Parents naturally want the best for our children. We want them to have the same or better opportunities than we had. We want them to be at the best school possible. I have had the good fortune to have my elder daughter attend Edwin Rhodes Elementary from its opening under +Sue Roche's vision and leadership. That school soon became a top school in San Bernardino County. My younger daughter has had the privilege of attending the charter school that Sue Roche and her team opened in Chino from it's first day. Oxford Preparatory Academy (OPA) Chino, is now the top school in San Bernardino County with its highest API score and one of the highest in Southern California.
Oxford Preparatory Academy has already opened a second campus in South Orange County (SOC) that has already shown impressive results, attaining the highest API score in the Capistrano School District and the second highest in all of Orange County.
As the charter school movement continues to grow and communities consider how to improve their schools, many in these communities look for successful charter school operators like Oxford Preparatory Academy to establish campuses in their cities.
Naturally, if you do not have children attending OPA, you may have many questions about what sets OPA apart. I invite you to use this blog to ask and answers questions you may have about the curriculum, the programs, activities and facilities at OPA.
OPA is so much more than test scores. It is different from regular public schools in many ways. I also invite parents to use this site to share their experiences and those of their children.
For myself, I could not be happier with the experiences that my daughter and my family has had with OPA. My sincere hope is that the successful practices that OPA has implemented can be modeled and applied to public schools and help improve education in our country.
PH - Blog Moderator
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ReplyDeleteI feel much the same way about OPA Chino. Before my children got into OPA, I had no concept of "School Choice." The assumption was that you attend the school you are zoned to and wish for the best. After my oldest child attended our zoned school until the third grade, I realized that wishing for the best was not good enough.
ReplyDeleteOur experience at OPA has been a very good one. We have experienced teacher and staff accountability. There are people who actually care that my child is doing well. There is intervention when they see my kids struggling with a subject. There is an excitement about learning, and student (and parent) expectations.
I am grateful for our school, knowing what a huge part of my childrens' lives this time will be.
I have to tell you that I was ecstatic when I found out that OPA was planning on opening up a charter K-12 school. As a parent of 4 (ages 2-14), I worry about the value of my children's education. That is why I decided to apply for the lottery process three years ago and why I became the Co-Chairperson of my son's Head Start program.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, three years ago, we won the lottery; the OPA lottery that is. Having moved to Chino unexpectedly, I didn't know how my children's education would be affected. When I heard of OPA and what they planned to offer, at first, I thought it was too good to be true. How can a school provide everything that they said they would and do it entirely free? But they did! They have exceeded my expectations and my children are reaping the benefits. They truly believe that ALL children are gifted. That ALL children are capable of learning and they teach them by using Multiple Intelligences. As a mother of 4, I know that not all my children are the same and that they each learn at different paces and in different ways. OPA takes these differences and applies it to their teaching methods. What school has the patience to work with our children and make sure they succeed? Not many.
This year, I found out one of my children, although extremely smart, has special needs when it comes to learning. He has been labeled by other schools as lazy, disruptive, and no one was willing to work with me to help him. My son will be attending high school in two years. Frankly, I am afraid that if my son attends any high school other than OPA, he will get lost in the shuffle and will not receive the help he deserves. You can see why I was ecstatic when I found out about an OPA high school.
I sincerely hope that on January 22, 2013, the PUSD Board of Education will approve the proposed K-12 Charter petition. OPA is preparing my children to succeed and I want to share that with other families. Our children deserve quality education.
Karla:
DeleteThanks for your comments. I am still trying to figure out how to make the "comments" more visible on the page.