The mission of each Springs Charter School is to empower students by fostering their innate curiosity, engaging their parents, and promoting optimum learning by collaboratively developing a personalized learning program for each student.
The staff of the new Little Springs KinderCenter, which will exclusively serve transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten students, is preparing to officially open its doors this fall, reported Deanna Bereiter, site facilitator. The school is located at 510 W. 2nd Street in Corona, formerly the site of the Corona Student Center, which has relocated to 2115 Compton Avenue, Corona.
Springs’ Magnolia Student Center has launched a junior varsity (JV) volleyball team, reported Coach Tori Cantu. She said, “This inaugural JV season reflects the incredible growth of our program, which has expanded from just six players in 2017 to a thriving program with enough student-athletes to support two competitive teams.”
Springs’ new Explorer Student Center, located at 9460 Sierra Avenue in Fontana, has opened, reported Principal Kari Lewis. The site is offering a 5-day, seat-based Da Vinci Academy program for TK-8th grade and learning labs for grades K-8 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Staff is currently setting up classrooms; 60 to 100 students are expected to participate in the academy program for its inaugural year.
Springs’ Otay Ranch Academy for the Arts (ORAA) celebrated the end of its school year with a day of games at a local park, reported Site Facilitator Tami Foster, followed by promotion ceremonies the following week for kindergarten, 6th, and 8th grade students. The school served 387 students in grades TK-8, Tami said, and staff is looking forward to serving as many as 450 students in the upcoming school year.
Springs’ Venture Online program is growing, reported Koa Atkinson, administrative assistant, with the addition of five new teachers, three instructional aides, and a revolving substitute (four of the teacher positions and one of the instructional aide positions are newly created positions). The school is also introducing SchoolSpace, “an innovative platform designed to enhance connection, communication, and collaboration across the school community.”
Springs’ Trailblazer Student Center, which offers the Quest seat-based academy, has been established at a new location, 1821 N. Grand Avenue in Santa Ana, reported Principal Katherine Kim. She said, “We are currently getting settled into the new space and setting up our classrooms for an amazing school year.”
Charter schools are independent public schools with rigorous curriculum programs and unique educational approaches. In exchange for operational freedom and flexibility, charter schools are subject to higher levels of accountability than traditional public schools. Charter schools, which are tuition-free and open to all students, offer quality and choice in the public education system.
The charter establishing each such school is a contract detailing the school’s mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. In California, charters are granted for five years. At the end of the term, the entity granting the charter may renew the school’s contract. Charter schools are accountable to their authorizer, and to the students and families they serve, to produce positive academic results and adhere to the charter contract.
Like traditional public schools, charters receive state funding based on a formula for each child enrolled in the school. Many charters also do additional fundraising to obtain grants and donations to pay for programs that are not fully funded by state or school district formulas. When lawmakers passed the Charter Schools Act of 1992, California became the second state in the country (after Minnesota) to enact charter school legislation. The intent was to allow groups of educators, community members, parents, or others to create an alternative type of public school.