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 Homeschool hosted its annual SPREEs (Student Parent Regional Educational Events) across Southern California, reported NikkoleMcAdoo, events and community engagement coordinator. Students had the chance to attend the “lively” Imagination Machine Assembly, she said, an interactive writing workshop led by talented actors.
Springs Homeschool hosted its annual Regional Park Days across nine locations, including sites in Orange and San Diego Counties, as well as in Temecula, Riverside, Corona, Rancho Cucamonga, and Cherry Valley.
Virtual Academy families and staff took a field trip to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and had an “unforgettable adventure,” reported LaniseGoosby, Virtual Village principal. Highlights included a tram ride through the parks’ wildlife and park exhibits.
The Temecula Student Center observed Cancer Awareness Day, reported Program Facilitator MelissaTargos, “a time to reflect on how many of us have witnessed the strength and resilience of loved ones facing this difficult journey.”
The girls volleyball team from Springs’ Magnolia Student Center is headed to CIF playoffs after a successful 8-3 season and placing third in their league. The 12-girl team is heading to CIF playoffs for the 6th year in a row.
Journey Homeschool High School students enjoyed a visit from animation screenwriters and Emmy award winners Doug and Candie Langdale whose credits include Scooby-Doo, Book of Life, and DarkwingDuck. They talked about their careers, obstacles, and how to become a screenwriter. Doug said, “The main goal is to practice writing if you want to become a writer.
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.