HOPE – The Hope Academy of Public Service will notify parents and students beginning June 1 of the acceptance status of applicants to the new grades 5-8 Hope Public Schools academy.

HAPS Principal Dr. Carol Ann Duke said the return of completed acceptance letter information is requested by June 16.

Final enrollment of each student is subject to proof of residency confirmation and completion of all enrollment requirements, including a parent, student, staff conference to be scheduled between June 20 and June 30 for each of the accepted students.

The Academy is an open enrollment campus of the HPS for students who reside within the school district that will emphasize a rigorous curriculum built around collaborative, computer-based and project-centered learning to prepare each student to think as a college-ready scholar. Students will engage their education through a personal learning plan, and will be exposed to the larger arena of public service through a partnership between HAPS, the William J. Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana and other Arkansas-based institutions of higher education.

Enrollment dates for HAPS students will be from June 7-9. Parents are asked to provide proof of district residency, copy of student’s birth certificate, and copy of student immunization records during enrollment conferences, according to Duke.

Enrollment packets will be available for each student during his or her conference, or at www.hpsdistrict.org online, Duke said.

An open house will also be held on the HAPS campus at the historic Garland/HAPS School, 600 W. Sixth St., from 3:30-7:30 p.m., Aug. 11, she said.

“Please provide your student’s shirt size,” Duke said. “We will be ordering red, short-sleeved polo-style shirts with our campus logo for each student.”

The first day of classes will be Aug. 15, she said.

Enrollment packets will include the HAPS Commitment to Excellence to be signed by all HAPS students and parents. The document represents the compact between students, parents and the school upon which each is accountable for conduct, commitment and support. A campus handbook will also be provided which will outline district and campus policies.

Academy students will also be required to develop a community service component to their academic year, part of which will be carried out one Saturday per month based at the HAPS campus.

Students not immediately accepted for the 2016-2017 school year may be placed on a wait list, Duke said. She said “wait list letters” will be sent to parents for return to HAPS by June 20 to provide information required for future enrollment. Wait list student enrollment dates have been set for June 22-23.