Dear Parent:

Cielo Vista Elementary School located at 650 S. Paseo Dorotea, Palm Springs, CA 92264 is petitioning the Palm Springs Unified School District to become a charter school.  In order for the petition to be approved, the school must grow by 100 students for the 2010 -2011 school year.  Should the charter be approved, Cielo Vista Elementary would instruct children in grades K - 6 vs. K - 5.  Below are answers to some frequently asked questions with regard to charter schools and specifics on the Cielo Vista Charter.  Once you have read the information, please sign our petition and/or contact Eugenie Adamo at the school via e-mail eadamo@psusd.us for more information.

Why choose Cielo Vista Charter Elementary School for your child? Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Charter School?  Charter schools are government-funded schools open to general enrollment, just like your neighborhood school, they are free to all children, and have no boundaries so any child is eligible to attend.  Specific goals and operating procedures for the charter school are detailed in an agreement (or "charter") between the sponsoring board, in our case Palm Springs Unified School District and charter organizers (Principal Lake, staff, parents, & teachers).  Charter schools are required to participate in the statewide assessment test, called the STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) program. The law also requires that a public charter school be nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations.  Public charter schools may not charge tuition and may not discriminate against any pupil on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability.  Students that reside in the schools boundaries have first priority as they currently do.

How does the curriculum differ from traditional public schools in our region?

-The school will have more freedom with regard to curriculum. For example, a reading program chosen by the district may not be meeting the needs of the students but currently has to be implemented. The charter school has the ability to choose a curriculum that better suits the needs of the students. 

-Cielo Vista Charter must strive for high academic standards.  The staff understands and will teach to achieve student proficiency. (API 800) 

-Cielo Vista Charter would be able to hire a full-time physical education/fine art instructor. Currently the district only offers physical education to elementary students in 4th & 5th grade once a week and music once a week to grades 1 - 5. 

-As children get into the older grades they will have specific teachers for certain subjects for example a Math/Science teacher and another for Language Arts which allows the teachers to teach to their strengths.  This will also help the children with the transition to middle school. 

-An additional hour will be added to the school day to help students that need additional support.  Students that are excelling can use the time for more challenging projects. The school hours for the charter will be from 8:15 – 3:33 daily for grades 1 – 6.

What is the stated mission of Cielo Vista Charter School?  Family involved school that as a team prepares students academically and socially.  Technology skills, through the use of laptops, will be inbedded throughout the curriculum.

What is the current enrollment of Cielo Vista School? What are the plans for growth? Currently approximately 530 children attend Cielo Vista with an average class size of 23 for lower grades and 33 for upper grades. In the future grades 1-3 class sizes will be limited to 24 students in the lower grades and 30 in the upper grades to maximize learning. The school will be adding a 6th grade for the 2010-2011 school year with the hope of adding all middle school grades in the future.

Are teachers unionized? Yes

How do their salaries and benefits compare to public school teachers?  Same as PSUSD

What will Cielo Vista Charter School’s policies toward children with special needs?  Same PSUSD

What role will parents play in the school?  Parents will be involved in the school by volunteering their time to help out in the classroom, on field trips, working in the school garden, and various other projects to support the students, staff, and teachers.

Facts about Charter Schools in California:  There are currently 750 active charter schools serving approximately 255,000 students.  Statewide, 80 percent of charter schools are start-up schools and 16 percent are conversions from traditional public schools.  Statewide, 80 percent of charter schools are site-based and 20 percent are non-classroom based.  Of the 58 counties in California, 51 have charter schools. Los Angeles county has the largest number of charter schools (204) followed by San Diego (77).  Student achievement among educationally and economically disadvantaged students in California public charter schools is improving faster than in non-charter public schools, according to the studies from the Hoover Institute at Stanford University (2003), and the School of Education at California State University, Los Angeles.  1 in 20 schools in California is a charter school; 1 in 50 students in California attends a charter school. EdSource Report, June 2004  

Should you need more information prior to signing, please contact Eugenie Adamo at the school for more information eadamo@psusd.us or 760.416.8250. 

Sincerely,

Parents for Cielo Vista