Namaste Charter School Daily Schedule

Namaste Charter School Chicago, Illinois Fall 2004 Chicago Charter School Application For Fall 2003 submitted to Chicago Public Schools Charter Schools Office 125 South Clark Street Chicago, Illinois 60603 (773) 553-1535 Namaste Charter School Chicago, Illinois Fall 2004 October 10, 2003 Dear Greg Richmond and the Charter School Proposal Evaluation Team: The essence of charter schools is choice and increasing the number and diversity of high quality education options in the city of Chicago. Therefore, it is with great pride and excitement that we submit this proposal to you today, to begin Namaste Charter School in the Fall of 2004. Namaste Charter School seeks to increase student achievement by integrating health, physical fitness and nutrition education into a rigorous academic curriculum. Establishing a connection between mind and body is an important need in the Chicago Public Schools, and we believe that the impact it has on overall student achievement is currently inappropriately addressed. Furthermore, student health and physical fitness, especially in the inner city, has been repeatedly shown to affect overall student achievement as well as community health. Namaste Charter School hopes to break down these barriers to overall student achievement while simultaneously educating parents and the community at large on the importance of and necessities for leading a healthy lifestyle. As the founders, we fervently believe that nutrition, physical fitness and health are areas that can enhance student achievement. We know firsthand the value of health and physical fitness. We run marathons, play tennis and practice yoga and cannot wait to become role models for our students. All of that is to not to say that academics will not be primary. They are, but we know that producing a positive school environment starts not with the curriculum but with the teachers, the attitudes and the expectations. Research has repeatedly shown that there is a high correlation between teacher classroom practices and student academic performance. As classroom teachers, we believe that teaching is the foundation on which all student achievement depends. Therefore, we believe that we, as classroom teachers with a vision, proven records of high student achievement, and a deep understanding of teaching and learning will be able to lead Namaste Charter School to become a cornerstone of its community. We look forward to the opportunity to share our mission with you further and thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Allison Slade and Katherine Graves 2003 Charter School Application Part One – Cover Sheet Name of Proposed Charter School Contact Person School/Organization and Position of Contact Person Contact Person’s Address Namaste Charter School Allison Slade Oak Terrace School, Highwood, IL Dual Language Second Grade Teacher 1939 W. Wellington Ave. #1 Chicago, IL 60657 Telephone: 773-857-5888 Fax: 847-272-9698 Namaste Charter School, INC _____ Already incorporated in Illinois as a nonprofit _X__ Filed application for nonprofit incorporation in Illinois (Please attach documentation) __X__ a new charter school _____ a conversion of a CPS school ____ 3-year ____ 4-year _X__ 5-year charter Daytime Telephone and Fax Entity Applying for Charter Name of Entity to Hold the Charter (if not the same as above) Check One This proposal is for (check one): This proposal is for a renewable (check one): Address of Proposed School Current or Prior Use of Facility Address of Back-up Facility (not required): Current or Prior Use of Back-up School will open: (check one) First Year Grade Levels: First Year Enrollment: Grade Levels at Full Capacity: Enrollment at Full Capacity: Anticipated First Year 1834 N. Lawndale Chicago, IL 60647 YMCA facility 3540 S. Hermitage Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic School __X_Fall, 2004 ____ Other: ________________________ Kindergarten, 1st grade 80-100 students K -8 380 Revenues $ Year expected: 2012 Expenses $ Operating Budget (Part 13, Attachment 4) Part Two Narrative Questions SCHOOL OVERVIEW What is the name of your charter school? NAMASTE CHARTER SCHOOL 1) 2) What is the mission of your school? Namaste Charter School is committed to the physical, social and academic well being of our students, staff and parents. We believe that to achieve in school students must be healthy, active, and engaged in physical activity regularly. We also believe that adults must model the healthy lifestyle and positive attitude that we wish the students to embrace. The school will incorporate health, nutrition, and athletics into it rigorous curriculum, created to ensure literacy, numeracy and a lifelong love of learning. Rationale In December 2002, the California Department of Education released a study that showed the correlation between fitness and academic achievement. Major findings included:    Students with higher SAT-9 national percentile ranking had higher fitness scores on the Fitnessgram. Students in grade five who meet minimum fitness levels in three or more physical fitness areas showed the greatest gains in academic achievement. The relationship between academic achievement and fitness in grade five was significant in mathematics and reading, particularly for students with high fitness levels. Also given the epidemic proportions of childhood obesity, the sedentary lifestyle of many children today and the poor nutrition of a large number of Americans, Namaste Charter School will focus on the development of athletic, physical, and fine motor skills in our students. We will promote and model healthy eating and lifestyle habits of our students. These skills and objectives will be integrated into a curriculum of high expectations and academic rigor in the traditional subject matters. 3) Please complete the following table providing grade and planned and maximum enrollment information: Planned Number 80 120 160 200 240 Maximum Number 100 140 180 220 260 Grade Levels K -1 K-2 K-3 K-4 K-5 Year 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 4) The Chicago Public Schools awards charters for five years. What is the proposed effective date of your charter school? August 31, 2004 5) EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM Detail by subject the proposed charter school’s curriculum in the following subjects: English/Language Arts: Namaste Charter School will use a balanced reading and language arts curriculum based primarily on the Ohio State Early Literacy Collaborative (Appendix A). The goals and standards of the program are fully compatible with the Chicago Reading Initiative and aligned with the Illinois State Learning Standards. The framework emphasizes extensive reading and writing, guided reading, the development of oral language, and explicit teaching of word study, conventions of print and vocabulary. The effectiveness of the program lies in the range of learning activities and the balance of instructional contexts—modeling and instruction, guided practice with students and self-directed independent work. The cornerstone of the English Language Arts and Reading Program at Namaste Charter School will be Reading/Writing Workshop with Guided Reading. Guided Reading leads to independent reading as teachers show children how to read and support them as they develop reading strategies and fluent reading skills. After teachers holistically assess children’s literacy levels using Running Records for accuracy, Leveled Questions for comprehension, Developmental Spelling for word knowledge and written responses for writing, guided reading groups will be created. Guided Reading groups are flexible and children will be reassessed on a regular basis in order to determine their most appropriate placement. Teachers then use leveled texts targeted specifically at the children’s instructional reading level to help them gain the skills that they particularly need in order to attain success in reading. (For additional research supporting and explaining Guided Reading see Appendix A). As the children progress through the grade levels, we will move toward a workshop model to promote self directed learning. English Language Arts will also be taught through Writing and Word Study as outlined by the Ohio State Literacy Collaborative. Writing will be supported through the use of Shared and Interactive Writing (a focal point of the primary grades), Writing Workshop and Journal Writing. The teacher support varies in each of these activities so that children have experience both with engaging in the act of writing and understanding the writing process. Writing Workshop will be the foundation of the writing program at Namaste Charter School. Writing Workshop will take the format of the teacher providing a mini-lesson on a topic (a writing convention, enriching content or a procedure of the process) and then the children engaging in a period of writing time. During the time when the students are writing, the teacher conferences with children, children work at their own pace and level. As in the Reading Workshop, children will then share their work with the class and learn how to accept constructive criticism, respond to questions and read effectively in front of an audience. We will focus on the teaching of writing as a process and on its connection to the teaching of reading. Through the Writing Workshop model, children will be able to work at their own pace and teachers will be able to address individual needs on a daily basis. Reading: Since the Reading and English Language Arts link is a vital connection for children in the early elementary years, our reading curriculum is closely linked to the framework explained above. In addition to the Guided Reading model explained above, children in the primary grades will be involved in Shared Reading, where children are able to read texts accessible to them (either by enlargement, use of an overhead or individual text copies) as a foundation for their word study program. Shared Reading provides the opportunity for children to observe spelling and meaning patterns in an authentic context and facilitates the transfer of this knowledge to their independent reading and writing work. As the children advance in grade level, Shared Reading will be replaced by literature study units where children read collaboratively and participate in literature circles, in which children engage in discussions about books in small groups. At all grade levels, teachers will engage children in Read Aloud books and materials. Reading aloud allows the teacher to provide children with literacy experiences above their reading level and grade level by processing much of the text for them. Reading Aloud allows the teacher to expose children to a wide breadth of literature and provides an opportunity for children to engage in higher order thinking skills, analysis of characters and stories and the building of connections amongst texts and between a text and oneself. Read Alouds also provide a time for a teacher to do informal assessments of students’ oral comprehension skills as well as to begin a process of Socratic dialogue where students will be asked to process higher order thinking questions. Mathematics: Namaste Charter School will adopt the Math Trailblazers series by grade levels. Math Trailblazers combines an inquiry-based approach with the teaching of problem-solving strategies to help children see the applications of their mathematical understandings in the world around them. Math Trailblazers was created by the University of Illinois at Chicago TIMS Project and is aligned to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards entitled Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Its fundamental principle is that mathematics is best learned through active involvement in solving real problems. Throughout the mathematics curriculum there is a consistent thread of problem solving, which makes children understand how and when to apply the mathematics concepts they have learned in various contexts. Math Trailblazers also integrates technology from the earliest grades and introduces challenging content in every grade. Lessons are built in everyday situations so abstract problems build on experience. This allows students to solve problems in ways they understand. The problem solving focus of Math Trailblazers also provides a natural interdisciplinary connection, especially with the disciplines of language arts and science. Math Trailblazers will be integrated with our Discovery Works science curriculum by its teaching of the scientific method and how mathematicians and scientists think. Additionally, language arts is connected through the importance of communication in problem solving and the alignment of literature in each Math Trailblazers unit. Math Trailblazers matches the Namaste philosophy of balancing whole-class instruction, small-group activities and individual work while differentiating for enrichment and remedial needs at all levels. We plan to purchase a shared manipulatives kit required for implementation of Trailblazers at K-2 which will not only be fiscally responsible but will assist in the movement of children through the math curriculum using the same manipulatives and implementing a common language across the grade levels. Science: Our science program will consist of integrated, engaged learning units of study. Using the Discovery Works curriculum as a guide and resource, we will create 5 science units of study for each grade level based on the requirements in the Illinois Learning Standards. These units of study will consist of a key question and/or problem to solve, read aloud texts, vocabulary study, use of the scientific method and research and problem solving in order to help students discover the answers to scientific questions. The core teaching method for science will be hands-on inquiry and experientially based instruction. The units of study for each grade level are delineated below: Kindergarten: Living Cycles of Organisms Characteristics of Living Things Senses Seasons/Weather Properties of Materials First Grade: Organisms and Their Environments Plants and How They Grow States of Matter Light and color Second Grade: Insects (Animal Habitats) Weather Simple Machines (Forces and Motion) Sound Measurement and Data Collection Third Grade: Sound Earth Materials Life Cycles Water Cycle Solar System Fourth Grade: Ecosystems (Earth Features and Changes) Body Systems Electricity/Magnetism Rocks and Minerals Chemical Testing Fifth Grade: Life cycles Sources of Energy Technology in Science (units available from Apple Computers) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Experiments and Demonstrations with the Sun, Moon and Solar System Sixth Grade: Movement and variables Testing Water Quality and Solubility ―Building Blocks‖ of Organisms Geology and Plate Techtonics Science Fair Seventh Grade: Matter, mass, energy Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Resources Comparing Galaxies Local Science Issue – Research and Report Economics of Natural Resources Eighth Grade: Forces affecting motion Gravitational Forces on Earth and in the Solar System Inventors and Scientists: Valid vs. Biased Technological Advancements in Science Science Fair Each year, our teachers will go through an evaluation process of the science curriculum where we will add and/or change experiments and inquiries depending on successes and challenges experienced. We will also look at results of the ISAT Science test and ensure we are covering the standards adequately. Social Science: The foundation of Namaste’s social studies curriculum in the early years will be based on learning about our community and the world around us. We will use the program, Social Studies Alive and a guide and teacher resource but primarily employ the use of trade books and invite community members and people with various jobs into the classroom to help students make observations about their surroundings. Another vital connection to our social studies curriculum will be the integration of technology. Integration of technology into the Social Studies curriculum will occur especially in the areas of creating maps, graphs, tables, charts and timelines. A trajectory of social studies topics follows: Kindergarten: Me and My World Being a Good Citizen Map and Chart Skills Our Country, Our Flag, Our World First Grade: People Learning Together All about Me Change Making Good Choices Learning About the Past Holidays/Cultural Celebrations Our Land, Water, Resources Second Grade: People Learning and Working Together People coming together Living in a Community Different Kinds of Communities Our Country, Government and Capital Celebrations of American History Continents, Compasses, Atlases Third Grade: Understanding Community Living in Communities Our Community: Chicago Capitals and trade Celebrations in Communities US Geography Fourth Grade: Understanding of Regions Regional Geography Exploring our State: Illinois Celebrations around the Country Geography of country and connections to world Regional Map work Health & Nutrition: : As a vital part of our mission, health and physical fitness will have its own curriculum, goals and benchmarks at Namaste Charter School. The aim of our health curriculum is to promote the understanding and application of the principles of good health and a healthy life style in all aspects of the students learning. We will be using the Comprehensive School Health Education 2nd Edition, Totally Awesome Strategies for Teaching Health by Linda Meeks, Philip Heit and Randy Page to assist in measuring our progress. Through our health curriculum, we will cover the topics of: Community Health Disease and Prevention Emotional and Mental Health Growth and Development Personal Health Physical Health Personal Health Practices In the teaching of Health and Nutrition we look forward to creating partnerships with health conscious businesses and community organizations. We will bring in speakers and presenters, students and families will keep nutrition journals to help examine nutritional practices and we will work intimately with the community to help offer these services and tailor-made instruction to the community at large as well as the students in our school. Physical Fitness: According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), every student should have the opportunity to participate in quality physical education program. Quality physical education programs include developing health-related fitness, physical competence, and cognitive understanding about physical activity. It will lead to the adoption of healthy and physically active lifestyles. A quality physical education programs will provide learning experiences that meet the developmental needs of youngsters, which help improve a child's mental alertness, academic performance, readiness to learn and enthusiasm for learning. According to NASPE guidelines, a high quality physical education program includes the following components: opportunity to learn, meaningful content and appropriate instruction. NASPE’s definitions are below: Opportunity to Learn:    Instructional periods totaling 150 minutes per week (elementary) and 225 minutes per week (middle and secondary school); Qualified physical education specialist providing a developmentally appropriate program; and Adequate equipment and facilities. Meaningful Content:      Instruction in a variety of motor skills that are designed to enhance the physical, mental, and social/emotional development of every child; Fitness education and assessment to help children understand, improve and/or maintain their physical well-being; Development of cognitive concepts about motor skill and fitness; Opportunities to improve their emerging social and cooperative skills and gain a multi-cultural perspective; and Promotion of regular amounts of appropriate physical activity now and throughout life. Appropriate Instruction:       Full inclusion of all students; Maximum practice opportunities for class activities; Well-designed lessons that facilitate student learning; Out of school assignments that support learning and practice; No physical activity for punishment; and Uses regular assessment to monitor and reinforce student learning. Foreign Language: We at Namaste Charter School believe that the teaching of a foreign language in the early years provides an opportunity for an enriched learning environment. Therefore, we hope to offer foreign language instruction for our first through fifth graders to not only obtain vocabulary and communication skills in another language, but also to augment their problem solving, thinking and analytic skills in language and throughout the curriculum. However, we believe that foreign language instruction is most effective when it provides a necessary skill for the children within their community. Therefore, after obtaining a fixed site, neighborhood and student population, we hope to choose a language most appropriate to meeting the needs of the community. If the curriculum has been used in other schools, provide evidence of its effectiveness. For evidence of the effectiveness of our Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Health and Nutrition curricula, see Appendix A Articulate how the educational program reflects the purpose and mission of the school and its guiding beliefs about the way students learn and achieve personal development. Namaste Charter School’s fundamental belief is that all children possess the attributes necessary to become healthy, literate and life-long lovers of learning. We are guided by the idea that every child, starting with the youngest, is entitled to instruction that is developmentally appropriate, intellectually challenging, and provides opportunity and guidance for achievement at the highest levels. To attain this kind of teaching and learning, we believe that students must become self-directed learners. Our educational program reflects this essential belief through its implementation of Guided Reading, Math Trailblazers and inquiry-based science and social studies, all of which encourage students to be problem solvers. Through continually seeking solutions to their own problems, students will gain self confidence and a love of learning. All of this is encompassed by a daily focus on health, nutrition and physical fitness throughout the day. 6) How will the curriculum align with the Illinois Learning Standards? All of the curricular materials used at Namaste Charter School are fully compatible with and can be aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards. See Appendix C for alignment articulation. 7) Describe the educational philosophy and instructional techniques utilized to effectively implement the school’s curriculum. The core values and guiding principles of our learning community are:         Rigorous Academic Standards High Expectations for all Children Healthy Lifestyle as a Lever for Community Improvement Positive School Culture for Increased Student Achievement Personal Responsibility for Teaching and Learning Learning Never Stops and Does Not Need a Summer Vacation? Continual Assessment Informs Instruction Community Partnerships and Involvement The aforementioned curriculum will be implemented based on these guiding principles and we will encourage children to be self-directed learners through the utilization of differentiated instruction, cooperative learning, a standards-driven curriculum, and a project-based approach. Our core values will help guide the continuous review, alteration and augmentation of our curriculum and instructional techniques. In addition, our teacher-directed philosophy of professional development will aid in the implementation of the curriculum and its continual redevelopment. A number of factors should be considered in the selection of the appropriate instructional strategies. The physical environment, learning and behavioral styles of the students, and cognitive abilities enter into the instructional decision-making process. The founders of the school are educators and bring with them a deep commitment to building a school that works for students, teachers and parents. What will truly make our school different is our focus on the health and well being of each student. We believe that a strong curriculum and a motivated and well-trained staff are not enough to ensure all children succeed; we need healthy students. We are committed to setting students up physically for success. In 2000, the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta produced the School Health Policies and Programs study. Several alarming facts came to light:    Eight percent of elementary schools and 6.4% of middle/junior high schools provide daily physical education for students in all grades in the school. The median number of hours spent on nutrition education each year was five. Forty nine percent of elementary schools participate in community health programs. The founders of Namaste Charter School believe that students need to be prepared physically to succeed academically and we plan to create a school that will become a model of a rigorous curriculum taught in a nurturing and activity-based environment. While the study above found that 71.4% of elementary schools provide regularly scheduled recess for students in all grades kindergarten through five, we know this is not true in the city of Chicago, where too many students are in school every day with no recess and gym only once a week. The toll this takes on teachers is overwhelming; the toll that this takes on students is staggering. Therefore we will have daily recess and physical education classes. Since we are structured around the philosophy that a healthy lifestyle leads to a more active mind, physical fitness and nutrition will be an important part of every day at Namaste Charter School. Beginning the day with a family breakfast and active lifestyles time and ending the day with physical education class of 60 minutes per day are the foundations for the healthy lifestyle that Namaste will promote. An additional feature of the Namaste education program will be our year around calendar, which we have adopted based on the assumption that our students do not need to be working on the farm in the summer, the original rationale for summer vacation. Instead, our calendar will have approximately three months on, one month off. Therefore we will be in school in September, October, and November, January, February, March, May, June, July. December, April and August will be our vacation months. During the April and August, we will provide an intercession where students can do remediation work or enrichment activities or athletics. 8) How will the educational needs of at-risk students be met by the curriculum and instructional program/practices of the school? Be specific. Studies have found that at risk students benefit from increased and diverse physical education programs (Williams & Ballinger, Halas). We believe that all students at Namaste need the opportunity to develop to their potential and this includes their physical potential. Some students have barriers to learning which require special servicing, modifications, or extra help in order to meet their individual goals, and we will adapt the physical program accordingly. It is the goal of the Namaste staff to provide a program that actively engages all students. We will ensure that there are options for students who do not qualify for an IEP but who are still considered "at risk." The following programs and instructional techniques will help create an environment that helps eliminate many of the barriers at risk students face.       Cooperative learning where heterogeneously grouped students can work together and support each other. Students will be taught the basics of cooperative learning beginning in kindergarten. Our health focus will reduce or eliminate some of the physical ailments such as obesity, addiction, and chronically absent and ill students. Our intensive balanced reading program will meet students where they are and tailor instruction for their individual strengths and weaknesses. Our consistent and predictable schedule will assist students and parents in their ability to feel comfortable and trust their surroundings, leading to higher student productivity. Namaste High Expectations, articulated in our teacher evaluation and professional development models, will help eliminate barriers often existing for teachers in their education of at-risk populations. Vertical Alignment of curriculum will help spiral learning for children at Namaste Charter School. A ―spiral‖ curriculum is one where concepts are revisited again and again so that students who did not comprehend it the first time will have a chance to learn it again and students who did comprehend it will be able to take the concept to the next level. Communication among parents, teachers, community, and children will be the vital link helping to overcome the many barriers existing between the home and the school in at-risk family situations.  9) How will the educational needs of special education students be met by the curriculum and instructional program/practices of the school? Be specific. Who will provide case management services (e.g. coordinating evaluations, ensuring delivery of services)? Namaste Charter School (NCS) acknowledges and understands that it is subject to all federal and state laws and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the School Code of Illinois, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). NCS will be accountable to the Illinois State Board of Education for purposes of assuring compliance with federal and state special education and disability laws. The curriculum and focus of Namaste Charter School will be especially appealing to parents of children with special needs. Because we will focus on the physical as well as the mental and cognitive development, students with disabilities that prevent them from achieving in the classroom will be offered the additional outlet of excelling in one of the physical activities the school will provide. We will have adaptive physical education for students whose disabilities prevent them from fully participating but we will ensure that all students are included in the many activities offered by the school. To administer and supervise the special education programs and services, NCS will appoint one staff member to be special education case manager who will have a reduced teaching load. In later years and as the need arises, we may hire a full-time case manager. We will contract with the Chicago Public Schools in the first and second year for a special education teacher to support our inclusion program and support IEP compliance. In later years, we hope to hire our own. The case manager and the special education teacher(s) will serve as the case management team. These staff members will manage decisions and paperwork pertaining to special education jointly. As we will be starting with kindergarten and first grade students, we will use Child Find to determine which of our students have special needs. The student can be identified by the school or by the parents. The evaluation is free to parents. Parents will be informed of the special education protocol in a booklet that will go out in the beginning of the school year. It will outline parents’ rights and responsibilities. Referral or request for evaluation - A school professional may ask that a child be evaluated. Evaluation needs to be completed within a reasonable time after the parents give consent. Referrals may result from child-find efforts or any concerned person, including but not limited to school district personnel or an employee at the State Board of Education. Any person making a referral will do so in writing. In addition, we will conduct a thorough IEP process and ensure that all children are placed in the least restrictive environment. The goal of our school will be to include all special needs students in regular classrooms. Our regular education teachers will be trained in differentiated instruction and make appropriate modifications. Our staff will work closely with our special education teachers to ensure that the needs of students with IEP’s are met. Below is an overview of our special education program that is based on the plan developed by the Academy of Pacific Rim Charter School in Boston. Namaste Special Education Program To meet the requirements of students with special needs (learning, developmental, behavioral, emotional, physical), we use the following guide to ensure we are serving our students with special needs appropriately and effectively. Identification of special needs: Time/Schedule:  Requests by parent, teacher, administrator, local and state education personnel Screening by psychologist IEP team: parents, teacher, special education teacher, member of the CPS student support services team Timelines    Before, during, after school Frequency of services Substitute for other electives   Financial/Funding:      State and Federal Startup State and Federal Allocations Partnerships/Collaborations Development Education Connection Grant  Types of program:    Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) In-class Pull-out Space and Services:    Accessibility Special education office and classroom Adaptive Technology Identification of essential support services:       Reading/ Math Speech/Language and Writing Occupational Therapy Special Health Care Support Behavioral Counseling Transportation Design and implementation of policies:    Discipline/Suspension Promotion/Retention/Graduation Test-taking Identification of staff:     Internal (full- and part-time, CPS or school) External (contracting out) Nurse for distribution of medication Volunteer support, internships Expertise and Support:   On staff Board support Academy of the Pacific Rim 10) If applicable, how will the educational needs of English language learners be met by the curriculum and instructional program/practices of the school? Be specific. Addressing the needs of English Language Learners is an ever-expanding obligation of teachers and schools around the United States. The number and diversity of English Language Learners entering public schools in the city of Chicago also must be planned for. The needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) are similar to those of all students in Chicago Public Schools. We will address the needs of our English Language learners by facilitating their transition to English through the use of a preview/review model, scaffolding instruction with needed vocabulary and the encouragement of native language development at home (and within the school as much as possible). We will hold staff development emphasizing the following techniques to help reach our English language Learners:  Building instructional contexts for students (i.e. using models, objects, multimedia to do this)  Using preview-review format  Modifying speech appropriately (making small changes that increase student understanding without distorting it)  Providing more wait and think time  Using idioms freely but explaining when necessary  Using lots of synonyms, paraphrasing and summarizing  Checking often for comprehension  Integrating students’ interests, backgrounds and home country experiences into activities.  Writing in front of the students and modeling by verbalizing thinking processes.  Offering non traditional assessment options  Keeping expectations high but reasonable. Through use of the strategies above which have been documented to be effective with ELL students, our teachers will be able to reach children of all academic, social and cultural backgrounds. Additionally, Allison Slade, endorsed in bilingual and ESL instruction and an annual presenter at the Illinois State Multilingual Conference will supervise staff development and referrals regarding English Language Learning students. 11) How are the educational needs of gifted/talented and/or academically advanced students met by the curriculum and instructional program of the school? Be specific. As educators, we know that working with a gifted student can be both a joy and a frustration. To be gifted and talented is a measure of one’s innate ability, not performance. So we know that at Namaste we will have motivated students who work hard, get straight "A"s, and behave well in class who may not be gifted. And we will have students who do achieve academically, are disruptive, and clown around in class who may well be gifted. We believe again that with our curriculum which offers so many ways to motivate students and so many opportunities for achievement that we will find the activity in which all our students will excel. Namaste staff will employ the following strategies to engage gifted/talented and/or academically advanced students:         Create independent project opportunities for the gifted and talented students who often have extra time on their hands because they finish their work quickly. This time can be used to help them develop their creativity by allowing them to explore a special area of interest related to the topic being studied. Involve gifted and high achieving students in tutoring of younger students. Use "vertical enrichment" activities which are assignments that go above and beyond what is covered in the regular classroom. Find a mentor who is willing to work with him/her in an area of interest. We will start with the parents of students at our school and ask other teachers and local organizations. Incorporate Multiple Intelligences developed by Harvard Professor of Education Howard Gardner, this Theory of Multiple Intelligences states that all people possess at least seven different kinds of intelligences - linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, bodykinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. These intelligences exist in varying degrees within each individual. Set up learning centers in classrooms so that students can work at their own speed. Create increased opportunity to implement critical thinking skills Problem-based learning for Science and Social Studies under an engaged learning model will help provide enrichment opportunities for academically talented children by providing them opportunities to create, investigate and solve their own problems. 12) How will your school monitor the implementation of the school’s curriculum? A faculty curriculum orientation before school begins will allow for the establishment of our common vision and expectations for student learning. Administrators and teachers together will conduct weekly classroom walk-throughs to observe consistency in routines and pedagogical approaches as well as student engagement and learning. Teachers will benefit from common planning time which will allow for collaboration and communication of: lesson plan sharing, curriculum mapping, pedagogical discussions, tracking progress toward instructional and student development goals, and problem solving. Each teacher will be given release time monthly to observe a colleague and debrief after each observation. Administrators will collaborate with teachers as they do lesson planning; lesson plans will be accessible online so that all teachers have contact with them and teachers in the future years and in other schools can see what learning at Namaste looks like. Teacher observation, which is discussed further in Number 20 will be used to ensure consistency in teaching and a high level of student engagement in learning. Every summer, we will have a retreat in late June where teachers can reflect and think about the major successes and challenges of the previous year. This curriculum material and standards overview will result in continual reevaluation of the education program. 13) How will your school monitor the progress of students in the school’s curriculum? We will track student progress in a number of ways:          Teacher diagnostic tests in reading and math given quarterly; Teacher-made tests and assessments aligned with curriculum; ISAT and ITBS results; Physical activity benchmarks; Social studies and science projects; Teacher grade books which will be electronic; Tests from textbooks; Student data obtained through walk throughs and Student performance in class. Student assessment should inform the direction of the education program. We will support our teachers as they create valid and reliable rubrics from which to evaluate student performance. Teachers will align rubrics and assessments to the school’s standards. Eventually we would like to have a monthly online assessment that would track a student’s performance in reference to the state standards. This is something we will work toward in years four and five. To begin this process, we will introduce the idea of Curriculum Mapping to our staff before school begins. Curriculum Mapping is a tool used to ensure that the spiral of learning is taking place as kids progress through the grade levels and ensure that teachers at the same grade level are teaching the same topics. We will use a diary format to begin where teachers record at the end of each month that which they did teach in a particular subject. At the end of teach trimester, we will then look for patterns in the data we collect. Curriculum Mapping will help all teachers and students at Namaste Charter School ensure that everyone holds high standards for high achievement. Then, our monthly assessments will be tied both to the state standards and our Curriculum Maps. 14) Provide the promotion policy of your school between grades. Be specific. Students will be required to pass at least five of the six core subjects (Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, Health) to pass to the next grade. In the first years of operation, we will be serving only primary grades. Therefore, this requirement will be enacted using a developmental continuum, where teachers will indicate if students are exceeding, meeting or developing proficiency on a number of indicators in each subject area. Children will need to demonstrate proficiency by meeting at least 3 of the 5 indicators for each subject area. In addition, they will be required to read within 6 months of their grade level equivalent on our reading assessments. We will use the Gates-McGinitie to measure students’ reading level quarterly. Students are required to have no more than 20 days of absence per year to be promoted to the next grade. Children failing to meet any of these requirements will have the option to attend an inter-session during their month off in order to develop proficiency in the area of deficiency. Developmental Indicators for kindergarten are below. Developmental Indicators for first grade can be found in Appendix D. Kindergarten: Reading  Develops an interest in a variety of literature including picture books, poetry and rhyme, and non-fiction books  Demonstrates Letter knowledge (Recognizes upper and lower case letters of alphabet)  Demonstrates Phonemic Awareness (Identifies rhyming words, Understands and identifies letter/sound relationships  Demonstrates Print and Book Awareness (Develops an awareness of print, Identifies the parts of a book/poem (cover, title, author, page numbers), Directionality (reading from left to right), Tracking the text word for word  Implements reading strategies (Identifies kindergarten sight words, Uses picture clues to understand text Math  Identifies/writes numerals through 31  Recognizes basic shapes, makes comparisons through sorting and classifying objects and numbers  Explores calendar, time, and money (identifying patterns, counting by 2’s, identifies hour).  Shows understanding of basic addition/subtraction concepts using manipulatives  Demonstrates problem solving through patterning, graphing, and measuring Science  Identifies changes in weather using appropriate vocabulary.  Uses senses to investigate.  Identifies basic body parts.  Identifies problems and solutions.  Knows how to make hypotheses Social Studies  Names country, state and city that her or she lives in  States three things a good citizen will do  Identifies a flag of the United States  Reads and correctly interprets a simple bar graph  Understands a map of the classroom Writing  Prints first and last name (first letter capitalized, all the rest should be lower case)  Forms upper and lower case letters neatly  Begins to use consonants to phonetically represent words  Attempts to write simple words (using semi-phonetic representation)  Begins to place spaces in between words. Social Skill Development  Develops self-control  Displays appropriate manners and respect of others  Participates in class and uses proper asking questions (May I…, Would you like to…)  Follows two and three step directions  Stays on task for a period of time Physical Education  Explores spatial awareness through finding open and closed space, tagging, and dodging activities  Recognizes and demonstrates left and right orientation and basic locomotor skills through continued organized games (skip, gallop, jump)  Explores basic body relationships (side by side, face to face, right-left) and skills to manipulate and control objects (through the use of bats, balls, bean bags, hoops, ropes, parachutes, paddles, and scooters)  Has opportunities to learn the fundamental skills of sharing, taking turns, and working independently of others.  Follows basic rules and strategies to enhance participation and safety and participates in environment that promotes physical fitness, maximum effort, enjoyment and sportsmanship. As Namaste Charter School develops and grows, teachers will re-evaluate and extend these learning continua to complete the promotion policy between the grades. Students will be aware of the indicators it will take students different amounts of time to demonstrate proficiency. The continuum and policy for each subsequent grade at Namaste Charter School will be created at least one year prior to its implementation. 15) If the charter school will serve the 8th grade, how will you ensure that 8th graders meet the requirements to enter a traditional Chicago Public Schools High School? Namaste Charter School is committed to producing healthy and literate young people with strong work habits. Therefore our graduation requirements will reflect this expectation. To graduate from eighth grade, students must satisfy the following:  Students must meet or exceed the state standard on the ISAT reading test. Because ISAT scores are not public until the following fall, we will use the 7th grade ISAT reading test, which does not yet exist. However, No Child Left Behind legislates that states must test at every grade level and one will be created within the next couple years. Therefore, it will be available when our first class reaches 7th grade, in six years. Students must be able to run a mile in 15 minutes. Modifications will be made for students with physical disabilities. Students must complete 85% of homework. Students may have no more than 20 absences per year. Students must pass all of their classes with a ―C‖ or better. Students must demonstrate an understanding of the components of a healthy lifestyle outlined by the Presidential Fitness Program.      Our April and August intercessions will provide time for students to make up unsatisfactory work. Teachers will work with students who are not on track to graduate. The requirements above will be part of the parent/teacher/student conferences that take place at least twice per year. 16) If the charter school will serve the 12th grade, describe the requirements for a student to graduate. Be specific. n/a 17) How will promotion and graduation criteria be communicated to parents and students? Promotion and graduation criteria are something that set our school apart. We have more requirements for our students and a more specified way of evaluating student proficiency than the Chicago Public Schools. However, we have the advantage of ―easing parents in‖ to our policies because we will receive their children as kindergarteners and first graders. We will communicate frequently to parents so that at no time will the promotion and graduation criteria come as a surprise. More than three decades of social science research have established a strong connection between family involvement and children's social and academic success. Children do better when their families are involved in their education and their schools. In addition, extensive research has shown that a family's attitude toward involvement and the level of participation can change. As a school of choice, Namsate will "recruit" families by explaining their mission, curriculum, and promotion and graduation criteria. We will maintain frequent communication with parents to ensure that they understand what is required of their children. Parents who have not previously been involved with their childrens’ schools will increase their involvement if the school is welcoming and if there are many options for participation. For example, in September, we will welcome students and families with a pot luck supper, which may be a more relaxed beginning to "family involvement" than a teacher-parent conference. We will continue to build bridges with parents throughout the year. Below are strategies to inform parents of Namaste’s requirements of students:           Discuss promotion and graduation requirements from the very first informational meetings with parents; Provide families with a clear description of school rules and expectations: create a Family Handbook; Send home student work folders weekly for review and signature; Speak by phone with families; be accessible at school for telephone calls from families; Ensure that teachers are very clear about student requirements; Publish school newsletters that remind students of school policy; Send Student Report Cards frequently and on a regular basis; Include written comments from teachers and the progress of students toward graduation and promotion criteria; and Schedule Family Teacher Conferences three or four times a year. Create a Parent Board to evaluate Namaste Charter School’s success in meeting the needs of parents and students in the area of promotion and proficiency requirements. 18) For both elementary and high school applicants, how will you incorporate college and/or meaningful post-secondary opportunities into your mission and goal for your graduates? It is imperative that beginning even at the earliest ages, children are exposed to college and/or meaningful post-secondary opportunities so that they develop a sense of choice in their futures. In order to demonstrate meaningful college and post-secondary opportunities for the children at Namaste Charter School, our elementary school will conduct the following school-based activities:  Career Day: Namaste will bring in community members from throughout the Chicagoland area in a variety of careers (medicine, law, public policy, architecture, fine arts, education, business, home economics, hands-on labor, etc.) to do short presentations. Community Partners: Throughout the school year, Namaste will recognize its community helpers by asking them to participate in our recognition weeks. Here we will focus on community helpers such as firemen, police officers, nurses, military personnel, teachers and other community helpers who often have weeks or days that officially recognize their service. Junior Achievement Partnerships: Kraft Foods, Inc. is one of the many corporations providing Junior Achievement volunteers to Chicago area schools. We hope to create a broad and longterm partnership with the company, one goal of which will be to incorporate Junior Achievement volunteers into even our youngest students’ classrooms. College and Workplace Visits: Many colleges offer visitation to high school age students, and we believe that this is an important part of setting goals for even the youngest of children. Therefore, we hope to take our children to Chicago area colleges and universities in order to introduce the idea of higher education to them. This will be a great opportunity to bring parents into school activities. College/Workforce tutors: Another way of introducing children to post-secondary opportunities is to introduce them to adults working in different capacities who are also concerned citizens willing to give of their time to public school children. We hope to solicit tutors from local colleges and universities as well as the business community so that our children will be able to develop relationships with adults in different career arena. As former teachers, we have utilized college classroom aides to help in our classrooms.     19) Describe the professional development program of your school. Sustained, high quality professional development is critical to all efforts to continually improve teaching and learning at Namaste Charter School. Since professional development and extended learning are ongoing processes, the goals of Namaste’s Professional Development Program are:      To help teachers formulate their own goals for learning aligned with Namaste’s core values. To encourage self-reflection and analysis. To train teachers in best practices from around the country and the world. To support the implementation of new teaching methods leading to our ultimate aim of increased student achievement. To ensure teachers act and feel like professionals who take responsibility for constantly improving their effectiveness. Namaste Charter School believes that teacher learning and reflection will be greater when:      An atmosphere of trust has been established. It is clear that everyone is learning together (i.e. principal, instructional leader, teachers, teacher assistants, administrative assistants, etc.) and no one is expected to be perfect. The group shares a common vision for student achievement and high expectations. The group members make a mutual commitment to asking for and receiving criticism. Challenge is expected and valued as part of the discussion. Therefore, Namaste Charter School will begin its professional development program with an effort to create an atmosphere with the aforementioned characteristics and develop a professional learning community in which a common professional language is utilized to build commitment, forge motivation and foster learning for all staff and students. Namaste Charter School will provide professional development through a variety of integrated formats including school-based workshops, inter-classroom and inter-school observations with debriefing sessions, common teacher planning and curriculum development time, team-based study groups and professional discourse and intersession programs. Professional development will always have a focus on student achievement as the ultimate goal. A combination of school driven, teacher driven and community driven activities will merge to form the framework of the professional development program at Namaste Charter School. Just as student strengths and weaknesses are assessed using ongoing observation, Namaste teachers will continually observe each other and debrief with each other using articulated protocal (See Appendix E) in order to form the foundation of the professional development of each individual teacher. The peer observations will use the following structure:   Pre-conference Observation  Debriefing During the pre-conference session, the teachers will meet with one of the instructional leaders to create and discuss yearly goals in five distinct categories: Student Achievement, Teacher as Professional, Family Involvement, Personal Growth and School Achievement. Then, the inter-classroom observations will take place. All peer observations will be job-embedded. The debriefing sessions will be modeled by the school founders and then required by all teachers in each quarter. As teachers use evidence to identify strengths and weaknesses in each others practice, these strengths and weaknesses will then be used to create school based workshops and study groups in order to reward and share exemplary practice as well as drive teachers to improve their own practice through study groups on school based issues. In addition to school based workshops, teachers will attend conferences (such as the Illinois Reading Association, National Staff Development Council, and ASDC annual Differentiation Conference) together. This provides the opportunity for reflection on learning and team development of an implementation plan for recently learned strategies and techniques. We look forward to offering these opportunities for teachers during inter-sessions as the length of the break from school facilitates the ability for all teachers to attend these conferences and in-services. Every effort will be made to give teachers common planning time at their grade levels in order to revise curriculum, address the needs of individual students and create a cohesive foundation for instruction, communication with parents and instructional philosophy. Additionally, we will provide opportunities for vertical team planning (where a teacher or teachers at each grade level meet with their colleagues in the next grade level) to facilitate the movement between grades and make the move a smooth transition for students. The importance of vertical teaming will increase as the school gets larger and the grades serviced increases. A vital part of a Namaste Charter School teacher’s professional development will be ongoing study and discourse generated by individual teachers and teams of teachers. Teacher directed professional development is the most effective form of teacher empowerment and improvement. Therefore, each year, the entire staff will choose an instructional issue to read about, research and discuss throughout the year and find methods for application appropriate to Namaste Charter School. Each Friday, children will be released 2 ½ hours early to provide time for staff development. This will allow for 10 hours of professional development for the staff of Namaste Charter School each month. These Friday meeting times will be a vital part of our professional development programming time. Overall, Namaste Charter School believes deeply that professional development for all staff, from custodians and secretaries to teachers and administrators is the foundation for a healthy learning environment and helps move children toward higher achievement levels. Therefore, continual evaluation and re-development of our professional development plan will form a vital link to our high expectations for student achievement. 20) Describe your school’s teacher evaluation plan. Who will evaluate whom? How? What emphasis is placed on formative evaluation? How is it accomplished? How will your school make decisions on teacher retention for the next school year? Student achievement is directly linked to the quality of instruction, therefore the highest quality of teaching is expected. Strong instruction will be ensured through teacher evaluation in two forms: selfevaluation (based on a rubric, reflections, and goal setting) and administrator evaluation (based on formal and informal observations.) These evaluations will occur three times in the fall and at least once each semester. In holding teachers and our school to the highest standard, we have aligned teacher evaluations with the five propositions of the National Board of Teacher Certification.      Teachers are committed to students and their learning Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience Teachers are members of learning communities Namaste teachers must demonstrate a commitment to self-reflection and improvement as well as a rating of proficient or excellent on both the self-analysis and the administrator’s evaluations in order to be considered for retention. (See Appendix F) Therefore, teachers will evaluate themselves and each other, as well as go through a formal assessment done by an administrator. Emphasis at Namaste Charter School will be placed on continual teacher assessment to inform and improve instruction, rather than to evaluate and reject teachers. However, as a charter, we have more freedom to create a like-minded and collegial staff. If a staff member is hired and does not forward our mission, the following steps will occur: 1. Administrator will meet with staff member in question and together they will go over the teachers self-evaluation and the administrator’s evaluation; 2. Together they will come up with a plan to address the shortcomings. They will agree on measurable and observable outcomes. 3. Administrator will observe teacher more frequently and possibly as another teacher to mentor and provide additional support. 4. Administrator will arrange for the teacher to observe in several exemplary teachers’ room. 5. At the end of the year or whatever deadline has been set, the administrator will make the decision whether or not to retain the teacher in question. This process will ensure that there is due process but more importantly it will build strong, positive relations among staff and administration. In this way, we expect that our learning community will be able to support each other and the school community at large. 21) Describe the structure of your school day and week. What is the average number of minutes of academic instruction to be provided each day? What is the average number of minutes of academic instruction to be provided each week? How will your daily schedule contribute to student learning and teacher collaboration? A consistent and predictable environment for children, especially in the early years, has been shown to have a large positive impact on student learning. Therefore, our schedule for each grade level will be created with this ideal as a basic necessity. Children, families and staff will have the opportunity to build and expand relationships through a Family Breakfast each week. The school day schedule that follows will provide students with extended learning time, consistent and predictable scheduling and plenty of time for physical fitness. Our proposed schedule follows: Namaste Charter School: Daily Schedule 7:45-8:30 8:30-9:00 9:00-11:15 11:15-11:45 11:45-12:10 12:15-12:40 12:40-1:20 1:20-2:00 2:00-3:00 3:00-4:00 Family Breakfast/Nutrition and Health Morning Activities/Character Education Literacy (includes snack and bathroom break) Math Concept Development Recess Lunch Math Problem Solving and Center Work Writer’s Workshop Project Based Science/Social Studies Physical Education and Development Our extended school day provides for approximately 6 ½ hours (390 minutes) of instruction per day, with an early release day on Friday for 2 hours of staff development time. This permits approximately 30 hours of instruction per week. We are looking forward to creating partnerships and writing grants in order to be able to provide programming and child care during this Friday release time and before and after school hours to help working parents by providing a safe place for their children. Our school year will be structured on a year round schedule (for research support see Appendix G. We will structure our year on a 3 month on, 3-4 weeks off cycle (see calendar in Appendix H). Our daily and yearly schedule will provide the optimal structure for both student learning and staff collaboration. By providing a consistent and predictable schedule for students, their focus on learning will be greater. Additionally, we have built in proper recess and physical education time for young children to help them expend energy in healthy ways, so that they are able to concentrate more readily during instructional time. Also, our built- in time for family breakfast, recess, and lunch will model to our community the importance of proper health and activities in their young child’s life as well as in their own. By eliminating the summer vacation and providing time throughout the year for staff reflection as well as enrichment and remedial opportunities for children, we will advance average growth per year in our students. Our frequent 3-4 week vacations will provide time for staff and students to reflect on their learning while not losing all interest, excitement or understanding of the school day and environment. We look forward to the opportunity of offering intersession courses to help our remedial students as well as further advance our high achieving students. Our school year schedule provides time for all of this. 22) Attach a copy of your school’s calendar. How many days of instruction will be provided each year? Identify any rationale(s), which make(s) the calendar support the success of the educational programs of the school. Given the research that discusses the amount of academic skills students lose over the summer (see appendix?, we have decided to opt for a year-around school year. We will have three months of attendance in school, then one month off. We will be off April, August and December. In April and August, we will provide remedial education for our students who are behind, and have a long-term goal of providing enrichment for our students who are performing at or above grade level. The total number of days of instruction provided in the 2004-2005 school year will be approximately 186, 10 more days than required by state law. Additionally, our teachers will attend 10 additional days for professional development, parent/teacher conferences and teacher institute days. Our school calendar supports the success of the educational programs of our school in many ways. First, the summer ―brain drain‖, referenced above and in Appendix G often retards the academic achievement of children due to loss over the summer. Additionally, our frequent vacations will provide an opportunity for children and staff to rejuvenate and revitalize just when disillusionment and frustration tend to set in, after approximately three months in school. Finally, it will give students and staff the opportunity to reflect on their learning and teaching, a necessary part of retaining newly learned material. We will have the same holidays as the Chicago Public Schools, with the exception of our vacations, noted on our calendar. Additionally, we believe in parent involvement as a core tenant of our school and therefore, we are allotting one to two days per trimester for parent teacher conferences. During this time, children will not attend school and parents will have the opportunity to sign up in advance for a 20 minute time period in which to discuss the progress of their child with the teacher. We will provide morning, daytime and evening hours for this program. For a complete calendar, please see Appendix H. 23) Will your school offer summer school? If so, how many students are expected to attend summer school? How will students be selected for participation? Be specific. How many hours per day? How many weeks? Describe the program(s) offered. Are the classes primarily remedial or enrichment or something else? Since Namaste Charter School will not have a traditional summer vacation, a traditional summer school program will not be offered. However, we will offer intersession opportunities for our students. After intersessions in the first few years of operation, we will reassess their impact on overall student achievement in order to determine how to implement them in the future. During the April and August breaks, we will provide inter-session opportunities for remediation in reading and math for our low achieving students. The session will be 2 weeks in length, thereby allowing the students some break time and the hours per day will be reduced to four hours of instruction. For selection into the remediation program, a variety of measures will be assessed. In the upper grades, the standardized tests will be used for selection in conjunction with performance on classroom based assessments. In the younger grades, reading readiness tests will be administered each trimester and those students not scoring within one grade level of the grade level benchmarks will be required to attend as well. Enrichment programming and child care will be offered to all families attending Namaste Charter School during intersessions. In order to provide funding for these programs, we will solicit and train community members in providing instruction to our children in the areas of their individual interests and talents. As our school expands, we anticipate a need for additional enrichment programming and plan to collaborate with community organizations and service volunteering programs in order to provide additional instructional opportunities for our children during these inter-session times. Some of these groups include CAPE, Whirlwind, Girls in the Game, and Young Triathletes. 24) Describe your school’s philosophy of student discipline. Provide a copy of your school’s student discipline policy or, if applicable, state that your school will use the Uniform Discipline Code of the Chicago Public Schools. We will use the Uniform Discipline Code of the Chicago Public Schools, which our teachers will become familiar with during summer training. Our teachers will enforce the CPS code. However, our schools will have another code called the Peace Practice which will guide their decisions and hopefully their interactions with others. This is similar to the culture that Perspectives Charter School has created called A Disciplined Life. A Disciplined Life is twenty principles such as ―act responsibly‖ and ―listen attentively.‖ The principles of the Peace Practice will be put up in every classroom and taught and reinforced by all teachers until it becomes a way of life for all students. Our proactive approach to school discipline will hopefully eliminate the need for suspensions, time outs and other more punitive forms of classroom management. The Peace Practice 1. Be positive 2. Take your time. 3. Share. 4. Think before you act. 5. Eat well. 6. Be active. 7. Be flexible. 8. Honor others. 9. Concentrate. 10. Live a balanced life. Many of these principles will be represented in the physical fitness curriculum as well as in the core subjects. The goal is to instill the first classes of students at Namaste with these ideas and that they will introduce new students to them. With peer pressure supporting a positive environment, Namaste will be a positive place for everyone. Additionally, we will be using a Positive Behavior Intervention System (known as PBIS) in order to motivate children to Be Safe, Be Respectful and Be Ready to Learn on a daily basis. The Namaste teaching and administrative community will be trained on the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), which is a systems approach to preventing and responding to classroom and school discipline problems. PBIS will help us to develop school-wide systems that support staff to teach and promote positive behavioral expectations. PBIS creates and maintains safe learning environments where teachers can teach and students can learn. PBIS will help us address problem behavior such as disruption, defiance, fighting, and insubordination; while we have a great advantage is setting up a positive school culture and high expectations from the ground up, we know that behavior problems will arise and we want to have systems in place to take care of them fairly and consistently. Our teachers will build effective and efficient disciplinary practices that are supported by parents and the administration. We will have a procedure for specialized behavioral intervention. Our goal is to move away from crisis/reactive management to a school environment that creates high achievement and a focus on mind and body. 25) Describe the procedures your school will follow when a student is suspended from school. Include parent notification requirements, due process hearings, and re-instatement procedures. Students are expected at all times to conduct themselves in a manner that will maintain an environment for learning. No students will be allowed to interfere with or disrupt repeatedly the educational process of others. There are several offences that will result in a suspension. Among them are:        Possession of tobacco, alcohol, or drugs on school grounds, during field trips, at school functions or on the school bus; Leaving the school grounds without permission; Vandalism; Theft; Fighting (the second and any subsequent incidents); Truancy; or The repetition of three (3) major offenses. The school will contact the parent immediately after a student in suspected of any of the above infractions. The teacher and/or administrator will conference with the students to ensure that he or she understands the effects of his or her behavior. A student will be responsible for all work missed when he or she is suspended. Before entering back into the mainstream of school life, the student must conference with his or her parent and the administrator. As a general rule, suspensions are to be served in school within one week of last offense under the supervision of the parent, guardian, or an adult supervisor. Students may not participate in lunch recess or in any school sponsored activities from the date of the incident until after the suspension is served. If further suspensions occur, the student will be on probation and in danger of expulsion as outlined in the CPS Uniform Discipline Code. 26) Describe examples of parental and community involvement (newsletters, open houses, student project exhibits, curriculum nights, report card pickups, parent conferences, assemblies, etc). Parent involvement and buy in to the mission of Namaste Charter School is essential to the school’s success. We hope to engage all parents by contacting them in a variety of ways and inviting them to participate in the life of the school in a way that is comfortable and non-threatening to them. We will also produce all documents in language appropriate to our population. Community support is also integral to our continuing operations. For example, one charter school on the southside that befriended their Congressman received several federal grant appropriations. We understand that we need to build relationships with local, state and federal legislators, business leaders, civic leaders, and social service providers in the neighborhood. To this end, we will have a large database to which we will send newsletters, annual reports and invitations to various school events. Below is an overview of additional outreach efforts:  Efforts to encourage parent support and involvement in the school o Monthly newsletters that share school current events and frequently profile students and other stakeholders; o Family breakfasts every morning; o Friday folders (each teacher sends home a folder with a student update on Friday); o Monthly potluck dinners; o Parent room at the school with a computer; o Weekly opportunities to support classroom teaching and learning o Parent surveys to provide feedback and suggestions o Two assemblies per year; o Two parent/student conferences; o Parent classes (GED, exercise, citizenship, etc.); o Parent and teacher directory; and o Parent organization.  Efforts to educate the community about what a charter school is and its value to the community o o o o o o  Quarterly newsletter; Articles in local media outlets; Invitations to exemplary lessons, programs, and special events; Invitations to tours, assemblies, and open houses; Participation in mentoring or activity program; and Annual report. Efforts to build partnerships o Annual breakfast for local businesses; o Letters and outreach to all community service providers to make our school a community school; and o Lots of thank you notes and letters of appreciation.  Efforts to solicit support from potential funders, legislators, the school district, and other essential audiences. o Invitations to all school events; o Invitations to speak and do welcomes at public events; and o Quarterly newsletter. Efforts to promote our mission of a healthy lifestyle as a lever for community change. o Offer Health Morning Walk times and facility. o Offer Family Breakfast on a regular basis. o Run a 5K fundraising walk.  INTERNAL EVALUATION OF SCHOOL PERFORMANCE 27) What are the goals that your teachers, administrators, and Board strive for during the school year, at the end of each year, and after five years? Goals for teachers, administrators, and Board are based on the school’s core values and guiding principles in order to maintain community focus on Namaste Charter School’s (NCS) improvement.  Rigorous Academic Standards  High Expectations for all Children  Healthy Lifestyle as a Lever for Community Improvement  Positive School Culture for Increased Student Achievement  Personal Responsibility for Teaching and Learning  Continual Assessment Informs Instruction  Community Partnerships and Involvement Goals Teachers During the first school year  Explicitly teach and reinforce the Peace Principles in the students  Use wide variety of student assessment data to inform instruction  Engage in schoolbased professional development  Complete a personality inventory to build collaborative working relationships  Share progress with families and engage them in a partnership to improve student learning in a meaningful way.  Integrate the values of a healthy lifestyle into the curriculum End of each year  Reflect on learning and teaching; set a major professional development goal and develop a plan for achieving that goal  Use assessment data to show increase in student achievement by at least 1.5 grade levels  Develop an educational plan for student(s) who have not met all benchmarks  End-of-year conference with parents to reflect on and set goals for student learning  Continue to align extra-curricular programming with After five years  Will have met professional development goals  Developed positive rapport with parents and school community  Establish end of year ―portfolio presentation‖ system to assess student learning in an authentic way  Revisit goals of the school and realign instructional practices to meet them  Students will demonstrate mastery of physical fitness objectives Administrators  Create a school community with a shared mission and vision.  Balance the budget  Observe and support teachers  Build relationships with local businesses and non-profits  Communicate with families through a formal, monthly newsletter  Organize daily family breakfasts and weekly health-related functions Board  Provide adequate financial and organizational support to NCS  Bring in speakers and resources to support NCS curriculum and goals  Market the school and ensure its viability  Help the school to make friends in the community  Develop a board requirements document and evaluation strategy teachings of a healthy lifestyle  Formally evaluate each teacher  Create solid staff development plan based on teacher needs  Attract and retain students and teachers to enable addition of additional grade level  Build depth in financial resources  Send parental satisfaction surveys and re-evaluate family involvement plan  Expand variety and integration of healthy lifestyle programs to meet the needs of the community  Evaluation of the principal  Examine areas of need and communicate with faculty to create an improvement plan for school  Review the audit  Create annual fundraising goals  Examine test score results and internal reading and math assessment results  Replace/add board members to  Demonstrate growth in teacher learning/satisfaction and student achievement  Low staff and student/family turnover  Revisit mission/vision to be sure it is effective and continues to guide our work.  Examine community and board support for its diversity and adequacy  Reflect on healthy lifestyles planned progress and create goals for next five years  NCS recognized for success in development and student achievement  Have a solid and objective principal evaluation program in place  Preside over the development of the ―brand‖ Namaste  Create an endowment for the school  Preside over a school whose scores are trending up broaden community representation and strengthen skill sets 28) How will your school evaluate its progress toward these goals during the school year and at the end of each year? We will bring the Namaste school community together to create progress plans in each area, setting reasonable, organized shortterm goals that build toward long-term goals (and in that goal setting, make clear who will be responsible for meeting those goals and how we will measure them). By involving a wide variety of stakeholders in doing self-assessment on a regular basis, we will ensure that everyone feels equally invested and valued in the school community and in improvement efforts. There will be a balance between school year and intersession work. We understand that our staff will need breaks from the hard physical and emotional work required for starting up a school. We know that there needs to be a ―sense of urgency‖ around the school’s mission and vision, but time to reflect on the goals is essential to maintaining staff morale and stemming burn-out. At the end of each year, our reflection will build on the intellect, creativity and organization of the board, teachers, families and leaders. The board and the school staff are interested in formative evaluations of their performance, the staff’s performance, and student achievement. We will evaluate the above goals in a variety of ways:  Parent surveys: at the end of each trimester, we will provide parents with the formal opportunity to respond to questions regarding how attendance at Namaste Charter School has impacted their child’s learning. This will provide the Namaste staff and leadership the opportunity to take intersession vacations as a time to reflect on the surveys, analyze parent data and revise practices to meet the needs of the parents and students in any way possible; Student assessments and test score analysis: we will be using formal and informal records to continually assess student performance. Therefore, we will use formal and informal data analysis tools in order to evaluate and disaggregate our student data on a number of demographic and situational variables in order to isolate factors most affecting student achievement in a positive and/or negative way; Annual board evaluation: at the end of each school year, the Namaste Charter School Board will go through an extensive evaluation process in order to determine Namaste’s success in meeting its goals over the past year. The board will then make needed recommendations to the Namaste leadership and staff with measurable objectives for improvement. The board will also complete a board evaluation at the end of each year; Teacher observation and self-reflection: Namaste Charter School’s extensive professional development and teacher evaluation plans will assist in evaluating our progress toward all school goals during each school year and at the end of each year. See Appendix F for teacher self reflection forms. Financial solvency and fundraising plan: the fundraising and finance committee of the board will review the financial transactions for the year. They will review the auditors report, evaluate expenses and ensure that cash in/cash out projections for the following year are reasonable.      Media and Public Relations Overview: the communications committee of the board will have a plan in place to promote a consistent image of the charter school. The committee will ensure that the school continues to cultivate relationships with important stakeholders outside the school community. The group will do an informal survey of community agencies and local leaders to better understand perceptions of the school in the community. An annual report of data from the CPS Charter Schools Office.  29) Describe your procedures for taking corrective actions in the event that your school is not achieving its goals. As a start-up, we know that our school will evolve based on community needs, staff preferences and many other factors. We will put an executive committee of the board together with the responsibility for monitoring the evaluations listed in question 28 above. When the school is falling short or a troubling situation arises, the executive committee will assume increased responsibility for planning and implementing an appropriate corrective action. The committee will work with the person (administrator, teacher, business manager) responsible for the goal, and create an action plan to solve the problem. The executive committee (or its designee) will frequently monitor the implementation of the new plan. The executive committee will report back to the board on progress. The executive committee takes its governance responsibility seriously and will monitor and evaluate student performance and the overall effectiveness of the school. Good communication between parents and teachers, principal and teachers, community and the school and the board and the school staff are integral to effective operations. We will use the internet to have as much information accessible to the greatest number of people possible. Lesson plans, public relations materials, cohort test scores, attendance, events, and other measures of the school will be online to encourage information sharing. By ensuring the information is available to all stakeholders, we believe that it will be easier to identify problems when they are small. Flexibility is the key to sustaining a successful start-up and we intend to address problems early and effectively. We are fortunate to benefit from the fifteen charter schools already in operation around the city from whom we plan to seek help and advice frequently. EXTERNAL EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY 30) Do you have any concerns about or objections to the Accountability Agreement’s existing indicators and the anticipated achievement levels for those indicators? Do you agree to be held accountable for your school’s progress and achievement in a manner consistent with the Accountability Plan presented in this application? We do not have concerns or objections and we agree. 31) (Optional) Describe any additional indicators which are not currently part of the CPS Accountability Agreement which you are proposing for your school. Given our focus on health and our commitment to making school an active and enjoyable place for students, we are committed to having high attendance among the students. Our goal is to have 90% attendance. 32) (Optional) Describe any Unique Standards and Assessments for your school. At this time, we do not have a valid and reliable assessment to submit to the Board. However, we intend to work with outside consultants who have expertise in assessment to create a health assessment that measures the effect of our program. It will likely include heart rate, physical fitness standards, eating habits, sleep habits, cholesterol, and other measures essential to lifelong good health. We plan to submit this assessment to CPS in the next year for inclusion into our accountability agreement. STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND ENROLLMENT 33) Describe the student population or community you would like to serve. At this time, our school site is not fixed and therefore, we only know that we want to serve the students and parents of Chicago who desire more high quality education options for their children. We have solicited the signatures of several parents throughout the city. With over 5200 parents on Chicago’s charter schools’ waiting lists, we believe that we will not have a problem recruiting students. In addition, the No Child Left Behind federal legislation has identified over 100 Chicago Public Schools as failing and recommended that parents in these schools be given additional high quality education choices for their children. Currently, there are not enough high quality schools to meet this demand and we are proposing a high quality alternative to fill this demand. Additionally, we know that our inner city youth are especially susceptible to infectious diseases, health related illnesses and poor nutrition. Therefore, we feel that we will be providing a service that is necessary throughout the city of Chicago, regardless of where we actually end up being located. 34) How will you market your school? Namaste Charter School will be marketed as a school fostering growth and development of mind and body. By partnering with local day care providers and community preschools, Namaste will be able to reach out to our target audience - parents in the community. By identifying existing services available in the community we will be able to develop targeted messages that are relevant to the community and its needs. Through grass-roots town hall-style meetings, we will provide a forum for open communication and dialogue with those we desire to serve. As a result of the four town hall meetings we are planning, we anticipate news of Namaste School to spread through the people's most trusted source- their friends. Additionally, through the small school environment, leadership expertise in education and personal attention to the involvement of parents and community members in Namaste Charter School, we hope to become a pillar of our community. Initial outreach will be made using the following channels:  Pamphlet publication and distribution in Spanish and English in community (See Appendix I for preliminary sample) churches, child-care facilities, grocery stores and door to door.  Advertisement posting in community areas.  Attendance and presentation at already existing community based meetings including CAPS and Ward meetings.  Advertisements in local papers, community newsletters, etc.  Town-hall style meetings discussed above with the goal of providing information to the community. A public relations expert on our board is helping us to produce a ―brand‖ image and tagline. The goal is to promote an image of a school committed to the academic and physical well-being of its students and community. Everyone on the Board, teachers, administrators, and parents needs to be on the same page regarding how they represent the school. The message needs to be clear that Namaste is a school that promotes health and well being as a route to increasing student achievement. 35) When marketing your school, how will you ensure that students of all races, languages and abilities, including special education students, will feel welcome at your school? The Namaste faculty and staff are committed to welcoming students of all races, languages and abilities at all ability levels. People of various races and affiliations will hold positions on the schools' planning committee. We will reach out to different ethnic pockets in the community to encourage their attendance at Namaste. Informational sessions will be conducted in English, as well as Spanish and any other necessary languages. Our special education services will be addressed in all of our promotional materials as well as materials sent to parents of our students. We believe that special education parents may be drawn to our school which focuses on physical activity as well as academic ability. Often special education students excel athletically. After securing students with varying abilities and ethnic backgrounds, all students will participate in the Peace Practice to promote intercultural understanding. Students will be encouraged to participate in activities such as family history projects, diversity appreciation games and trust activities to build a stronger sense of community and to ensure students learn from and respect each other. 36) Will you require applicants to participate in any pre-admission activities such as interviews or attendance at informational meetings? Describe the purpose of such activities. We will request that applicants attend either an informational meeting or schedule an informal discussion with a planning committee or board member prior to applying. It is essential that parents understand our longer school day, our focus on health and well being, our commitment to assessment and ambitious goals for parent involvement. Meetings and discussions will take place before applications are due. The goal of this contact is three-fold: to make sure the families understand the purpose and goals of Namaste Charter School and ensure agreement on the core values, and for Namaste’s purposes of data collection to help inform practice and outreach in the future. 37) Describe your procedures for application and the lottery. What will your deadline be for application? When will the lottery be held? Will you hold a new lottery for each grade level each year, or will you maintain a waiting list for upper grades (i.e. non-entry grades)? Namaste student application deadlines and policies will be broadly publicized as soon as the charter is granted and the marketing efforts begin. We will solicit applicants through advertisements, announcements, and other marketing strategies. See question 34. Our deadline for applications will be April 1. Our applications will be extensively distributed across the city. If we receive more applications than available spaces, we will have a blind lottery. All the names picked will be invited to enroll, all the rest of the applications will be put on a waiting list in the order they are picked. If after the initial enrollment process is complete, Namaste still has available spaces (although this is highly unlikely given the over 5200 students on charters school waiting lists throughout the city), we may extend the deadline and go door-to-door to secure the enrollment we need. Our lottery will be held on April 15. In compliance with state law, our enrollment policy states explicitly that we are an open enrollment school with no tests or academic requirements. Because the school is designed to encompass a range of learning styles, students with differing needs are encouraged to apply and be included in the regular education programs. A student is eligible for admission to our school if he or she is a resident of Chicago and is above the minimum age for enrollment into kindergarten. We expect prospective students and parents to understand and commit to the school's mission, but this is something that we cannot enforce. We can only educate the parents to better understand the goals of our schools and the part they play in the success of their child. Our board of trustees has established the following specific lottery procedures. The only preferences will not start until the second year when those who have siblings already admitted to the school will be given first chance as admission to the incoming class. Guidelines below are in accordance with Illinois State Law ILCS 27A-1: 1. Kindergarten and first grade applications for admission will be distributed in early January 2004 for entrance into the school for fall 2004. In subsequent years, applications will be available on the first school day after winter break of each year. We will accept only kindergarten application in subsequent years. 2. Completed applications are due on April 1 of each year. 3. Completed applications will have all questions answered, include a copy of the birth certificate for the student, and by signed and dated by the student’s legal guardian. Namaste will not contact those who submit incomplete forms. However, in January, February and March, the school staff will help anyone who needs help with the application. 4. A lottery form is at the bottom of the application form. 5. Applications are logged into a database program as they are submitted to the school. 6. After April 1, the application period is closed. All applications received in person or postdated after that date will be withheld from the lottery and considered only after all applications received on or before the first Friday in April have been processed. 7. If Namaste receives more applications than there is availability, a public lottery is held. 8. Once the number of applications selected equals the number of available slots for a grade, a waiting list is generated by continuing to pick from the applicant pool. Although we certainly do not anticipate that we will have high mobility of students moving out of the school, we will have a rolling enrollment process, where if we lose a student, we will take the student who is at the top of the waiting list for that grade. 38) Provide evidence that there is sufficient interest in your school to fill the proposed number of student openings. Due to the small size of Namaste Charter School and its dedication to teaching children from kindergarten through grade 12, we believe that there will always be sufficient interest in our school to fill the 40-50 openings each year in kindergarten. Additionally, low performance and overcrowded classrooms in many of Chicago’s neighborhoods provides enough incentive for many parents to look for alternative educational opportunities for their children. We have attached a preliminary list of interested parents with school age children in Appendix J. We believe that once a charter is granted and a location is secured, our grassroots efforts will be successful in filling our classrooms to capacity. Due to the large number of educators on our board and planning council, our connections to families, teachers and children throughout the Chicago Public Schools will aid us in attracting students. Our education experience brings us validity and our former students and teacher colleagues will be able to put us in contact with a plethora of curious and needy families. COMMUNITY 39) What actions have you already taken to inform the community surrounding your proposed school of your application to start a school? The planning committee of Namaste Charter School has reached (and will continue to reach) out to the community on two levels: individual and organizational. First, parents and families in the community will be informed. Second, collaboration on an organizational level with local organizations and other neighborhood businesses will be instrumental in securing us credibility in the community. Through these partnerships, Namaste Charter School has realized that its efforts are necessary to fill a void currently existing in the Chicago Public Schools. We have targeted health and physical fitness related businesses, hospitals and politicians in order to gain institutional support as well. See appendix K for a preliminary index of letters of support obtained prior to application printing. Letters of support have been received in the following arenas:        Political support Medical community support Education related organizations Physical Fitness and Health related organizations Business support Higher education community support Museum community support Once we solidify an agreement with a building and a neighborhood, we will use this organizational support to help us obtain additional individual support with the parents, students and community surrounding our school site. 40) Describe any partnerships your school will have with other community organizations. Namaste Charter School believes that community support and engagement is a vital part of student achievement and community success. Therefore, we anticipate community partnerships on a variety of levels:     To bring resources to the school To bring diverse perspectives to the school To make meaningful connections for children and the community To become a central place for community activities, information and progress. The table below lists groups from which we plan to seek partnerships and/or grants in the first year of Namaste Charter School: Group Girls in the Game Near North Little League Boys and Girls Club Chicago Foundation for Education Changing Worlds Young Triathletes University of Chicago Kraft Foods Children’s Memorial Hospital Bally’s Total Fitness Truman College Services Girls sports programs Baseball and softball After school programs Teacher training Arts and oral history activities Training for children in running, biking and swimming College age tutors Healthy Lifestyles Grant and Junior Achievement Volunteers Education on Healthy Lifestyles Yoga classes for teachers and students College volunteers GOVERNANCE 41) Describe the powers and duties of your board of directors. The general powers of our board of directors state that the affairs of the corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of its board of directors. The basic purpose for the Namaste Charter School Board of Directors will be to provide financial, administrative and operational support for Namaste Charter School to help the school achieve its mission. The specific powers and duties of the Namaste Charter School board of directors are as follows: Powers        Approve all actions requested by the school director and/or teachers of the Namaste Charter School. Approve all policies and establish procedures for exercising non-delegable powers. Make and enforce reasonable rules and regulations for the efficient conduct of the school. Ensure compliance with the Illinois School Code and Illinois State Learning Standards. Represent Namaste Charter School in a legal capacity. Evaluate year-end performance. Strategic planning for future Namaste expectations and growth Duties       The board will develop policies which state clearly the goals, direction and purpose of the school. The board will be the link between the school and the community. The board will focus on long term benefits to students and community and have oversight for the implementation of goals. The board will discipline itself in order to govern with excellence. The board will represent the entire community and must avoid conflict of interest with respect to their fiduciary responsibilities. The board must respect the confidentiality of executive session. 42) How many members will serve on your board? In our first year of operation, our board will contain a maximum of 10 members. The members are as follows: Allison Slade Katherine Graves Jay Young Brian Hays Ellen Cohen Beatriz Rendon Kathleen Korb During the planning year and our first year of operation, Namaste Charter School will make every effort to add community members to our board of directors in order to best meet the needs of the community in which we will ultimately reside. Additionally, we will add board members in order to fill specific needs that remain void or inadequate. 43) What types of skills or qualifications will your board members have? Namaste Charter Schools proposed board members will be a group of concerned individuals with special skills and diverse backgrounds with sufficient contacts throughout the community to assist in the governance and fundraising efforts of Namaste Charter School. Our board members range in age, experience and professional knowledge. Currently the Namaste Charter School board has representation from the following sectors:        Elementary Education Higher Education Law Medicine Foundation Community Consulting Community Marketing The members of the Namaste Charter School Board have been an integral part of the original planning process for the school. Their experience varies but their skills and qualifications for being a part of the Namaste board remain constant:      Love of children and learning The belief that a healthy lifestyle leads to a more active student mind. The belief that choice in public education is necessary. The belief that all children can learn and perform at high levels. The commitment to obtaining the financial and academic resources necessary to succeed. 44) Outline any committees that the board may have. As stated in our bylaws: The board of directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the directors in office, may designate one (1) or more committees, each of which shall consist of two (2) or more directors and such other persons as the board of directors designates, provided that a majority of each committee’s membership shall be directors. The committees, to the extend provided in said resolution and not restricted by law, shall have and exercise the authority of the board of directors in the management of the corporation; but the designation of such committees and the delegation thereto of authority shall not operate to relieve the board of directors, or any individual director, of any responsibility imposed on it, him or her by law. The following is a list of committees the board of directors may form in its first year. Certainly as the needs of Namaste change, so too will the committees required for its success:  Technology: In its first few years of operation, Namaste Charter School board will create a technology committee. The primary purpose of this committee is to ensure that Namaste students have access to and education in technology. This committee will probably work on a variety of issues including networking the building, purchasing or receiving computers by loan, investigations into other technology sources and uses and professional development opportunities in the area of technology for our teachers. Community Outreach/Community Relations: Since community involvement is one of our core values as well as being a vital part of student achievement in school, the board will create a community relations committee. We expect that this committee will consist of parents and community members, as well as Namaste staff members and a public relations specialist. Together, these members will be able to bring diverse perspectives to the creation of a short and long term community relations plan. Curriculum: The curriculum committee of the Board will work closely with the Director of Instruction to help identify additional professional development opportunities within and outside of the school to further educate the staff on implementing the curriculum of Namaste Charter School Finance: The finance committee will coordinate the Board’s financial oversight responsibility by recommending policy to the board and monitoring its implementation. The Finance committee will have two major responsibilities: create and execute a fundraising plan implementing and overseeing activities related to fundraising and recommend approval of large financial endeavors by Namaste Charter School. They will create and review the budget each year and create a review the fundraising plan each year.    45) How often will your board and its committees meet? As stipulated in our bylaws, a regular annual meeting of the board of directors shall be held on the first day of May each year at such a time and place as determined by the president. Additionally, in its first year, the board will meet at the conclusion of each trimester to review progress toward articulated goals and create and approve goals, curriculum, hirings, and finances for the upcoming trimester. Every effort will be made to maintain consistent communication between the board of directors, the school directors and the school staff. Committees will meet on an as need basis, and Namaste Charter School will provide a staff representative to be present at each meeting. 46) How will board vacancies be filled? Any vacancy occurring in the board of directors or any directorship to be filled by reason of an increase in the number of directors shall be filled by the board of directors. A director elected or appointed, as the case may be, to fill a vacancy shall be elected for the unexpired term of his or her predecessor in office. 47) List all currently-identified board members and provide a complete resume for each individual (including employer, title, phone number, and duties). Allison Slade Katherine Graves Ellen Cohen Jay Young Brian Hays Beatriz Rendon Kathleen Korb Gideon Gradman See Appendix M for resumes 48) Are there individuals who made a significant contribution to this application who will not be on the governing board? If so, provide a complete resume for each individual and describe how, if at all, each person will continue to serve the charter school. See Appendix N Allison Jack, Consultant from The Beanstalk Group, instrumental in operations aspects of application Carly Crone, After School Matters, Assisted with creation of mission and vision and integration of physical fitness into curriculum Abigayil Joseph, Chicago Public Schools, Assisted with professional development and creation of some aspects of the curriculum Bob Kim, Real Estate Assistance 49) If this application is being submitted by an existing nonprofit organization: a. Will the existing board also govern the charter school or will the school form a new nonprofit corporation with its own, separate board? b. If the existing board will govern the charter school, what steps will it take to transform its board membership, mission and bylaws to take on its new duties? If a new board will be formed, describe how the new board will be created and what, if anything, its ongoing relationship will be to the existing board. Since the Namaste Charter School Board of Directors was created specifically to advance and support the mission of Namaste Charter School, no transformative actions are necessary. However, we will continually re-evaluate the needs of the school and the community and add and/or alter the board as determined. We received our Federal Tax ID Number on October 8, 2003. 50) Will parents, teachers and community members be involved in the governance of your school? If so, how? Teachers, parents and community members will certainly be involved in the governance and oversight of the school. Having an open door leadership policy and a belief in moral, collective leadership will help create the foundation of such involvement. Examples of community involvement in the governance of Namaste Charter School are:  Regular community meetings that focus on how we are working on the mission and vision through curriculum, student activities, board work, fundraising, choosing what ―extras‖ we can add to the day, etc. Creating a formal process for how school-wide decisions are made. Sharing the vision with families and teachers and using that as the basis for making governance decisions. Having town hall meetings twice a year. Creating multiple ways for members to give feedback (town hall meetings, open door policy , open board meetings, written feedback, good communication with entire school community). Participation on the board. The parent representative on the board will be the board liaison to the parent group. The representative will communicate parents needs to the board.       51) Attach a copy of your State of Illinois Articles of Incorporation, issued by the Secretary of State, and Form NFP-102.10 “Names and Addresses of Incorporators” as Appendix B. Please see Appendix B GENERAL MANAGEMENT 52) Who will work on a full-time or nearly full-time basis immediately to start the school? How will this person be compensated? The majority of the work to start the school is shared by Katie Graves, Allison Jack and Allison Slade. There are a number of other people with specialized knowledge taking on specific responsibilities. We submitted a pre-planning grant to the state, but because we received our federal tax ID only recently, we are awaiting final word from ISBE. Most of the work done on the applications was through donations of time by very committed individuals. See Appendix L. 53) Describe the management and staff structure of your school, including the number and types of positions and each position’s duties. Provide a resume for each identified staff person (e.g. principal, business manager). The founders of Namaste Charter School believe strongly in the equitable distribution of power and responsibility among staff and faculty. Therefore, we will manage our school through a system of shared leadership. That being said, each person will have different, but equivalent roles and responsibilities as follows:  Principal (Katie Graves) will be responsible for the operations of the school (budget, schedule, facilities, safety, etc.), assuring quality of teaching and learning, promoting the vision, mission, and goals and developing a means to reach them. The principal’s role is entrepreneurial in nature as this person will seek to build partnerships and secure support for the school from a wide variety of sources. The principal will oversee the daily operations of the school. Instructional Leader/ Teaching and Learning Specialist (Allison Slade) will be responsible for modeling teaching practice, establishing professional development schedules and opportunities, supervising curriculum, and assuring quality of teaching and learning. In the first two years, she will be a full-time classroom teacher. External Partnerships Coordinator/Director of Development will be responsible for representing the school in the community, developing capital, public relations, fund raising, recruiting students, buffering and mediating external interests, and advocating for the school’s interests. Four classroom teachers and one physical education/health teacher will be responsible for educating students and building their love of learning, involving parents in the education process, and supporting the development of the school culture. Office Manager will be in charge of the communications, phone lines, parent contact, CPS forms, attendance, basic bookkeeping and a variety of other administrative tasks. Two teacher assistants will be responsible for assisting teachers with their daily duties in educating the children. Additionally, they will supervise lunch duty so that teachers may have a duty free lunch and will be offered the opportunity to work during inter-sessions.      54) Provide an organization chart showing lines of authority among board, advisory bodies (if any) and staff. Our Current organizational chart is designed for our first year of operation but was designed to expand with the school as the teaching, office and external staff grow. Namaste Board of Directors Instructional Leader Principal External Partnerships Coordinator Teaching Staff Office Staff Kindergarten Team (2) First Grade Team Specialists (part time) (Gym, art, music) Office Manager 55) If you have not yet identified your school’s director(s) or educational leader(s), describe the qualities, qualifications and experience of the individual you seek. Explain how you will recruit candidates for your school’s leadership positions. We have identified our school’s education leader. Katie Graves’ resume is in Appendix M. Katie embodies the spirit of Namaste Charter School. In her six years as a teacher, she demonstrated relentless drive to do whatever it took to ensure all her students excelled academically. She is talented, driven, and results-oriented educator. She will help us produce an environment at Namaste that endows students with the skills, confidence and encouragement to achieve at high levels. Her current work at Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Principalship program has enabled her to gain additional skills in the area of management, finance, school law and data analysis. Katie is a former teacher leader who will lead with a sensitivity, drive, and patience necessary for a successful start-up. 56) Describe or provide a copy of your school’s personnel policies, including hiring, training, salaries, work schedules, performance evaluation, incentive policies, discipline, and dismissal. Below are the elements that will be included in our personnel policy handbook. 1. Hiring teachers         Letter of Hire Administrative structure and reporting Mission of the school Professional development Work day hours Identification Card New Employee Orientation Job Descriptions     Probationary Period Benefit Eligibility Payroll Schedules Employment Categories • Full-time regular • Part-time regular. • Temporary  Job Evaluations 2. Job Responsibilities                  Time Records Overtime Reporting Absences Access to Personnel File Employment of Relatives Change in Personal Status Personal Business Conflict of Interest Inventions, Discoveries and Software Information Systems Security Solicitation Phone Calls Substance Abuse Sexual Harassment Lunch and Breaks Appearance Grievance Procedure               Smoking Payroll Deductions Direct Deposit Program Garnishments and Wage Assignments Performance Appraisal Promotions and Transfers Seniority Safety Progressive Corrective Action Termination Procedure Job Abandonment Employee Complaint Procedure Compliance w/ Policies & Procedures Re-Employment of Former Employees 3. Benefits       Paid Absences Holidays and Vacation Personal Holidays Vacation Sick Leave Bereavement Pay     Jury Duty Voting Leave of Absence (LOA) Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)  Military Leave 4. Benefits Office      5. 5 Medical & Dental Insurance Health Insurance Denial Bonus Group Term Life Insurance Maternity Leave Short-Term Disability     Long-Term Disability Educational Assistance Retirement Worker's Compensation -- Injury on the Job 57) Describe the systems that will be established to manage (a) cash flow, (b) purchasing, (c) payroll and (d) audits. Our office manager, principal, part-time bookkeeper and the finance committee of the board will meet in June of every year to solidify an annual budget that has been prepared by the office manager and the principal based on the needs of the teachers and other priorities of the school and the board. The school will operate with a balanced budget and will ensure such a budget through the use of a computerized program such as Quicken. Cash flow will be projected and monitored to ensure that expenses such as pension payments, payroll taxes, insurance coverage, and loan payments are paid when due. Our bookkeeper will visit the school twice a month to work with the office manager and the principal to ensure the books are being kept appropriately. The office manager will work with the bookkeeper and Finance Committee to make sure appropriate procedures are followed to safeguard the assets of the school. a) Cash Flow The office manager will keep track of cash flow with a computerized accounting program such as Quicken, which will provide detailed financial statements and balance sheets. These documents will be reviewed at monthly board meetings. The finance committee of the board will provide start-up and technical assistance to the office manager. Tracking the cash flow carefully with the help of the bookkeeper, the office manager will report to the principal with financial statements regularly. b) Purchasing protocol will be set up by the office manager with the help of members of the finance committee. Each grade level team will be allotted a certain amount of money for his or her classroom for the year. Orders will be completed via the school’s purchase order form and must be submitted to the school’s business manager for approval and processing. Orders that exceed approved budget totals must receive formal approval by the school’s principal. The office manager will reimburse teachers in a timely fashion. Purchase orders may be used to make purchases directly from the school budget. c) Payroll We will outsource payroll and offer direct deposit to all teachers. Payroll will be outsourced to a payroll vendor such as Paychex. Daily timesheets will be maintained in the school’s main office. The school’s administrative assistant will total hours worked at the end of each pay period for all staff and submit timesheets and totals to the business manager for payroll processing. The business manager will approve the totals, initial the timesheet summary, and call in the payroll data to the payroll vendor for check creation or direct deposit transfer. d) Audits As required by law, annual audits will be conducted by an independent certified public accountant. Since the school’s fiscal year ends on June 30 of each year, the school will plan to begin the audit engagement by August 15 to produce the final audit reports by September 15 of each year. The school’s business manager will staff the audit and prepare the necessary documentation required by the auditors. The school’s principal will meet with the auditors to address the 13 compliance audit items. 58) What financial documents and statements will the school regularly produce? Who will prepare them? How often? Who will review them and for what purpose? In addition to the paper required by CPS, the office manager will print up a balance sheet with expenditures vs. revenues on a monthly with the support of the bookkeeper. The Finance Committee will review the financial forms quarterly and report to the entire board about the state of the budget. The board will ensure that the budget is balanced and in alignment with estimates for the year. When large unexpected expenditures come up, the office manager and principal may discuss it with the Finance committee members. SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT ISSUES 59) Describe how your school will meet the transportation needs of its pupils and your plan to address the transportation needs of low-income and at-risk students. Namaste will make every effort to ensure that the school is available to students from all parts of the city. Once we know our enrollment, we will convene a meeting where the administration of the school will discuss transportation needs with the parents. As an elementary school, we need to help secure transportation other than public transportation to get our students to and from school. Strategies we will suggest include: parent carpools, a bus service subsidized by parents, helping parents get reimbursement from the state for driving their children to school, and other creative solutions. Although our students will be too young for the first five years to use public transportation, when it becomes and option, we will help students secure reimbursement from the state from funds for this purpose. 60) Describe your school’s plans for providing student food services. Currently, we are planning to use the food service of CPS in the first year and it is free. However, once our charter is approved, Namaste Charter School plans to research and submit several grant proposals to corporations and businesses that believe in our mission. Kraft, foods and Starbucks foundation are two companies for whom we have located specific grants dedicated to healthy lifestyles for kids and/or educational related initiatives. We anticipate that due to the small size of our school, we will be able to locate a funding source and then a suitable lunch provider in order to ―practice what we preach‖ about health and nutrition and actually provide a truly healthy breakfast and lunch. We are also in the process of creating a fundraising plan for this specific purpose. 61) Provide a written estimate from an insurance agent or broker for the costs of the coverages outlined in the document “Insurance Requirements.” See Appendix O FINANCES 62) Using the information provided in the Introduction and Information document, complete and submit Forms 1 through 5 from the “Finances” Excel worksheet: Five-Year Operating Budget, Assumptions, Grants, Start-Up Budget, and Cash Flow Budget. See Appendix P FACILITY 63) What is the address of your proposed school? We have been in discussions with two organizations in regards to the opportunity to rent space for Namaste Charter School. In September, we submitted a proposal to the McCormick Tribune YMCA located at 1834 N. Lawndale, Chicago, IL 60647 for rental of their five classrooms on the second floor of the building for a short term lease. We met with attorneys and the executive director on October 2, 2003 and the YMCA is still considering our proposal. The proposal and presentation from the meeting is located in Appendix T. We are hopeful that if we receive a charter, the YMCA will be willing to take a chance and rent to us. We could help that YMCA Logan Square recruit more members as we become a community meeting place. In addition, given our strong affinity for health and well being, we could hardly find a more perfect setting for the school. The McCormick Tribune YMCA was built in 2001 and therefore needs very few renovations, if any, to bring it up to school code. We have also had extensive conversations with the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. We are currently looking at a closed catholic school located at 3540 S. Hermitage Ave. Father Highland is willing to rent to us and will be forwarding a memorandum of understanding shortly. Additionally, we are aware of the fact that there are several other catholic schools on the north and northwest sides that may be willing to rent to us and will be investigating those opportunities. Finally, we know there are several schools on the north side that have been experiencing declining enrollment over the past few years. Therefore, there are several vacant classrooms. We would be interested in exploring the opportunity to rent directly from you, Chicago Public Schools, since our need is so minimal (just 4 classrooms and a small office space in the first year) We are confident that there is a need for high quality educational options across the city of Chicago and believe we are specifically addressing a need that is pertinent across the inner city. Therefore, wherever our final location terminates, we will make it successful for all parties involved. 64) Provide information about your ability to secure this facility through one of the following: a. Preferred: Provide a Letter of Intent, signed by the building owner, to lease or sell the proposed facility to your organization; or if obtaining such a letter is not possible, b. Alternative: Provide a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the building owner, that does each of the following: i. Describes the status of negotiations with your organization regarding the possible lease or purchase of the building should you obtain the charter, ii. Describes any foreseeable conditions, circumstances or considerations that may affect the decision to lease or sell the building to your organization, iii. Specifies any decision-making process that may be required before an agreement can be finalized (e.g. a board vote, zoning approval) iv. Specifies a date by which a decision to lease or sell is likely to be reached. 65) Submit a completed “Building Information” and “Inspection Report,” completed by a CPS pre-qualified architect from the list provided as a separate document. Will be submitted as Appendix Q 66) IF rehabilitation work is necessary for this site, provide a plan that details how such work will be completed before the start of the school year, including: a. The scope of the work to be completed, b. The person(s) who will manage the project, c. A project timeline, and d. Sources and Uses of Funds for Facility Development (“S&U” tab in Excel Workbook). Will be submitted in Appendix Q 67) IF your proposed site is not zoned to permit a school, you must attach a letter from the alderman indicating that s/he is open to considering a zoning change should you receive a charter. n/a 68) IF your school is not starting at full capacity, describe how you will accommodate growth over the term of the charter. Due to the small size of our school in the first few years, we will be able to grow within our building for at least two years. Over the first two years, we plan to fundraise, do additional real estate research and parent surveys to find both a location and a site for the permanent home of Namaste Charter School. 69) IF you have a secondary or back-up facility for your school, provide as much information as possible for that facility in response to questions 60 through 65. Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Appendix F Appendix G Appendix H Appendix I Appendix J Appendix K Appendix L Appendix M Appendix N Appendix O Appendix P Appendix Q Appendix R Appendix S Appendix T Index of Appendices Research Supporting Namaste Curriculum Articles of Incorporation Curriculum Alignment to Illinois Learning Standards First Grade Developmental Indicators Protocols for Teacher-Teacher Discussions Evaluation Forms (Formal and Self) Research on Year Round School School Calendar Potential Marketing Piece List of Possible Parents Letters of Support Responsibilities and Planning Grant Board of Directors Resumes Additional Resumes from Planning Committee Insurance Quote Budget Building Memorandum Health Research Agendas from Planning Committee Meetings Meeting Notes with YMCA