FLORY LOOKING FOR 'DISMANTLERS' MAGNET SCHOOL SEEKS INQUISITIVE KIDS.

Byline: Angie Valencia Staff Writer

MOORPARK - Determining which kids are suited for the Flory Academy of Science and Technology could be as easy as checking their pockets, Principal Pam Hill tells parents.

``Are they full of leaves, bugs and sticks?'' Hill asks. ``Is he or she the type of person that dismantles things to find out how they work?''

The new magnet school - set to open in the fall - is accepting applications now through Feb. 20. A flood of applicants is expected for the academy, which, when fully in place, would serve as a model for the rest of the country, school officials said.

With its new magnet school status, Flory will no longer exclusively serve fourth- and fifth-graders. The school will transition to a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade configuration come September.

Enrollment is now at 460 students, which accounts for current fourth- and fifth-graders. An additional 160 students will be accepted for the fall - 40 students at each K-3 grade level.

A lottery will determine who will fill those 160 seats in the incoming K-3 classes.

The new and improved Flory will include eight new classrooms - two for each K-3 grade - computer labs and a science lab, a library/media center, and an already established low-frequency radio station, as well as an internal television station.

``Flory will be very unique,'' said teacher Michael Cosenza, recently hired as the science and technology resource specialist. ``We don't have a model to follow. We're creating something very special.''

Cosenza will assist teachers in integrating science, math and technology into the everyday curriculum.

Tina Cantrell, assistant superintendent of instructional and support services, said that since the start, the community chose which direction this school would take.

A survey last year overwhelmingly showed community interest in the district's latest magnet program. Walnut Canyon School is the district's only other magnet campus among its six K-5 schools.

``It's not a remake,'' she said. ``What we have is a brand new school, configuration and focus.''

Parent Karen Blufer was part of the Vision 2010 committee, which recommended that the school be transformed into a science, math and technology campus in response to the survey.

In the end, Flory was selected because of districtwide concerns.

``If the school remained a neighborhood school, the ethnic ratio would be imbalanced,'' she said, referring to the predominantly Latino composition. ``We decided to create a school that would attract a more diverse population.''

A partnership with California Lutheran University will allow future teachers to train in the elementary school.

Flory will offer full-day kindergarten, as well as before- and after- school and extended day-care programs.

Angie Valencia, [phone]

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Students work in a computer lab at Flory Elementary School, which is set to become a magnet school this fall.

(2) Flory Elementary student Kyle Hoberg looks on as Rosio Fernandez tries out a new handheld microscope at the Moorpark school. Flory will open as a magnet school in the fall.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer