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Mission Statement Our mission is to develop the whole child by creating an optimal learning environment, that is developmentally appropriate, promotes creativity, builds character, and enhances self-respect, as well as respect for each other. We recognize that each child is unique and has special strengths and challenges. We encourage our students to build on their unique strengths, conquer their challenges, and become active life-long learners while reaching for their highest potentials. We believe in assisting families to fulfill their children’s educational needs with a sense of vision, inspiration, and strength. A central focus of our educational mission at The Academy is to motivate our students (1.) to love school, (2.) to learn how to learn, (3.) to explore, understand, and express their feelings effectively, and (4.) to become life-long learners. Our students are encouraged to welcome educational opportunities and experiences, whether they deal with the three R's, recreational endeavors, or enrichment activities. The Academy also emphasizes increasing students’ self-esteem, promoting their creativity, and acquiring life skills. The Academy welcomes parents and families to join us, as our partners, in promoting our students’ learning, growth, and development.Given the opportunity, children spend much of their time learning to be adults by doing things, talking, asking for help, reading, observing, and learning from those who know more than they do. Giving them those kinds of opportunities is why the school exists. Sometimes students request classes or individual instruction, and The Academy strives to meet all of these requests. The Importance of Excellent Teachers Our Curriculum The Academy’s goal is to provide students
with the opportunity to become responsible citizens, to contribute
to their own economic well-being and to that of their families
and communities, and to enjoy productive and satisfying lives.
To these ends, the goals of our school, with the involvement of
parents and community members, shall be to provide opportunities
for all students to develop the knowledge and skills essential
to: The Academy’s Curriculum Design Our curriculum is designed to • Encourage dialogue with individual students
to design an • Include discussions concerning the curriculum
with the • Develop a flexible curriculum to allow
the individual needs
Our instruction is designed to • Provide the best practices in teaching
that may include, but • Respect the individual student's learning
and behavior • Work to help students understand themselves,
their limits, The Academy’s Environmental Design Our school environment is designed to • Provide an environment that changes to
meet the needs of • Develop a system whereby each student
feels that a staff • Promote positive interactions and validation
of the students’ • Work with small enough groups that adequate
attention The Academy uses the School of Tomorrow curriculum, which is a Christian-based, individualized curriculum. When students first enter The Academy, they are given diagnostic tests to determine what levels they are functioning on academically. Students begin learning on the academic levels they are on, and progress at their own pace. The Academy uses non-graded, multiage classes to promote to learning.
Cuisenaire rods were created by Georges Cuisenaire, a Belgian teacher and Principal, in the early 1930s. The rods are a concrete model of mathematics which help children to better understand the abstract ideas of mathematics. The colored wooden rods vary in size from 1 centimeter up to 10 centimeters. The Project Approach, developed by Dr. Sylvia Chard, is used to enable children to discover for themselves what they would like to learn and to set goals, and then achieve their goals. The Project Approach refers to a set of teaching strategies, which enable teachers to guide children through in-depth studies of real world topics. The Project Approach is not unstructured. There is a complex but flexible framework with features that characterize the teaching-learning interaction. Implementation of The Project Approach empowers children to be highly motivated, feel actively involved in their own learning, and produce work of a high quality. The School of Tomorrow curriculum requires that
students score at least 90% on PACE tests 1001 -1036, and 80%
on PACE tests 1037 -1144. If a student fails to achieve these
scores, he or she must rework that PACE. Most young people finish
a quarter's work within 9 weeks or 45 days of school (3 PACEs
in five to six subjects), making four quarters a usual school
year or 180 days of school. However, many students are able to
achieve more, and we encourage them to do as much as they can.
The Academy does not believe in using homework. Our students work very hard during the school day and we believe that after school they should go home and relax and spend time with their families and friends. Children need time to have a happy childhood. They need time to create relationships with their family members and friends
A prescribed course of study will be determined through a conference between the staff, parents, and student. GENERAL COURSE OF STUDY
VOCATIONAL COURSE OF STUDY COLLEGE PREPARATORY COURSE
OF STUDY HONORS COURSE OF STUDY Honors students must complete 27 credits and attain a 94 percent average. They should demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in written and oral presentations. Their composite reading rate should be in excess of 600 WPM. They should score at least 12.9 on a national achievement test. Earning College Credits Earning College Credits While in High School Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, Virginia,
is now providing free tuition for students and faculty at The
Atlantic Inclusive Academy, through the School of Tomorrow program.
An International Honors Certificate is available to students who qualify by meeting these requirements: 1. Average grade score of 12.9 or higher on a national achievement test. 2. Completion of 27 credits or more from the honors
or college 3. College Self-Pac courses may be substituted
for some English, 4. All core courses must be completed using School of Tomorrow curriculum at The Academy. Foreign language and elective credits may be earned in conventional or lecture-type courses (that includes testing). One credit may be earned for a class that meets for a minimum of 45 minutes daily for at least 180 days during a given school year. Alternative Programs For students whose needs cannot be met by their local school programs, The Academy offers a satellite program. Currently, the Satellite Program is limited to Brevard, Duval, and Seminole Counties, where we have Administrators to oversee the program. These students are enrolled in The Academy and can receive all of the services that we offer. In addition to our campus school, we provide services to families who are home schooling. Our home schooling families have the benefit of belonging to a private school and the joy of teaching their children at home, without the need to report to the county school district. The McKay Scholarship cannot be used for home schooling.
Meetings will be held with parents to plan students’ Academic and Behavior Consultation Plans (ABC Plans). If therapies are needed, they will be discussed and planned at the ABC Plan meeting. If at any time you think that your child needs additional services, please contact the Teacher. Home-based students tuition includes: Curriculum (66 Paces), and participation in Art, PE, and field trips (Art & Field trip fees not included). All home-based students are enrolled in Atlantic Inclusive Academy; do not register with the County as a home schooler. We encourage all home based students and parents to participate in as many, school sponsored field trips as possible. If parents are unable to attend the field trip, arrangements will need to be made to pick up your child/children shortly after returning to the school.
We also have a program for teenagers and adults who want to complete their high school diploma requirements. Regular diplomas, Vocational diplomas, and Special diplomas are available through The Academy. Preparation for taking the GED is also available. Our Team-
The Academy’s team begins with our students, teachers, staff, and parents. We have a dedicated faculty and staff who are not only well qualified to work with our students, but are also committed to providing the best academic programs and experiences for our students. Our students and parents are knowledgeable about The Academy, as well as loyal and excited about being a part of the Academy. Our team also includes our active and involved Board of Directors. The Board governs the policies and management of The Academy. And they also work with our students when they can, as well as help with yard sales and the selling of pizza and cookie kits! We are blessed to have such a hard working, caring, and dedicated Board. Utilizing state of the art educational methods, materials, technology, and assessment tools, our school is approved by and registered with the State of Florida to serve all children in grades K-12. The Academy accepts children who are in regular education programs and children who are in exceptional educational programs. We serve and teach all learning styles. Our History- A mother of a child with exceptional educational
needs became very disenchanted with the type of
assistance and education that her child was receiving
in public school, despite her child’s in
depth Individual Education Plan (IEP). That mother
was a former teacher of children, and also happened
to have a Doctorate degree in Education. She had
spent 25 years as a university professor in the
field of education in Florida, Georgia, and Texas.
She was instrumental in training many talented
college students to become teachers. She also
taught in the Master’s and Doctoral education
programs. That mother is our Founder and Director,
Dr. Patricia Holmes.
Ultimately, we envision owning a campus of at least four to five acres on Merritt Island for The Academy. The main building would be a large dome, housing classrooms, a library, and offices. It will be customized to our specifications to meet our students’ needs. The entrance will have a covered drive through for the dropping off and picking up of students. Inside the dome there will be three levels with an elevator, as well as stairs. The dome will be solar heated and cooled naturally. The campus will include a Barn for our therapy horses and a space for other animals, such as chickens, goats, a dog, etc. A Greenhouse will provide a place for our horticulture projects, and we will have a vegetable garden and a flower garden. An Art Studio will house numerous art supplies and equipment, such as a kiln, potter’s wheels, etc. A Music Room will be designed and equipped with lots of musical instruments and an electronic stereo system. A Recreation Center will be designed to further enhance our physical education program, as well as a state of the art Playground with a basketball court. A heated therapy pool will be available for the use of our students. The campus will include an Auditorium for programs and events, and a Media Room with new computers, a big screen TV, and the latest electronic equipment. A Cafeteria with a full kitchen will be used for nutrition education and student cooking projects, as well as for lunch and snack time. Because there is a tremendous need for our type of program in the northern and southern parts of the county, we will eventually open additional schools in Brevard County. We are aware that there are other areas in Florida need our services and our kind of school, so we plan to eventually have schools all over the state of Florida. And when a national program is created, like the McKay Scholarships program in Florida, we intend to establish schools in other states. We want to help as many children and families as we can. Our dreams are big!
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