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.
Springs’ Hemet Student Center finished out the school year by offering a parking lot field trip to the Homeschool community, reported Principal April Jacoby. The local fire department brought an engine to the site, showed off its equipment, and taught fire safety lessons. Teacher Uta Jorgensen organized the event; participating families included the Johnson, Cervantes, Reynolds and Corona, families.
Springs Homeschool Education Specialist Nadia Phillips reported that 27 students in grades K-8 attended an end-of-year awards party to celebrate their achievements. Ms. Phillips serves 33 students in the San Bernardino Mountain community from Crestline to Running Springs.
Springs’ Montessori Voyage and Virtual Academy are wrapping up the school year and having fun, celebrating students, and showing appreciation to teachers, reported Lanise Goosby, Virtual Village principal.
The Homeschool team is pleased to announce a new offering at Springs’ Santa Ana Student Center beginning this fall. Students grade K-6 (depending on enrollment) will be able to participate in a two-day a week classical education-inspired program teaching science, history, and enrichment.
Students at Springs’ Del Rio Student Center observed Earth Day by participating in a park clean-up day at a Perris park. Students made bird feeders and posters about recycling.
Springs Homeschool 5th-grade student Savannah Villamor competed in the Southern California level 7 State Gymnastics Championships, earning the Balance Beam, Floor Exercise and All Around 1stPlace titles for her age division, reported Erika Nevares, Education Specialist.
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.