schools students were admitted to, and some, especially those who didn't get their top choices, are still scrambling to find seats.
"A lot of people are still looking for good alternatives, and we think we'll be able to provide a really excellent one," Nunberg said.
While BUGS gave first preference to District 15 students in its admissions lottery in April, the school is now able to accept applications for students in any district in the city, BUGS leaders said in a letter inviting families to apply.
The school was founded by local parents hoping to meet the need for another middle school in District 15. It's an independent "homegrown" charter school that's not part of a chain, Nunberg said. BUGS is opening this fall with 150 students and plans to grow to about 350. The principal will be Linda Rosenbury, who previously helmed M.S. 22 in The Bronx.
BUGS has an environmental sustainability theme and a math and science focus. Student will use a garden at the school for lessons and study energy usage in the building, and seventh graders will analyze local waterways.
"We'll be focusing on hands on investigations of local environmental issues," Nunberg said.