I hope you’re enjoying your summer! I’d like to take a moment to share with you some exciting news from Springs’ Flabob Airport Preparatory Academy (FAPA). Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, FAPA will be implementing the new Aircraft Owners and Pilots Associations (AOPA) high school aviation science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum. It will offer students aviation study options aligned with math and science standards used in many states nationwide, providing students the skills they need to learn about aviation-related career and educational opportunities.

I’m pleased to report that on May 9th, the Riverside County Board of Education voted unanimously to renew River Springs Charter School (RSCS) for another 5 years! Every five years charter schools are required to be renewed by their sponsors; the process takes several months in which data is reviewed and evidence presented. My thanks to all those who were involved in the process, including the Riverside County Board of Education, as well as all the talented staff of RSCS who make the school an ongoing success.

Springs’ leadership began the process over a year ago to get two “new” charter schools approved after changes to the legal interpretation of California charter regulations required us to seek local authorization for two of our existing centers.

This month is a time to celebrate the achievements of Springs’ amazing students and staff!

First, I am pleased to congratulate the winners of our annual Springs-wide Science and Engineering Fair. We had some wonderful projects submitted by our Homeschool and Academy students, some of whom went on to compete in the Riverside County Science Fair. Our winners included:

Our goal at Springs is to help our students take charge of their own education and empower their bright future.  The annual California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) test is a measure of how well our students are mastering their “I Can!s” in the rigorous new online adaptive test.  We were delighted to recognize 21 students who earned perfect scores on the CAASPP test!

It was my great pleasure to take part in grand opening ceremonies for Springs’ Magnolia Student Center, 4020 Jefferson Street, Riverside on January 22. The Center is located at the site of a former YMCA facility which has been completely remodeled for our use. It now has 28 state-of-the-art classrooms with 21st-century design elements, offices, conference rooms for parent and student meetings, a gymnasium and a pool complex which can serve as many as 750 students. It will greatly enhance the two programs Magnolia offers, Magnolia Academy for TK-8 and Renaissance Real World Academy for grades 9-12.

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you’re enjoying winter break and we look forward to your return to school soon.

It’s hard to imagine that 2018 is upon us in a few short weeks!

I believe it’s valuable for families to celebrate their growth and accomplishments as part of their New Year’s celebration. I know as a mother of four that hectic days, weeks and months can slide by, making it hard to remember what events and activities made each year special. Of course, it’s important to celebrate milestones, but memorializing the small wins can do more to encourage a happy, optimistic attitude every day in ourselves and our kids. In my house, we have spent each New Year’s Eve doing at least one reflection activity – writing about our year, completing scrapbook pages together, filming video interviews or telling stories. Last year we filled out a “year in review” form (see above).

As you know, Springs offers its families many wonderful education programs. Our ongoing challenge as we continue to grow, however, is in providing facilities with enough high-quality classrooms in which these programs can take place. I’m pleased to report that at our Magnolia Student Center in Riverside, we’ve been successful in meeting this particular challenge.

One of the things that gives me great joy in my work with Springs is when I learn of the many fine things our graduates are doing. One such young man, Carter Low, came to my attention when Hurricane Harvey was in the news. Carter, 19, is a 2016 graduate of our KEYS program. He has begun a two-year mission with his church, sent to minister to the Chinese community living in Houston, Texas, which was devastated by the August hurricane. (Carter took classes to learn Chinese concurrently with the KEYS program.)