Frequently Asked Questions

How is the charter approved for BRIDGES Charter School?

A: Charter schools are funded through the state and federal government. Charter schools can usually put more dollars per student directly into the classroom because they don't have a large district administration to support. Charter schools (like other public and private schools) can also apply for grants and corporate underwriting. As is currently the practice at most public schools, ours will also raise additional funds through booster organizations (i.e. PFA, PTA) as well as through reasonable donations per family in order to support additional resources, such as library needs, field trips, and specific enrichment programs.

Donate now: http://www.bridgescharter.org/Donate

What Is the BRIDGES Charter School Philosophy? (How Learning Best Occurs)

A: A charter petition must be authorized by a local, county or state school board. The petitioners (the founding group of parents and teachers) will first present the BRIDGES charter petition to the Conejo Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees for their acceptance (authorization). The CVUSD Board Policy regarding Charter Schools (BP 0420.4) states:

"The Board of Education ("Board") believes that charter schools may provide an opportunity to implement school-level reform and to support innovations which improve student learning when such programs are thoughtfully designed to meet local student needs and professionally governed and delivered by individuals or organizations with expertise in public education."

So far the CVUSD board of trustees has not authorized any charter petitions that have been brought before them.

Therefore, if you want to have another alternative in public education that implements school-level reform, and supports innovations which improve student learning, then please help out by donating, signing the petition, and writing letters supporting the BRIDGES effort to the School Board, government officials and local media outlets.

What are the differences between BRIDGES Charter School and the Open Classroom Magnet Program?

A: We (teachers, parents and students) operate under the shared philosophy that we are all teachers and learners. The teachers of the Bridges Charter School see the classroom as a rich, evolving experience, and consider the learning styles of our students when planning a meaningful, balanced and standards-based curriculum. We know that students are primarily motivated by their interests and passions, yet can learn to be motivated by opportunities to challenge themselves and improve in areas they determine to be ripe for growth.

We believe the school day has ample opportunities to discuss, engage in, and learn from everyday experiences, be it a current event or playground dynamics. Making learning relevant to the world around us is vital, as is providing a context-driven curriculum as much as possible. Context-driven lessons and activities allow students to recall and utilize what they know already, and apply that prior knowledge to new experiences. Thus, the learning and practice of basic, fundamental skills becomes part of the process, not the goal itself. As students mature and matriculate from one level to the next, they each work toward the goal of being an independent, life-long learner.

The educational design of the School has its basis in the theory of constructivism (Piaget), which details how people learn. Understanding cannot simply be transferred by explanation from one mind (that of an educator) to another mind (that of a student). Rather, each of us constructs our own image of the universe and how it fits together through personal engagement with it. The approach, therefore, is student-centered, and the teachers (and parents) act as facilitators providing the guidance and structure necessary for the children to construct meaning from their environment and experiences, allowing them to travel from engagement to learning, from learning to understanding, and from understanding to competent application of information.

During this educational process and experience, our students practice effective oral and written self-expression, critical thinking and problem solving, and learn personal responsibility. They actively engage in the curriculum and find meaningful ways to demonstrate their mastery of concepts, be it thematic, collaborative, dramatic, presentation-style, or a combination of choices. Through cooperative activities and project-based learning, students develop powerful reasoning, negotiating, and creative-thinking skills. These fundamental life skills create a foundation for the pursuit of academic excellence and high achievement.

Furthermore, we believe that all children have an innate desire to learn and that children learn best by doing. Since we recognize that each child is unique, we have committed ourselves to creating an inclusive educational experience that combines current educational research, common sense, and attention to various needs and learning styles in order to move each child forward. We feel that such a dynamic, responsive learning environment is only possible when the student to adult ratio is dramatically lowered by consistent parent participation in the classroom. We also believe that a successful student is one who emerges from school as a balanced individual who is confident and competent not only academically, but also socially and emotionally.

Contact us: mailto:info@BridgesCharter.org

Sign petition drive here

A: BRIDGES Charter School will offer parents of elementary and middle school students a synthesis of choices not currently available in the community:

• BRIDGES Charter School will have greater staffing autonomy. As a charter, our 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 being bound by union regulations which place seniority above the best interests of our children. This selection process, free from outside constraints, will help ensure that all of our community members (including ancilary staff) embrace and support the Bridges Charter School philosophy. It will also provide for the long-term stability of our teaching team.

• BRIDGES Charter School will provide our community a viable and much-desired middle school option that continues the whole child educational philosophy. Our 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 kindergarten through 8th grade. Our K-8 school program will provide adolescent children consistency and continuity at a time when their changing bodies and psyche most need it.

• BRIDGES Charter School will offer expanded parent participation and education opportunities. In addition to relying on active parent volunteer participation on-site, in the classrooms and in daily parent-run activities, our school will encourage ongoing parent education as well. 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 their incoming students and will collaborate with the Horizon Hills 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 lounge, and, with parent support, a child-care co-op which will enable parents with small children the opportunity to volunteer in the classroom.

• BRIDGES Charter School will provide a balanced education which addresses growth of the whole child. Like the Open Classroom Magnet Program, our 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. Charter content, however, will be developed solely by experienced teachers who have successfully demonstrated their ability and commitment to implementing a whole child curriculum which is meaningful and relevant to students and the world around them.

• Many home school families share the Whole Child (Open Classroom) educational philosophy and BRIDGES Charter School will expand this effective educational approach through a Home School Alliance. Our school will offer a connection for enrolled home school 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:

1) providing independent work time after school on-site in order to reduce 'homework', 2) creating opportunities for active movement and positive social interaction, 3) developing areas of student interest and creativity to inspire innovation and brain development, and 4) engaging students in socially responsible and proactive collaborative activities to develop stronger relationships and community: the context of all learning.

• BRIDGES Charter School will advocate responsibility to our ourselves and our community, with a focus on health and sustainability. Our school will support healthy eating habits, and our students will cultivate a school garden, which will provide a hands-on environment for demonstrating life sciences while simultaneously allowing children to plant and grow organic produce for their own lunches. Our school will also teach and model environmental stewardship, so as to prepare our students for success in the green economy of the future.

Why is a "charter version of Open Classroom" needed?

Which student grade levels will BRIDGES Charter School serve?

A: A "sister" school, in the form of BRIDGES Charter School, will increase accountability to the Open Classroom philosophy while at the same time meeting the needs of a larger number of area families and their children who are interested in sustained, integrated whole child education through 8th grade.

The financial landscape of the next year will continue to present unprecedented challenges to school districts. We believe the establishment of BRIDGES Charter School will incentivize the CVUSD to maintain support for the Open Classroom Magnet Program; to protect them from additional, devastating, staffing changes and budget cuts (which could potentially go even wider and deeper in 2010/11, due to the ending of federal stimulus money and depletion of the financial reserves which were utilized to help rehire laid-off teachers and mitigate the financial crisis of the current school year).

Moreover, all Open Classroom families believe our philosophy toward education is good for children; thus, we at BRIDGES Charter School hope to make it available to more families. Local and nationwide trends show there is measurable community interest for alternatives in public education. Conejo Valley families want, and will support more progressive educational choices if these are viable and available.

BRIDGES Charter School parents and teachers believe so passionately in progressive educational philosophy that we want to expand this learning opportunity to more than just the 152 students which can currently be accommodated by the Open Classroom Magnet, while at the same time preserving the intimacy which makes this form of education both possible and effective.

Due to district-wide, declining enrollment, CVUSD has school facilities with unused space sufficient to house the BRIDGES Charter School within the Conejo Valley. Having two "sister" schools that are philosophically supportive of each other will allow families from a broader geographical area to conveniently choose the program which best suits their students' individual needs while keeping both school communities small enough to maintain a familial atmosphere.

BRIDGES Charter School, will increase the availability of the Whole Child philosophy for students who annually seek this alternative but remain on the waiting list instead.

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, 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.

Learn more: mailto:info@BridgesCharter.org

Will an Open Classroom charter school impact the Open Classroom Magnet Program at Conejo Elementary School?

A: BRIDGES Charter School will be the only progressive, Conejo Valley, K-8 Open Classroom program, incorporating a philosophical continuity which commences in elementary school and extends thorough middle school.

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Where will BRIDGES Charter School be located?

A: The proposal of the BRIDGES Charter School has actually already benefited the Open Classroom Magnet Program at Conejo Elementary School. It has focused the attention of both the School District Office and School Board on the strengths and needs of the Open Classroom Magnet. It has brought School District authorities and School Board members to the realization that the Open Classroom at Conejo Elementary is a magnet program which deserves the same level of support as the District's EARTHs Magnet. It has resulted in both a Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.) and a Board Policy on Magnet Schools, neither of which previously existed, which will benefit all district magnet programs, including the Open Classroom Magnet. Moreover, a viable "Open Classroom" charter, in the form of BRIDGES Charter School, will hopefully motivate the district to maintain and increase its investment in the Open Classroom Magnet at Conejo Elementary School . Our two schools can synergistically thrive because of our shared philosophy of mutual respect, tolerance and conflict resolution. Our hope at BRIDGES Charter School is to expand the opportunity for more children to learn in the proven, nurturing, supportive context that results from parent supported whole child education.

What will the average class size be at BRIDGES Charter School?

A: A location has not yet been chosen. When BRIDGES' charter is approved, California law, Prop 39, will require CVUSD to provide a school site that is comparable to that provided other public school students within the district.

Will BRIDGES Charter School offer competitive pay to their teaching staff?

A: In addition to the bond which small class sizes enable between teachers and students, we at BRIDGES Charter School agree with a consensus of research which indicates that reducing class size leads to higher student learning and achievement. Thus it is our desire to cap our classes at 20:1 in the primary grades (K-3) and at 30:1 in the upper grades (4-8). These ratios are smaller than local school districts currently.

Will BRIDGES Charter School’s staff include specialists?

A: Yes, our school's salaries and benefits will be competitive to those of local districts. Our staff will also participate in STRS (State Teachers' Retirement System); but they will not be required to have membership in the Teacher's Union.

Why are new parents in the Open Classroom Magnet not being provided information about this “sister” school being established?

A: As in any public school right now, all extra curricular enhancements are budget permitting, and dependent on parental support and a reasonable amount supplemental funding either through direct parental financial support or outside fundraising. However, in a Charter, all additional financial resources are able to benefit the school directly since funds would not pass through a central or administrative office where they could be reduced or diverted. Our school will include a Math Specialist for 7th and 8th graders, and an instructor in physical education and the arts (music, art and drama/chorus). Other specialists will be hired, dependent on funding and money raised. In addition, we will draw on the talents and expertise of our active parent community, organized according to their areas of passion and strength, to successfully serve and assist our community.

Support us: http://www.bridgescharter.org/Donate.