Student Centered School Structure
SASCS schools offer a small, safe, nurturing environment to its students. SASCS has been operating on three campus buildings: Elementary school building serving grades K-4 with 300-375 students, Middle school building serving grades 5-7 with 200-225 students, and high school building serving grades 8-12 with 300-375 students. Each school has academic leader called dean of the school and a dean of students who deals with daily student issues. By creating a small school environment at its each location, SASCS creates a family atmosphere in which all staff members know each other and students, and can provide a safer and more controlled environment to our students and staff members. In Elementary school, each classroom has two teachers and in middle school, the school is moving towards having two teachers in ELA and Math subjects. Several courses offered in high school have small classroom environment too. Both parent and staff surveys showed that they find the school’s small environment in each school building and individual attention extremely valuable and safe. Our staff knows our students individually and works with them and their families to achieve the best possible outcome for each student. With its small school size and low student/teacher ratio, and the schools feel like a family.
The school calendar year is extended from 185 days to 195 days in order to provide more instructional time for each student. In addition, the school’s daily instruction is from 8 am until 3.30 pm, which provides extended school day on a daily basis for all its students.
For grades 6-12, extra help, one-on-one tutoring, and/or enrichment programs until 5 pm on weekdays and between 10 am and 2 pm on Saturdays are available on an as-needed basis.
SASCS offers a 2-week summer enrichment program for incoming kindergarten students. It is strongly encouraged to gain experience in a structured setting with teachers and groups of children in their new environment. At risk-students and ELL students from first to seventh graders are also strongly encouraged to attend a 2-week summer enrichment program to get a head start and to close the achievement gap. These programs are offered on a voluntary basis and transportation are provided by parents.
Teachers provide after school tutoring for students in need, three days each week. The teachers and Dean of School determine the student needs based on data and target those students whose performance does not reflect their potential for remedial instruction, tutoring, and academic enrichment programs. Tutoring at SASCS allows for dialogue and interaction that create an atmosphere of individualized supportive learning.