Connecting Waters Charter School

December 2002

It has been a joy to work with our wonderful families and ESs. Everyone is so eager to work to make our new school the best that it can be. I believe that it is important that all of us are focused and are working towards the same goals. Several of our fantastic parents, ESs, and I met several times in order to develop our mission statement. This will enable us to be more focused as we develop our school and go through the accreditation process. Our mission statement was also given to several seniors for review. Our mission statement is currently being sent out to families who are interested in enrolling in our school. Here it is….

The mission of CWCS is to: Empower a community of parents, students, and teachers to create learning opportunities which will develop accountable, responsible, and contributing members of society who are independent, life-long learners.

Creating learning opportunities by:

v Assisting students and parents with educational guidance

v Individualizing curriculum to meet students’ needs

v Providing materials, resources and supportive instruction

v Allowing flexibility in both teaching styles and learning styles

v Promoting real-life context-based learning

v Challenging students to achieve mastery of academic standards

One of our superstar seniors is working very hard to get the rest of our seniors involved in activities where they meet other seniors. She now has other seniors who are taking a leadership roll in organizing some great activities for our graduates. You certainly do not want to be left out of all of the fun…call the Waterford office if you would like information on how you can get involved!

I know of one of our students who is earning community service credits towards graduation through his participation in Waterford Unified School District’s “Practice Pal” program. This student spends an hour a week in the classroom where he listens and reads to younger students. If you would like to know how you can participate in this program just call our Waterford office.

We have completed and sent in our initial visit Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) packet and are awaiting WASC’s response with information, and items requested for the initial visit in the spring. This is the first step in becoming an accredited school. There will be opportunities where you and your students can take part in this important process. We will be forming small committees that look at our school to see if we do what we say that we do. If you would like to participate on one of the committees, please contact me at our Waterford office.

A list of on your own field trips and possible group activities was given to all ESs to distribute to their families. A local activities list (possible non school sponsored fieldtrips) with parent contacts has been sent out on the parent list serve. A big thank you to those who responded to the need of having a contact person! Some of the dates of the activities are coming up fast so call today to reserve your spot.

Our office hours in Waterford are 8:00am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. Our office will be closed December 23, 2002 - January 1, 2003. Have a wonderful break…you deserve it!!!

Submitted by: Sherri Nelson, Director CWCS