New charter school adds principal

MAT-SU — The latest charter school to add its name to the Mat-Su Borough’s roster has hired a principal and has scheduled a second informational meeting for parents thinking of enrolling their kids.

The principal, Susan McCauley, who holds a Ph.D. in education leadership and policy, is one of two directors of education for the school district. As such, she helps oversee district principals. She is a former principal of the Glacier View School and a former vice principal of Colony Middle School.

She said she loves her current job, especially the challenge it presents, and she was seeking a challenge when she decided to try for a new job.

“There are few opportunities in education to start something from scratch,” McCauley said. “It really seemed to me to be an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.”

She also said Birchtree, which intends to be a “Waldorf-inspired” school, has a philosophy that speaks to her on a personal and a professional level.

Waldorf, she said, instructs students in a manner focusing “not just (on) their intellectual capacities, but also their emotional and physical capacities as well.”

As for the informational meeting, it’s scheduled for tonight in the library at Wasilla Middle School.

Applications for the school are due Thursday. For children going into kindergarten, first or second grade, the school has 48 slots for each grade level. There will also be a third grade, fourth grade, a combined fifth and sixth grade and a combined seventh and eighth grade, each of which has 24 spots. And, if you’re an educator interested in possibly teaching at a Waldorf school, Birchtree will begin accepting applications for teaching positions Thursday.

For more information and to apply, visit birchtreecharterschool.org.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.