Charter School for the Arts
"Pinellas County's first Charter School!"
1380 Pinehurst Road
Dunedin, FL 34698-5407
(727)298-2778
(727)298-2780, fax
Principal Susan Ray
Acdemie da vinci charterschool for the arts Academie davinci Charter school formmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
What is a charter school?
A charter school is a publicly funded, privately run educational facility. This means that there is no fee to attend the school and all students enrolled in the county are eligible to attend.
A charter is a contract with the School Board that spells out our location, our educational program, and our target population.
Charter school advocates believe that the charter concept leads to a school that is more responsive, and ultimately more accountable, to the parents who enroll their children there.
Academie Da Vinci (ADV) follows the same academic curriculum followed within the Pinellas County Schools. We are obligated to meet the same Sunshine State Standards and participate in the state FCAT each year.
What sets us apart from traditional public schools is our firm integration of the arts. In addition to the regular curriculum our students participate in integrated arts classes each week. These classes include general music with instruments, movement, chorus, visual arts and drama.
Arts are integrated into the curriculum in a variety of ways. For example, if students are studying Native Americans in class, they will also be doing Native American movement in dance, Native American music in music and chorus, and re-creating Native American artwork in visual arts. This integration is true in all grades throughout the year.
Our methods of instruction vary based on the subjects taught and styles of learning present within our student body. Our students work and study individually, one on one with a teacher, in pairs, in small groups, and as a whole class.
School size, programs and faculty?
There are a total of 116 students currently enrolled in kindergarten through fifth grade. Each class has an average of less than twenty students. We provide a Gifted program for those students who qualify according to Pinellas County Guidelines.
On campus, we have our own music room which hosts vocal and instrumental music. We have a large dance room for students to actively participate in movement and a visual arts facility.
Every student enrolled at ADV takes part in music, dance, drama, and visual arts classes. All students participate in the student shows twice per year designed to showcase student learning.
All of our faculty are certified to teach by the State of Florida and are required to stay current with professional development. These professional educators are regularly available for parent meetings and conferences.
Charter schools are on the cutting edge of education reform, and ours is no different. Read about what Principal Susan Ray has been up to.
What makes us different?
Since regular public elementary schools have discontinued most of their arts programs, our school "fills the void" by offering rigorous academics with a strong arts emphasis. Recent brain research of young learners shows causation between participation in the arts and students' higher levels of academic motivation, sustained attention, and improved cognition. (Asbury, C. and Rich B. (eds). (2008) Learning, arts and the brain. The Dana Consortium Report on Arts and Cognition.). As you can see below, our FCAT scores support the results of this study.
How is ADV doing?
The Florida Department of Education assigns a grade to each school, each academic year. It is based on several factors: students' performance on the state FCAT tests, adequate yearly progress, attendance, and other factors.
Academie Da Vinci Grades:
2008-2009: No Grade***
2007-2008: A
2006-2007: A
2005-2006: A
2004-2005: A
2003-2004: B
2002-2003: A
*** Academie Da Vinci scored 577 out of 600 possible points on the Dept. of Education's scale for school performance; enough to score an A (525 points and greater scored an A.) However, adequate yearly progress is based on the FCAT improvement scores for students enrolled the full year. ADV enrolled several students from out-of-state, private school, and home-schooled backgrounds, and some entered later in the school year. These students do not have an FCAT "history"; therefore progress cannot be measured. In our 4th and 5th grade classes, 28 students had FCAT histories and all showed progress. However, the state requires 30 students must show progress in order to receive a school grade.
Recent events?
Stars under the Stars Variety Show, April, 30,2010
Once again, Academie Da Vinci students rocked the house to an audience filled with immediate and extended family. An unofficial head count put the number at about 500 attendees. Not bad, considering we only have 120 students! Families got to see what their children had been learning in ADV's art classes.
Stars under the Stars Variety Show included selections from performances from throughout the school year. There were dances, group songs, individual selections from Step –Up programs (public speaking), Orff instrument (xylophone) playing, electronic keyboards, drumming, monologues, short story and poetry recitations, and artworks all around. Italian dinner was catered by Corteo’s Restaurant and half of the proceeds from dinner sales went back to the school. Thank you to the Corteo family for your help with fundraising.
Big thank you to teachers Vicki Poppell- Music, Cindy Thomasson- Dance, and Merry Vasterling- Art, who contribute more than just their individual art instruction. We aslo owe an acknowledgement to Principal Susan Ray for her caring leadership and to all of our parent volunteers. Volunteerism makes our world go 'round.
Dunedin Schools' Visual Arts Showcase
Who: City of Dunedin, the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce and students
from 10 Dunedin schools.
What: Student art show. 25 pieces of original art from Academie Da Vinci students were displayed along
with works from 9 other schools.
When: April 28th to May 2, 2010
Where: Dunedin Community Center lobby, 1920 Pinehurst Rd, Dunedin, FL 34698
Cost: Free and open to the public.
Mingle with a Mission
Good vibes abounded at Academie Da Vinci's Mingle with a Mission, April 17, 2010 in downtown Dunedin. We kicked the afternoon off with a 4th and 5th grade drum circle performance led by local drum maestro, Steve Turner. Current and future families attended, as well as members of our community. We got to know each other while enjoying family activities and the great weather. Afterward we wandered down Main Street and checked out the local shops and restaurants. Money was exchanged for a great cause and with great businesses. Thank you to all who attended, we loved having you! Thank you once again to Merry Vasterling, ADV art teacher, Cassie Alderman, ADV parent and local artist, and our principal, Susan Ray. Thank you to all the businesses who participated.
Cool Kids - Hot Art Student Art Show
The Cool Kids - Hot Art Student Art Ashow, January 27 to 31, 2010 at the Dunedin Community Center was a rousing success. This event was the result of a collaborative effort among Merry Vasterling- Art Teacher, Cassie Alderman- Local Artist and ADV Mom, Susan Ray- Principal, and our engaged and hard working community of parents and family. Thank you to all who made this show a reality! And thank you, Dunedin Community Center for your support!!
Mission?
Our mission is to integrate academics and the arts to nurture and develop each student's creativity, compassion, critical thinking and passion for learning in a safe and loving environment.
Goals?
Our goal is to be in a larger, upgraded facility by August of 2012. Our wish is to build our students a new school that will have 12 classrooms, a dance studio, a media center (library), a multi-purpose room, a music room, a visual arts room within two category 5 and 3 hurricane-proof structures, flanked by a playground. A building like this, we are told by local architects, will cost $4,000,000 (four million dollars). Now let's get started raising that money!
How can I help?
Please contact Principal Susan Ray, (727)298-2778. ADV is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational organization. Thank you for your support!!
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