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LAKESIDE ACADEMY CHARTER APPLICATION REVISION

MARCH 2011

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APPLICATION COVER SHEET NAME OF PROPOSED CHARTER SCHOOL: LAKESIDE ACADEMY, INC. NAME OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION/MUNICIPALITY UNDER WHICH CHARTER WILL BE ORGANIZED OR OPERATED: LAKESIDE ACADEMY, INC. The Corporation has applied for 501-C3 Non-profit Status: Yes __X___ No ___________ Provide the name of the person who will serve as the primary contact for this Application. The primary contact should serve as the contact for follow-up, interviews, and notices regarding this Application. NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Barbara Litinski TITLE/RELATIONSHIP TO NONPROFIT: Executive Director MAILING ADDRESS: 716 South Main Street, Belle Glade, FL, 33430 PRIMARY TELEPHONE: (561 ) 993 – 5000 ALTERNATE TELEPHONE: (561) 676-9689 E-MAIL ADDRESS: litinskib@lakesideacademy.org NAME OF EDUCATION SERVICE PROVIDER (if any): N/A NAME OF PARTNER ORGANIZATION (if any): N/A Projected School Opening: Fall ___X___ Spring ____ School Year __2011___

School Year Grade Levels Total Projected Student Enrollment Student Enrollment Capacity (if known)

First Year 2012 K-6 Up to 125 NA Second Year 2013 K-6 Up to 125 NA Third Year 2014 K-6 Up to 125 NA Fourth Year 2015 K-6 Up to 125 NA Fifth Year 2016 K-6 Up to 125 NA I certify that I have the authority to submit this application and that all information contained herein is complete and accurate, realizing that any misrepresentation could result in disqualification from the application process or revocation after award. I understand that incomplete applications will not be considered. The person named as the contact person for the application is so authorized to serve as the primary contact for this application on behalf of the applicant. ______________________________________________ _____________ Signature Title ______________________________________________ _____________ Printed Name Date

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EDUCATIONAL PLAN

SECTION 1 MISSION, GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND PURPOSE

A. Provide the mission statement for the proposed charter school. Lakeside Academy is designed to provide a thorough and efficient education for at risk elementary students in rural western Palm Beach County. In order for the students to reach their fullest potential, the vision is to offer opportunities for academic, social and emotional growth so that students develop into productive and positive members of society.

B. Describe how the school will utilize the guiding principles found in section 1002.33 (2)(a), F.S. The school will:

• provide parents a an opportunity choose the charter school because they are committed to a home-school relationship built on communication and mutual respect.

• offer parents a choice of a small school setting which focuses not only on improving the academics but also the social climate in order to meet high standards of student achievement.

• with the guidance of its Board, provide a high quality of education to a diverse population in a repressed economic area at a per student cost basis which is less than that in the local school district

• maintain a close dialogue with parents about progress being made in all areas of the curriculum. • This is accomplished by: • informing parents of their child’s annual learning gains, • providing updated reading levels (at, above or below grade level) and goals throughout the school

year, • distributing quarterly and trimester report cards, • distributing interim progress reports, • sharing kindergarten screening results, • reporting to parents CELLA, Florida Writes, Reading Running Records, FCAT and all other

standardized test scores such as Terranova and SAT10

C. Describe how the school will meet the prescribed purposes for charter schools found in section 1002.33(2)(b), F.S.

Lakeside Academy is a racially and culturally diverse community of students, parents, and staff dedicated to creating an environment where:

• Students will improve learning and academic achievement by: being empowered to reach his or her full academic and personal potential collaboratively solving problems and reflecting on their experiences. participating in instruction that is driven by challenging, open-ended problems. taking responsibility for their learning and working in small, cooperative groups.

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• Teachers facilitate learning to enhance content-knowledge and foster the development of communication, problem solving, and self-directed learning through innovative learning methods and instructional strategies that meet the individual learning styles of each student.

• The school provides the flexibility to group and regroup students according to academic progress, to assign and/or reassign teachers to individual students or groups of students based on learning goals, to purchase learning materials that meet the unique needs of its students and to design schedules that maximize instructional learning time in the core subject areas.

• Teachers and students collaborate to analyze data to measure each child’s learning outcomes, to set individual goals, to determine the most appropriate instructional methods and materials that will improve performance for all.

D. Describe how the charter school will fulfill, if applicable, the optional purposes of charter schools found in section 1002.33(2)(c), F.S.

The school will:

• provide an innovative and rigorous standards-based curriculum that develops each student’s full potential with special emphasis on integrating all content areas through problem-based learning.

• increase learning opportunities or all students, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for students who are identified as “at risk” of academic failure.

• encourage students to work in small, collaborative groups • expand shared reading experiences in social studies, science and other content areas • teach guided reading based on the student’s individual reading level and utilizing flexible grouping • incorporate a phonics program in the primary grades which combines explicit instruction and

opportunities for multi-sensory learning • provide math instruction to be based on NGSS with real-life problem solving balancing whole-class

and self-directed learning • present concepts (not in isolation) linked to everyday lives • provide numerous opportunities for cross-curriculum activities • use the writing process to develop fluency and technique through exposure and practice in the

writing craft, creating confident students and incorporating authors and their texts as mentors • foster creativity and academic excellence for students in an experience-centered, inquiry based

learning environment • strive to instill in each student a dedication to improving his or her education • have a student body that reflects the community’s racial, cultural and socio-economic diversity • encourage the community of students, teachers, staff, families and the wider world to teach the

children how to live and work together • offer parents and students proven educational methods to help children learn how to earn, building

upon their own knowledge and experience, and, in the process, master all required academic subjects.

• present a constructivist approach, which emphasizes understanding concepts over traditional methods of rote learning

• conduct ongoing formal and informal assessments to generate learning outcomes • require participation in state and district assessments for all eligible students in all classes

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• require additional nationally normed standardized in reading, math, social studies, science and language arts

The school will:

• provide parents with on-going academic data reports from Terranova testing, FCAT tests, diagnostic tests, specific ELL/ESE testing, kindergarten readiness tests, reading records, focus lesson quizzes, Florida Writes and other program assessments

• utilize performance based assessments, including projects, journals, rubrics, portfolios, self and peer assessment as well as teacher observation

• in addition to the district and state mandated assessments, students will be administered the CTB Terranova test in the Fall and at the end of the year. Measurable results will be available for Reading, Language Art, Math, Science and Social Studies and will enable the staff to compare student academic growth using a nationally normed test. The data will reflect real and accurate student gains, present performance in terms of actual grade level equivalents, and provide data that compares each student’s aptitude to his/her actual performance. This last piece of data informs program development

• promote interschool activities within the community • participate in academic and athletic school competitions within the district • provide parents with a non-fee based school choice thus providing competition to local public

schools • encourage the use of different and innovative instructional methods by providing teachers more

flexibility and greater opportunities in decision-making regarding curriculum and instructional methodologies

• provide access to increased opportunities for meaningful, professional development focusing on research-based academic programs for teachers and instructional staff members

• create a sense of ownership among staff members which is fostered by providing opportunities to develop the academic and social climate of the school

• seek to increase teacher training and continual educational opportunities by participating in on and off site professional development

• allow weekly time for focused professional collaboration

SECTION 3 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM DESIGN

A. Describe the school’s daily schedule and annual calendar, including the annual number of days and hours of instructional time.

Lakeside Academy strives to have the essential combination of research-based, innovative curriculum, parent involvement, flexibility in scheduling, teacher assignments and instructional materials and improving test scores through a constructivist approach to learning. This pedagogy has been supported by research for more than 60 years and has been used successfully across the country.

Depending on the number of classes in a core team, the students change teachers two or three times during the school day. The schedule is designed to have a 90 minute reading class, an additional 30 minute RtI period for those in need, one hour of math and 30 minutes of physical education for all

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students each day. The sixth grade students, when appropriate, have intensive reading and math classes. The students can arrive at school as early as 7:30 AM when breakfast is ready to be served. Classes start at 8:00 AM. Students have a half hour for lunch and dismissal is at 2:00 PM. The students have 5.5 hours of instructional

The school follows the district calendar for both teachers and staff. Students are in school for 180 days and staff works 196 days. B.

Describe the proposed charter school’s educational program.

Lakeside Academy’s educational philosophy is progressive, hands-on and experienced-based instruction in small, flexible groups. Children, particularly in the lower grades, use concrete manipulatives and experiential earning. Our philosophy draws on the work of John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner and Mel Levine. Our vision involves a process navigated by expanding students’ experience through exposure to high academic standards while they learn through their own new experiences.

C. Describe the research base for the educational program.

The educational program is designed to follow John Dewey’s thoughts that learning are social and interactive processes, and thus the school itself is a social institution through which social reform can and should take place. In addition, he believed that students thrive in an environment where they are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum, and where all students have the opportunity to take part in their own learning. He makes a strong case for the importance of education not only as a place to gain content knowledge, but also as a place to learn how to live. In his eyes, the purpose of education should not revolve around the acquisition of a pre-determined set of skills, but rather the realization of one’s full potential and the ability to use those skills for the greater good. He notes that “to prepare the student for the future life means to give him command of his or her self; it means to train the student so that he will have the full and ready use of all capacities” (1897). In addition to helping students realize their full potential, Dewey goes on to acknowledge that education and schooling are instrumental in creating social change and reform, a concept that we are all cognizant of at Lakeside Academy.

The school will:

• Utilize the Florida state adopted curriculum materials selected for research based educational success

• Update core curriculum materials when the district and state make their new adoptions • Serve the whole child and foster a lifelong commitment to exploration, individual growth and social

responsibility; • Embrace, celebrate and benefit from the diversity of our community and promote family, school,

and community partnerships • Respect, support and empower teachers by providing time for reflection, collaboration and action

research focused on student learning.

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D. Explain how the educational program aligns with the school’s mission.

As stated, it is the mission of Lakeside Academy to create a caring environment where:

• students collaboratively solve problems and reflect on their experiences; • learning is driven by challenging, creative activities and problem solving; • students take responsibility for their learning and work in small, collaborative groups; • each student is empowered to reach his or her full academic and personal potential.

E. Explain how the services the school will provide to the target population will help them attain the

Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, as required by section 1002.33, F.S.

The goal of Lakeside Academy is that all students focus on and experience individual growth in all academic areas while developing a commitment to lifelong learning. The staff develops a curriculum, based on the NGSS (as we move away from the SSS) that uses a problem-based learning approach, integrating all core content areas across the curriculum and providing for daily instruction in reading, writing, and math. The curriculum is supported by research-based textbooks approved by the Florida Department of Education. Activities are designed to provide experiences suited to a variety of learning styles.

The school is divided into primary (K-2) and intermediate (3-5) core teams. Depending upon the enrollment and the student performance levels, the sixth grade can be a stand-alone class or part of the intermediate core. Each core has a math/science, a reading, and a writing/social studies teacher and the students rotate to each teacher during the school day.

Each core team functions as one unit with the same classroom rules and procedures. The team is able to meet during the school day for planning, to discuss student progress and to compare student performance and behavior in each classroom. The team “publishes” a parent newsletter once a week explaining the content areas being taught, listing homework assignments that will be due and notifying parents about upcoming assessments and/or programs of interest.

The classes are structured so that each teacher presents a whole group lesson and then students have an opportunity to work in laboratories that are designed to meet a variety of learning styles. Each classroom is equipped with computers and other appropriate learning materials. Students are asked not to bring backpacks or other school supplies to school in order to minimize distractions. The school provides all the supplies that are needed at their workstations. Sharpened pencils, markers, scissors, compasses, glue etc. are available so that every child has what he or she needs to work…no excuses, no distractions.

The laboratories provide the ability to differentiate instruction on a daily basis. Students have an individual program planner in which they make note of what skills they need to work on, when they successfully complete a laboratory assignment. They also have a page in the planner where they can reflect on the performance. These planners are reviewed by the teacher at the end of a laboratory cycle and sent home for parent review.

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The number of laboratories varies from classroom to classroom but they are designed to permit students to visit each one over a two week period. They are aligned with the standards and appropriate to the students’ needs and abilities. Bloom’s Taxonomy is applied in the design of the lab assignments. One focus of the curriculum is to develop strong critical thinking skills and by using the taxonomy in planning lessons, the students are brought to higher levels of thinking. Differentiated instruction is built into each lab. Laboratories can be review, enrichment and/or practice activities. Students work cooperatively in the laboratories. Computers, hands-on and textbook work can determine a laboratory strategy. Academic games, construction, critical thinking, teacher help, and textbook activities inform the direction of the labs.

The labs are self-directed. Students select the lab they need to be working on and document their progress in their planners. They are encouraged to progress so that they are ready to start a new lab each day. However, the teacher can design a lab with an activity that could take more than one day to complete. The students make their own decisions as to what order they will proceed through the labs and when they need to ask for the teacher for time at “The Help Desk”. The best labs have clearly defined expectations, samples of the finished assignment and fun activities. The atmosphere is cooperative, self-directed, and full of praise and success. Students have access and control of all materials and supplies in the classroom and they are responsible for returning materials and keeping their work folders in order. The goal is for the teacher to be the facilitator and the student the independent learner.

With communication and dedication, the staff at Lakeside Academy assists students in reaching their full potential and meeting high expectations by implementing an innovative and rigorous curriculum.

F.

Provide evidence that the existing design has been effective and successful in raising student achievement.

For the past several years, Lakeside Academy has been a Differentiated Accountability school. We work closely with the school district Infrastructure Team, implementing all team members’ recommendations. Our FCAT performance levels are consistently in the top half of local area public schools.

SECTION 4 CURRICULUM PLAN

A.

Describe the school’s curriculum in the core academic areas, illustrating how it will prepare students to achieve the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. If the curriculum has not been developed, describe how the plan for curriculum development shows how students will be prepared to attain the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.

With communication and dedication, the staff at Lakeside Academy assists students in reaching their full potential and meeting high expectations by implementing an innovative and rigorous curriculum based on the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards that:

1. includes rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills; 2. builds upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;

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3. are informed by top-performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society;

4. promotes independent thinkers 5. creates students who explain their critical thinking and develop problem solving skills 6. encourages students to investigate and explore their environment to solve larger problems 7. allows students to express their thoughts and ideas in a variety of ways 8. provides students with an opportunity to communicate ideas through the written word in a

thoughtful, eloquent, authentic way 9. supports development literacy growth in all students while enabling each student to take

ownership of their learning and academic growth

B.

Describe the research base and foundation materials that were used or will be used to develop the curriculum.

CORE READING PROGRAM (Please see “C”)

• Macmillan McGraw Hill Treasures and Triumphs, Lakeside Academy’s core reading program, is a researched –based program that has been evaluated as successful in providing effective, systematic and explicit instruction in the five components of reading. The program follows the state adopted standards, provides intervention pieces, incorporates technology and has a full assessment system.

• Read XL and Fast Track are in place for the 6th graders. Read XL is a complete, researched- based reading program designed to respond to the specific needs of older, struggling readers.

• Harcourt Language Series is used in Grades K-6. • Saxon Phonics K-3

Supplemental Materials

The core program incorporates supplements such as differentiated materials, hands-on, and multi-sensory activities. The following are some of the additional materials used in the classrooms:

• Saxon Phonics Interventions 4-6 • Soar to Success • Reading Counts • Mondo Publishing Oral Language and Reading Charts • Letter Word and Picture Cards • Reader’s Theater • Time for Kids • Classroom Library Leveled Readers • Chapter Books • Scholastic Book Fairs • Laura Robb Classroom Library • Phyllis Hunter Classroom Library • Phonics Books • Big Books

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• Flash Cards • Flip Charts • Magnetic Letters • Reading Rods • Buckle Down Reading • SRA Reading Kits • SRA Multiple Skills Kits • Reading Coach • Classroom Jeopardy!

Academic –Based Games and Puzzles

• Pirate Island Reading for Details • Sort and Match Phonics Game Library • InstaLearn Sight Words and Letters • Phonics Word Builder Kit and Board • Reading Riddle Maze • Tub ‘O Sight Words Level 2 and Practice Cards • Word Family sing Along Flip Chart • Build a Sentence Puzzle • Build A Story Flip Book • Magic Board Printing Practice Cards • Snap It Up – Spelling and Reading • Vowel Sounds Sort and Match

Technology-Based Materials and Websites:

• ReadAbout • Riverdeep, Destination in Reading • FCAT Explorer • CEI • Brain Pop • PBCSD Learning Tools Links for Reading Teachers • FLY Pens • Tumble Books • mimio

Software:

• Phonics Practice CD’s • Carmen San Diego • Clifford’s Phonics • Reader Rabbit • Writing Blaster

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• Read. Write, Gold

CORE MATHEMATICS PROGRAM

Recent federal and Florida initiatives have focused attention on mathematics instruction to improve student achievement. Since the passing of the No Child Left Behind legislation and the National Math Panel Report, the demand on school districts to implement mathematics programs and practices that are grounded in scientifically based research with proven efficacy has been more important than ever.

The Florida Department of Education has revised the Mathematics standards with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Mathematics, drawing from research on K–8 mathematics education embodied in such documents as the NCTM Focal Points and Adding It Up and reflecting the role of research-based best practices proven with documented efficacy. Adding It Up states, “The effectiveness of a curriculum, for example, depends not only on its mathematical integrity and organizational design, but also how usefully it guides instruction.”

To that end, Lakeside Academy has adopted GO MATH! FLORIDA K-6. V-Math is used with those

students who require an intensive math class. GO MATH FLORIDA was written to provide thorough coverage of Florida’s Standards with an emphasis on depth of instruction. Particular attention was given to providing support for teachers as they transition to a focused, rigorous curriculum. The lessons begin with context-based situations and progress toward more abstract problems with thorough concept and vocabulary development. Students and teachers are supported as they advance from concrete to abstract content through the use of models and math talk prompts presented in the Student Editions, and sample questions provided in the Teacher Editions. The program is designed so teachers can easily create the environments necessary for teaching the Florida Standards with depth, and without having to develop new materials. Student Editions provide additional support for the development of conceptual understanding through the seamless transition from context-embedded situations to abstract concepts by engaging with the mathematics on the page throughout the lesson. GO MATH! weaves research-based strategies throughout the program:

• Strand 1 Writing to Learn • Strand 2 Vocabulary • Strand 3 Scaffolding • Strand 4 Metacognition • Strand 5 Graphic Organizers

GO MATH! meets the needs of all Lakeside Academy learners as lessons include time for both whole-group and small group instruction, partner work and independent activities. The activities that Lakeside Academy students participate in are a balance of teacher-directed instruction with opportunities for open-ended, hands-on exploration, long-term projects and on-going practice. Students’ needs are also met with numerous instructional methods for basic skills practice, concept development and review. Time is dedicated to written and choral fact drills, mental math routines, and practice with fact families, daily routines including the use of review problems, homework, on-going and integrated mathematical projects and a variety of math games. Throughout the GO MATH! curriculum, students are encouraged to explain and discuss their mathematical thinking. Opportunities to verbalize their thoughts and strategies allow Lakeside Academy students the chance to clarify their thinking and acquire new

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insights from their peers. All students and their families receive periodic letters to help keep everyone informed about their child’s experiences with GO MATH! The problem-solving, constructivist and inquiry-based learning approach connects to the Lakeside Academy students’ everyday knowledge.

Math instruction is organized around the “Florida Big Ideas” which focus on proficiency with grade-level standards and tests, while building a foundation for subsequent years. Cathy Seely, author of Holt McDougal Florida Mathematics and former president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, was the driving force behind the development of the Curriculum Focal Points which served as the foundation for Florida’s Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. The program features a write-in student worktext which is used in combination with a textbook to provide multi-day experience and opportunities to explore mathematics in depth so that students truly make sense of what they are learning.

Classroom math instruction is centered on the students mastering the following:

• Number Sense, Concepts and Operations – knowledge and skills addressed in this area help

students develop a full understanding of the power of numbers, what numbers are and how they work from the most basic level to the most complex.

• Measurement – practice activities include real-life applications; students experience using a variety of tools to measure, estimate and compare

• Geometry and Spatial Sense – students study two and three dimensional shapes, solids and lines and use manipulatives to deepen their understanding

• Algebraic thinking – is the entryway into higher mathematics; students learn to apply these concepts to real-world problems

• Data Analysis and Probability – gives students an opportunity to connect math to other subjects and to use real world data; students conduct research and become proficient in collecting and analyzing data through displaying results in written reports, charts and tables.

Lakeside Academy students are provided at least a 90 minute block of math instruction in grade K-5. During the math period, those students who are struggling receive additional intensive remedial instruction with their teacher or the paraprofessional. Sixth graders have a 50 minute block for math and those that are below proficiency have an additional 50 minutes of intensive math. As an inclusion school, all ESE and ELL students receive their math instruction in the mainstream classroom using a variety of methods depending on their performance levels and individual abilities.

Saturday tutoring is mandatory for all students in grades 2 – 6 who are predicted to be below proficiency levels in reading, math and science. It is also available, but not required for those students who have reached proficiency levels. Tutoring is offered to all students, K-6 for three weeks during the month of June. Instruction is scheduled for groups of no more than 5 or six students for four hours a day during June Summer Tutoring.

Intervention Programs

(See RtI) Program materials used for interventions are research-based and are used to teach areas of deficiency that are determined by classroom performance and diagnostic tests. The remediation addresses

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weaknesses that inhibit fluency and application of mathematical ideas to problem solving. They focus on specific skills and strategies that are designed to accelerate rate of student achievement.

Supplemental Materials

• Saxon Math • SRA Math Kits • Brain Banks • Buckle Down Math • Math Coach • Manipulatives • ETA Cuisenaire Kits • Pattern Bocks • Base-ten • Tangrams • Geoboards • Problem Solving Card Bank • Snap Cubes • Clock Kits • Word Walls • Flash Cards • Flip Charts

Academic-Based Games and Puzzles

• Addition and Subtraction Quizmo • Fraction Math Center • Hundreds Board • InstaLearn Math Board • InstaLearn Numbers 0-25 • InstLearn Story Problems Cards • Little Spender • Math Facts Champs • Math Quiz Game Show • Math Operations Story Box Problems • Place Value Math Center • Square by Square • Stack the Shapes • Telling Time Quizmo • Two Color Counters • Mastering Math Games Library • Daily Math Station • The Allowance Game • Multiple, Divide and Conquer Game

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• Build and Learn Geometry Kit

Technology Based Materials and Websites

• Star Math • FCAT Explorer • Brain Pop • FLY Pens • PBCSD Learning Tools Links for Math Teachers • Riverdeep Destination Math • Guizmos • mimio

Software

• Math Blaster • Operation practice CDs • V-Math

CORE WRITING PROGRAM

In all classrooms, Lakeside Academy teaches writing mainly through the use of the writer’s workshop model. Writer’s workshop is a framework for writing instruction and practice in the classroom. All writers’ workshop models will follow the predictable pattern of:

• Mini-lesson • Independent writing • Conferencing (during independent writing) • Sharing

The writer’s workshop benefits the students of Lakeside Academy because the philosophy behind it recognizes that all students are at different levels in their writing development and their academic needs are at that stage. Students write daily and determine the topics they choose to write about. The teacher’s role in the writer’s workshop is one of a facilitator as he/she circulates through the room, monitoring, encouraging, conferencing, and providing help as needed. Writer’s workshop sets a collaborative tone for writing instruction and addresses the need for differentiated instruction. Students develop independence and motivation to be writers and they learn to evaluate and reflect on their own writing in order to develop into strong writers. The writer’s workshop at Lakeside Academy is based on the research of Lucy Calkins. Students are guided through carefully crafted, spiraling units of study that focus on teaching poetry, narrative and expository writing with increasing independence, power and attention to personal craft. The writer’s workshop at Lakeside Academy is supported by additional opportunities for writing throughout the day and across the curriculum. In the primary grades, students actively participate in interactive writing, shared writing and independent writing experiences integrated into other subject areas. The purpose of these writing experiences demonstrates how writing works and how ideas are

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recorded on paper. In addition, these writing experiences provide students with the chance to develop and strengthen concepts of print and practice using effective writing strategies. In the elementary grades, students write in all subject areas across the curriculum. When writing is combined with studies in other subject areas, the students engage in experiences that lead to better reasoning and higher-level thinking. This results in a richer and more meaningful educational experience that cannot be achieved by teaching subjects in isolation. Writing is and should be an integral part of all content areas. In science, social studies, reading, language arts, and mathematics, students demonstrate their response to knowledge taught, concepts attainment, and understandings through writing.

Supplemental Materials

• Write Source • SRA Literacy Kits • Wordly Wise WORD STUDY

As students begin to read, practice and use their reading ability, it becomes increasingly important for them to be able to use phonetic knowledge and structural analysis to decode and interpret more difficult words. Word study builds on and emphasizes for students the relationship that exists between reading and writing. Considering Bloom’s taxonomy, students go beyond literal understanding or knowledge into comparison, analysis, generalization and synthesis through word study.

Lakeside Academy uses a word study program that:

• focuses on student recognition • overlaps language, reading and composition strands of the core curriculum • integrates inquiry into spelling and vocabulary instruction • is based on a developmental continuum and scaffolding of skills and concepts

At Lakeside Academy, word study focuses on word sorts and vocabulary. Students sort words and manipulate letters and syllables to make words. As students do this they derive meaning from context and morphemic clues. The strategies learned through word study are applied in other desired curricular areas. Words are an important foundation for reading and writing. Students must be able to read, write, understand, and use words effectively in their reading, writing, and spoken language. Students identify words in their reading by using strategies such as phonics, context clues, sentence structure, background knowledge, and pictures. They must also understand what words mean so they can use the words in their spoken, written, and reading vocabularies. In addition, students need to be able to spell words and write clearly so others can read and understand their writing. Therefore, word study is an important component of any reading program. Expanding vocabulary has always been a focus of the reading and language arts programs at Lakeside Academy.

CORE SCIENCE PROGRAM

Children are born scientists. They want to know how the world works. They are curious about everything and need correct information and strong reasoning ability to prepare them for the future.

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Lakeside Academy wants students to have a feeling of wonder and excitement about the marvels of the natural and scientific world. Students will understand that science is more than just facts; it is critical thinking and exploration of thoughts and ideas. Lakeside Academy will implement Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt Florida Science Fusion in grades K-5 and Holt in the sixth grade. Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt is filled with innovative, hands-on, inquiry-based activities for students that are designed to motivate learners and increase critical thinking. Students learn about science concepts with reading support, hands-on activities, and links to the real world. Research indicates that students learn better by “doing”, so the emphasis is on hands-on activities, but at the same time students must be able to read science text on their grade level; therefore, emphasis is also placed on reading in science.

At Lakeside Academy, all students engage in investigation and discovery activities using everyday materials along with basic scientific equipment. This hands-on, motivational approach captures the children’s natural curiosity and stimulates their interest. The result is increased scientific thinking. The goal is to develop critical thinking skills and participate in a variety of exciting activities involving observation, measurement, identification of properties and controlled experiments involving life, earth and physical science concepts. This directly correlates with the Florida standards which seek to promote and achieve scientific literacy. The science curriculum includes goals and objectives from life, physical and earth sciences, while focusing on the nature of science, science as inquiry and social and personal perspectives in scientific life.

Lakeside Academy student performance in science has been less than proficient. Efforts are being made to improve the program by training teachers to be specialists, enhancing hands-on activities, and scheduling 40 minutes per day of instruction in K-2 and 45 minutes per day in grades 3-6. Planning includes emphasizing science throughout the core areas of study.

Houghton Mifflin Florida Science Fusion is a research-based program that has been proven effective in providing systematic and explicit instruction. The program is comprehensive by offering an assessment system, manipulatives, on-line planning, technology support, and various intervention supports.

• Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt Florida Science Fusion • Holt Grade 6 Life Science

Intervention Programs

The materials used for interventions are research-based and are used to teach areas of deficiencies as determined by diagnostic tests. They focus on explicit and systemic instruction that builds upon previous knowledge. Science interventions are taught within the mainstream classroom by the regular science teacher.

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Supplemental Materials

• SRA 5th Grade Florida Science Kit • National Geography Readers • Buckle Down Science • Science Coach • Science Banks • CD-ROM Science Activities for Interactive Whiteboards – Complete Series • Step by Step Scientific Method Experiment Kit • Pine Jog Environmental Programs • Measurement Kits • Harcourt Science Manipulatives • Science Equipment: Microscopes, Scales, Balances, Pulleys, Magnets

Academic Games and Puzzles

• Classroom Jeopardy • Take-Apart Human Body Models – set of 4 • Secrets of Science Games Library

Technology –Based Materials and Websites

• PBCSD Learning Tools Links for Science Teachers • FCAT Explorer • NASA Online Education • Brain Pop • National Science Teachers Association Recommended Websites • FPL Website

CORE SOCIAL STUDIES

At Lakeside Academy, social studies objectives and ideas are presented through Harcourt Social Studies and integrated, thematic units, rather than through a set social studies curriculum. Each year, the students at Lakeside Academy experience at least 4 overarching-project themes. These themes serve as the primary focus in social studies, but are integrated when possible into the other areas of the Lakeside Academy curriculum. This project-based thematic approach, challenges students to look deeper into a topic, gain a more thorough understanding, and deal with the complexities of issues. Social studies objectives and ideas presented at Lakeside Academy are based on the Florida standards and objectives though Lakeside Academy strives to teach and think beyond the standards and capitalize on student interests and community needs. This type of curriculum and subject area integration invites students to think about essential parts of their community and world and make connections between all parts of their education.

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Each grade level has a specific focus:

• Kindergarten – students learn the general concepts about the world around them: families and friends, the big world, time long ago and our country.

• First Grade – the students learn about school and families including topics such as people in classrooms, leaders in the community, exploring land and resources, climate, relating economic concepts to their community and familiar products.

• Second Grade – students study the concepts of groups, rules and communities, including the nations of the global world, culture and how to share it, economic concepts of needs, wants, work and choices, the nation’s history and their role as citizens of the United States.

• Third Grade – students study community and geography concepts. Topics include geography and where people work, live and play, early American communities, the history of explorers and cultures, forms of transportation and movement from place to place, community government, economic choices such as careers, spending money wisely, international trade, World History, pyramids, and the Great Wall of China.

• Fourth Grade - students learn about the history of Florida, its land and people, how it transitioned from a colony to a state, the Civil War and its affect, the state’s economy, the role citizens play in the government and the environment.

• Fifth Grade – student learn US history, early settlers, Indians, immigration, Civil War, nation’s leaders, the 20th century and 1970 until today.

• Sixth Grade – World Cultures and Geography provides all sixth grade students with opportunities to study geography around the globe. It focuses on the many countries today and throughout history and the changing economies within these cultures.

• The Houghton Mifflin Social Studies and McDougal Littell program includes core lessons, independent leveled readers and differentiated instructional activities which are suited for the laboratories. Students are able to make connections in science and language arts through reading skills, role playing, research, music and dance, speech, music and art. All styles of learning are able to be touched upon: logic, visual, kinesthetic, spatial and linguistic.

C.

Describe the school’s reading curriculum. Provide evidence that reading is a primary focus of the school and that there is a curriculum and set of strategies for students who are reading at grade level or higher and a separate curriculum and strategy for students reading below grade level.

Lakeside Academy has a comprehensive reading program that follows the philosophy Just Read, Florida! The school has implemented the scientifically, research-based Macmillan Series Treasures for core instruction. A component of the program, Triumphs, is used with students in Tiers 2 and 3. The program provides systemic and explicit instruction in the five essential components of reading, while using a balanced literacy framework. It incorporates hands-on and visual tools for both small group and individual instruction.

All students (K-5) receive a 90 minute uninterrupted reading block and those students who are in need of interventions receive an additional 30 minutes on a daily basis. Paraprofessionals are scheduled during the day to provide additional reading remediation for the lowest performing students. The sixth graders have a 45 minute reading block and an additional 45 minutes of language arts if following a self-contained curriculum schedule. If enrolled in elementary core curriculum schedule, they will receive 90 minutes of Reading instruction daily. All sixth graders who are performing below grade level

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are additionally required to enroll in an Intensive Reading course. The ESE and ELL students receive their core reading block within the mainstream classroom through a variety of methods depending upon their performance levels. All sixth grade instructors are certified to teach K-6th grades.

Saturday tutoring is mandatory for all students in grades 2 – 6 who are predicted to be below proficiency levels in reading, math and science. It is also available, but not required for those students who have reached proficiency levels. Tutoring is offered to all students, K-6 for three weeks during the month of June. Instruction is given to groups of no more than 5 or 6 students for four hours a day.

Reading instruction is implemented by covering the five essential components of reading. Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency and Comprehension are the core elements of a successful reading classroom. Proficiency in the basic skills is critical for a student to have success in reading. These five components are embedded in our classrooms. The environment is print rich and the laboratories are an extension of their group learning where they can read, explore, create and master their skills.

• Phonemic Awareness – students understand that words are composed of individual sounds, or

phonemes. They learn this through rhyming, alliteration, syllabication, and sentence segmentation. • Phonics – is when students recognize that the letters of the alphabet and the sounds those letters

make represent a basic skill that must be learned in to master the reading process. Being able to use sound-symbol relations to read and write words (decoding) is a fundamental skill.

• Fluency – is a skill that is essential for good reading and comprehension. The use of Reader’s Theater, read alouds, silent reading, paired reading and poetry reading are some strategies that promote reading speed, automaticity and expression.

• Vocabulary – development of student vocabulary is a primary focus in our school because many students who enroll have limited vocabulary and improper word usage. Improving comprehension and critical thinking can’t happen without expanding students’ vocabulary. Reading and writing lessons are focused on word study - prefixes, suffixes, root words, definitions, synonyms, and antonyms in a print rich environment. Teachers use word walls and laboratories are designed to have activities that prove to develop literacy skills

• Comprehension – students must understand what they are reading. Many can decode at grade level but do not understand the vocabulary and are unable to make inferences, identify the main idea, describe a character or setting, make predictions or summarize a passage or story. Teachers use Venn diagrams, story mapping, foldables, cause and effect maps, and outlining to make connections. They work on comparing and contrasting, making inferences, summarizing, making predictions, describing the author’s purpose, characterization and main idea. Learning these skills is necessary for comprehending text of all genres.

Balanced Literacy

The State of Florida charges its educators with the duty of creating literate members of a community who search for meaning and interest in learning. If the expectation in our society today is one hundred percent literacy, then it is our job as educators to identify and implement a multi-faceted literacy curriculum that promotes personal learning and fulfillment while giving the student the ability to think and reason as a literate person. This kind of literacy focuses on thinking critically, using oral language, written language and using other media and technology as tools. Children should use their language,

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knowledge, skills and personal experiences to comprehend literature and other texts and to use the written word to convey thoughts and ideas. In the early years of schooling, children need to be given daily opportunities to connect what they know to new skills and information as they grow cognitively and socially. Young children should be expected to be self-directed learners, collaborative partners and complex thinkers while experiencing oral and written language that is appropriate and relevant to them as learners. As students grow older, a literacy curriculum should be designed to sustain and expand growth of the fundamental skills that students acquire earlier as well as promote growth of strategies, skills and conceptual understandings. At Lakeside Academy, the primary focus of a literacy curriculum in the upper grades is on using language to obtain and communicate information, for literary response and expressions, for reflection and self-evaluation and for problem solving and application. Students move toward increasing literacy independence in the use of communication skills and strategies. Students develop into independent readers and writers as they continue to expand their literacy proficiency and apply their foundational skills automatically and flexibly to reading and writing fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry and multiple genres. Lakeside Academy will present this multi-faceted balanced literacy curriculum through the use of:

Modeled Reading

During modeled reading, the teacher combines traditional read-aloud with explicit think-aloud demonstrations of targeted comprehension, decoding strategies and reading behaviors. Teachers typically signal the listeners by looking away from the text or putting down the text before using think-alouds to model comprehension strategies. Modeled reading sometimes takes place with previously read materials or excerpts of text. Teachers may also us materials from their personal reading lives to demonstrate how adult readers also make use of strategies while reading.

The Role of the Teacher is:

• to model the reading process while integrating the three cueing systems—meaning, structure and

visual • to make thoughtful and purposeful choices for read aloud and strategy instruction • to actively model reading behaviors as appropriate • to demonstrate strategies for comprehension and word-solving using a variety of print materials,

genres and purposes through intentional think-alouds • to model reading enjoyment • to use books and materials which students can read independently • to gradually release control of strategy use to the students with the expectation that students will

approximate and refine strategy use in supported and independent reading

The Role of the Student is:

• to engage with teacher read aloud and think aloud • to demonstrate a willingness to approximate and refine strategy use in supported and independent

reading • to understand that reading is a transactional experience between the reader and the text

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Guided Reading

Guided reading is a major part of the balanced literacy curriculum at Lakeside Academy. An instructional setting that enables the teacher to work with small, focused reading groups, guided reading allows the varying instructional needs of all students to be met while enabling students to greatly expand their reading powers. Guided reading is a teaching approach that is designed to help individual students learn how to process a variety of increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency. It occurs in a small-group setting that allows for interactions among readers benefiting all students. The teacher selects and introduces texts to readers based on student ability aligned with text level. At times, the teacher supports the students while reading the texts, always engages the readers in discussion, and performs a mini-lesson after the reading. Sometimes after reading a text, the teacher extends the meaning of the text through writing, text analysis or another learning activity. Many guided reading lessons include word study or work with words based on the specific needs of the small group. The use of guided reading builds foundational skills for decoding and comprehending, connecting prior learning with new learning and using conventions as aids for communication. This enables younger students to begin their literacy experiences and academic careers with deeper understandings rather than surface behaviors. It also facilitates and strengthens future learning as students progress through their academic career at Lakeside Academy.

Read Aloud

As Lakeside Academy implements the laboratories and works through cross-curriculum units, read alouds provide yet another opportunity for literacy to be integrated into and imbedded in other curricular subject areas. The read aloud is used to engage listeners while developing background knowledge, increasing comprehension skills and fostering critical thinking. At Lakeside Academy it is expected that read alouds are part of a weekly routine and favorite activity in the classroom. Read alouds serve many purposes in Lakeside Academy classroom. They will:

• build listening and comprehension skills through discussion before, during and after reading • increase students’ vocabulary foundation by hearing words in context • improve students’ memory and language skills as they hear a variety of writing styles and as

students begin to paraphrase their understanding • promote understanding of the community and world around the student • develop individual student interest in a broad variety of subjects, imagination and creativity • build skills to foster inquiry

Shared Reading

Shared reading is a way to use rich, authentic and interesting literature even in the earliest phases of reading with children whose word-identification skills would not otherwise allow them to access quality literature. Each reading of a selection by a teacher provides opportunities for the teacher to model reading for the entire class. Shared reading of a selection provides opportunities for concept and language development and expansion that might not be possible if instruction relied only on selections that students could read independently. At Lakeside Academy, shared reading brings an awareness of the functions of print, familiarity with language patterns and word recognition skills that grow as children interact several times with the same text. The individual needs of students are more adequately met as

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accelerated readers are challenged by the interesting, natural language of the text. On the other hand, students who work more slowly at acquiring reading skills experience success through the constant support of a teacher. The dominant focus of the literacy curriculum for students in grades K-2 is the acquisition and development of language abilities while learning how to learn and applying strategies and skills to read new texts. Lakeside Academy capitalizes on the advantages of shared reading as it is pleasurable, interactive and gives an array of opportunities with which students can interact, develop and learn. Shared reading provides social opportunities, improves confidence, offers the chance to share knowledge and enable children to thoroughly construct meaning from literature.

Independent Reading

Students read self-selected books silently on their own at their independent reading levels. Each classroom has a full classroom library of lexiled books ranging in interest and difficulty. Science and Social Studies classrooms are stocked with subject-specific literature. Students visit the local library on at least a bi-weekly basis. Students are encouraged to read each day in school and at home.

D.

Explain how exceptional students and students who enter the school below grade level will be engaged in and benefit from the curriculum.

Students who enter below grade level will initially be monitored on Tier I and if not successful, will be academically placed in Tier 2 model using supplemental materials listed below. If lack of progress indicates, Tier 3 students will receive additional time for one-on-one instruction RESPONSE to INTERVENTION

The RtI process is in place to meet the needs of students who are performing below grade level in the core subjects. The purpose of the interventions is to provide learning activities and materials that are suitable for the students’ performance level and that will engage the child so as to help him/or make progress toward working on grade level. When frustration and failure are substituted with learning, which is fun and successful, the student will respond by making academic progress. Program materials used for interventions are research-based and are used to teach areas of deficiency that are determined by classroom performance and diagnostic tests. They focus on specific skills and strategies and allow for systematic and explicit instruction designed o accelerate the rate of student achievement in reading.

RtI Leadership Team

The school-based RtI Leadership Team is comprised of the following members: principal, assistant principal, district ESE contact, district psychologist, school ESE contact, district RtI coach and the classroom teacher. The principal provides a common vision for the use of the data-based decision-making to ensure that a sound, effective academic program is in place and that there is a process to address and monitor subsequent needs as the staff implements the process. The principal and assistant principal will monitor and assess the RtI skills of the school staff. The fidelity of implementation of intervention support is documented and adequate professional development is provided. An on-going review is conducted to monitor the effectiveness of communication with parents regarding school-based RtI plans and any activities that occur based on those plans.

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The school-based staff will meet regularly to review universal screening data, diagnostic data, and progress monitoring data. Based on this information, the team will identify the professional development activities needed to create effective learning environments. After determining that effective Tier 1 – Core instruction is in place, the team will identify students who are not meeting academic targets. The identified students will be referred to the school administration, district ESE contact and the school ESE contact. The SBT will use the Problem Solving Model* to conduct all meetings. Based on data and discussion, the team will identify students who are in need of additional academic and/or behavioral support (supplemental or intensive). A Tier 2 or Tier 3 intervention plan will be developed (PBCSD Form 2284) which identifies a student’s specific areas of deficiencies and appropriate research-based interventions to address these deficiencies. The team will ensure the necessary resources are available and the intervention is implemented with fidelity.

Problem Solving Model

The four steps of the Problem Solving Model* are: • Problem Identification entails identifying the problem and the desired behavior for the student. • Problem Analysis involves analyzing why the problem is occurring by collecting data to determine

possible causes of the identified problem. • Intervention Design & Implementation involves selecting or developing evidence-based

interventions using data previously collected. These interventions are then implemented. • Evaluating is also termed Response-to-Intervention. In this step, the effectiveness of a student’s or

group of students’ response to the implemented intervention is evaluated and measured.

The problem solving process is self-correcting, and if necessary, recycles in order to achieve the best outcomes for all students. The process is strongly supported by both IDEA and NCLB. Specifically, both legislative actions support all students achieving benchmarks regardless of their status in general or special education. *Problem Solving & Response to Intervention Project 2008.

Data Source(s) and Data Management system(s)

Baseline data:

• Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Terranova/CTB • Curriculum Based Measurement • Florida Assessment for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) • Palm Beach County Fall Diagnostics • Palm Beach Writes • K-3 Literacy Assessment System • Diagnostic Assessment for Reading (DAR) • Progress Monitoring and Reporting Network (PMRN) • Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment (CELLA) • Office Discipline Referrals • Retentions • Absences

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Midyear data:

• Florida Assessment for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) • Diagnostic Assessment for Reading (DAR) • Palm Beach County Winter Diagnostics • Palm Beach Writes • Progress Monitoring and Reporting Network (PMRN) • K-3 Literacy Assessment System

End of year data:

• Florida Assessment for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) • Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) • FCAT Writes • Terranova/CTB • SAT

(Frequency of required Data Analysis and Action Planning Days: Once within a cycle of instruction refer to appropriate focus calendar)

RtI Staff Development

• Staff will attend in-service on designated professional development days (PDD). These in-service opportunities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Critical Thinking • Social Thinking/Superflex Curriculum • Consensus Building • Data-based decision-making to drive instruction • Differentiated Instruction • NGSS • Individual professional development will be provided

Interventions are established by the team and agreed upon by the teachers and parents. The interventions are attempted for a minimum of six weeks. Documentation of interventions is reviewed to determine whether the intervention strategies used were successful. If the results are encouraging, then a team continues to monitor monthly or as needed basis. If the interventions are not effective, an additional or alternative set of interventions are designed and implemented for another six weeks. The team then analyzes the students’ progress as their needs are supported through the interventions. If lack of progress is determined Tier 3, then the team identifies those students needing further evaluation in accordance with state and federal regulations. Lakeside Academy implements a process that identifies whether the concern regarding the student is academic and/or behavioral in nature. At this point, a school psychologist and other evaluation specialists are made available to administer psychological evaluations, to determine whether students’ needs warrant extensive evaluation which could lead to an IEP and special education and/or related services.

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It is the firm belief of Lakeside Academy that the goal of exceptional student education services is to support the needs of students with disabilities to ensure their success in the general student population’s learning environment. This is attained with the appropriate support and services integrated within the Lakeside Academy program. The school provides accommodations and modifications as necessary to permit access to technology-based learning and the related services provided on a student’s IEP. The modifications and adaptations include, but are not limited to:

• adapted curriculum assignments • test modifications including small groups, extended time, reading directions • computer pacing and remediation

Supplemental Materials

The core program incorporates supplements such as differentiated materials, hands-on, and multi-sensory activities. The following are some of the additional materials used in the classrooms:

• Saxon Phonics K-3 • Saxon Phonics Interventions 4-6 • Soar to Success • Reading Count • Mondo Publishing Oral Language and Reading Charts • Letter Word and Picture Cards • Reader’s Theater • Time for Kids • Classroom Library Leveled Readers • Chapter Books • Scholastic Book Fairs • Laura Robb Classroom Library • Phyllis Hunter Classroom Library • Phonics Books • Big Books • Flash Cards • Flip Charts • Magnetic Letters • Reading Rods • Buckle Down Reading • SRA Reading Kits • SRA Multiple Skills Kits • Reading Coach • Classroom Jeopardy!

Academic –Based Games and Puzzles

• Pirate Island Reading for Details • Sort and Match Phonics Game Library

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• InstaLearn Sight Words and Letters • Phonics Word Builder Kit and Board • Reading Riddle Maze • Tub ‘O Sight Words Level 2 and Practice Cards • Word Family sing Along Flip Chart • Build a Sentence Puzzle • Build A Story Flip Book • Magic Board Printing Practice Cards • Snap It Up – Spelling and Reading • Vowel Sounds Sort and Match

Technology-Based Materials and Websites:

• ReadAbout • Riverdeep, Destination in Reading • FCAT Explorer • CEI • Brain Pop • PBCSD Learning Tools Links for Reading Teachers • FLY Pens • Tumble Books • mimio

Software:

• Phonics Practice CD’s • Carmen San Diego • Clifford’s Phonics • Reader Rabbit • Writing Blaster • Read. Write, Gold

E.

Describe proposed curriculum areas to be included other than academic areas.

THE ARTS

Research points to the many ways in which the arts cultivate the cognitive and behavioral skills necessary for success in any part of a K-12 curriculum. It also suggests that through the arts, the environment for learning is transformed into a safe haven for inquiry for all students and members of the school community. With the arts, all students have a chance to succeed and showcase their learning. The arts – in all forms – stimulate the brain. They ignite creativity and provide students with opportunities to critically interpret the world around them. In a very real way, arts integration transforms the curriculum. Arts integration is not about reserving time each day or week to immerse students in art, just as it is not injecting art into the regular curriculum in little bits and pieces. Arts integration is not about artist residencies, or occasional art projects that connect to other curricular subjects. It is about a

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methodology and a philosophical approach to education that creates a level of personal connection and added depth in the classroom through a creative inquiry-based process of teaching and learning. At Lakeside Academy, through the implementation of the laboratories, teachers employ an integrative approach to teaching. The arts (visual art, music, poetry, puppetry, storytelling, and drama) are an integral part of all subject areas. This kind of integrative approach for example, connects visualization with reading comprehension, contextualizes math, and brings an experiential context to the science or social studies classroom. Using the arts at Lakeside Academy assists students in understanding and applying skills to standardized exams. Focus and concentration is developed through an appreciation and application of different learning styles, including linguistic, visual or kinesthetic thinking. Through the connection of personal experience with the subject matter, there is an emphasis on the process of discovery, allowing for unexpected outcomes as teachers help students develop more complex thinking skills.

SOCIAL THINKING

Social Thinking® (Michelle Garcia Winner) is required prior to the development of social skills. Successful social thinkers consider the points of view, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, prior knowledge and intentions of others (this is often called perspective-taking - considering the perspectives of others). This is for most of us an intuitive process. We can determine the meanings behind the messages communicated by others and how to respond to them within milliseconds to three seconds! Social thinking occurs everywhere, when we talk, share space, walk down the street, even when we read a novel and relate to our pets. It is an intelligence that integrates information across home, work and community settings - something we usually take for granted!

For many people, social thinking is hard-wired at birth and learned intuitively from infancy onward. While most of us develop our communication skills as we grow up, steadily observing and acquiring social information and learning how to respond to the people around us, many have great difficulties with this process. For many of our students social thinking is a skill that must be taught just as addition or scientific method is learned. Social thinking is the ability to adapt to social situations, solve personal problems and think about what others are thinking. The Board, with 100% of staff support, has recommended implementing a Social Thinking curriculum to transform the Lakeside Academy’s culture in order to achieve accelerated academic performance. Developing independent learners is part of the school’s mission and social thinking skills will help the students reach the ultimate goal of independence. The strategies of a social thinking curriculum teach students:

• How their own social minds work - why they react and respond the way they do • The behaviors that make others feel good and bad • How these behaviors are affecting their own emotions, responses to and relationships with

others across different social contexts The objectives of these strategies include the ability for students to:

• Recognize the different levels of their own and others’ social minds

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• Navigate their behaviors while considering how others perceive and respond to them • Adapt to people and situations around them - even in casual settings (hanging out, etc.)

Core philosophies of social thinking:

• We “think with our eyes” to figure out other people’s thoughts, intentions, emotions, plans, etc. • Our thoughts and emotions are strongly connected. How we think affects how we feel, how we

behave affects how others think and feel. If “your friends are people who make you feel good about you over time,” then you must learn how to make friends and how to make other people feel good using your actions and your language.

• We think about people all the time, even when we have no plans to interact with them. We adjust our own behavior based on what we think the people around us are thinking. (This is how we drive our cars!).

• As part of our humanity, each of us is on a daily quest to avoid each other’s “weird thoughts.” We constantly consider people around us and adjust our behavior to help people have “normal thoughts about us.”

• Most of the core social thinking lessons operate BELOW the level of cultures, meaning that all people engage in these thoughts and social behavioral adjustments.

• How we adapt our behavior changes as we age and as we encounter different situations and cultures. The nuance and sophistication of our behaviors (which we refine greatly by 3rd grade and then across our entire lives) is constantly evolving.

• Social thinking is something all of us do every day, all day, even when we are alone in our homes. To understand a TV drama or sitcom one has to think about the character’s emotions, thoughts, reactions, etc. Even reading novels requires social thinking.

• Social thinking, therefore, plays into our academic world, requiring us to think about the motives and intentions of people we read about in literature and history.

• Social thinking affects us in adulthood. To hold a job, we have to adapt our own social behavior based on the perceived thoughts of the people we work and live with.

Four Steps of Perspective Taking: Ms. Winner developed the “The Four Steps of Perspective Taking” to help adults and students understand the process through which we share space effectively. It is the how students interact throughout the school day, whether in the classroom, on the playground or just hanging out. Social regulation is at the heart of social participation and we each participate socially just when we are in the presence of others, even when we are not talking to them.

• Step One: When you come into my space, I have a little thought about you and you have a little

thought about me. • Step Two: I wonder “why are you near me?” “What is your purpose for being near me?” “Is it

because you are just sharing the space, do you intend to talk to me or do you intend to harm me?” I have to consider all these things in order to keep me safe around people as well as to predict what will happen next.

• Step Three: Since we have thoughts about each other, I wonder what you are thinking about me. • Step Four: To keep you thinking about me the way I would like you to think about me, I monitor and

possibly modify my behavior to keep you thinking about me the way I want you to think about me.

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Four Steps of Communication The four steps of communication help to define how communication is anchored in a synergistic process that involves the mind, the body, the eyes and language. More specifically, it involves social emotional thought, the nuance of physical presence and visually processing non-verbal cues in addition to language use and interpretation. Most speech and language social programs teach students to focus almost exclusively on their social language production, called ‘conversational skills'. The four steps of communication strongly encourage us to recognize the social communicative act as being synergistic, always involving the first three steps, but not necessarily involving the fourth.

• Step 1: Thinking about others and what they are thinking about us. We think about who we are

near or who we want to talk to. If we are going to talk to someone, we consider what information we may already know about this person or what information we can infer based on the situation. For example, if you want to talk to the new student in your class, you have to think about what you may know about that student even if you have never met them before. For example, I know they are new to the class, I know they are a student, I know they live in my community; I know they have been in previous school environments, etc.

• Step 2: Establishing a physical presence. When we desire to communicate or ‘hang out' with another, or just need to communicate with another person, we have to establish a physical presence to show the person that we desire their company or intend to speak to them. The reverse is also true, if we want to avoid another person, we actively avoid establishing a physical presence. If we seek social interaction, our physical presence can include standing close enough to the person (often about an arm's length away in the American culture), having our shoulders turned towards the other person(s) and keeping our body relaxed to move easily to include other people, or to move away from a person as needed. Physical communication skills require sophisticated self-monitoring which is lacking in many of our students. Ms. Winner states that our language provides content around which we relate, but it is our physicality that helps to relax and emotionally engage communicative partners.

• Step 3: "Thinking with our eyes". Intention to communicate is only explicitly clear once we have established eye contact with another person. Furthermore, our eyes help to interpret emotional responses and track shifts in thinking of our communicative partner (e.g., joint attention) while also demonstrating social expectation that we are listening to our communicative partner.

• Step 4: Using language to relate to others. Language is central to all socially-based communication, but it is often ineffective if the first three steps are not in place. When communicating, language users must consider and possibly adjust their message based on the thoughts, feelings, prior knowledge, experiences, intentions, and needs of their communicative partner. Effective social communication requires students to ask questions about other people, produce supportive responses, and add their own thoughts by connecting their experiences or thoughts to what other people are saying. Thus, students must have a strong language system to be able to carry out this complex dialogue.

The ILAUGH Model of Social Cognition

Michelle Garcia Winner developed the ILAUGH Framework of social cognition to explain the multiple skills and concepts that we must process and react to in order to succeed at social interaction and personal problem solving. Each of these elements of social cognition affects not only our ability to make and keep friends, but also our ability

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to process complex information in the classroom and the workplace. The ILAUGH Model is evidence-based in that each aspect of it has been researched and defined as a trait of persons with social relatedness issues. A brief summary of the ILAUGH framework follows:

• I = Initiation of Communication (Kranz & McClannahan, 1993)

Initiation of communication is the ability to use one’s language skills to establish social relations and to seek assistance or information from others. Many students have significant problems initiating communication in stressful situations or when information is not easily understood. Yet, these two skills – asking for help and understanding how to join a group for functional or personal interaction - are paramount for any student’s future success.

• L= Listening With Eyes and Brain (Mundy & Crowson, 1997; Kunce and Mesibov, 1998; Jones & Carr, 2004)

Many students have difficulty with auditory comprehension. From a social perspective, listening requires more than just taking in auditory information. It also requires the person to integrate information seen with that which is heard, to understand the full meaning of the message being conveyed, or to make an educated guess about what is being said when one cannot clearly understand it. For example, classroom teachers expect students to “listen with their eyes” when they point to information that is part of the instruction. They also indicate to whom they are speaking in a class, not by calling the student’s name but instead by looking at the student or moving closer. Students repeatedly relate to their peers through nonverbal cues, ranging from rolled eyes to signal boredom, to raised eyebrows to indicate questioning, to gazing at a particular item to direct a peer’s attention.

• A = Abstract and Inferential Language/Communication (Minshew, Goldstein, Muenz & Payton, 1992)

Most of the language we use is not intended for literal interpretation. Our communication is peppered with idioms, metaphors, sarcasm and inferences. Societies around the world bestow awards to writers, and even comedians, who are most creative with language. Each generation of teens creates its own slang; kids who follow along are in; those who don’t are often out. Advertising and other forms of mass media follow these cues. The abstract and inferential component of communication is huge and constantly in flux. It is a mistake to assume that our students with social thinking deficits understand our society’s non-literal use of language. In fact, most of them don’t!

Accurate comprehension of a communicative message depends first on the basic recognition that two codes of language exist: literal and figurative. It also involves recognizing and interpreting both the verbal words and the nonverbal cues that accompany them. It requires an individual to place the communication within the context of the social and cultural environment within which it occurs. Students who fail to expeditiously interpret the abstract/inferential meaning of language also struggle with academic tasks such as reading comprehension, especially that which requires interpreting a character’s thoughts and actions based on the context of the story and what one understands about the character’s history and motives. Without the benefit of real-world experience, these students are unable to imagine how characters might think, feel and act within the story.

• U = Understanding Perspective (Baron-Cohen & Jolliffe, 1997; Baron-Cohen, 2000)

To understand the differing perspectives of others requires that one’s Theory of Mind (perspective taking) work quickly and efficiently. Perspective taking is not one thing, it represents many things happening all at once meaning it is a synergistic and dynamic process. The ability to take perspective is key to participation in any type of group (social or academic) as well as interpreting information that requires understanding of other people’s minds, such as reading comprehension, history, social studies, etc. A definition of perspective taking can include the ability to consider your own and others:

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o Thoughts o Emotions o Physically coded intentions o Language based intentions o Prior knowledge and experiences o Belief systems o Personality

• G=Gestalt Processing/Getting the Big Picture (Shah & Frith, 1993; Fullerton, Stratton, Coyne & Gray, 1996)

Information is conveyed through concepts, not just facts. When involved in conversation, the participants intuitively determine the underlying concept being discussed. When reading a book of literature, the purpose is to follow the overall meaning (concept) rather than just collect a series of facts. Conceptual processing is a key component to understanding social and academic information. Difficulty developing organizational strategies cannot be isolated from conceptual processing. Students with conceptual processing challenges often have difficulties with written expression, organizational skills, time management and being overly tangential in their social relations.

• H= Humor and Human Relatedness (Gutstein, 2001; Greenspan, & Wieder, 2003; Prizant, Wetherby, Rubin,

Laurent & Rydell, 2006) It is important for educators and parents to work compassionately and with humor to help minimize the anxiety children experience. At the same time, teachers and students must be careful not to use humor inappropriately. Teaching students how to relate and respond to other people’s emotions as well as their own, while also helping them feel the enjoyment that arises through mutual sharing, is critical to the development of all other aspects of social development and when resolved leaves the student ready for academic progress.

Social Thinking and Academics Social thinking challenges prevent students from interpreting social information accurately. The ability to socially process and respond to information requires more than factual knowledge. Social thinking challenges present themselves during academic tasks that require flexible abstract thinking. These include written expression, reading comprehension of literature, organization and planning of assignments and in more abstract math (such as word problems). As a result, persons with limited social thinking skills such as relating to others interpersonally often have related academic struggles in the classroom. This is particularly true as students’ age (starting in about third or fourth grade) and the curriculum becomes more abstract, requiring critical thinking related to what happens in other people's minds while also demanding a high level of organized thought. Some students struggle with classroom participation from the moment they enter school due to deficits in their abilities to work and learn in a social group. Others don't develop obvious classroom and playground challenges until upper elementary school. Some manage to hold it together until middle school, at which time they become overwhelmed by abstract assignments, homework loads and increasingly nuanced social behaviors of their peers, which they struggle to interpret and respond to appropriately. Challenges in social thinking are to be taken seriously, as they affect not only one’s ability to participate fully in activities and lessons, but also how they view themselves and others.

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Use in the Classroom

• An example of the difference between teaching purely "social skills" and teaching "social thinking and related skills" can be explored through how we teach the concept of eye contact. The traditional social skills approach to is to say to the student "look at me" when they are failing to use this skill; various rewards such as praise or tokens are then provided to reinforce the performance of this skill. A social thinking approach views eye-contact as a tool that helps to facilitate recognition of what someone else may be thinking as well as how they may be feeling about the communicative interaction.

• We talk to students about "thinking with their eyes" rather than use the words "eye contact." We encourage them to be detectives who have to learn to observe the people and context within which they are communicating to help them make better educated guesses about the nature of the communicative exchange. This is a much deeper approach than simply asking someone to "look at me." This example of a social thinking approach provides a depth of information th0000at helps students generalize the related skills with more consistency.

• Regular and special education teachers can use the social thinking vocabulary in their classrooms to encourage increased awareness of social thinking for all students. There is not a moment of the academic school day that occurs outside of a social environment.

Dealing with the Blurter The lack of understanding the purpose of the eyes not only impacts interpersonal relations/social

conversations; it also can strongly impact a student's participation within structured group learning environments. Most students in the class understand intuitively to whom the teacher is directing her attention; however, students who lack the ability to easily attend to the information provided through other people's eyes may just holler out the answer. The teacher perceives that they are "blurting," but the student may have not recognized who the teacher was addressing since she did not concretely specify the name. Social thinking trains teachers how to educate the blurter about the social cognitive process of non-verbal communication, eliminating a disruptive behavior in the classroom.

Social Cognition Across Settings In fact, social cognitive information and the related social pragmatic skills are deeply embedded in the

requirements for learning across the school and home day. Social cognition is the mortar that binds together the more factual knowledge gained through learning of the language arts curriculum, working as part of the group, etc. Social cognition allows us to abstract, interpret and take perspective of the information required to assist with tasks such as: reading comprehension of socially abstract concepts (literature), math word problems, written expression, interpreting non-literal directions, participation as part of a group in the classroom, participation with peers or family members during unstructured time, organizational skills both within the classroom and during homework assignments and working together with peers on class projects. Social thinking is also required for success as adults on college campuses, holding jobs and maintaining a healthy home environment.

While social cognitive skills are critical for success during the school day, these abstract skills are difficult to

measure and they are rarely directly taught. For students who are lacking these skills, it is imperative that we recognize their ability to learn social thinking and related skills so they can function better in our society and lead fuller and more productive lives as a result.

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The purpose of implementing a Social Thinking Curriculum at Lakeside Academy is to remove the inappropriate social behavior that interferes with everyone’s learning. This is done by: • Teaching social consciousness • Teaching organizational skills • Teaching students to work together in harmony • Enhancing understanding of feelings • Teaching problem solving Books and Materials to be Purchased • Sticker Strategies – Practical Strategies to Encourage Social Thinking – reinforces social and behavioral problem solving and self-reliance • Story grammar Marker- manipulative to focus attention during story telling • Thinking About You Thinking About ME – extensive curriculum content, targeted lessons and activities, templates, handouts • We Can Make It Better: A Strategy to Motivate and Engage Young Learners in Social Problem-Solving Through flexible Stories – resource for safe and motivating social problem solving • You Are a Social Detective! – comic book offers ways that can be reviewed repeatedly with students to teach them how to develop their own social detective skills • Superflex Takes on Glassman and the Team of Unthinkables - teaching comic book for the first day of school, helps to overcome the Unthinkable • Think Social! A Social thinking Curriculum for School-Age Students – provides methods for instruction and 69 lessons • Meet Thotso, Your Thought Maker – interactive board book • Superflex: A Superhero Social Thinking Curriculum – fun and motivating ways to teach how to build social skills, book, comic book and CD • Social Behavior Mapping- Connecting Behavior, Emotions and Consequences Across the Day – strategies to teach specific relationships between behaviors, others’ perspective, others’ actions (consequences) and the student’s own emotions. Staff Development: TB F. Describe how the effectiveness of the curriculum will be evaluated G. The curriculum will be evaluated based on: • student progress on assessments – state, district and standardized tests • how the learning needs and styles of students are met • how teacher and administrator response to effectiveness in instruction • how parent, teacher, and administration response to appropriateness to student performance levels

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SECTION 5 STUDENT PERFORMANCE, ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION A. State the school’s educational goals and objectives for improving student achievement. Indicate how much academic improvement students are expected to show each year, how student progress and performance will be evaluated, and the specific results to be attained. The Lakeside Academy will participate in all state-mandated accountability efforts. Lakeside Academy considers evaluation and assessment to be a broad and continuous effort. School organizers realize the importance of evaluating content, process and effect. Proper assessment verifies that students have successfully acquired crucial skills and knowledge. These skills and knowledge are of special value because they are the tools and the base upon which more complex future learning will be built. Assessment at Lakeside Academy assumes a variety of forms from simple daily observations by a teacher in a classroom to highly sophisticated program audit. Lakeside Academy will adhere to the requirements of the Florida statutes pertaining to charter schools and Palm Beach County requirements for assessment, which include FCAT and FCAT Writes. Lakeside Academy will submit the results of student assessment tests to the District as required for inclusion in the district’s annual report to the State Board of Education. Instruction toward the State Standards and benchmarks will not be driven by "seat time" (e.g., the students sit in class for a certain number of days, for a prescribed number of minutes per day). Instruction will be guided by what students are supposed to know or be able to do. This shift requires that teachers plan instructional time around the learning goals of each student and around moving each student toward the intended skills and knowledge. Students will be assessed through the use of standardized instruments. A pre-test (Terranova) will be administered to provide a baseline at the beginning of the year or when the student transfers in mid-term. A post-test will be administered to all students in order to measure gain scores that will be used to calculate individual student improvement according to the time enrolled at the Lakeside Academy. In this manner, students who have been enrolled for less than a school year will have growth calculations based on the time they have been at the Academy. Students testing below grade level will be required to participate in special help sessions to get the necessary assistance to increase the needed skills. The School views assessment as the process of measuring a student's progress toward a goal. Outcomes will be congruent with the Sunshine State Standards, which identify what Florida public school students should know and be able to do. Students are expected to achieve learner expectations at the end of each grade level as outlined in the benchmarks of the Sunshine State Standards. B. Describe the school’s student placement procedures and promotion standards. At the end of each evaluation period, students and parents will receive a written report, which will include specific information on the student's progress toward the learning goals in his or her grade level. This report may be based upon the student's portfolio of work, documented observations by the faculty, formal testing, student's self-evaluation or other student projects. Students will be promoted according to the Palm Beach County School District Pupil Progression Plan. The School will follow the promotion requirements contained in the Palm Beach County School District’s Student Progression Plan which can be found on their website located at: www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us

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C. If the school will serve high school students. Not Applicable. D. Describe how baseline achievement data will be established, collected, and used. The School realizes that part of creating a new learning environment; the School will continually refine the definitions, implementation and measurement of pupil outcomes. Through access to the district’s data tracking software, currently Educational Data Warehouse, staff will meet regularly to disseminate, compare and analyze data. Baselines will be determined in the fall of each year by reviewing data from the diagnostic tests and the Terranova test. E. Identify the types and frequency of assessments that the school will use to measure and monitor student performance. Lakeside Academy recognizes that the nature of learning can include other methods of assessment that can modify teaching and learning outcomes. Students at Lakeside Academy will be assessed using a variety of methods. Assessments will include the four core areas of reading/language arts, science, math, and social studies but will be more comprehensive than that. The school will follow all district timelines for state and district testing according to the annual assessment calendar. Methods of assessment will include, but are not necessarily limited to, district and state formal assessments:

• FCAT (yearly) • SSS Diagnostics (3 times a year) • Florida Writing Test (monthly) • SAT 10 (yearly) • CELLA • Reading Running Records • ECHOS

In addition, Lakeside Academy will pre-test the students within the first four weeks of the school year or within the first four weeks of a child transferring into the school with a norm referenced test (i.e., Terranova) along with an aptitude test (In-View). Post-tests will be administered close to the end of the school year, or if possible prior to a student transferring out of the school, and they will be compared for progress. A report will be generated with the results and distributed to the families. F. Describe how student assessment and performance data will be used to evaluate and inform instruction. Students will be grouped based on individual needs and strengths after data analysis is completed. Teachers will also continually compare student data to those of comparable schools in the district to ensure even progression.

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Innovative/Formative/Authentic Assessment Formative assessment can benefit all students, but it yields particularly good results with low achievers. The Lakeside Academy’s teachers will use a variety of assessment tools to inform instruction and strengthen the ability of our students to develop the habits necessary for lifelong learning. In keeping with the school’s philosophy that children learn best when they are actively involved in the learning process, teachers will use alternative/formative assessment to inform instruction and more fully engage students in understanding their own learning. Instructional staff will work to develop a classroom culture of questioning and deep thinking, in which pupils learn from shared discussions with teachers and peers. The formative assessment strategies below will be viewed as an integral part of instruction. Portfolio Assessment Portfolios will be established and maintained for all students. They will contain samples of students’ work that illustrate their effort, progress and degree of proficiency. Portfolios will be used to help students assess their performance, assist teachers in making instructional decisions and provide parents and guardians with an opportunity to view students’ work. Performance Assessment Student performance will be evaluated based on pre-established criteria. These may include an oral presentation, conducting an experiment, teaching a skill or concept to other members of the class or acting out a story in sequence. Journals Journals will be part of the instructional strategies used to assist students in self-observation, goal setting, and articulation of strategies. G. Describe how student assessment and performance information will be shared with students and with parents. Mailings and Student Distribution Report cards, mid-marking period reports and results of assessment are either mailed home or distributed to students in their Friday Folders. Conferences In addition to teacher/parent conferences, teachers will engage students in thoughtful, reflective, focused dialogue to explore student understanding and encourage them to express their ideas. In addition, parents will be afforded the opportunity to independently request conferences with teachers for academic and non-academic related issues. Teachers will make available email addresses and home phone numbers to help encourage such an open line of communication. Peer Assessment Students will be encouraged to evaluate themselves based on teacher or student created rubrics, and will take part in group discussions to evaluate each other.

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Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students’ Individual Education Plans (IEPs) will document the type of assessment to be given (regular or alternate) and if accommodations are needed. An active Section 504 student’s individual 504 Plan will document any accommodations to standardized testing that are needed. An active student’s individual LEP Plan will document any accommodations to standardized testing that are needed. Results of district and state assessments shall be reported separately for the school and used to report academic performance. Baseline data has already been compiled as the school has been operating for eleven years and has participated in all state required assessments. Again, the school uses the district Educational Data Warehouse (EDW) reports to measure student progress and performance and to make comparisons with data from the local elementary schools. The Charter School shall follow the local counties report card distribution calendar or establish their own report card distribution calendar pursuant to §1003.33, F.S.

SECTION 6 EXECEPTIONAL STUDENTS

A. Please indicate the level of service that the school will provide to students with disabilities by selecting from the list below.

The school will serve students with disabilities whose needs can be met in a regular classroom environment (at least 80% of instruction occurring in a class with non-disabled peers) with the provision of reasonable supplementary supports and services and/or modifications and accommodations.

B. Describe how the school will ensure that students with disabilities will have an equal opportunity of being selected for enrollment in the charter school.

The charter school is available to all students residing in Palm Beach County including, but not limited to, those meeting the criteria of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

C. Describe how the school will work with the sponsor to ensure the charter school is the appropriate placement for each student with a disability, based on the student’s needs.

The school will follow district policies and procedures to identify students with special needs, develop Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), and to provide services identified on the IEP including implementing all accommodations and modifications listed on the IEP. The Individualized Education Plans will be reviewed and updated at least annually and each student’s re-evaluation needs will be reviewed at least once every three years. No child will be enrolled if the school is not able to meet the needs of the child per his or her Individualized Educational Plan (IEP).

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Lakeside Academy’s RtI/SB Leadership Team meets weekly. After the team recommendations and district evaluation are completed, if the child is determined to be eligible for placement in ESE services, the team creates an individualized education program for the student by:

• Reviewing all assessment results and reports from teachers and parents • Discussing the needs and strengths of the student, academic goals, assessments and

benchmarks, and determining the types of services and modifications that are required to ensure that the student receives the maximum benefit from his/her educational program

• Deciding which setting or settings would best meet those needs • Reviewing placement decisions annually at the SST review meeting

The team will also review the cumulative folders and IEPs of those students coming from another school to determine if Lakeside Academy is able to provide services that are required by their IEPs.

D. Describe how the school will utilize the regular school facilities and adapt them to the needs of exceptional students to the maximum extent appropriate, including the use of supplementary aids and services.

Lakeside Academy provides programs to exceptional students that implement and comply with federal, state and local policies and procedures, specifically: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in its current or reauthorized form, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Florida Statues. This includes, but is not limited to:

• provisions for a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) • a non-discriminatory policy regarding identification, evaluation, selection and location • individual Education Plans (IEP’s) to include IEP meetings with the student’s family and the IEP

committee, consisting of the special educator, the administrator and the classroom teacher • education of all students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. Lakeside Academy

utilizes an inclusive model by providing for appropriate assessment, program design, modifications or adaptations and the utilization of intervention specialists, special education teachers, tutors and other related service personnel as required and determined appropriate by the IEP committee. Tutors and other staff work coordinate with the special education teachers.

Lakeside Academy believes the accommodations, modifications, philosophies and attention to individualized learning reflect an inclusive educational environment. Required special education and related services serve as a guide to improve student access to the general education curriculum and allow the child to progress. Those students whose needs are so severe or unique that they cannot be met within the school’s program are appropriately referred to other schools. Lakeside Academy staff works with the LEA to ensure the needs of those students are met in the most appropriate setting. Parents and students with disabilities receive procedural guidance and guidelines in their native languages provided by the LEA’s office of special education.

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E. Describe how the school’s effectiveness in serving exceptional education students will be evaluated.

Lakeside Academy adheres and subscribes to all the principles set forth in “No Child Left Behind Act”, which ensure the academic success of every student, including:

• All students must be held to the same challenging standards • All students must be assessed according to their IEP’s • All students not making progress in the Core curriculum must have RtI • Progress of students is to be consistent • Assessment results must be reported to parents • Student progress is monitored regularly and improvements noted

The school is supported with an ESE contact person provided by the district charter school office. The contact visits the school on a monthly schedule to review student records, SLP schedules, and the working files and on occasion to attend IEP meetings.

F. Provide the school’s projected population of students with disabilities and describe how the projection was made.

Lakeside Academy does not anticipate a high number of ESE students. Over the years, 12% is the average number of enrolled ESE students and their disabilities have been primarily Speech/Language and Specific Learning disabilities.

G. Identify the staffing plan, based on the above projection, for the school’s special education program, including the number and qualifications of staff.

The school will provide for the needs of ESE students through an appropriate state certified ESE instructor using pull-out, inclusion, consult or other methods as outlined in each student’s IEP. The ESE instructor will provide services for students with disabilities in strict accordance with the student’s Individual Education Plan. The ESE instructor will coach regular education instructors in the use of learning strategies that meet the accommodations required by the student’s IEP. ESE students will benefit from the extra tutorial opportunities they will have to reach a higher level of achievement. In addition, the technology rich environment of the school will provide ESE students with educational software and many opportunities to remediate skills. Other ESE specialists, such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, etc., will be contracted for services based on the needs of the students enrolled. Staff will be either employed by the school or be contracted to provide services. Historically, the school has contracted with a licensed speech language therapist and also has an ESE contact person on staff.

H. Describe how the school will serve gifted and talented students. Currently Lakeside Academy does not offer a program for gifted students. If a student enrolls who is currently on a Gifted Educational Plan (EP) the parents are informed of this fact, and may or may not chose to enroll at Lakeside Academy. If the child is enrolled, the student will be identified as “Gifted, Not Placed” while in attendance.

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SECTION 7 ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELL)

A. Describe how the school will comply with state and federal requirements for serving English language learners, including the procedures that will be utilized for identifying such students and providing support services.

Students with Limited English proficiency (ELL) are welcomed at Lakeside Academy. The purpose of the program put into place at the school ensures that students attain English proficiency, develop high levels of academic attainment in English and meet the same challenging state academic content and student academic achievement standards as all students are expected to meet. The faculty of the school and the parents of the students provide the means for instruction in the English language and/or specific modifications or accommodations most appropriate for English instruction. All ELL students enrolled in the school are entitled to programming which is appropriate to their level of English proficiency, their level of academic achievement, and any special needs they may have. ELL students have equal access to appropriate English language instruction as well as instruction in basic subject areas, which is understandable to the students given their level of English proficiency and is equal and comparable in amount, scope, sequence and quality to the instruction provided to English proficient (non-ELL students). English Language Learners will initially be identified through the registration process. If it is noted on the registration form that any language other than English is spoken in the home, the student will be referred for a screening. All students who qualify for ELL will have an ELL plan developed by the charter school. This process shall be in compliance with district, state and federal guidelines. ELL students will be immersed in the schools many programs, receiving small-group and individualized support on English acquisition in instruction. This will allow the students to work with a teacher to improve their understanding of the challenges faced in other settings, while giving them the opportunity to learn how to linguistically handle the demands in other classes. In addition, they may receive direct instruction in academic and conversational English, using both written and oral practice. In addition, the teacher will work with other instructors in the school, ensuring that they are informed of difficulties their students may face with regard to intensive projects or written assignments that may require assistance for his or her students to complete. Regular classroom teachers will attend professional development seminars that pertain to modifications and classroom strategies that will help ELL students feel comfortable and experience success in all classes and programs. Adaptive or other materials and equipment necessary for the success of ELL students will be provided using project funds. The program at Lakeside Academy is designed to provide instruction in English language listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. The goal of the program is to provide ELL students with the skills that enable them to function successfully in the standard academic program Objectives:

• Implement content-based instruction • Work with ELL students to demonstrate growth in English skills and improve proficiency results

based on initial and post assessment

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• Work closely with staff and classroom teachers to facilitate communication and dissemination of information to parents

• Partner with district administrators to ensure compliance with all state and federal guidelines for ELLL students

Curriculum Lakeside Academy ensures that students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) meet the same challenging English proficiency objectives and standards required of all other students. The school works closely with the local school district to obtain these objectives and follow the ELL guidelines as established by the local school district. The school subscribes to the guidelines set forth in the U.S. State Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights publication “The Provision of an Equal Education Opportunity to Limited English Proficient Students” (1992). Student Identification ESOL students are identified through the registration process. If parents acknowledge that English is a second language in the home (or if they check yes to any of the determining questions on the registration form (Home Language Survey), the students is referred to the ELL liaison for testing. Procedures for identification are:

• At the time of registration, review school records and registration forms • Review documents for students who are enrolling from out-of-county or out-of-state schools • Identify the need for home language assistance at the time of registration with the assistance of bi-

lingual staff members, other parents or community resources people • Review information provided on the Home Language Survey

Tests to Determine English Proficiency In accordance with Florida Statutes, all new ELL students are assessed using the LAS/O. This assessment tool is used to measure the English language proficiency of students who have recently arrived in the U.S. or who are enrolling from an out-of-state school. It assists in determining whether or not a child needs English language instructional services, and if so, at what level. In accordance with Title III guidelines the timetable for the assessment is:

• Within 20 school days of beginning the school year • Within 20 days of a student’s enrollment in Lakeside Academy

Parental Notification No later than 30 days after the beginning of the school year During the school year, within two weeks of the student being placed in a support program Student ELL Plan An ELL Student Plan is a written document that identifies a student’s name, instruction by program (including programs other than ELL), amount of instructional time or an academic schedule, date of entrance, date of exit and assessment data used to exit the student as English proficient. Each individual Student ELL Plan is developed for documentation of ELL student status, assessment data, assessment dates, equal access and programmatic assessment for correct placement and instruction.

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These documents are kept in a separate folder in the student’s permanent record file. The plan includes the following items:

• Student assessment dates relative to program entry and exit • ELL Instructional Program Schedule, including extended school year and any schedule changes • Post-reclassification monitoring • Documentation of programmatic assessment • Required supporting documentation maintained with the student ELL Plan: • Home language survey • Copy of LAS/O or Pre-LAS results • Copy of parent letter in home language • Student data sheet • Parent invitation to LEP Committee Meeting • ELL Committee Outcome Form • Annual review • Any other referrals or conference forms

B. Identify the staffing plan for the school’s English language learner program, including the number

and qualifications of staff. As we do not offer sheltered ESOL classes, all of our ELL students will be placed in a supported ELL program. This will be explained to parents prior to enrollment at Lakeside Academy. All available materials presented by the school or the school district will be sent in the student’s home language as well as in English when possible. ELL instructional materials will be provided to regular classroom instructors including dictionaries, manipulatives, and other language conversion software. When necessary a translator will be provided for all parent meetings. As required under the Meta agreement, parents will be notified of Parent Leadership Meetings and Trainings at least twice per year in English and the home language. Each ELL student’s progress will be reviewed at least twice per year and FCAT accommodation provisions will be sent home to parents annually. Students who are exited from the ELL program will continue to be monitored for at least two years to ensure continued success. All staff members either hold or will be working towards ELL certification per state legislation requirements.

SECTION 8 SCHOOL CLIMATE AND DISCIPLINE A. Describe the school’s planned approach to classroom management and student discipline.

The Code of Student Conduct for the school includes student discipline policies, Zero Tolerance Federal Gun Free School Zone Act, suspension criteria, procedures, appeal and due process as required by State and Federal laws. The school utilizes the District’s Code of Student Conduct and the Dismissal Policy. If any provision of this charter is inconsistent with the District’s Code of Student Conduct and the Dismissal Policy, the provisions of this charter shall prevail.

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B. Describe the school’s Code of Conduct, including the school’s policies for discipline, suspension,

dismissal and recommendation for explosion. The Code of Student Conduct for the school shall comply with requirements of district, state, and federal laws. The school will adhere to state and federal laws in so far as each student will be afforded “Due Process,” e.g., notice and an opportunity to be heard.

The Code of Student Conduct for the school includes student discipline policies, Zero Tolerance Federal Gun Free School Zone Act, suspension criteria, procedures, appeal and due process as required by State and Federal laws. The school utilizes the district’s Code of Student Conduct and the Dismissal Policy. If any provision of this charter is inconsistent with the district’s Code of Student Conduct and the Dismissal Policy, the provisions of this charter shall prevail. The Code of Student Conduct for the school shall comply with requirements of District, State, and Federal laws. The charter will adhere to state and federal laws in so far as each student will be afforded “Due Process,” e.g., notice and an opportunity to be heard. The school shall be responsible for all matters relating to student discipline. It shall comply with any and all state, federal and local laws. The school agrees to implement and adhere to procedures for discipline of ESE students as outlined in administrative directives and comply with requirements for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Compliance with the sponsor’s Section 504 policies and procedures specific to manifestation determination and discipline issues for students with active 504 Plans will be met. Students may be recommended for expulsion by the school’s governing board. Any such recommendation must be submitted to and approved by the School Board of Palm Beach County in accordance with §1003.01 (6) F.S. and 1006.07 F.S. The sponsor will only hear appeals relating to expulsion of a student by the sponsor. The school agrees to maintain a safe learning environment at all times ensuring the health, safety, and welfare of all students attending. For complete student policies and procedures see Student Handbook (Please see attachment A)

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II. ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN

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SECTION 9 GOVERNANCE A. Describe the legal structure of the governing board. If the governing board has not yet formed, describe the plan, including a timeline, for formation. Description must demonstrate how school will organize as or be operated by a non-profit organization. Lakeside Academy, Inc. operates as a not-for-profit corporation, governed by a board of directors. The school has furnished to the sponsor a copy of its articles of incorporation, by-laws, and amendments thereto and are attached as (Please see Attachment B) of application.

The board of directors, with a structure of officers and by-laws, oversees the school and delegates management to the executive director. This model draws inspiration from the approach to board governance traditionally found in nonprofit organizations. In this model, there is a clear distinction made between the governance work of the board of directors and the administrative/management work of the paid staff. In this model, the charter school is a legally incorporated entity governed by state statutes and IRS regulations governing nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations. The board of directors is responsible for governing the school. The trustees each have a personal fiduciary duty to look out for the long-term well being of the school. The board is responsible for addressing major matters including:

• setting the school’s general policies and overall curriculum policies; approving and monitoring the annual budget and financial procedures;

• fund-raising; • hiring and evaluating the school’s executive director; • approving personnel policies and monitoring their implementation by the principal; • assuring that the charter school fulfills its charter contract; and, • strategic planning.

The board is composed of professionals, the executive director and the chief financial officer. Parents are encouraged to be board members. The board meets as a whole on a quarterly basis with special meeting at appropriate times. The board is not involved in handling the day-to-day details of running the school, dealing with specific personnel issues, or addressing individual student needs. Consistent with the best practices of nonprofit corporation management, the board delegates the responsibility for running the charter school and implementing the board’s policies to an executive director. Where appropriate, the charter school administrator will delegate some responsibility to other administrators, teachers, and students. The board of directors will be empowered, in conformance with law and the terms of the charter, to determine policies needed for the effective operation and general improvement of the school. They shall retain general oversight of all operations of the school

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B. Provide an organizational chart for the school and a narrative description of the chart. Clearly describe the proposed reporting structure to the governing board and the relationship of the board to the school’s leader and administration. The governing board hires the Chief Administrator/Executive Director who therefore reports directly and exclusively to the governing board. It is the option of the Board to also hire a Chief Financial Officer who reports directly to the Board. All other staff members are hired by and report to the Chief Administrator/Executive Director. C. Provide a description of the responsibilities and obligations of the governing board as a whole.

The charter board will:

• Determine the charter school’s mission and purpose. A statement of mission and purpose should articulate the charter school’s goals, means, and primary constituents served. It is the board of directors' responsibility to create the mission statement and review it periodically for accuracy and validity. Each individual board director should fully understand and support it.

• Select the charter school administrator. The board must reach consensus on the charter school administrators’ job description and undertake a careful search process to find the most qualified individual for the position.

• Support the charter school administrator and review his or her performance. The board should ensure that the charter school administrator has the moral and professional support he or she needs to further the goals of the charter school. The charter school administrator, in partnership with the entire board, should decide upon a periodic evaluation of the administrator’s performance.

• Ensure effective organizational planning. As stewards of the charter school, the board must actively participate with the staff in an overall planning process and assist in implementing the resulting plan.

• Ensure adequate resources. One of the board's foremost responsibilities is to provide adequate resources for the charter school to fulfill its mission. The board should work in partnership with the charter school administrator, the chief financial officer and development staff, if any, to raise funds from the community.

• Manage resources effectively. The charter school board, in order to remain accountable to the charter granting entity, parents and students, its donors, the public, and, in the case of a separately incorporated nonprofit, to safeguard its tax-exempt status, must approve the annual budget and ensure that proper financial controls are in place.

• Determine and monitor the charter school’s programs and services. The board’s role in this area is to determine which educational programs and services are the most consistent with the charter schools mission, and to monitor their effectiveness.

• Enhance the charter school’s public image. A charter school's primary link to the community, including constituents, the public, and the media, is the board. Clearly articulating the organization's mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public, as well as garnering support from important members of the community, are important elements of a comprehensive public relations strategy.

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• Assess its own performance. It is the board’s responsibility to ensure that the total organization is effective in achieving its mission and efficient in using its resources. It should begin this annual discussion by evaluating its success as a board. By evaluating its performance in fulfilling its responsibilities, the board can recognize its achievements and reach consensus on which areas need to be improved.

D. Describe the policies and procedures by which the governing board will operate, including board powers and duties; board member selections, removal procedures and term limits, code of ethics, conflict of interest, and frequency of meetings. In addition to the policies listed below, please the By-Laws (Please see Attachment B) and Staff Manual (Please see Attachment F) The names of the governing board members must be held current at all times and the sponsor shall be notified immediately of any changes. Directors must submit to fingerprinting, background checks and financial disclosure reports consistent with Chapter 112 F.S..

The board of directors shall designate in writing one individual to be the chief administrator/director of the school to be on site and responsible for the operations and management of the school whenever students are present. That person shall be responsible for hiring and firing and the disciplinary action of any additional administration/staff. Each person so designated shall be a certified teacher or one with credentials, qualifications, or background experience that is deemed appropriate by the governing board of the school. In the event the chief administrator is off campus, a certified/qualified person(s) should be designated to be in charge. The executive director of the school will report to the board of directors during scheduled meetings or with direct contact with board president should an emergency situation or concern arise. At the beginning of each school year, the charter school shall provide the parents, in writing, the names of the members of the governing board and a means by which they may be contacted. The grievance procedure for parents will be posted in the school office and incorporated in the Student/Parent Handbook. The process for placing an item on the agenda for a governing board meeting is in the Student/Parent Handbook. The governing board must use due diligence in awarding contracts to all vendors and management companies to ensure that funds are available and that the expected benefits will accrue to the school and its students. If the school contracts with an organization to manage the school, the school shall submit a copy of the contract for such services to the sponsor upon signing. No members of the school’s governing board will receive financial benefit from the school’s operations and all members and employees shall comply with the provisions outlined in Part III, Chapter 112. The governing board will comply with the statutory requirements regarding financial benefit and conflict of interest. In order to avoid conflict of interest the following is mandated:

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• A member of the governing board of the school cannot act in a private capacity in any self-serving way or for any self-serving financial benefit. This would prohibit a board member acting in his/her private capacity, from selling services directly or indirectly to the school. The board member cannot stand to benefit privately.

• A member of the governing board of the school is prohibited from becoming a principal in a profit-making venture or company that has submitted an application to participate in the operation of a school – no conflict of interest allowed unless disclosed in a public meeting.

• The school is prohibited from employing a spouse, parent, child, stepchild, sibling, or any employee of any member of the charter school governing board.

• An employee of the school or of the management company operating the charter school is prohibited from being a voting member of the charter school governing board, but may act as an advisory member to the board.

The governing board of the school is empowered within this agreement and in conformance with law and the terms of this agreement to determine the rules, and regulations needed for the effective operation and general improvement of the charter school. Lakeside Academy has partnered with Glades Central High School to share community-wide programs and support. Some examples of events include attendance at coronation programs and athletic events. The officers and directors of the corporation shall submit financial disclosures consistent with Chapter 112, F.S All officers, directors, and employees of the school who have the authority to receive and expend funds on behalf of the charter school shall be bonded to the same degree as officers and employees of the school board. All bonds shall run to the charter school, the not-for-profit corporation, and the school board and shall be on file for inspection at all times. The charter school governing board shall consist of at least three (3) members and all necessary background checks and financial documentation must be provided and approved by the Sponsor by appropriate deadlines. The governing board shall consist of:

• President-elected position established to oversee and direct meetings • Vice-President•

– to preside in the absence of the president Treasurer

•

- appointed/elected position of the board entrusted with responsibility of the organizations funds and monthly financial reporting to board members Secretary

• Officers- additional members of the board of directors to assist in the governance of the school to include voting on issues and differing opinions on subject matters. A list of current members of record or vacant seats to be filled is attached. (Please see Attachment C)

- responsible for numerous duties to include but not limited to: the call of meetings, preparation of meeting agenda, taking of minutes and motions

The governing board will provide reasonable public notice of the date, time, and place of its meetings and will maintain detailed minutes of its meetings, which shall be regularly scheduled. Such meetings will be

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open to the public and the minutes shall be available for public review. Meetings of the charter school governing board shall be open to the media and public and comply with §286.011, F.S., unless confidentiality is required by law. Board members will be encouraged to attend other meetings to develop skills and decision making as a contributing member of the governing board. Board members will be encouraged to seek resources made available by the sponsor to increase knowledge of process and requirements to enhance effectiveness of governing board. Board members will complete board governance training at a minimum as defined in state statute. Parents are encouraged sit on the Board of Directors. Parents will be encouraged and expected to volunteer time to the school, attend board meetings, participate in presentations of learning, and be active members on school committees and to assist in establishing partnerships in the community. Parental communication will be the cornerstone of the partnership the school intends to establish with each parent. From the Governing Board to the executive director to administrative staff and instructional staff, all those employees involved in the education of the children will be communicating with parents through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, newsletters, report cards, presentations of learning, electronic communications, board meetings, and other means. The Charter School will utilize an annual parent survey. E. Explain how the founding group for the school intends to transition to a governing board. Not Applicable. F. Describe the plans for board member recruitment and development, including the orientation process for new members and ongoing professional development. Recruitment of new members shall involve recommendations from current board members, networking of outside sources to include committee functions such as chamber events, solicitation of interest on school website and partnerships with business The Board of Directors shall participate in governance training approved by the Department of Education. The training must include government in the sunshine, conflicts of interest, ethics, and financial responsibility. As part of the new Board Member orientation, training will take place upon initial recruitment and each member will receive training updates as required by Florida Statutes. New members are required to complete a four hour course. Experienced board members are required to complete a two hour course. The board has contracted with an attorney to provide the training. G. List each of the proposed members of the school’s governing board, indicating any ex-officio members and vacant seats to be filled. For each proposed member, provide a brief description of the person’s background that highlights the contribution he/she intends to make through service as a governing board member and any office of the board that individual holds.

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Donna B. Wexler, (Chairperson) M.A., CCC-SLP Speech/Language Pathologist Florida License # 001325 Certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) Specializing in the care of children with social thinking challenges and their families

Donna Wexler has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for the past thirty eight years. She is currently primarily serving children with High Functioning Asperger’s and Autistic Spectrum Disorders. She provides social thinking groups for people from preschool through adulthood. Donna puts a special emphasis on working with the entire family.

Donna is a graduate of Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana (Bachelor of Arts) and The University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio (Master of Arts). She worked in the Cincinnati, Dade County and Palm Beach public schools for fifteen years and currently owns and operates a private practice in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. She has studied social thinking for the past eight years, and participated in the Mentorship Program with Michelle Winner, 2006. She presented at the Michelle Winner Mentorship Conference, July 2008. You may contact her at her office (561) 691-1911, dbwex@mindspring.com, or on her website: www.letscommunicate.com

Rachel Mick, MA (Secretary), is a professional librarian with over 25 years of experience with reference resources, grant writing, and safety of operations. She is presently the Community Health Information Service Coordinator for the Palm Beach County Library System where she has developed policies and procedures, wrote support papers and job descriptions for hiring staff, wrote ADA descriptions and worked with budgets and managed grants. Erika Olson, BA (Treasurer) Ms. Olson graduated from Dwyer High School where she was class president for three years. She then completed her degree in theater at the University of Florida in 2002. Ms. Olson is a Certified Stott Pilates instructor who has owned her own studio the last seven years. She has been an active Lakeside Academy Board member for the past two years and has periodically volunteered to lead pilates classes for the K-6 grade students. Shana Wittekind BS (Vice-President) Ms. Wittekind graduated from Cardinal Newman High School in 1999 and obtained her degree in marketing from the University of Florida in 2003. She worked through high school and college before she began working for Badcock Furniture as an in-house decorator responsible for visual merchandising for seven retail stores. She is part of the purchasing team for the local warehouse which services eleven stores. Ms. Wittekind has been on the Lakeside Academy Board for more than a year and regularly visits the school. Beatriz DeLaCruz is ex-officio parent.

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H. Outline the methods to be used for resolving disputes between a parent and the school. The charter school shall provide the parents in writing the names of the members of the governing board and a means by which they may be contacted annually at the beginning of each school year along with the grievance procedure. (Please see attachment B) The school shall provide the parents in writing the process for placing an item on the agenda for the governing board meeting. Parental communication will be the cornerstone of the partnership the school intends to establish with each parent. From the Governing Board to the Principal to administrative staff and instructional staff, all those employees involved in the education of the children will be communicating with parents through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, newsletters, report cards, presentations of learning, electronic communications, board meetings, and other means. The school will utilize a parent survey. The governing board of Lakeside Academy recognizes that misunderstandings between students, parents (or guardians), and school staff are inevitable and that resolution of those misunderstandings is central to the success of both student and school. Parents or students wishing to file a formal grievance shall do the following:

• Submit a written request to the assistant principal outlining the nature of the grievance and desired resolution.

• The assistant principal shall schedule a meeting with the immediate staff member and/or supervisor involved at a date and time convenient to both parties. This shall occur within five days of receiving the grievance.

• If the issue is not resolved, the parent or student may appeal to the executive director for resolution. The executive director shall schedule a hearing and deliver a response within ten days of the request.

• If the issue is still not resolved, the parent or student, after exhausting school center remedies, may appeal the grievance to the governing board. The parent or student shall make a request in writing to the governing board secretary requesting a governing board hearing. The governing board chairman may call the governing board to an executive session meeting if it is determined necessary to protect confidential information. The governing board shall render a final decision on the matter by majority vote within thirty days.

The parent or guardian may have another adult of their choice attend any of the above sessions, with prior written notification, which includes the person’s identity and role, to assist them in articulating their grievance and resolution.

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SECTION 10 MANAGEMENT A.

Describe the management structure of the school. Include job descriptions for teachers and each administrative position that identify key roles, responsibilities and accountability.

The governing board shall exercise continuing oversight over the charter school operation by employing an executive director and chief financial officer.. Executive Director. The administrator(s) who is selected by the governing board shall be responsible for hiring, training, retention and termination of all other staff at the school except the chief financial officer.

• Job Description: The executive director is the executive, educational, and instructional leader of the school. The executive director, who serves as the lead administrator of the school, is hired and reports directly to the Lakeside Academy Board of Directors.

• Qualifications:

o At least a Master’s Degree in Education and/or Administration o Knowledge of State of Florida Laws and Regulations for Public Schools, Florida Charter

School Laws and Regulations, Budget development and Management, Implementation of standards-based curriculum and educational reform models

• Experience

o Minimum of three to five years charter school experience preferred o Preferred experience as a principal o Demonstrated experience in educational leadership o Ability to work effectively with board of directors o Ability to develop and maintain positive and productive relationships with the Department of Education, sponsor, staff, students, parents, and the community o Ability to effectively lead change, a diverse staff and student population and to implement data-driven decisions following the school’s Accountability Plan o Ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders; students, parents, staff and the broader community

• Essential Job Functions

o Regularly communicates with the president of the Lakeside Academy Governing Board o Reports to and seeks input from the board and/or appropriate committees regarding the governance of Lakeside Academy o Develops and implements recommendations of the governing board regarding the governance of Lakeside Academy o Regularly reports to the board on school activities and relevant matters o Sits on the board as a non-voting ex-officio member o Within the school community, inspire a culture of excellence that is centered on the

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school’s vision o Manages and supervises all full and part-time staff o Shall have the power to hire and/or fire any employee. o Oversees annual evaluations of teacher’s and other administrative staff o Oversees the development and maintenance of job descriptions, personnel policies and

procedures, and coordinates with the appropriate union contracts. o Insures that all teachers are highly qualified, certified, and have professional development

plans of file that are aligned with the School’s Accountability Plan. o Coordinates and oversees staff development and training o Conducts regular staff meetings o Develops and maintain research-based educational programs in conjunction with the

school’s mission and vision, state law, charter school laws and regulations, and Florida Sunshine State Standards

o Assures programs meet charter goals and requirements, recognizing that faculty is responsible for designing standards-based curriculum that is aligned with Florida Standards

o Oversees school data reporting systems; classroom, general school, and District and State required data.

o Oversees the development of the school’s annual budget in coordination with the board of directors

o Presents the annual budget to the board of director for final approval, and is responsible for the implementation of the budget

o Maintains on-going communication regarding financial decisions with the board and the business manager

o Oversees the preparation of monthly financial reports to the board. o Oversees the reporting of financial data to the State Board of Education o Oversees all financial transactions including payroll o Tracks and assigns all purchases o Responsible for the Annual Audit and Annual Report o Maintains an open-door policy for parents o Participates in teacher-parent conferences when appropriate o Articulates the schools mission and vision to parents and the community o Conducts annual parent surveys and recommends changes to the governing board when

appropriate o Conducts community outreach programs in order to create a positive influence in the

community at large. o Oversees the development of grants and other fundraising activities o Supports and consults with the governing board on state related issues o Oversees all necessary reporting to the State Board of Education: Annual Report,

Accountability Plans, Data management, grants, etc. o Maintains relationship and membership to state and national charter school organizations

Chief Financial Officer

The administrator who is selected by the governing board shall be responsible for matters concerning finance and its effect on budget, governance, curriculum, staffing, facility, payroll, fund-raising and insurance.

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• Job Description: The chief financial officer is hired and reports directly to the Lakeside Academy Board of Directors.

• Qualifications:

o Knowledge of State of Florida Laws and Regulations for Public Schools, Florida Charter School Laws and Regulations, Budget Development and Management, Knowledge of Redbook Codes and Government Accounting

• Experience

o Minimum of three to five years charter school experience preferred o Preferred experience as an accountant or at least a bookkeeper o Demonstrated experience technology experience o Ability to work effectively with board of directors o Ability to develop and maintain positive and productive relationships with the Department of Education, staff, students, parents, and the community o Ability to effectively lead change, a diverse staff and student population, and to implement data-driven decisions following the school’s budget. o Ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders; students, parents, staff and the broader community

• Essential Job Functions

o Regularly communicates with the president of the Lakeside Academy Governing Board o Reports to and seeks input from the board and/or appropriate committees regarding the Financial status of Lakeside Academy o Advertises for contract bids o Develops and implements recommendations of the governing board regarding the finances of Lakeside Academy o Regularly reports to the board on school facility and relevant matters o Sits on the board as a non-voting ex-officio member o Within the school community, inspires a culture of excellence that is centered on the school’s vision o Manages and supervises custodial staff o Reviews Annual Audit prior to submission to board for approval. o Conducts regular staff meetings regarding budget, purchasing and financial planning o Communicates with school accountant o Submits monthly financial reports to the district o Oversees the development of the school’s annual budget in coordination with the board of

directors o Presents the annual budget to the board of director for final approval, and is responsible

for the implementation of the budget o Maintains on-going communication regarding financial decisions with the board and the

executive director o Oversees the preparation of monthly financial reports to the board.

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o Oversees the reporting of financial data to the State Board of Education o Oversees all financial transactions including payroll o Tracks and assigns all purchases o Responsible for the Annual Audit and Annual Report o Maintains an open-door policy for parents and staff o Articulates the schools mission and vision to parents and the community o Reviews annual parent surveys and recommends changes to the governing board when

appropriate o Conducts community outreach programs in order to create a positive influence in the

community at large. o Oversees the development of grants and other fundraising activities o Supports and consults with the governing board on state related issues o Oversees all necessary financial reporting to the State Board of Education: Annual Report,

Accountability Plans, Data management, grants, etc. o Maintains relationship and membership to state and national charter school organizations

The governing board has retained the services of a certified public accountant who shall direct the annual financial audit and submit it to the board for approval. An account is contracted to prepare the monthly financial reports to the sponsor. Instructional Staff Teachers and staff will be evaluated within 90 days of employment using an evaluation tool or summative observation form conducted by the administrator. Results will be reviewed with the teacher and used as a basis for writing the Professional Development Plans. Instructional staff will be evaluated three times during the school year and one final evaluation will be conducted the last month of school. If an administrator sees the need for additional evaluations to improve a teacher’s effectiveness, then these meetings will be scheduled as necessary. (Please see Attachment D). Again results will be reviewed with the staff member and this tool will be used as an instrument to assist administrator(s) in placement decisions for the following school year. B.

Outline the criteria and process that will be used to select the school’s leader and the process by which the school leader will be evaluated.

As a part of the process to ensure hiring of qualified personnel, all administrative candidates will undergo an extensive interview process including a team interview conducted by members of the board as well as school staff including teachers. The candidate will also be required to spend a day of observation at the school prior to the interviews to enable candidate to bring impressions regarding operations, curriculum, morale, etc. to the interviews. Each administrator will be evaluated annually by the board of directors. C. Provide a staffing plan for each year of the charter term aligned with the school’s projected enrollment as detailed on the cover page of this application.

The staffing plan, when feasible, will consist of hiring one qualified teacher for each elementary classroom of 18 students in K – 2nd grades and 22 students in 4th – 6th grades.

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Current Staffing Plans for 2011 – 2012

Executive Director 1 Assistant Principal(s) .5 Finance Director (Coach and IT) 1 Secretary 1 Elementary Teachers 6/7 Paraprofessionals 2 Custodians 1

Current Staffing Plans for 2012 – 2013

Executive Director 1 Assistant Principal(s) .5 Finance Director (Coach and IT) 1 Secretary 1 Elementary Teachers 6/7 Paraprofessionals 2 Custodians 1

Current Staffing Plans for 2013 – 2014

Executive Director 1 Assistant Principal(s) .5 Finance Director (Coach and IT) 1 Secretary 1 Elementary Teachers 6/7 Paraprofessionals 2 Custodians 1

Current Staffing Plans for 2014 – 2015

Executive Director 1 Assistant Principal(s) .5 Finance Director (Coach and IT) 1 Secretary 1 Elementary Teachers 6/7 Paraprofessionals 2 Custodians 1

Current Staffing Plans for 2015 – 2016

Executive Director 1 Assistant Principal(s) .5 Finance Director (Coach and IT) 1 Secretary 1 Elementary Teachers 6/7

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Paraprofessionals 2 Custodians 1

D.

Explain the school’s plan for recruitment, selection, development, and evaluation of staff.

Highly qualified staff will be recruited through various methods including newspaper ads, attendance at job-fairs, website postings, and word of mouth referrals. All teaching staff will be state certified or eligible for certification in the subject areas taught. If a teacher is teaching out of field for any reason, that staff member will be required to begin steps necessary to become certified in that area within nine months of beginning the out of field placement. Creative salary incentives, teacher ownership in curriculum development, classroom based budgeting decisions, and teacher input at all levels of school operations will ensure retention of qualified staff. A Glades bonus is offered to staff who commute from outside the Glades area. A financial incentive is available for staff whose students have shown progress on the Terranova test. The staff is selected based upon their experience, professional attitude, professional preparation, and their love for the students and a passion for wanting to teach and work with children. Staff development is determined by the individual needs of each staff member, the collective needs of the staff and the opportunities for professional improvement offered by the district and private providers. The board of directors will be empowered, in conformance with law and the terms of the charter, to determine policies needed for the effective operation and general improvement of the school. They shall retain general oversight of all operations of the school. ( Please see Organization Chart Attachment E)

SECTION 11 EDUCATION SERVICE PROVIDERS

Not Applicable Lakeside Academy has no intention of entering into any Educational Service Provider contracts at this time.

SECTION 12 HUMAN RESOURCES AND EMPLOYMENT A. Explain the school’s compensation plan, including whether staff will be publicly or privately employed

.

Staff shall be compensated at or near the school district’s compensation plan scale for certified teachers. It is the charter school’s intention of paying above scale when fiscally feasible, in order to attract more creative and qualified individuals. It is agreed that all employees shall be considered private. The school’s employment practices shall be nonsectarian and it shall not violate the anti-discrimination provisions of §1000.05, F.S. [The Florida Educational Equity Act"].

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B.

Describe the personnel policies and procedures to which staff will be required to adhere, including expectations for participation in the school’s professional development program. If personnel policies and procedures have not been developed, provide a clear plan, including timeline, for the development and approval by governing board.

Lakeside Academy agrees to develop and implement personnel practices and procedures that are consistent with state statutes and rules, including Chapter 1012, F.S. (Please see personnel policy and procedures located in the Staff Handbook Attachment F). It is agreed that Lakeside Academy may not employ an individual to provide instructional services or to serve as a teacher aide if the individual's certificate or license as an educator is suspended or revoked by this or any other state. The school may not knowingly employ an individual who has resigned from any school district in lieu of disciplinary action with respect to child welfare or safety, or who has been dismissed for just cause by any school district with respect to child welfare or safety. The teachers employed by or under contract to Lakeside Academy shall be Florida certified, at a minimum, as teachers as required by Chapter 1012, F.S. The school may contract with skilled selected non-certificated personnel to provide instructional services in the individuals' fields of specialty or to assist instructional staff members as paraprofessionals in the same manner as defined in Chapter 1012, F.S., and as provided by the State Board of Education Rule for charter school governing boards. Substitute teachers cannot provide instructional services for longer than forty-five (45) consecutive student attendance days for an identified regular position. The sponsor shall assist the school in processing certification applications. The school shall have access to the applications for teaching positions on file with the district. For certification purposes only, Lakeside Academy will follow requirements of State Board Rule 6A-5.065 and Chapter 1012, F.S. to verify evidence of competencies related to the Accomplished Educators' Practices. The school must have at least one (1) qualified certified individual to sign off on teachers applying for initial Florida certification. Lakeside Academy shall designate in writing one individual to be the chief administrator on site and responsible for the operations and management of the school whenever students are present. Each person so designated shall be a certified teacher or one with credentials, qualifications, background and experience that is deemed appropriate by the governing board of the school. In the event the chief administrator is off campus, a certified/qualified person(s) should be designated to be in charge.

SECTION 13 STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND ENROLLMENT

A. Describe the plan for recruiting students, including strategies for reaching the school’s targeted populations and those that might otherwise not have easy access to information on available educational options

.

Lakeside Academy will continue to provide public information and conduct recruiting through open houses, direct mailings, media sources and presentations at feeder pre-schools with permission from the directors

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and without disruption to the functioning of any other school. Staff and students will attend recruiting and marketing seminars at the local public and private elementary schools when available. The school may participate in the district sponsored Choice Program and magnet school fairs and utilize other community resources as additional marketing opportunities. The school may host luncheons for area feeder school guidance counselors as well as holding open houses for potential students. School tours will be conducted regularly by staff personnel and senior students. We also believe word of mouth has been our biggest marketing tool to date. The school may provide appropriate information to public agencies whose responsibilities include services for youth. We also may advertise in the local Spanish and Creole newspapers and circulars. The school also provides brochures to public school principals in the immediate area which describes our program; however, no school representative or employee shall visit a school site or distribute materials to school employees, students, or parents on the school site without obtaining permission from the school principal. As a Title I school, Lakeside Academy uses a comprehensive approach to parent notification regarding the NCLB Choice guidelines. Every year in early April, the Title I NCLB Choice Options website posts information regarding Choice Options, including participating schools and their achievement data, transfer schools and their achievement data, a power point presentation explaining AYP and NCLB Choice Options, informational meeting dates held at school sites, kindergarten round-up dates, and contact information. In addition, the sponsor’s public affairs office is informed of NCLB Choice Options and shares the information with the local press. New student registration opens and kindergarten roundups are held during the late spring every year. Staff visits pre-schools in May so incoming students can visit the school while it is I session. All students matriculating to a Title I SINI school from a public or charter school will receive NCLB Choice Information packets and will be invited to attend their next school’s parent information meeting. Included in the NCLB Choice Options Packet is a Choice Options Form. Parents are asked to indicate the program they prefer (SES or NCLB Public School Choice) and are further asked to rank their choices from the two schools available for transfer. Choice Options Forms are distributed around April each year and are to be returned to the child’s current school by mid-May. Choice Options Forms from students new to the school attendance zone or school district are due to the school by the end of the school year. All students continuing enrollment in, planning to enroll in, or matriculating to a Title I School In Need of Improvement will be determined to be eligible for Public School Choice. B.

Explain how the school will achieve a racial/ethnic balance reflective of the community it serves or with the racial/ethnic range of other local public schools.

Since inception, our racial and ethnic balance has mirrored that of the community in which the school is located. Currently our population reflects the following demographics: 2% white; 86% black; and 12% Hispanic. Also, 94% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch; therefore, we are a Title I school. Should racial or ethnic balance become an issue, recruitment efforts will be re-directed to target the low-enrolled group. ESOL and racially diverse populations may be accessed through radio talk shows, churches, and ethnic organizations in the community that are more racially and ethnically specific. The school administration strives to provide a safe, nurturing campus by maintaining careful oversight and strict discipline. This has produced a school climate that students and parents alike generally desire and has successfully attracted students. To ensure a continuation of representation from various racial and ethnic

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constituencies, emphasis is placed on equal educational opportunities for all in our marketing materials. Language diversities are accommodated in the application and educational process. C.

Describe the school’s enrollment policies and procedures, including an explanation of the enrollment timeline, criteria and/or any preferences for enrollment, and lottery process.

Enrollment preference will be given to a sibling of a student enrolled in the school or a child of a staff or board member. Students with disabilities and students served in ELL programs shall have an equal opportunity for enrollment. Students may withdraw from the school at any time and enroll in another county public school or another district in which they reside per the district regulations. Lakeside Academy shall enroll any eligible student who submits a timely application, unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of the program, class, grade level or building. If that occurs, students will be granted admittance based on a lottery system. It will not violate the applicable anti-discrimination provisions found in federal and state statutes. Official enrollment begins April 1, 2011. If a lottery is held, it is on June 30, 2011. D. Explain any student and/or family contracts that will be used as a requisite for initial and continued enrollment in the school. Describe if and how the school will enforce such contracts. Parents who wish to have their child enrolled must sign a contract with the school declaring willingness to participate and be involved in classroom and school activities, and to support the school’s policies and procedures. E. Explain any other efforts to encourage parental and community involvement, if applicable

.

Lakeside Academy will foster an environment conducive to strong teacher/family relationships. Teachers and families get to know each other in greater depth through the intake interview process, formal and informal on-going communication, and the school's commitment to family participation. There are many family clusters in the school. Parents become much more involved in classrooms and more bonding occurs between teachers and parents. The staff and parents are encouraged to develop a partnership to ensure on-going improvement of academic achievement. Parents are invited to our board meetings where school improvement and parent involvement policies are developed. Parents are encouraged to sit on the governing board. They are also encouraged and expected to volunteer time to the school, attend board meetings, participate in parent informational meetings, and to assist in establishing partnerships in the community. Communication will be the cornerstone of the partnership the school has established with each parent. From the governing board to the executive director to administrative staff and instructional staff, all employees involved in the education of the children will be communicating with parents through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, newsletters, report cards, electronic communications, board meetings, and other means. As a Title I school we also conduct a minimum of three (3) Parent Educational Trainings per year. The school will make available information on all available parent programs through the website and literature in the office. The school will involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A in decisions about how Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement are spent. Parents will be administered an annual satisfaction survey and the governing board will evaluate the results from the annual survey to determine

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parent satisfaction with our school and its policies. Recommendations for changes will be considered and voted on, with feedback from parents. Copies of the Parent Involvement Policy (PIP) will be sent home during the early fall with students or before the start of school and a meeting will be scheduled to receive parent input for annual updates. A copy is available in the office. Parents are provided with a school handbook and calendar which contains information about the Title 1 program, the curriculum, assessments, special intervention programs and Board meeting dates. All parents receive a flyer about Title 1 services at our school. Lakeside Academy attempts to partner with local civic clubs every year as well as the banks in close proximity to the school. These partnerships result in the donation of classroom materials, money management education, students cookouts, etc.

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III. BUSINESS PLAN

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SECTION 14 FACILITIES A.

Describe the proposed facility, including location, size and layout of space.

Lakeside Academy is housed in a school facility at 716 South Main Street, Belle Glade, FL 33430 owned by the Palm Beach County Diocese. The school has been at this location since August 2000. B.

Describe the actions that will be taken to ensure the facility is in compliance with applicable laws, regulations and policies and is ready for the school’s opening.

This facility complies with the Florida State-Uniform Building Code pursuant to Chapter 553, F.S. The local governing authority shall not adopt or impose local building requirements or restrictions that are more stringent than those found in the Florida Building Code. The agency having jurisdiction for inspection of a facility and issuance of a certificate of occupancy shall be the local municipality or, if in an unincorporated area, the county governing authority. All facilities, including leased facilities, will be inspected annually by a certified fire marshal or inspection specialist and the Palm Beach County Health Department. The school will provide proof of the annual inspections to the sponsor by July 1 of each year of operation. Other inspections may be required as determined by the sponsor. If a facility or property of the sponsor is declared by the sponsor to be surplus, marked for disposal, or is otherwise unused, it shall be provided for the school’s use on the same basis as it is made available to other public schools. Lakeside Academy’s utility (electrical, water and sewage) costs are included in the lease payment. The landlord owns and operates adjacent buildings which are not connected to the school. The school may choose to renovate with approval of the landlord. Lakeside Academy is responsible for general maintenance and upkeep of the facilities currently in use. Major repairs and damages to the structure of the facility is the responsibility of the landlord. When applicable or necessary, Lakeside Academy shall advise the sponsor of its plan or intention to relocate the school. The school must keep the sponsor apprised at all times of the location of the students attending the school. The school must notify the sponsor and advise of the proposed new location and present official verification of the issuance of an occupational license and any other documentation required to operate the school in the new location prior to the first day of classes in the new facility. C.

Describe how the facility will meet the school’s capacity needs for students to be served.

The school does not plan to expand beyond the current building occupancy capacity. If the board decides to grow the school population, additional or larger facilities will be located. D. Explain the anticipated costs for the facility, including renovation, rent, utilities and maintenance. Identify, if applicable, any funding sources (other than state and local funding) that will be applied to facilities-related costs.

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The annual lease for the school facility is currently $4565.00 per month. Any increases in future years are to be negotiated with the Dioceses. There are no current plans to expand or renovate above and beyond normal maintenance and upkeep to maintain the facility in compliance with health and building department regulations. E. Describe the back-up facilities plan.

If the school facility is unavailable for use due to emergency conditions, the school will either:

• Use other building(s) located on site (not currently in school use) • Request temporary use of classroom space from PBCSD and/or area community college – Belle

Glade campus • Or, if for a short time period, school may be closed with make-up days applied when available

SECTION 15 TRANSPORTATION SERVICE

A.

Describe the school’s plan for transportation, including any plans for contracting services. Your plan should discuss, to the greatest extent possible, the issues relevant to the school’s transportation plans

Transportation is the responsibility of Lakeside Academy and must be provided in accordance with state and federal rules and regulations. Lakeside Academy will provide school bus transportation to its students consistent with the requirements of F.S. 1006.21 through 1006.27. The school currently contracts with the sponsor for student transportation service and plans to continue the contract. Lakeside Academy will submit to the sponsor a copy of the transportation plan each summer prior to the beginning of each school year. In order to ensure transportation is not a barrier to equal access to all students, Lakeside Academy shall transport children with disabilities in accordance with their Individual Education Plan and recognizes that transportation cannot be a barrier to equal access of any student residing within reasonable distance of the school as determined by Lakeside Academy’s transportation plan. Reasonable distance will be defined in accordance with the rules of the State Board of Education, 6A-3.001. School Transportation Operation and Logistics:

• Transportation will be needed according to the school district calendar from the first day of school up to and including the last day of school.

• The school is located at 716 South Main Street, Belle Glade, 33430 • The students live primarily in Belle Glade with a small percentage in South Bay and an even

smaller group (currently less than 5) in Pahokee. • Transportation has a list available with addresses of all students who are expected to attend the

school and it is updated as students enroll or withdraw throughout the school year. • The school district will be granted the authority to establish the bell times to improve bus utilization

and efficiency. It is understood that coordinating bell times with other schools and transportation schedules allows the district to dedicate routes using existing buses (i.e., use buses on multiple runs) or incorporate charter school students into existing routes. The school hours have historically

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been from 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM. Students are supervised at dismissal until all busses have picked-up students. The school has always had a cooperative working relationship in the “West Area” and will continue to accommodate transportation’s scheduling needs.

• The school will operate on the same calendar as the district. • Transportation is not required following-after-school activities. • Staff is available for supervision at 7:15 AM for any buses which may come early. The cafeteria is

open at 7:30 for breakfast and will stay open until all buses have arrived. The morning schedule has always been flexible which has worked well for both transportation and the school.

• Lakeside Academy is a K-6 school; therefore, its K-5 and 6th grade students are transported simultaneously (on the same buses).

• Transportation will not be expected on days when the regular district schools are not in session. • The “West Area” has in the past established the school bus routes and stops to ensure safety,

prevent overloading, etc. • The school ensures school bus rider safety by teaching students bus safety rules, providing a bus

stop zone where passenger cars do not interfere with loading or dropping off students, implementing a dismissal procedure whereby students are supervised by teachers at all times, and evacuation drills are practiced as scheduled by the district. If ever necessary, Lakeside Academy will provide temporary staff to ride the buses to ensure that its students are behaving properly.

• Parent pick-up is designed to keep the cars from interfering with the buses and to prevent student accidents. Parents have a choice to park, get their children and walk them to their cars or enter the bus line and proceed accordingly.

• Bus drivers can make a verbal report regarding student behavior, the child will be spoken to by an administrator and the parent will receive a warning regarding the privilege of using the bus service. If a written referral is presented by the bus driver, the school has the option to remove the child from transportation for a specific number of days determined by the extent of the infraction.

• Inquiries from parents regarding bus service are handled by the school secretary. The executive director or assistant principal is responsible for discipline issues.

• Field trips and activity trips are scheduled with transportation well in advance and a proper funding strip is submitted. Invoicing is through district internal accounts and payment is directly from the school.

• As in the past, all funds designated for transportation of the charter school students will flow directly to the school district.

SECTION 16 FOOD SERVICE A. Describe the school’s plan for food services, including any plans for contracting services or plans to participate in the National School Lunch Program

.

Lakeside Academy will provide a breakfast and school lunch program for all enrolled students. The meal requirements, procedures and accountability will comply with the United States Department of Agriculture and dietary guidelines. The school has elected to continue to be a satellite site of the Food Service Program of the School District of Palm Beach County (SFSD). Contracting with the sponsor, the expenditures and requirements of the school are greatly minimized. Students are guaranteed healthy and safe meals when coming from the

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district’s kitchen. Point of service accountability of meals served by category, pick up and return of food and supplies from the base kitchen, and a meal count and service system are required. This is the option we currently utilize and plan to continue to utilize throughout our new charter. Lakeside Academy will sign a School Food Service Agreement:

• SFSD will provide meals that meet or exceed the minimum meal pattern requirements for components and portion sizes as specified by the USDA guidelines

• Meals will be delivered by the SFSD if the sustained daily lunch participation is maintained at 50 meals or greater

• The school will communicate on a daily basis or as needed concerning daily counts, status of student payments, free and reduced meal applications, type of meal service required, special needs etc.

• The Food Service Assistant (FSA) will be employed by the district and will provide Free and Reduced blank applications to the students.

• The FSA will deliver the meals and unload the meals and equipment with the help of school personnel.

• The FSA will record the meals at point of service, collect payments etc. • The School Food Service Manager plans, prepares and organizes the charter school meals

through the assigned base kitchen. • The SFSM orders food and supplies as needed. • There will be no management or service fees to the school

The school:

• provides an employee to serve meals in an adequate space • is responsible for enforcing discipline • assists in collecting student payments and past due meal payments • returns completed application to the FSA daily • provides minimum required serving/kitchen equipment i.e. serving tables, refrigerator, etc. • is responsible for obtaining a Limited Food Service Operating Permit • submits a Health Inspection Report to the SFSD • follows required procedures for assuring accuracy and compliance with all local, state, and federal

guidelines and district procedures • will maintain absentee records in a timely manner in TERMS and will authorize the FSM to view

screens C12 and C22 • will comply with the USDA Competitive Food Rule • will submit preferred meal choices from the menu • will pay current district meal prices which will flow directly to the SFSD

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SECTION 17 BUDGET A.

Provide an operating budget covering each year of the requested charter term that contains revenue projections, expenses and anticipated fund balances. The budget should be based on the projected student enrollment indicated on the cover page of the application.

(Please see Attachment G) B. Provide a start-up budget (i.e., from the date on which the application is approved to the beginning of the first fiscal year of operation) that contains a balance sheet revenue projections, expenses and anticipated fund balance.

The school has been operating in the black since January 1999. This is due to a steady increase in enrollment each year, accurate budgeting, and sound financial management. Please see Attachment G budget projections for the next 5 years. C. Provide a detailed narrative description of the revenue and expenditure assumptions on which the operating and start-up budget are based. A conservative approach was taken during the budget development using revenue figures based on the 2010 – 2011 FEFP Revenue Worksheet. The 5 year attached projected budget is based on revenues remaining the same as current funding. Expenditures were based on the ten previous years’ actual P&L reports with an effort to ensure that adequate funding is included for curriculum development, increased expenses for classroom materials, increased textbook funding for additional students, staff development, family involvement and technology materials per the mission of the school. Budget for salaries and benefits also increase each year with the addition of new staff (if applicable) and increasing benefit costs. We have been in the same location for the last ten years and have a good working relationship with our landlord. Our rent is lower than standard rates for facilities of our size. Lakeside Academy will continue to operate without projected fund raising revenues in order to remain fiscally sound. D.

Explain the school’s spending priorities.

Funds are prioritized according to educational needs of the students. Staff salaries and instructional materials expenditures comprise the largest percentage of the budget. E. Provide monthly cash flow projections for the school’s start-up period (i.e. from the date on which the application is approved to the beginning of the first fiscal year of operation) through the first year of operation

.

(Please see Attachment G)

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F.

Describe the school’s fundraising plan. Report on the current status of any fundraising efforts, including verification of any fundraising monies reported in the school’s start-up or operating budgets.

Students and staff participate in small fundraising projects to assist in defraying the costs for school after-school sports, dances, parties, and field trips.

SECTION 18 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT A. Describe who will manage the school’s finances and how the school will ensure financial resources are properly managed.

Lakeside Academy will continue to contract with an outside accounting firm as well as employing a Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The CFO is responsible for maintaining accounting books, payroll processing, and accounts receivable. The contracted accountant is responsible for compiling monthly bank reconciliations, monthly ledgers, monthly P & L, filing of 990 and UCT-6. Together they ensure compliance with district and state accounting reporting requirements by submitting all statutorily required reporting documents to the district in a timely manner. B.

Describe the financial controls, including an annual audit and regular board review of financial statements, which will be employed to safeguard finances.

The governing board, which oversees the school’s finances, will adopt an annual comprehensive budget which will include all forms of revenue and all expenditures. Any amendments to the budget will require approval of the governing board. The governing board will be provided with a monthly summary of expenses and revenues. C.

Describe the method by which accounting records will be maintained.

The school will maintain all financial records in accordance with the accounts and codes prescribed in the publication Financial and Program Cost Accounting and Reporting for Florida Schools. The governing board, along with the executive director, chief financial officer, and certified public accountant creates the annual budget to be submitted to the district by July 1st. The school shall also provide an annual financial report and program cost report information in the state required formats for inclusion in district reporting in compliance with s.1011.60(1). The governing board will annually adopt and maintain a budget. The board will retain the services of a CPA for the annual financial audit, who shall then submit the report to the governing body for approval. The governing board will review and approve the audit report, including audit findings and recommendations for the financial recovery plan if applicable. Since inception, Lakeside Academy has not received any audit findings and no instances of noncompliance that are required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards. During regular Board meetings the bank reconciliations and all other financial reports due to the district are reviewed by the board of directors.

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D. Describe how the school will store student and financial records

.

Student and financial records are maintained at all times in a limited access area in a locked fire-proof cabinet. Access to the records shall be confined to school personnel whose responsibilities demand access to the records. Records shall not be made available to anyone outside the school except in accordance with the guidelines for public records, or in the event of a lawful court order. Records shall be made available to the district staff for the purpose of oversight and monitoring. For a more comprehensive view of how accounting records will be maintained, please see the Accounting Policies and Procedures Attachment H. E.

Describe the insurance coverage the school will obtain, including applicable health, workers compensation, general liability, property insurance and directors and officers liability coverage.

The school will comply with all requirements specified by the sponsor and applicable state statutes regarding insurance and liability coverage. These include: Errors and Omissions Insurance, Officers and Directors Liability Insurance, Fidelity Bonds, Commercial General Liability Insurance, Automobile Liability Insurance, Employees Liability Insurance, Property Insurance, and Employee Health Insurance. The school shall maintain throughout the entire term of this charter and any renewals of the charter the following coverage:

• General Liability insurance in the amount of one million dollars per occurrence, combined single limit covering bodily injury, property damage, personal injury, premises operations, products, completed operations, consultants and independent contractors, insured vs. insured, and contractual liability.

• Property insurance for special perils with limits of no less than one hundred percent (100%) replacement value of the facility and all contents therein which are owned by the Sponsor and coverage for business income in no less than the amount of the annual rent, if any, paid to the Sponsor.

• Automobile insurance covering owned, non-owned and hired vehicles with limits of one million dollars per occurrence, per combined single limit and comprehensive and collision coverage, with a deductible of not more than one thousand dollars.

• School Leader’s Errors and Omissions liability insurance having limits of one million dollars per occurrence, including an employment practices endorsement, coverage for student liability, corporal punishment, and sexual misconduct

• Fidelity/Dishonesty/Liability coverage with limits of five hundred thousand dollars, insuring the Sponsor against dishonest acts of employees or volunteers of the Charter School resulting in loss to the Sponsor.

• Workers Compensation coverage for the employees as required by Florida Law. The insurance company issuing the worker’s compensation may have an A.M. Best Company rating of NR-2 and be licensed to write this coverage by the State of Florida.

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SECTION 19 ACTION PLAN

A.

Present a timetable for the school’s start-up.

The school has been in operation since January 1999. Plans for Summer 2011 start with completing the Charter School Opening School Checklist by having on file:

• Lease • Transportation Plan • Liability Insurance • Worker’s Compensation Insurance • Proof of School Leaders Errors and Omissions Policy • Proof of Fidelity, Dishonesty Liability Insurance • Proof of Property Insurance • Contract for Accounting Services • Hurricane Preparedness Contact Information • Annual Adopted Budget • Names of Persons Responsible for Administration and Financial Management • Financial Disclosures of Governing Board • By-Law • IRS Determination Letter • Food Service Agreement • School Calendar • Fire Code Approval (Local and District) • Health Inspection Report • Occupational License • Physical Description of Facility • Staff Roster for Fingerprint Verification • Staff Roster for Verification of Teacher Certification • Proof of Governing Board Training • Copy of Student Handbook/Bullying Policy • Dates of Governing Board Meetings

Planning includes:

• Marketing/Recruitment of new students – parent informational letters sent and promotional flyers mailed

• Marketing/recruitment of additional staff • Purchase of program materials, supplemental classroom materials and furniture as needed • Staff Training in Social Thinking Training; Core Laboratories; Differentiated Instruction; Cross

Curricular Lesson Planning (all staff) • Kindergarten Camp

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Pre-School:

• Schedule Planning • Review staff handbook – policies and procedures • Review student handbook • Additional Curriculum training • Classroom Management training • Classroom set-up • Parent Open House