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Family Information Video 2023-2024

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okay so I'm Sarah Schwartz and the director of a rat a Charter Academy I've had a little bit of contact with each of you we are in our sixth year and I was at eat public school teacher 20 years 17 of those years at Cottage Hill and Alta Sierra in the Pleasant Ridge School District and six years ago the superintendent came and asked me to get my admin credential and then fed will you open the school so we saw that in our district there was a big need for families who wanted something different and if it's so then they have been leaving our school to go find homeschool programs and other districts and we thought you know we could give them all of the support of a district and also all the flexibility and individualized education of homeschooling so that's how we started we started in one class at Magnolia was six students and three years ago we moved to our beautiful 10-acre campus at Stephens and Wolf Road and now we have 256 students that which oppresses like a really good number we're loving it and we have a just a beautiful beautiful location and it was the farmer Pleasant Ridge Campus that we'd had to close down in our district in 2010 and 3rd to get to move I can reopen it up with our own students was awesome because we are a charter school we can accept students in Nevada County or any County that text is so that's plaster you bye and better and I'm sorry better Ciara and you don't have to do any kind of in there just for transfer or anything like that to get in so that's how we get to have so many students and families from a wide area I'm going to go ahead and share my screen so I have a little presentation for you guys alrighty didn't start at the beginning hold on sorry I'm thinking for South which is never a good decision it should really just let me be the boss try that again all right there we go do we like to do lots of family events that are at say we really talked about how our campus is our school is just like a big family this staff and teachers are all have been scared by me I didn't inherit anybody which is kind of a really beautiful thing and they all specifically chose to be at the school because they have this Vision that that is similar to ours about you know this individual is inflexible as a listen and having lots of family involvement so you can see her we had ice cream social at the beginning of the year we do that every year and then we brought in a musical specialist on the first day of school we did a whole bunch of different orientations and workshops and parents could sign up and then we brought in vacation turn music specialists in and did a workshop with students and family so that family feeling is very important to us if you step on her campus you will feel it right away you are greeted with miles and people that are every single person is choosing to be there we are School of Choice not a school of residence which is a little bit different you don't come to our school just because you live close to it you come to our school because you choose to be here so it's it's it's a different vibe that is lovely and welcoming and just really nice so here is our mission statement we recognize the value of each child and we strive to inspire students to learn and grow a potential by providing a quality education through a positive learning experience we work in partnership with the Home and Community to meet the individual needs of the student and develop the learning and social skills necessary for maximizing life long learning potential so that sounds just like a mission is statement that somebody wrote it was written with a team of parents and teachers and at we really wholeheartedly believe every single pie I got every word was chosen very specifically if you choose to have your children come into our on-campus Resource Center that it is very positive all of the kids are happy to be there we have very little to no behavior problems because didn't needs are being met if they need a more rigorous education were able to do that if they need more time at something we're able to do that and so when kids needs are met they don't act out and so that just is a beautiful thing we do believe in a quality education there are home schools out there that really kind of let you do whatever you want and we're not that's cool so if that's something you're looking for there are other schools in our County to do that that dude and that's you know a beautiful situation for lots of families we are part of a school district and we are really really wanting to make sure that kids are ready for the next level of education so whether that smell school or high school or college or you know Career technical stuff we want them to be ready for the next level so we do follow State Standards we do want to support kids to be doing every single you know every they are capable of we believe in education and educated person in the 21st century The Confident lifelong learner who can communicate effectively think creatively reason logically managed resources affect and understand and capitalize on their talents drinks and abilities so you will see a lot of thinking out of the box I have sometimes parents go I looked at your website and they just didn't like enough information and okay well that's because right now we have two hundred fifty six kids we have 250 six different education plans because what every single kid needs is different and that's different than a Traditional School where you can have you know 2235 kids in a classroom and you're trying to meet all of their needs I did that for 20 years that's a really hard thing to do I have a lot of respect for a classroom teachers that have to do that we don't have to do that we got to do something a little different because we're working with you you are now becoming the teacher we are helping guide you and we think as a staff very creatively so you may come up to us and say what about this and I'll think while we haven't done that before but let me think of how we can make that work and we all please find a way to make what a kid needs happens and you know figure out a way to work through that red tape and get kids what they need we are at Diggins way and we want to improve education opportunities for students and families in Nevada County and around we believe an exploratory learning some pictures of some kids having some fun we offer a rigorous academic curriculum to all stood we have high expectations for both academic and personal performance we students do sign a behavior contract when they come under our campus so if that is something that they are not able to keep to and we work with me and the family and the teacher and I we have a school counselor and if we're not able to work with that then that student is invited to go back to their school of residency we believe that students should have instruction that's delivered to them in a way that's me on access that's the way we want them to really know that we're teaching has value and it's something that's going to be used in their life we want it supportive School environment both on campus and at home sometimes when families are starting homeschool you know they're not your parents are learning that it is a very different world to be a parent than to be a teacher Leah and I have both been home school parents after we were teachers we taught in the classroom first and then later on we had kids it we in having kids both in regular school and homeschool and so we've done that and we know that putting on that teacher hat in your home is a different thing and we want to support you in that we want to give you strategies to help with that all of our teachers are little educational advisors have classroom teaching experience they have all taught in a classroom they all are credentials and have a lot of resources to support you so that's one of the beautiful things that be part of a school district is that we are at requiring all of that for our teachers and that's just giving you extra support we love having parental involvement that's super important in making this work obviously cuz it The Homeschool program primary teacher we know that every person is valuable and deserves respect kids learn and really different ways and in our school we have the opportunity to really meet that need and have time and slow things down I talked to that kid and figure out what they like and what they're interested in and work with you and give them that you know the best that we can we know all students learn can learn and that they learn in different ways tell you rethinking how do I enroll my child a lot of you have already done this you got this down there's a two-part process you applying now on our website and you'll have the toggle that we still have some parents that are enrolling for this you want to make sure you you know Taco Town on the little drop down some next year and then also you will start the enroll now form a little bit farther down at this point we're just having you create a PowerSchool account and then later in the spring go back in and that's where you put in all the emergency card information and made an old Daisy filled out a paper emergency card we don't do those anymore so you'll do that on that but you'll get that email later we do you have transitional kindergarten and is it start kindergarten process of your child is in transitional kindergarten the first year and then kindergarten the second-year they must turns by between September 2nd and April 1st to be part of CK but they going to start that's right away so even if they turn five April 1st they get a start with us and on August 9th I think it's 15th for next year we believe strongly in educating the well rounded child so we know lots of kids needs are met and academics we also know that some kids needs to learn more Hands-On or more outside or do you know and the things that we really try to meet all of those different needs we have built a huge beautiful garden if kids coming to the research center they visit the garden twice the month we just added chickens a couple weeks ago and they're they are and they are laying eggs even in the snow those Brave girls actually we have a rooster to so does brave this Brave a bird's and we will be doing putting them in the incubator passing them and bringing them up from the beginning so that's going to be an exciting process that the kids get to be part of we also built in Orchard this year and we have nine trees in our Orchard we had family sponsor free so in that picture you there you see on the left are my this is how much for a family school on the left are my own parents they are involved in our school and hear it huge fans of erect a you can't see my dad's her in the back that you can get the red and it is anorexia with the logo on it and that's my mom on the left or right they wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them and what they taught me in education when I was growing up and then on the right is the brave mama who was our first family ever to enroll in a wreck face 6 years ago when we didn't even have a room yet she and I talked on the phone and emails and see enrolled our first two kids so one of them went through with us and graduated and then desert her last three kids so she's you know forever a part of our family now okay what do you need to enroll we need a birth certificate passport certificate of live birth or other valid evidence of birth date we need an immunization or a valid medical waiver from a doctor who has not been disciplined so those are very rare now that that is what we need for students on campus for all events for Research Center and enrichment classes that sort of thing the state changed the immunization law this summer and didn't notify us about it until October and so we had to make some changes that were very very hard for our staff and our families and now students have to be fully immunized or have a valid medical waiver that is by a doctor has not been discipline to come on campus for all those in pain however students do not have that last of our family is to have chosen not to have that or have medical issues that do not allow that then those kids can still come so field trips they can still be part of your homeschool program the week we have set up a lot of off campus events so once a week at the Nevada County Library have a riding club we have some other families that have started like erect a co-op we have once a month to park meet up so we've done lots of things this year we worked really hard to set up activities and opportunities to still keep our ready Community going but you know shift a lot of it to on-campus we do have a little bit of wiggle room with that if we have an event at night and we open it up to the call Community then anybody can come to it and so whether kids have immunizations or not they can come to that we also have an off-campus group that meets after school on Fridays when the other kids have left in there fighting so that works I feel like Lee and Kathy I'm missing one other thing that students can attend without immunization can you think about that is I'm not sure it'll come to me either at the end of the session or at 2 in the morning and then I won't email you guys out but I'll think about that but we try to find all this all the way that we thought of it we can we are doing tutoring and intervention this year so they cannot be with a group of kids that can do tutoring but they could come in and for one-on-one and intervention so that was a huge gap brass that we worked with our lawyers and fought for the since you don't have an immunization can come in and still meet with that teacher and get that super powerful one-on-one intervention with a credentialed teacher and then also students can come on campus for self-assessment because that's what the law says now is they cannot be there for classroom-based instruction so you can either have one-on-one instruction without a classroom or you can have like a knife that meant but that has no instruction so that's kind of our Wiggler oh my gosh that cute baby is I just love having her right and she's right in the middle of a carrot. Don't apologize I love babies I love seeing that smiling face also we have to have a proof of residence do something that shows that within the year that you were in a county that touches Nevada County so I utility bill mail mail ballot a mortgage statement usually we just have people go to the car and get out their car insurance or their proof of registration and that takes care of it so the only other thing is if your child has an IEP or 504 plan then we would need that to weed because of your homeschool program or a little more limited and what we can all specialized academic service Days Inn speech services and so we just want a peek at that and make sure that in our program were able to meet all of those needs that your child has okay if they come to the Learning Center the resource center today the week Mondays and Wednesdays are from 9 to noon and that's fourth grade through eighth grade and so they and then Tuesdays and Thursdays is T K through 3rd grade this is all on our website under the frequently asked questions that is cheesecake through 3rd grade Tuesdays and Thursdays so they we ask for a healthy snack nut free a water bottle your child's Chromebook at they're doing online curriculum and any work books that your child needs to access their curriculum kindergarten first doesn't need any Kill Em that teachers teach group lessons with you know that are just following like the basic reading and math skills that kids needs kids need they have and then somehow still what is my kid doing during the day while I'm there at restore so they are having one science less than a week either on Tuesday or Thursday or Monday or Wednesday as social studies lesson it comes home with a work sample that they can use for the 20-day meeting they do crafts projects and Library weekly David the garden Orchard and chicken spice the month and then they have assets as social emotional lesson with our counselor once a month or she comes in and reads books and do says activities where they talked about you know how are they how they're feeling what is that how they're feeling that called and what are some strategies to help with that Houston fun kids having fun outside the hybrid Learning Center is free it's super important to us to have kids together having a ademic and social time it also helps us to really get to know the kids so much better and then our staff is better able to support you and separate them they do work on their individual left for the little bit older kids and they can help them you know if they need help on something for all t k through 8th grade kids we have art history less than once a month with a Hands-On project we bringing our special for that I didn't realize that repeated as little bit there sorry about that are there additional opportunities student can we have lots of fun in Richmond that are after school so school ends at 12 and then we watch the kids for 15 minutes to have a little break have a snack or the bathroom and then 12:15 to whenever the the instructor is done with the class we have all these different and then there's some on Friday to we have all these different structures that come on from the community and do a whole bunch of different things you can read there's so many things on there I can't even put them on but lots of different things and so those get paper out of your instructional funding so families get a certain amount of funding each year Parts Matan curriculum and then the rest is what happened to the three trimesters and it is and they can use their instructional finding for that we pay for it we do a field trip at least once a month often twice the month this year we're doing an overnight one at that are sport erect a pays for the fees for the are for the wreck a student and then occasionally a field trip will say we can we have this many people so we do a Sign Up Genius and you sign up for that siblings are invited families are invited they need to pay for themselves and then usually all the field trips are all ages which is super fun compared to a classroom you can't have you know it's only 18 or you can have to Blink so usually we have like big family filter sometimes we have grandparents and aunts and uncles and all kinds of people so that's very fine we also have a blend middle school so there's some pictures of man we had a beautiful winter wonderland dance we had some students compete with competing the local like writing or speech or spelling contest geography tournament Tech test that can are middle schoolers have elective but if it was a yoga and Spanish class mixed elective and then you can see there's a Hands-On science project these are some of our field trips that we have attended this year we do a little bit different stuff every year but super fun and Hands-On and are teachers go through professional development so these are some different ones that we have done this year and there's we've done that does not fit on there but these are kind of the important one lots of interventions that we do so these can be for sometimes it's for kids who are struggling with something and sometimes it's for kids and families that maybe the parents are you know and kids are butting heads a little bit over a certain area so you can use instructional funds for tutoring with off our vendor list or are educational advisor is also due to drink so that's really cool cuz they Research Center teacher your kid has or the educational advisor they all of our educational advisors also work in our resource center and run the different classes they you can have either one of them to your child so that's really helpful could they really know them sometimes when kids are struggling to complete a network or growth then we say oh instead of the resource center being optional you have to attend we have writing language arts science labs for middle school and sometimes educational advisors will cry add to do list or make a calendar so it's very clear for families let needs to be done each day or each week sometimes instead of meeting every 20 days which is normally your ETA will meet with you every 20 days to collect and a tendon Saga PE and to work samples for science social studies math and language arts sometimes we'll stay inside once a month we need to meet once a week or every two weeks to just try to support success educational advisors will give parents guidance is on ways you know to help support the student in the home to give them strategies sometimes it's really building a relationship with that child and helping them you know through is 10ml what about that ghastly may have it or holding them back from achieving success is sometimes it's just really taking the time to get to know that student we often seems curriculum to be more developmentally appropriate system times will find that a 4 greater needs third grade math and that's okay we can do that or they need you know if it's our sixth grade reading and we can do that so we can choose a there can be different kinds of curriculum for the different subjects and there can be different levels of court that is helpful we do both small group in one-on-one intervention we do orientation when you come to enroll you'll meet with the educational advisor and they will sometimes do some assessments and sometimes do you know take time to talk to you and interview you and your child and really get to know them to help figure out what kind of curriculum or what kind of program would be helpful for you there is lots of direct communication about learning and directions books for me and that and your educational advisor in your research center teacher we are now doing 95% reading intervention groups or read our one-on-one intervention we do big and Little Buddies the one of the things that is so special about our school is every morning we have a team meeting that morning meeting for 5 to 10 minutes with all of our with myself and all of our educational advisors we just talked about what the day is going to be sometimes we do a little yoga activity or breathing our activity or movement and then when all the kids come on campus everyday the whole school does an activity together so Monday and to think of different Kids on Campus so both of those days Donahoe school walk run 10 acres do we have a big loop that we do around and this is a beautiful time for kids in different classrooms to get to know each other or you'll see a teacher walking along you know what the kids talking to them getting to know them and the kids have time right away first thing in the morning to visit with her friends and get out of their excitement and have that conversation and someone and they had in the class and the kids are better ready to get to work and then Wednesdays and we have for through 8th grade and we do whole school yoga on Thursdays we do big and little buddy system time since an art project sometimes at the math or science projects or they read books together so that will be the sixth through eighth grade Blended middle school kids that come on campus 3 days a week with along with a t k through three great little buddies and then also we do art docent I mentioned that earlier lessons and projects are this year for a Jackson Pollock art project we threw balloons at she taught all about abstract art that's the teacher there on the left the kids through balloons full and acrylic paint on to the back of our lives like the ball Ford Court thing and then at the very very bottom it's hard to see but they are white papers all lined up so when the blue balloons hit the fell down and splattered all over their artwork and made this cool array and so those are hanging up at the Reed Center in Nevada County now and then we have this awesome huge art installation on our playground with all the kids art that was really fun more interventions we can modify assignment in expectations we can provide supplemental resources sometimes we just need to bring in one more little piece to support something we can sometimes work with parents and kids to understand the expectations of what we are asking for we can give like heads up in the works of what's coming next sometimes pre-loading an idea that's a concept is coming really helps all of the educational advisers or credentialed and they run their resources and so that gives people who the strategies working right in with our kid we do assessment three times a year for the district and then once a year at the end of the year for the state and so with those assessments that really helps us guide what level of curriculum a child we can do a combination of books and online curriculum for whatever is most working for the kiddo we can print assignments out instead of having them online if that's helpful we can modify assignment sometimes like a kid can do the active they just need to do a little bit less or a little bit more or just a little bit different and because it's you're not teaching the whole classroom were able to do that we sometimes kids are can't get all their ideas down in writing everything time or take them a long time to write so we can do an oral interview assignment there's regular staff communication between staff and parents and so everybody is knowing what that kid needs the beautiful thing is your educational advisor in your resource center you're usually different people so if there's something that a kid on his more support on then I there's myself I am in every classroom everyday the education advisor and the research teacher that are all working with your kid to help support them sometimes kids just need more movement at increased brain breaks and being able to you know get up and move and go get a drink of water or walk around the classroom activity sometimes that is really what they need front loading getting you no kind of preaching what's coming sometimes that really helps the kiddo these are our enrichment opportunities to these are a lot of the classes these are the ones that are on campus and paper out of instructional funding classes Urban you can see a there's an archery class to the kids are actually building their own bow and arrow out of wood and and then they got to learn how to shoot them on our back with huge property so they left the room and then Southern when they met ceramic bullet each one has a cute little animal on it and these are all of our vendors so the other way that families can spend instructional funding money is through vendor so you fill out a budget and say how much money you want to go to one of these and then you contact the company and set up classes or lessons or tutoring or horseback riding or whatever and then they bill us directly and we just pay for it right so we're just about to wrap up our presentation we will be having a school tour I thought I edited this before I send it out to you but my secretary caught right away I had to run date at the beginning and then some of you were so kind of already rsvp'd so me and fix the date so it's next Wednesday for through 8th grade students are on campus to stay t k through 3rd and 6 through 8th grade students in the MonDay program and then that's the same on Thursday so email me if you want to come to one of those tours we do them at 9:15 I will do all those first and try to capture as many people as possible and then if one of those kinds really doesn't work for you then we will offer more tours you know in April and May people keep on rolling alright Cassie and Leah is there anything you can think of that I should have added I think it's a lot of information you know it wants obviously so I'm sure there's questions and things like that but definitely when you have if you are enrolled when you have that enrollment meeting it's a really good opportunity to meet with red Nissan visor and kind of just go over everything answer questions and really design that plan for you know what's going to be best for your students so it may seem like a lot right now I'm also a lot of good resources on the website if you want to take a look at stuff like that. So you do meet with your educational advisor every 20 days and that's you know that's a requirement that's something we have to do and you know as we get going in the year I kind of get a little more comfortable with that and you know it's really nice because you get to see your making and kind of create a plan for where to where to go next but yeah I don't know if we have questions or if I like how she neatly in the beginning see she has skills she telling you a lot of it that's a lot information and she was nicely telling me that she that we all know I talk really fast and I've done that this is my 26-year of education and I always think I'm going to get better and like I tried this is me trying this is me really really trying and you meet me you'll go oh yeah she had to see what she does and she has a lot of energy but I do talk fast thank you that was really good information Leah I was just going to add a degree with Mike Kathy said it feels like a lot I've been in your shoes I know especially if you're a first-time homeschool family it feel it can still kind of overwhelming but just know that we are all here to help you if you have a question to ask questions don't be shy reach out we yell like what Sarah said she was like you have a whole team working with your kids which is so cool you have lots of different perspectives and lots of different people that just really want the best for your family and the best for your student so so my biggest piece of advice would just be to ask questions and we're here to help the Reach Out yeah that was great texting I hope we strive very much to never make you feel like you're bothering us or your question is too small or you're taking up too much time we really really don't believe that we are still here to answer your questions you can call into the office you can email I'm really fast with email take me a little more to you know get on the phone cuz I can't do that during you know admin meetings and stuff but I super fast with email so any little thing you have a question e-mail and ask her happy to help and one of the Butte call things that being in a school district is that we do have lots of resources for support and then we're flexible in that does some families come to us and they've homeschooled for you know 10 or 15 years and they don't really need a lot of support in that way but maybe their kids need more interaction Marston interaction so that's why they're coming to us we can be flexible that week that's fine and some families this is the first time they've ever done this and they're like I need a lot of support you know and we can do that though just like we're flexible with the kids we're also flexible with the family but how much support you need and you know I see you get more you no experience or thing in the whole homeschool parent gaining your feet under you then you might just let it be quite so much and that's okay there's a little bit of regulations we have but then there's a lot of flexibility after that thank you guys really glad you came and then so there is a question in the chat is it okay if we just start there yeah let me thing and then we'll do that okay oh that's a good question for everybody the middle school student so there's two middle school programs that's a great question cuz I felt like I kind of went over the there's two middle school program so actually our whole school has there's a hundred percent homeschool so those kids only come on campus for a text message with a meeting there's the hybrid program that's two days a week and some people do one day a week that's fine too and that's the two days from 9 to noon so we have t k through 3rd grade onto the dais and force raise grade on the other two days then aren't the most time we have on campus they are blind in middle school so that 6th 7th and 8th and they time Tuesday Wednesday Thursday from 9 until noon and they have four classes there's three different teacher so they rotate her class is like a middle school that are a 92 9 did I say you said noon science social studies math and language arts are they rotate through those are very small class is their captive 20 or biggest one we've ever had so far 19 kids so that's very small compared compared to normal middle schools and then they also have a lunch time together and then they have electives in the afternoon and so each trimester there's a different elective the that is Dozer two different middle school programs in the or that

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