As an enhancement to Somerset Academy’s educational
Somerset Academy offers residents of
Broward County an excellent alternative to
traditional public school education for students
in kindergarten through fifth grade. Somerset
Academy prides itself on providing high-quality
education to its students in addition to its
commitment to developing strong character
and civic responsibility.
As a Broward County Public School of choice,
Somerset’s curriculum follows the Sunshine
State Standards and prepares its students for
FCAT and SAT testing. Multi-age multi level
classes challenge students to perform at their
academic level or above while giving
additional assistance to those students who
are struggling. In an effort to provide more
individualized attention and instruction,
Somerset has a certified teacher and full-time
teacher assistant in each elementary grade
classroom with approximately 26 students.
Issue Eleven
Students learn reading and mathematics with
science and social studies themes that change
on a monthly basis. Additional instruction in
Spanish, physical education, music and art
provide the students at Somerset with a well-
rounded education.
Somerset Academy is accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS). For more information regarding
Somerset Academy, visit their website at
www.somersetacademy.com
.
You are cordially invited to attend the
2002 Florida Public Charter Schools
Statewide Conference
Building Bridges to ensure that
NO CHILD is LEFT BEHIND
on
October 29-31, 2002
at the
Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Studios
Conference Objectives
•
Empower
the participants with knowledge
•
Educate
on changes regarding local and national
law and policy
•
Ensure
participants obtain tangible resource
materials
•
Enjoy
the entire conference experience
Invited Special Guests
Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education
Gerald Reynolds, U.S. Office of Civil Rights
Florida Governor Jeb Bush
Florida Lt. Governor Frank Brogan
Florida Secretary of Education Jim Horne
Florida Commissioner of Education Charlie Crist
Howard Fuller, Institute for the
Transformation of Learning
Michael Milken, Milken Foundation
Conference Theme and Purpose
The event,
Building Bridges to Ensure NO CHILD is
LEFT BEHIND
, has been designed for charter school
community stakeholders to come together for two
and one-half days to dialogue, share successes and
best practices, clarify legislative intent (federal and
state), and discuss research regarding charter
schools from a national and local perspective.
Those That Would Benefit
Charter operators (proposed, new, and existing), all
district personnel (board members, superintendents,
finance officers, board attorneys, ESE and other
student services directors, charter liaisons, etc.),
charter governing boards, families, teachers,
members of charter associations and consortiums,
appointed and elected officials, and other proponents
of school choice initiatives will benefit from this
conference.
**To reserve the special REDUCED conference rate
at Royal Pacific Resort, reservations MUST be made
by September 28, 2002.
Kindergarten & First Grade end of the year celebration
As students and teachers head back to the
classroom, the Charter School Accountability
Center at Florida State University has been busy
finding out just how many students are returning to
charter schools this year.
One of the Center's consultants and former charter
school review panel member, Taylor Smith, helped
the Center devise an enrollment phone survey that
will help charter school stakeholders gather
information on enrollment and projected growth in
charter schools. This information will help
determine current and future capital outlay needs.
The survey's anticipated completion date is Friday,
September 6th.
Edison Park Elementary is a Creative and
Expressive Arts Magnet School. In August of
1991, Edison opened with just under 300
students. After building renovations and
additions, Edison’s enrollment increased to just
over 500 students.
The Center has also been surveying all states with
charter school laws on charter school
accountability requirements. This research is
almost completed and gives a national snapshot of
the varying requirements imposed by states.
Edison has an aggressive academic program
that is incorporated into the Arts: dance, drama,
music, and the visual arts. The arts and
academics focus exposes students to
curriculum that is integrated into all subjects.
As the Florida Charter School State Conference
nears, we have been hard at work organizing the
Superintendent's Forum that will take place on
October 29th. This forum will allow district school
superintendents the opportunity to dialogue with
each other, policy makers, and charter operators
on charter school accountability issues.
At Edison Park, music is taught to ALL grade
levels. K-2 specialize in singing, playing
instruments, creative movement, and simple
composition. Third graders add keyboard lab
and beginning recorder playing. Upper
elementary music students continue their
instructions in keyboard lab, recorder,
instrument playing, singing, creative movement,
as well as music history, composition, and
making rainsticks and pan pipe instruments. In
addition, fourth and fifth graders may elect to
join chorus, handbell choir, and/or drum group
for additional music study.
Finally, we look forward to clarifying our goals and
objectives with the Choice Office on September
6th in order to best serve charter school needs
in Florida.
Contributed by Jennifer Rippner, Charter School Accountability Center
at Florida State University
.
The visual arts program at Edison offers a rich,
broad range curriculum including drawing,
painting, print making, weaving, jewelry,
sculpture, pottery, computer graphics,
puppetry, basketry, and art history.
Dance is an art form that allows children to use
their bodies as a vehicle of expression. Every
student who attends Edison Park has the
opportunity to learn that the use of technique
combined with creativity, in movement, allows
them to explore various facets of dance.
Edison employs student-lead conferences to
assess students and to involve that very
important home-school connection.
Conferencing each quarter holds students
accountable for their quality of work and
grades, while keeping parents informed of their
progress.
Milton & Rose D. Friedman Foundation
School choice is about giving all parents the
chance to be integral participants in their
children's education. Power and choices make
people feel more involved, more effective and
more satisfied as citizens. Children whose
parents can choose their best educational
environment learn better and have a better
chance to become productive American
citizens.
It's about improving public education and better
preparing our kids for college and/or the
workplace. It's about equality, it's about
empowerment, and it’s about choices for our
parents a
children.
This passage excerpted from www.friedmanfoundation.org
nd chances for our children…ALL our
