1. Who can attend the school?
Any child going into sixth or seventh grade and resides within Sarasota County. Eighth grade will be added in the 2012-2013 school year.
2. Is there an enrollment fee?
No, SKY Academy is a charter school within the Sarasota County School District and therefore there is no tuition or enrollment charge.
3. What is a charter school?
Charter schools are set up as alternative schools within a public school district and families may choose to enroll their children at one as long as there is space available. Charter schools are not subject to the same rules and regulations as traditional public schools, but have accountability for producing academic results. Each charter school has their own school board that determines the school’ s focus, hires the principal and sets rules for their student body.
4. Where is SKY Academy located?
The school will be located in new and renovated buildings on the same site as the existing South County Family YMCA — 701 Center Road in Venice, Florida. View the map here.
5. Why is the South County Family YMCA opening a charter school?
For more than 30 years, the South County Family YMCA has been committed to assisting individuals and families reach their full potential through mind, body and spirit.
The Y’s programs promote healthy lifestyles, strengthen families, develop self-confidence and leadership in youth, build a better community and foster greater appreciation for human and cultural diversity.
This is done every day for the membership. Now, the Y wants to extend these opportunities to a limited number of middle school-aged youth to ensure our future citizens are healthy in body and mind, that they stay in school and, of course, achieve to their highest potential.
6. Will proximity to the existing Y facility be safe for students?
Only students and their families will have access to the school building. It’s a small, safe and secure environment.
7. Will students have to pay for a Y membership to use the facilities?
No. Students of SKY Academy will automatically become members of the YMCA at no charge. Students may also take advantage of free before and after-school programs, which is convenient for working parents.
8. What are the school hours?
SKY Academy will have extended school hours in order to incorporate a 90-minute block of physical activity first thing in the morning. School will begin at 8:00 AM and end at 3:00 P.M.
9. What are the hours of the before- and after-school program?
To accommodate working parents, SKY Academy will have a before-school program that begins at 6:45 AM and an after-school program that will start when school lets out at 3:00 PM and end at 6:00 PM.
10. What is SKY Academy’s mission?
The mission is to promote preadolescent student achievement through rigorous infusion of wellness strategies into the learning of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards to enable students to live a healthful, enjoyable life.
11. What is the school’s focus?
The SKY Academy’s focus is on building sharp minds and strong bodies to reach high results in achievement. It is based on research that confirms physical activity builds and conditions the brain for learning. In fact, schools around the nation using this philosophy have shown outstanding results in student achievement, fitness and well being.
12. What do you mean by “wellness”?
SKY Academy defines wellness as having physical, social, intellectual, occupational and emotional strength.
Wellness is an active process, which constantly changes and improves. In other words, the more you are exposed to experiences that are positive, healthy, thought-provoking and challenging, the more you incorporate them into your daily life and the more you accomplish.
SKY Academy’s culture of wellness is the fuel for a lifestyle of healthy choices and a lifelong feeling of confidence and achievement.
13. Why is daily exercise so important?
Energizing students through daily fun, non-competitive physical activity has profound effects on your child’s memory, concentration and academics. Research confirms student achievement soars when mind and body gain strength through exercise.* Some examples are:
8th grade students in high achieving Naperville, Illinois, scored first in the world in science and sixth in math in a 1999 international test.
Struggling high school freshman students improved 17% in reading in one semester in the same district.
A Kansas City, Missouri, inner-city elementary school reduced discipline problems by 250% in one year.
* Spark, by Dr. John R. Ratey, M.D.
14. What are the physical activities in which students may choose to participate?
Since SKY Academy is on the South County Family YMCA’s campus, students can choose from a host of fitness activities, including swimming, gymnastics, skateboarding, wall climbing, fencing, dancing, strength and cardio-vascular training, various ball sports (tennis, racquetball, basketball, soccer.)
15. What else is unique about this school’s curriculum?
SKY Academy will meet and exceed the district and state curriculum standards. The Academy will compete with national and international Math, Science and Reading criteria and measures, with the expectation to surpass all No Child Left Behind benchmarks.
As a public school, SKY Academy has the same standards as the other public schools; it’s our approach that makes us unique. Subjects will be studied through the lens of wellness. Instruction will be individualized based upon each student’s skills, interests and abilities. In addition, art will be integrated into the studies.
Students will be challenged and engaged in their learning to maximize their critical, collaborative and creative thinking skills. They will help plan how the units of study will be implemented and will work in teams on challenging projects to share with the class. Making healthy and positive choices will become routine for each student.
Whether a child is academically gifted or struggling, physically out of shape or a stellar athlete, his or her potential will sky rocket at SKY Academy.
16. What if my child is gifted, talented or has some learning problems?
Whether your child is gifted, talented or struggling to catch up, his or her potential will sky rocket at SKY Academy. Coursework will be rigorous and will challenge your child at any level of ability. For the high achieving student, the curriculum will include but not be limited to opportunities for problem-solving, problem-based learning, application of knowledge and skills, and leadership opportunities.
At-risk students, or those needing extra interventions, will have additional time on task, small group instruction and, if needed, another 90 minutes of focused reading daily.
Each student will be accountable for his or her learning and continual assessment will help keep him or her on track. If your child has not achieved mastery of a skill, it will be re-taught and re-assessed until mastery is achieved. Success has no boundaries at SKY Academy.
17. Why do families sign an academic contract?
Families play an integral role in the development and monitoring of the student’s personal education plan. The contract is a way of ensuring parents or guardians continually assist their child in reaching his or her personal academic and fitness goals.
18. How will I know if my child is having success?
Since your child will have an individualized learning plan, you will be an important part of the education decisions affecting him or her. Ongoing progress monitoring will help determine the child’s mastery of skills.
Families will have access to an electronic grade book to help you monitor your child’s progress from home. Also, there will be “Student Led Conferencing” twice per school year to share specific information related to your child’s reading levels and learning gains.
19. Will the school follow the Sarasota County School’s yearly calendar?
Yes, SKY Academy will follow the school district calendar and have the same start and finish dates, holidays, vacation times and professional development days. In addition, the Academy will offer a 30-day summer session for those students who need intensive remediation in the areas of reading, writing and mathematics. The South County Family YMCA offers an extensive Summer Camp for the students in the community. This program will be a part of the SKY Academy summer session.
20. What will a typical day look like?
7:50 a.m. – Warning Bell
8:00 – 8:10 a.m. – STUDENT HOMEROOM (ADVISORY/MENTORING: Readiness for school, individual conferencing with students, career activities, technology preparation, and character education.)
8:10 – 9:00 a.m. – PHYSICAL EDUCATION, FITNESS & HEALTH (90 minutes of activity per day in two 45-minute blocks of time.)
9:00 – 9:05 a.m. – pass
9:05 – 9:55 a.m. – LANGUAGE ARTS/ENGLISH
9:55 – 10:00 a.m. – pass
10:00 – 10:50 a.m. – Advanced MATH (additional Math block for students who need support.)
10:50 – 10:55 a.m. – pass
10:55 – 11:25 a.m. – CAFETERIA/LUNCH
STUDENTS pass directly to class from lunch.
11:25 – 12:15 p.m. – SOCIAL STUDIES & SPANISH
12:15 – 12:20 p.m. – pass
12:20 – 1:10 p.m. – Advanced SCIENCE
1:10 – 1:15 p.m. – pass
1:15 – 2:05 p.m. – PHYSICAL EDUCATION, FITNESS & HEALTH
2:05 – 2:10 p.m. – pass
2:10 – 3:00 p.m. – ELECTIVE (ART, INT. READING or INT. MATH)
3:00 – 3:05 p.m. – pass
3:05 – 3:15 p.m. – STUDENT HOMEROOM (End of Day activities, announcements and technology.)
3:15 p.m. – FINAL BELL – END OF SCHOOL DAY
21. Will transportation be provided?
Students residing within a two (2) mile radius must furnish their own transportation unless there are hazardous walking conditions. Those living outside the two (2) miles but within four (4) miles of the school will be eligible for transportation. Transportation may be considered for students living beyond four miles through depot stops, and on a space available basis.
22. How will food service be provided?
The SKY Academy will contract with the Sarasota County School District to provide nutritious meals for our students.
23. Who is the principal?
The Principal is Dr. Oleh A. Bula, who comes to SKY Academy from Orange County Public Schools where he served as a high school Assistant Principal and recently started Florida’ s first K-12 charter school as principal. A published researcher and adjunct professor, Dr. Bula has more than 18 years experience in business, military and education.
24. What can you tell me about the teachers?
We will be hiring “Highly Qualified” teachers who are motivated and energized for teaching and learning. Each teacher will be certified in his/her content area for Middle School Education (grades 6-8).
In addition to meeting all requirements for their state content area certifications, all teachers are expected to be trained in Content Area Reading and in Disciplined Art Based Education.
