Spartanburg Charter School

Dear Parents and Stakeholders: 

I have lots of good news to pass on to you!  Did you know the Challenge Foundation is giving us a $50,000 grant? Yes indeed, I am picking up the check in a week and putting it straight into our bank account!  If you were able to read the article in the local newspaper, you are well aware that the Challenge Foundation does not provide their support for just any school, so ours is special.  In addition, we were the lucky recipients of a $6,000 grant from the Spartanburg Regional Foundation, which will help get our school lunch program launched for the upcoming school year. We will have a USDA-approved school lunch program for the fall. Final preparations are being made and I do believe you will be pleased with this definite upgrade in lunch service for all our students.   

Renovation of the second floor is underway under the supervision of the South Carolina Public Charter School District “Volunteer of the Year,” Mr. Ted Petoskey. We are expecting about 320 students at SCS for the 2010-2011 school year and Mr. Petoskey is making this a possibility. 

In reviewing everything the school is attempting to accomplish academically and taking into consideration input from parents, staff, school administrators and the school’s education committee, it has been decided to keep our single gender format in the future but to make K-3 classes single grade in nature, just as are grades 4-6.  It is felt that our teachers will more effectively be able to teach students at these individual grade levels, while at the same time making better use of specific grade curriculum that requires special consideration. 

Spartanburg Charter School has established a “sister school’ relationship with No. 11 Handan Middle school, located near Beijing, China.  It is hoped that in the future several of our students will be able to visit their school counterparts in China and we will be able to host Chinese students here in Spartanburg for similar visits.  One of my goals in the future is to bring a Chinese teacher here to our school through the Confucius Institute, whose informational briefing I attended recently at USC-Upstate. 

Finally, our school office will normally be open from 8 A.M. – 2 P.M. on Monday through Thursdays each week during the summer. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first eight weeks here at Spartanburg Charter School and am fully aware that many people in this state are looking to us to set the example for other charter schools in South Carolina to follow. As the school’s educational leader, I readily accept this role on behalf of all of us. I wish you all a great summer and look forward to seeing both you and your children when school begins again on August 9^th. 

Best Regards,  

John von Rohr, Ed.D.

Principal

What is our

approach to learning?

We use a Reggio-inspired process

to teach the content of SC state standards.

We believe:

· All children want to learn and can progress toward proficiency in SC standards.

· Children learn best when they have some control over their learning.

· Children learn best by touching, moving, seeing and hearing.

· Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world and must be allowed to explore.

· Children learn best when given multiple ways and opportunities to express their unique gifts.

We believe:

· All parents want their children to succeed.

· Parents are partners in learning and advocates for their children.

· Parents are welcomed to take part in discussions about school policy, child development concerns, curriculum planning and evaluation.

We believe:

· All teachers are role models for learning and must be committed to enhancing their own learning and their own understanding of children.

· Teachers are co-learners and collaborators, not lecturers.

· Teachers must be actively involved in learning alongside children.

· Teachers extend children’s learning by working on projects with them and helping to collect data such as photographs, notes, videos, etc.

· Teachers must begin projects by first observing children and inquiring about topics of interest to children. Teachers then introduce materials, questions, and opportunities that provoke children to further explore topics of interest.