Why We're Building BRIDGES

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"The one certainty in life is change. Yet, sometimes there is choice in that destiny."   -Unknown

 

After the devastating California budget cuts in May '09, 4 of our 6 teachers were released from employment (terminated) which left a path of anxiety and uncertainty. As a result, the Open Classroom families met to develop consensus on the following focus question:

"How Can We Ensure the Integrity of the Open Classroom Philosophy and its' Future Goals"

A  group of parents and experienced educators decided to act upon the 10 Key Elements listed below by developing a petition for the creation of BRIDGES Charter School, with the intention for it to be a sister school to the CVUSD Open Classroom Magnet School. We believe it is necessary to have this charter school option in the Conejo Valley in order to increase choice for parents and students , provide another alternative, progressive educational option and to focus educational priorities where they belong...on children.

10 Key Elements Identified for "Ensuring the Integrity of the Open Classroom Philosophy and its Future Goals:

Why Now is the Opportune Time for Initiating an Open Classroom Sister/Charter School:

  • We have educators from a successful, solidly functioning Open Classroom program, who are well-trained in Whole Child educational philosophy and practices, and are willing and excited to help create the BRIDGES Charter School.
  • Due to declining enrollment district-wide, the CVUSD has available physical space in which to accommodate BRIDGES Charter School. Having two Open Classroom campuses will benefit our community, by allowing families from a broader geographical area to choose the program which best suits their students' individual needs, while at the same time keeping both school programs small enough to maintain a familial atmosphere. Furthermore, a BRIDGES campus will assist in mitigating declining enrollment trends by recruiting home school families through the establishment of a Home School Alliance and private school families through expanded Whole Child education enrollment opportunities.
  • Local and nationwide trends show there is measurable community interest for alternatives in public education. Five Hundred twenty students exercised CVUSD's Choice option to transfer from traditional schools into the District's new EARTHS Magnet opening this fall. Meadows Elementary School ended the 2008/09 school year with only 230 students, but it has an enrollment of 310 students for the current 2009/10 school year as MATES, a charter school. This substantial mobilization in student interest, in spite of declining enrollment within the district, was realized because Conejo Valley families want and will support more progressive educational choices if these are made available to them.

BRIDGES Charter School Will Offer Parents A Synthesis of Choices Not Currently Available in the Community:

  • As an independent charter school, BRIDGES Charter School will have local autonomy to implement innovative concepts and applications which will enable the program to educate, change, and grow in response to our student's needs and best interests.
  • As a charter school, the BRIDGES Charter School Administrator, Board of Directors and school community will have the freedom to make staffing decisions which value and honor the qualifications and intrinsic abilities of our educators, rather than basing such decisions on seniority. Such a selection process will help ensure that all of our community members (including support staff and specialists) embrace and support the Whole Child educational philosophy. It will also help ensure the long-term stability of our experienced teaching team.
  • BRIDGES Charter School will offer multi-age classes where K-8 students learn together, in a small, safe, positive learning community, under a seamless philosophy which extends from elementary into middle school. Our K-8 school program will provide adolescent children continuity and consistency at a time when their changing bodies and psyche most need it.
  • BRIDGES Charter School will offer expanded parent participation and education opportunities. It will rely on active parent volunteer participation on-site, in the classrooms and in daily parent-run activities, and it will encourage ongoing parent education. Many of our families have participated in the Parent Education Program at Horizon Hills and wish to stay actively involved in their children's education. BRIDGES Charter School will offer yet another excellent alternative for the 700+ families at Horizon Hills. We will focus on providing an effective transitional experience for incoming Horizon Hills students and will collaborate with their program to make parent education opportunities available to all our families. Parents will also have direct access to an on-site Parent Resource Center, and there are plans to develop a child-care co-op with parent support.
  • BRIDGES Charter School will emphasize social and emotional growth concurrent with and on par with academic success. Children will learn and practice conflict resolution skills in a daily classroom Circle Time; and a variety of strategies will be employed (e.g. project based learning, presentations, whole group, small group, peer and buddy partnering) to differentiate learning needs and provide opportunities for both collaboration and leadership training. Content will be developed by experienced teachers who have successfully demonstrated their ability and commitment to implementing a Whole Child educational curriculum which is meaningful and relevant to students and the world around them.
  • BRIDGES Charter School will offer a home school connection for local families, providing access to our campus, resources, and an on-site educator who will help manage and support their goals.
  • BRIDGES Charter School will build student scheduling flexibility into the school day by providing independent work time after school to reduce 'homework', by creating opportunities for active movement and positive social interaction, by developing areas of student interest and creativity, and by engaging students in socially responsible and proactive collaborative activities.
  • BRIDGES Charter School will advocate responsibility to our community and ourselves by supporting healthy eating habits and making environmental sustainability a way of life, so as to prepare our students for success in the green economy of the future.
  • BRIDGES Charter School will provide a convenient, easily accessible, progressive school location to local families from a wide, geographical area.

How the Charter Helps the Magnet:

  • Proposal of a charter school, together with the voicing of parent concerns, has focused the attention of both the CVUSD District Office and CVUSD School Board on the strengths and needs of the Open Classroom Magnet.
  • Proposal of the BRIDGES Charter School has brought the CVUSD District Office (including our Superintendent) and School Board to the realization that the Open Classroom at Conejo Elementary is a Magnet program which deserves the same level of support as our EARTHs Magnet.
  • Proposal of the BRIDGES Charter School has resulted in both an MOU and District Magnet Policy, neither of which previously existed, which will benefit all CVUSD Magnet programs, including the Open Classroom Magnet.
  • A viable BRIDGES Charter School will motivate CVUSD to maintain and increase its investment in the Open Classroom Magnet.
  • Whole Child educational programs have a shared philosophy of choice. The founders of BRIDGES Charter School are motivated to better meet the needs of a larger number of Conejo Valley families and children by expanding the progressive choice programs and alternatives in our community, and by offering the opportunity of Whole Child education to a broader range of students.
  • Starting the Open Classroom Program in 1993 was a difficult endeavor; there was tension, there was change, and there were concerns. If it weren't for the leadership of those who believed in the philosophy then and persevered despite the challenges, our children would never have benefited from the exceptional, progressive education we all now want to protect. We owe it to the future children of the Conejo Valley to make this option available to all who seek it.