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.
In Springs’ Del Rio Student Center’s recent science lessons with it PS Science Lab, students “embarked on an exciting hands-on project to explore the delicate balance of Earth's ecosystems,” reported Principal Kim Ballantyne-Morse. They worked together to create their own mini-ecosystems, where they could observe and study the interactions between living and non-living components of nature.
Springs’ SantaAna Student Center (SASC) held its 3rd annual Open Closet, which invited SASC families to “shop” for free clothing and shoes, reported Elisa Cornelius, school counselor. Items were donated from throughout Orange County and required a U-Haul to transport all the donated items.
Venture Online senior Alyssa Marchant is a gifted rodeo horseback rider. She’s consistently earned top-five finishes in her recent competitions, and her skill and dedication have earned her a range of awards, from gadgets to saddles and buckles. Currently, she’s in 4th place for year-end awards with her competition team.
Springs Virtual Village held a Read-a-Thon in March, with students logging their reading minutes using electronic reading logs, tracking their progress throughout the week. The celebration included special guest readers who shared their favorite stories, bringing books to life for students. They also had themed days, including "Dress Up as Your Favorite Book Character Day", where students came in costume.
Springs held its 4th annual IMPACT (Individualized Mentors and Professional Administrative Coaching and Training) meeting for 225 non-instructional support staff at Springs’ event center in Temecula. Monica Strain, HR manager-training & professional development who helped organize the event, said, “The IMPACT meeting was a great day of inspiration, learning, and connection.”
Aarav Bajaj, a 4th-grade student in Connections Academy at Springs, earned first place in Spring’s annual Speech Meet. He delivered an “excellent” speech, reported Principal Laurie Campbell, “impressing the judges and showcasing his excellent public speaking skills.”
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.