Pack a Zero Trash Lunch

We know first hand from last year (since staff took out the trash) that our kids create lots of waste. The average student creates 67lbs of trash each school year. You can help bring this number way down (helping the environment and the staff) by packing a zero waste lunch.

One way that you can do that is to look at the Green to Go products. They came to our school last year and were very popular. They will be back on August 30th at our orientation. But, you can order now if you'd like.

For more info on packing a trashless lunch, watch the video:



For more info on our hot lunch program, Chickpeas, see here.

eScrip and IA

Can you believe the summer is coming to a close in just a few weeks?

Back to school shopping time is here. Sign up with eScrip to help support your school! They're doing a huge promotion from August 11 - September 14th, so sign up now to get some great deals and contribute to IA.

Education Conservator

IA is kicking off a great new fundraising program, read below or click here.

Innovations’ Education Conservators preserve and invest in our Clubs, the Arts, Media, Physical Education, and Science curriculum that provide our students with learning opportunities that have been undervalued and dissolved from public and even private schools. Our goal for the 2010/11 school year is to have 100 Education Conservators join us in contributing to this program.

Innovations Academy, a free K - 8 public charter school, creates happy and vibrant learners. Our students know the joy of making a contribution in their classroom: 5th graders learned about geometry through building a play house for their younger peers, 3rd graders understood economics through opening a school store, and 4th graders contributed to developing nations through micro- financing. By engaging students in real world projects and opportunities, we develop well rounded, collaboratively minded, and creative problem solving members of society.

Click here to become an Education Conservator!

It's official!

IA has a new home:

6154 Mission Gorge Road, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92120

Remember, school starts Wednesday, September 1st!

Summer Time Outcomes

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to share a piece that I wrote for the 8th grade commencement:

Unexpected Outcomes

As some of you may know, I love a good quote. They keep me grounded and give me perspective whenever I get caught up in the thoroughfare of day to day life.

When I thought of our community, a Buckminster Fuller quote popped out at me, “There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes.”

There are many times in life when we hope for a certain conclusion. We build up expectations, sometimes only to find that a situation, a feeling, or a thought has changed. If we can keep open to changes, new perspectives, and these unexpected outcomes, we can view life as a place where we’re always growing.

Our 8th grade class has been a grand experiment. Many of these students have come to Innovations from well established schools. Places that have janitors, typical report cards, traditional parent/teacher conferences, principals with normal hair, and even a cafeteria. However, you all, students, families, and teachers, being explorers...were looking for something different, you were willing to experiment.

These young explorers have created classroom rules, faced their peers in class council, greeted each other daily in Morning Meeting, come to me when they are not satisfied with the way they have handled a situation, developed strong friendships, challenged their teachers in positive ways, and have made our community bigger and brighter for every twist and turn.

We’ve come here with a mission, to live powerful lives through self-expression, compassionate connection, and purposeful learning. I see them being self-expressed when they come in wearing colorful makeup, bright hair do’s, wearing Rastafarian hats, and speaking their minds on today’s issues. They compassionately connect with each other when they make mistakes and can hear each other without blame or guilt. Solar ovens, the Sacramento Trip, Roller Coaster physics, and analyzing the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, are just some examples of purposeful learning. I’ve seen the parents living our mission as well, when they come in and contribute to our community and voice their thoughts even when they are nervous.

For me, the mission of IA has been an experiment and the students especially have surpassed what I thought a public school could look like. I know that your future has many beautiful adventures ahead. Bring that sense of self that you have graciously shown us here to your future high school and other endeavors.

I wish you all the best to come and many unexpected outcomes.

~~~

Summer can be a time of many unexpected outcomes, families move, new teachers are hired, friendships change, etc. Here is what is coming up in the week that follows:

1. Tomorrow, Thursday (6/24), we are finishing up packing our facility at 123 Camino de la Reina. Please drop by and lend a hand if you can from 10am - 3pm.
   
2. By the end of next week we expect to have signed a lease with 6154 Mission Gorge Road (stay tuned for a long post about the expectations for the site).
3. We're hiring on two 6th grade teachers and one additional K teacher (all other teacher assignments will remain the same).
4. We have a new K - 2 Home Learning Community class starting in addition to our 2 - 6th grade program.
   
5. Our classes are almost full for next year. We have a few spots left in 6th grade and in our Home Learning Community

I have heard from some community members that there is fear about Innovations Academy remaining open. One of my favorite quotes about fear comes from Neale Donald Walsch:

FEAR is an acronym in the English language for "False Evidence Appearing Real"

As you can see from everything that is happening above, we're strongly open (and if we thought we'd be closing, you'd better bet there would be a blast). Surely there will be some unexpected outcomes, there always are in life. However, if you have a question about what is going on at Innovations (or hear things through the grapevine, or that ol' game of telephone) please speak with a staff member as they will have the best information to inform you with.

Thank you,

Danielle

Article in Union Trib.

Charters have made incredible progress in the communities they serve by providing choice to families and raising student achievement. There are many unique charter programs in San Diego County, including project-based learning, dual language immersion and personalized learning options for families to choose from. Academic achievement and college and career preparedness are common goals in charter schools; many are exceeding expectations. The way I see it, in the 21st century’s ever-changing and highly competitive world, our students require an education that is bold and breaks the mold, bringing creativity and passion for learning that goes beyond the classroom.

Article here.

Enjoy,

Danielle

Care to Share?

Hey Everyone,

There is a contest going on right now for some of the best schools around. We think IA is wonderful and we know others do too:

http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/6247/90/supporters

"We are deeply happy with I.A.This is our 1st year with IA, after years of just trying to cope with the public school system, we never had a weeknight evening that wasn't full of stress from 2 hours of homework, it would leave us no family time. We are BLESSED to have found IA and their project based learning. I also appreciate that you believe in fostering a positive home life with minimal to NO homework! Our daughter is in 5th grade, and next year, our son will be joining the kinder class. Thanks Danielle and Christine and Bill for the great communication with your students! I couldn't thank you enough." - Finnegan Family

"I am absolutely in love with Innovations Academy. My daughter, Cloe, is in the second grade, and I have watched her confidence and excitement about school grow with every day that passes. The project-based learning has expanded Cloe's concept of learning so even though she doesn't have specific homework, she talks about what she has learned in class and applies it at home and outside the classroom. We are actually engaged in the learning process more constructively and more thoroughly than when she had specific homework assignments." - Maland Family