Enrollment for 23/24 school year starts 12/1/22. Click here to apply!

An information session for the 23/24 school year will be held at 5:30pm Thursday, Jan. 26th in the Dining Hall on Campus. 

Jane Goodall Environmental Sciences Academy (JGESA) is changing its name to Outward Academy Charter School (OACS) beginning with the 2023/24 school year. Along with a new name, we hope to move to a new location at 1705 MN-25, Buffalo, MN 55313. This location brings us closer to the majority of our student body without extending bus route times for others. It also puts us near Highways 25 and 55 and Interstate 94 for ease of transportation. 

JGESA has entered into a purchase agreement for the Buffalo property and is undergoing a due diligence period to study the feasibility of the move and campus renovation. We intend to be official owners of this property in the Fall of 2022, with renovations completed and ready to open the campus for the 23/24 school year. 

The JGESA community knows that education isn’t contained within walls and we are grateful for the beautiful space we rent from True Friends. However, continually moving in and out of cabins and changing our spaces creates a feeling of transience and instability. A move to our new Buffalo location will give us a permanent space that we control and is specifically designed for our students, our approach to learning, and our community.      

Outward Academy Charter School (OACS) better reflects who we are while still maintaining our mission statement of “Out of the Classroom, Into the World.” The word OUTWARD was carefully selected as it was a versatile word that reflected the core values of our school. Directing students outward into the world as they grow and mature into young adults, looking outside yourself into the greater community, and of course retaining our emphasis on environmental education. 

We have exciting plans for the new Outward Academy campus with benefits and opportunities for all of our learners.  We will deliver the same award-winning, innovative, educational programs in a new, custom-renovated, and environmentally friendly building. New features include an 18-acre campus with outdoor learning spaces, trails, and areas designed to specifically promote project-based-learning. Plans for a state-of-the-art science lab and native prairie are also in the works. We plan on coordinating with the DNR to have our wooded acreage designated as a School Forest. In partnership with the city, county, and state recreational and natural resource organizations, the school will be a valuable resource and site for students, community engagements, and public educational use. 

In addition, the new campus is in close proximity to several local parks and lakes. We will continue our partnerships with Wright County Parks and Recreation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Trout in the Classroom, Conservation Minnesota, and the Department of Natural Resources to advance our out-of-the-classroom learning activities in off-campus locations. 

OACS will continue to be a free, public charter school serving grades 6-12, just as we have since our inception as Jane Goodall Environmental Sciences Academy in 2015. Students currently enrolled at JGESA will continue to be enrolled; no action is required for current students. 

JGESA is proud to have been recognized as the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools winner in the Category: Creating Different and Innovative Forms of Measuring Outcomes. Additionally, we were selected from over 400 schools for the top honor in the Innovation in Education category at the Building Hope Impact Awards in Washington, D.C on June 22, 2022. We are excited to continue our innovation in a new location and with a new name in Fall 2023 while maintaining our successful, award-winning, and unique educational program. 

Out of the Classroom, Into the World - Here’s to an exciting change for the 2023/24 school year!

JGESA Safe Learning Plan 2022-23 - Updated 7/22

Please note Covid presents us with a continually evolving situation and changes will be made as necessary.

• Click here for the full JGESA Safe Learning Plan

Executive Summary: 

JGESA is in compliance with Federal government, Minnesota Rule, Local Public Health and universal business guidance requirements;

• It is required all people present in school buildings and district offices wear a face covering if using the shortened quarantine/isolation procedure. See full details in Safe Learning Plan.
• It is no longer required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order to wear face coverings on all public transportation conveyances including school buses and vans. 

• All members of the school community, including staff, students, families, visitors, and others should continue to be vigilant in monitoring for symptoms of illness and protect others by staying home when they are feeling ill and following COVID-19 specific exclusion and self-quarantine guidance when appropriate. JGESA will continue to use the most current guidance from MDE/MDH to determine who should stay home and when staff or students may return.
  • FULLY VACCINATED STAFF OR STUDENTS DO NOT NEED TO QUARANTINE based on exposure only - those will symptoms must remain at home. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
  • Staff or students may use shortened quarantine based on 1/17/22 guidance - full details in plan. 
• JGESA will continue to offer free take home Covid-19 tests to students and staff upon request.
• JGESA has partnered with Wright County Public Health and local health care providers to offer and promote testing and vaccination options to our school community. These opportunities will continue to be communicated to families via email and social media as they become available.

• JGESA has the unique advantage of a 300 acre outdoor campus, whenever possible we will utilize outdoor spaces for learning. Also,  we have more than recommended square footage per student available for distancing student desk spacing.

• JGESA will continue to follow protocols around daily cleaning, handwashing, and respiratory etiquette in an effort to mitigate disease spread. Note should we experience an outbreak of Covid it is possible that JGESA would shift learning models as needed. 

• JGESA will ensure continuity of services, including but not limited to services that address students academic, social, emotional and mental health needs in a variety of ways including access to in-person and online resources, school Counselor, Meal Finder resource, and more. Advisor, Counselor and other staff will identify and follow-up with students experiencing lack of progress, frequent absences or other issues such as equitable access or barriers to participating in instruction can be identified and resolved.
  
  

• Digital Equity - JGESA will provide 1:1 chromebooks to each student. JGESA will also work with families to obtain free/low cost home internet access or provide school owned internet hotspots for use as needed. 

• Appropriate Accommodations for Children with disabilities with respect to health and safety policies will be provided

Please submit all attendance related communications to ATTENDANCE@JGESA.org

Out of the classroom, into the world.

There are countless ways for your student to explore and learn outside of the classroom. Click for a list of free or low cost ideas, any of which could be turned into a fascinating JGESA school project. If you know of other ideas please share so we can expand the list.