Several unique opportunities are offered to spur
students’ interest in the sciences. Middle School
students have the opportunity to participate in a
mentor program with FSU’s High Magnetic
Laboratory, traveling once a week to the Mag Lab to
work with a scientist.
A bird window provides students with a close-up
view of the natural world and allows students to
regularly graph the types and numbers of birds that
visit. Animals are frequently brought into the
classroom to provide students with an interactive
learning experience.
The School of Arts and Sciences, one of
Florida’s 185 public charter schools, offers an
innovative alternative to traditional schooling to
kindergarten through eighth grade students in
Leon County.
Organic gardens adorn the campus, producing a
myriad of vegetables, flowers, and herbs. The
gardens provide hands-on lessons in science, math,
art, writing, and design.
The School of Arts and Sciences operates
under the philosophy that the human brain
functions best in an atmosphere where there is
an absence of threat, everyone is treated with
respect, all cultures are valued and diversity is
celebrated. Staff and students are trained in
conflict resolution and mediation to ensure a
positive learning environment.
Exploring the Arts
The curriculum is hands-on, project-based,
thematic unit of study emphasizing critical
thinking and skill development. Exhibits,
shows, performances, demonstrations,
publications, and other methods are used to
showcase student work. Students maintain a
portfolio that illustrates their projects and level
of achievement, as well as mastery of the
standards that are expected of them.
Each student at the School of Arts and Sciences
participates in the Orff Schulwerk approach to music,
which supports the development of creative and
critical thinking skills, as well as language
development. Chorus, band, art classes, and drama
classes allow students to explore various forms of
artistic expression. Students are encouraged to
perform and speak at the weekly “Friday Sing!”
assemblies, where students gather to sing together
and watch student performances of music, dance,
drama, poetry reading, and speeches.
Student Involvement
The School of Arts and Sciences encourages
students to take an active role in the school
community.
Students work in multi-age classes facilitated
by two teachers. They are taught and
encouraged to work cooperatively rather than
competitively. Primary classes are comprised
of students in kindergarten through second
grade; Intermediate classes serve students in
third through fifth grades; the Middle School
classes consist of students in the sixth through
eighth grades.
Students elect officers and classroom
representatives to serve in the
Student Government
.
Students may opt to attend the SAS Law School and
pass the Bar Exam, in order to serve on the
Student
Court.
The Court tries the cases of students who
have been accused of breaking the school rules.
The
Peer Mediation Team
is composed of students
who complete the necessary training to mediate
disputes between their classmates. Students may
also choose to apply to be postal workers in the
student-run postal service
.
Hands-on Science
The school’s Science Lab encourages
scientific discovery with electronic
microscopes, current technology, and other
scientific equipment. Science Centers in each
classroom help students investigate the world
using the scientific method.
Charter schools are
public schools of choice
. The
fastest growing school choice option, charter
schools, like the School of Arts and Sciences, offer
students higher standards and a more hands-on
environment for teaching and learning.
The Charter Schools Team,
Karen Bennett,
Karen Hines, Melvin Jones, Lynn Turner
and
Dr. Rufus Ellis, Team Leader
, recently
completed the State’s Public Charter Schools
Federal Grant application. The application has
now been forwarded to the U.S. Department of
Education for approval. Awards are expected
to be announced during late Summer or early
Fall.
While only ten of Florida’s public schools
received their second ‘F’ in a four year period,
making students assigned to or attending that
school eligible for an Opportunity Scholarship,
an additional 58 schools received a failing
grade for the 2001-2002 school year.
S
ecretary of Education Jim Horne likened the
conference to a "Super Wal-Mart of
education." He said he wanted the principals
to connect with experts and specialists and
"shop" for the help they need.
St
Pete
Tim
e
s
Applications for the 2002-2003 Public Charter
Schools
Second Year Continuation Grant
and
the 2002-2003
Public Charter Schools
Dissemination Grant
will be mailed to districts
and schools on July 8, 2002. These grant
applications will also be placed on the Choice
Office website in the near future.
The Florida Department of Education is
committed to assisting in transforming
struggling schools into success stories. The
Assistance Plus Summit
, held in Tampa on
July 11 through July 13, offered a range of
specialists and experts to principals of failing
schools. The Department sponsored the
attendance of the superintendent, school board
chair, the school principal and school advisory
council chair from each school.
Dissemination Grant Writing Workshops
have
been tentatively scheduled for July 23, 2002 in
Ft. Lauderdale and July 25, 2002, in Tampa.
The workshops will run from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00
p.m. Sites for hosting the workshops have not
yet been chosen.
In addition to providing an array of experts who
have volunteered to spend eight hours each
month at a failing school for the next two years,
the state will provide a reading specialist to
each failing school.
Lynn B. Turner
served as a panelist
representing the Choice Office at the Florida
Charter Schools Accountability Center’s first
regional workshop held in Panama City Beach
on Friday, June 28, 2002. Workshop topics
included accountability, governance, start up
tips, charter school legislation and others.
The Department of Education has also created
a mentoring program, in which a failing school
is paired with a higher performing school with
similar demographics.
Karen Bennett
and
Dr. Ellis
traveled to Miami
on July 11, 2002, to participate in the Miami-
Dade Charter Schools Information Meeting.
Karen Hines
staffed the Charter Schools
Panel Review Meeting on July 11, 2002.
Dr.
Ellis
will attend the Florida Charter Schools
Accountability Center Advisory Board Meeting
in Kissimmee on July 16, 2002.
D
uring his visit to the Choice Office on
July 26, Lt. Governor Brogan praised the
office for its work on school choice and
charter schools and for helping to
establish Florida’s credibility and success
in implementing Florida’s education
reform initiative.
1,550 parent inquiries regarding OSP &
McKay
385 new McKay student registrations
51 new OSP registrations
Current parental intent totals by program:
McKay
9467
OSP
793
Students registered in participating private
schools by program:
McKay
5,602
OSP
251
The McKay & OSP Team
includes: Bill Greiner
(Team Leader), Juanita Hurst, Claire Philippe,
Monique Duncan, John Thompson, Lisa Alvarez
& Monica Settles.
"F means ‘first.’ Double F's mean ‘first, and
fast.’
--Kathy Mizerek, referring to the funding and assistance
failing schools will receive.
St. Pete Times
Choice Office Contact Information
Parent Hotline: 1-800-447-1636
Choice Office:
850-488-5011
850-921-9059 (fax)
www.floridaschoolchoice.org