36,000 PARENT VOLUNTEER HOURS: RADICALLY CHANGING CHARTER SCHOOL DYNAMICS Belmont Academy Charter School Michael Cady, Principal Dominique Ward, Assistant.

36,000 PARENT VOLUNTEER HOURS: RADICALLY CHANGING

CHARTER SCHOOL DYNAMICS

Belmont Academy Charter School

Michael Cady, Principal

Dominique Ward, Assistant Principal

BELMONT ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL

• Inaugural school year: 2013-2014

• Currently Serves 405 Students in Pre-K through 10th grades

• 24 Faculty Members

• Located in Lake City, Florida

• Columbia County School District

VisionAcademic Excellence

through

Visionary Leaders, Empowered Teachers,

and

Involved Parents

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

• Earned an A with 610/800 Points for the 2013-2014 School Year

• Rated 13th in Florida’s K-8 Combination Schools

• Top in District for all Middle School Grades

• FCAT Math, FCAT Reading, FCAT Writing, FCAT Science, & Civics EOC

• Top in District for Elementary

• 3rd Grade Reading, 5th Grade Reading and Science

INAUGURAL YEAR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• 96.2 % Attendance Rate: Highest in Columbia County

• Zero Behavioral Referrals

• Candidate for AdvancED Accreditation in June 2015

• Successful Annual Financial Audit Report

• Collaborative Relationship with CCSD, our Charter Sponsor

• Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program Established

• Approved by District for Grades Pre-K to 12 by 2016-2017

BACKGROUND

• Families of Home-Schooled Children

• Charter Approved in June 2012

• Building Construction Began Late Summer 2012

• School Opened August 2013

THE STRATEGIC PLAN

• Volunteer Requirement in Enrollment Agreement

• 100 Hours/Year, 50 Hours/Semester, 3 Hours/Week

• Created Necessary Volunteer Categories to Meet School Needs

• Collected Volunteer Interest Survey Data from Families

• Assigned Families to Different Categories

• Subscribe to Planning Center Online

• Utilize Raptor System to Track Volunteer Hours

• Utilize Mail Chimp Newsletters to Communicate with Families

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

• Arrival & Dismissal Teams

• Front Desk Clerk

• Classroom Helpers

• Lunch Crew

• Special Area Helpers

• Cleaning Crews

• Landscaping and Building Crews

• At-Home Assistance

ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL TEAMS

FRONT DESK CLERK

• Greet Families

• Answers Telephone

• Handles Early Dismissals

• Check In All Visitors and Volunteers using Raptor System

CLERICAL ASSISTANCE

Copying Laminating

CLASSROOM HELPERS

• Differentiated Instruction

• Reduced Teacher: Student Ratio

• Small Group Assistance

• Individual Work

CLASSROOM HELPERS

• Escort & Supervise Elementary Students

• Special Area

• Recess

• Lunch

• Dismissal

LUNCH CREWS

• Supervises students during lunch

• Clean tables

• Assist classes with entering and dismissing from lunch

SPECIAL AREA HELPERS

Art

Music

Physical Education

Tech Lab

CLEANING CREWS

• After-School Mon-Fri

• Saturday Mornings

• Following Special School Functions

LANDSCAPING & BUILDING CREWS

AT-HOME & AFTER-SCHOOL ASSISTANCE

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AT SPECIAL EVENTS

• Open House

• Fall Festival

• Planning and Set-Up

• Scholastic Book Fair

• Decorating

• Science Fair

• Judging

HOW DID WE ORGANIZE ALL OF THIS?

Planning and Managing Data

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• Planning Center Online

• Schedules volunteers via e-mail

• Volunteers can accept or decline invitations

• If a volunteer declines an invitation for a regularly-scheduled position, they are encouraged to find replacement.

PLANNING CENTER ONLINE

RAPTOR SYSTEM REPORT

RAPTOR SYSTEM REPORT

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

• Safety Patrol assist Arrival/Dismissal Teams

• Secondary Students tutoring Elementary Students

• Students pre-clean classrooms for Cleaning Crew

• Students work alongside Landscape Crew

BELMONT BENEFITS!

• Support for our school’s vision

• Academic Excellence through Visionary Leaders, Empowered Teachers, and Involved Parents

• Increased Sense of Community

• Family Ownership

• Increased Exposure of Adult Positive Role Models

• 200 Volunteer Hours per Day

• School’s Academic Focus Expanded

• 25 Volunteers have Acquired Paraprofessional Certification

BELMONT BENEFITS!

• Student Safety

• Availability of Adult Advocates for All Students

• Scholastic Improvement

• Ability to differentiate teaching and learning

• Increased personnel to provide instructional support

• Higher Teacher Morale

• Increased Planning Time

• Decreased Distractions

• Decreased Non-Instructional Tasks- “I Just Want to Teach!”

• Reduced Student Misbehavior

• Increased adult supervision on campus

Belmont Academy Charter School

1476 SW Walter Avenue

Lake City, Florida 32024

www.belmontacademy.com