Chance School Works toward Re-accreditation with ISACS

An Overview of ISACS Accreditation

Schools accredited by ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States) choose to guide their progress toward an ideal of educational excellence by measuring all aspects of the school against the highest possible standards.

As stated in the ISACS Accreditation Guide, "Throughout the accreditation process, each school is closely monitored for its adherence to three fundamental goals:

1. Compliance with the ISACS standards of membership;
2. Full and accurate disclosure of its mission, philosophy, program, qualifications of its professional staff, procedures and services and congruence between the school's stated mission and its actual program and services; and
3. Comprehensive study of strengths and challenges resulting in plans and priorities for school improvement in all areas of the school".

Chance School is in the second year of the seven-year cycle. The goal for this year's work is to complete the self-study process which is a comprehensive examination identifying its strengths, challenges and plans and priorities for the future.

The ISACS Self-Study/Re-accreditation Process at  

Chance School

Chance School undertakes the ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States) re-accreditation process for the third time. The parent voice was documented last year when Chance families were asked to complete the ISACS survey. The data generated by the survey will be used in each area of the self-study for evaluation purposes, strategic planning and marketing research. Last year's work for re-accreditation included a thorough review and update of the school's Program Guide (the Chance curriculum) by the entire faculty.  Also started last year was the creation of the Program section of the self-study. The Faculty will provide their final review and present "final form" of their portion of the self-study during the in-service days at the end of September.  

During the upcoming school year, committees of Board members, school administrators and faculty will generate reports that document:

The School Community                                                                Equity and Justice

Admissions                                                                        Personnel

School Advancement                                                     Governance                                                      

The Parent Community                                                 Administration

The School Community                                                   Business Management/Financial Affairs

The Local Community                                                    

School Plant and Facilities

School Climate

In the previous two accreditation processes, ISACS held Chance School in good standing and certified that the school had successfully met ISACS standards. In completing each step in the seven year accreditation cycle, the school will have accomplished a thorough study and documentation of its learning community, a review and update of its mission statement, an assessment of its operations and a plan for school improvement.

Fall is here, and there are lots of fun family events going on at Chance this time of year!

We hope everyone enjoyed Parents' Orientation and visiting your child's classroom.  Many thanks to Ellen & Karl Strand for the great job they did hosting the Wine, Cheese & Chocolate social.  Also, Innisbrook, Spiritwear and Scholastic book sales have been wonderful.  Thanks to everyone who supported these very important programs and to our Parents' Council volunteers.

The annual Fall Festival will be on Sunday, October 16, starting at 4:00pm.  We need volunteers to help wherever you can - work for an hour at a craft or game booth, bring some goodies for the cake walk, or help with set up.  Please contact Celeste Verderosa at celeste.espinoza@gmail.com to let her know how you'd like to contribute. This fun family event will have games and activities for kids of all ages.  Join us for gourd bowling, lollipop tree, Steal the Ball, corn hole, pony rides, face painting, prize fishing, pumpkin roll, dunking booth, cake sell-off, arts & crafts and a wonderful afternoon of entertainment with Heidi Howe of Wee Rock.  Delicious food will be provided by 4 Pigs BBQ and Catering, Morals Vegan Wraps, or you are welcome to bring a picnic.  Information about the menu, as well as how to pre-order your meal, is online at: Fall Festival Food Order Form .

Start getting your costumes ready for the Chance "Trunk or Treat" which will be held in the lower parking lot on Saturday, October 29, starting at 6:00pm. Everyone is welcome to dress up, bring candy, and trick or treat from car to car.  Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes, so come show them off and join the fun!  Thank you to Ashley Campbell for organizing this great Halloween event again this year.

Please be sure to stop by the Scholastic Book Fair during parent/teacher conferences on October 28 and 31.  It's a great time to shop for holiday gifts for your child or to check out the teachers' wish lists and buy a book to donate to your child's classroom.

Mark your calendars now for the annual Chance Auction, being held on February 25 at the Henry Clay. The theme this year is the 80's - you're sure to have a totally awesome time.   Help is needed to put on this fun(d)raiser. Contact deb@chanceschool.org to volunteer.

Christine Baltas 

cmbaltas@insightbbb.com 

472-9288

Katy Collis

kcollis@bellsouth.net 

893-3799

The start of the school year has been wonderful for the two's. There are very few tears now and everyone seems very excited to be exploring with their friends!  

We are in the middle of shape exploration right now. We've explored circles, squares, and triangles and next week we will move into rectangles. It is amazing how many different shapes you can find around you, when you look for them. Our 2's have found circle buttons on their clothes, square waffles in our play kitchen; triangle supports that hold up our tables, and much more! They seem to really enjoy finding all the shapes that surround them!

Fall is here and it's definitely our favorite season of the year. We are very excited to start our unit on pumpkins in a couple of weeks. During this unit our focus is on our senses. Our friends will explore their senses by participating in activities such as, feeling the cold, wet pumpkin pulp, smelling pumpkin spice play doh, and tasting homemade pumpkin pie that they make themselves.

As you can see, we've had a fun and educational start to our year. We look forward to the exciting learning experience ahead of us in the 2011-2012 school year!

We are "rock"-ing in the Treehouse! K/1 began this year studying geology. As geologists, we have examined many different types of rocks. The students have used pan balances to compare and contrast the weights and sizes of rocks. Magnifying glasses helped us categorize rocks by luster, color, and texture. We viewed the crystal structures of sugar, sand, and salt through a microscope.

Everyone learned that all rocks fall into one of three categories: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. We also worked on an interactive SMARTBoard activity to identify the characteristics of a rock to place it in the appropriate category. A trip to the Falls of the Ohio taught us about the formation of fossils. We even made Plaster of Paris fossils back in our classroom. Everyone is looking forward to our fieldtrip to Squire Boone Cavern where we will pan for rocks and explore a cave.

Preschool registration for the upcoming school year starts with the enrollment of current Chance students and their siblings.

• For a sibling of a current student, applying for the 2s, 3s or 4s as a new student, Step 1 must be completed on or before October 27, 2011. Step 1 includes submitting an Application for Admission and a non-refundable, non-transferable $100 application fee along with copies of existing professional or current school evaluations. This notifies the school of your interest in enrolling your child as a new student for the 2012-2013 school year. Registration papers will be prepared for those applications on file and included in Preschool Registration Packets, distributed on November 9.
  
  Click on the Application for Admission link to print a copy of this initial form. A hard copy is also available in the office.         
• For a current student registering for the 2s, 3s or 4s as a returning student, registration papers will be prepared and included in Preschool Registration Packets, distributed on November 9. No steps are required of you before the receipt of your child's packet.

Preschool registration begins on November 14 and is due on or before December 9 for current families with current students and new siblings entering the 2s, 3s or 4s. Elementary registration will begin in January.

For a complete outline of steps, deadlines, required forms and fees, and enrollment restrictions, click on the Application and Registration for Current Chance Families. Contact Margaret Droste, Director of Admissions, with questions at 425-6904 or admissions@chanceschool.org.

At our annual Parent Orientation Night, we, the school and parents, gathered and continued to build the school-family partnership and the development of a meaningful relationship. The benefits of this relationship are undeniable. Research, experience and common sense confirm what supporters of a whole child approach to education already know - the partnership with parents is critical to ensuring the success of each and every child.  

Hopefully, when you visited your child's (children's) classroom(s), you came away feeling knowledgeable about the year and confident about your child's success, and also with a sense of how you can be involved. Another way to become involved is to make your voice heard. In my remarks on Parents' Night, I invited each of you to express your thoughts on three new policies/guidelines this year. Specifically - the Parties and Celebrations policy, excused vs unexcused absences and the new safety gate across the top-of-the-hill driveway. Very soon you will receive a survey monkey from me asking for your thoughts about each. I hope that you will take the time to partner with me and express your thoughts. Data collected from that survey will be presented in the enews and will be used in evaluating the efficacy of these policies.

Thank you - in advance - for your thoughtful responses.

Chance School supports its faculty and staff in annual and ongoing in-service opportunities for professional growth and development. On Thursday, September 29 and Friday, September 30, the faculty and staff will be "going to school". Thursday's work is to complete the Program section of the ISACS self-study. Friday morning's work is to be recertified in First Aid and CPR, a process that we complete every two years. On Friday afternoon, faculty and staff who use the SMARTboards will complete Level 3 of SMARTboard training.