Adrian Hands Academy Parent Information Session
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Adrian Hands Academy is a TK-8 public charter school focused on STEAM, trilingual education, and peacebuilding, founded in memory of Adrian Hands. The mission is to cultivate global citizens able to build a peaceful society, fostering collaboration among diverse cultures. The school aims for a student enrollment of 256 in its first year, with a projected capacity of 648, emphasizing smaller class sizes and innovative education methods.
Adrian Hands Academy Parent Information Session
- 1. ADRIAN HANDS ACADEMY Parent Information Session
- 2. Who are we? Adrian Hands Academy is a TK-8 public charter school with an educational focus in STEAM, Trilingual education, and Peacebuilding. We will be located within the Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD).
- 3. Who was Adrian Hands? AHA is being founded in memory of Adrian Hands, an inspiring individual with firm convictions, a clear vision, indomitable courage, and unlimited energy. He was a bicyclist, engineer, software developer, and environmentalist, who loved learning and new experiences, believed in peacemaking among cultures and language groups, and had a passion for community building and serving the needy. He passed away in February 2011 due to complications of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
- 4. Our Founder Dr. Padmini S. Hands is an educator, computer scientist, and musician, and has worked with students in preschool through college for more than 30 years. After Adrian Hands passed away, Dr. Hands founded the Creative Learning Academy preschool, where she currently oversees the early education of approximately 60 children, ages zero through six. Padmini chose a charter school as the appropriate structure for the elementary and middle programs, so that, she could reach all families seeking a quality education. Throughout her life, Padmini has established and led world-music choral groups and bands involving adults and youth. As a musician and music teacher she is able to introduce her students to songs and poems from sixteen different cultures. Building a peaceful society, in her opinion, is a steady process of all of us getting to know and understand ourselves and each other. A powerful way to make this connection is to learn world languages and come to know the cultures of many parts of the world, including our own.
- 5. Our Board Our current* Board Members are listed below: *We are expanding our Governance Team to include individuals with wisdom, experience, and strategic thinking in Marketing (Community Outreach), Finance, Fundraising, Facilities. Dr. Anna Varvak Professor, Soka University of America Dr. Chiung- Sally Chou Chief Academic Officer (Rtd.), Santa-Monica Malibu USD Dr. Nancy Hodes Professor Emerita, Chinese, Soka University of America Dr. Kevin Moncrief Co-founder, Cognizioni IT Solutions
- 6. What we stand for: Mission & Vision The mission of Adrian Hands Academy is to cultivate global citizens empowered to build a peaceful society. Our vision is that our students will matriculate as self-reliant global citizens who are effective, skilled and contributive members of society. Our students will collaborate and communicate with diverse ethnicities and cultures, and will embrace new and different ideas. AHA students will develop their own identity and understand their role in the development of a peaceful society. AHA will empower its students to generate solutions to problems through creative and critical thinking, to innovate ideas, products and services for newly developing needs, and to participate fully and functionally in the diverse society in which they live.
- 7. Quick Facts about AHA Grades open Year 1 - TK/K (60), Grade 1 (60), Grade 2 (20), Grade 3 (20), Grade 6 (24), Grade 7 (72) Projected Enrollment Year 1- 256 students, and at capacity - 648 students Student to Teacher ratio - TK-5 → 20:1, 6-8 → 24:1 Projected Instructional Days - 183 Term of Charter - July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2022
- 8. Our Educational Program & Philosophy STEAM Peacebuilding Trilingual Education Academic Competence Social & Emotional Competence Linguistic & Cultural Competence Educational Program Educational Philosophy
- 9. Instructional Design & Approaches Constructivist Project Based Learning Online blended Learning Learning in other languages Social Emotional Learning
- 10. Our Timeline Petition to SVUSD SVUSD accepts petition Public Hearing SVUSD Board votes Jan 23, 2017 Feb 9, 2017 Mar 9, 2017 Apr 6, 2017
- 11. Public Hearing Preparation Sessions February 25, Saturday @ 10am Venue: 28721 Los Alisos Blvd, Mission Viejo, CA 92692 FINAL REVIEW: March 9, Thursday @ 5:00pm Venue: 28721 Los Alisos Blvd, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
- 12. How You Can Help 1. Connect with SVUSD Board a. Communicate the main talking points: Value of trilingual education, benefit of smaller class sizes, commitment to recruit students who have opted out 2. Help us connect with interested families. We need to show sufficient interest to justify the charter opening in 2017. 3. Give or get funds to support the effort.