Tierra Pacifica Charter School, formed in 1998, is a collaborative effort among parents, teachers and community members committed to the development of the whole child. Through the establishment of a charter school, we believe we can work within the school system to create an innovative alternative model to traditional public elementary schools. Tierra Pacifica educates children from Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through 8th grade. The school is designed for families who want to take an active role in the education of their children, both in and out of the classroom.
What Is A Charter School?
Charter schools are free public schools of choice that are freed from many of the traditional rules and regulations governing other public schools in exchange for greater accountability. They are created by groups of parents, teachers, school administrators or others who want to provide educational alternatives. Charter schools are free of cost to parents and open to all students, but exempted from many statutory and regulatory requirements in exchange for performance-based accountability.
Our Mission
Our mission is to educate children in a supportive community environment where family involvement, creative expression and exploration of the physical world are highly valued. We strive to help our students become passionate life-long learners and responsible community members through an academic program designed to optimize each child's intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth.
What Is Parent Participation?
Although not a requirement for enrollment, many parents participate in many ways. Parents can help in the following activities: assisting teachers in the classrooms, helping in the office, helping with facility maintenance, washing laundry, working in the garden, helping with yard supervision and assisting in many other capacities, including governing the school. Our parent coordinators work closely with families to find ways to help that work with their schedules and skills. The result is a strong feeling of community among children, parents, teachers, and staff. Families are encouraged to participate in school fundraising activities as well. Generally, two-parent families are encouraged to participate 12 - 15 hours each month and one-parent families are encouraged to participate 6 - 8 hours each month. Parent participation, however, is not required of any Tierra Pacifica family.
Does Tierra Pacifica Charge A Tuition?
No. Tierra Pacifica is a free public school and receives funding based on attendance from the State of California. However, like many public schools, this funding falls short of what is needed to operate the school in a manner that allows us to achieve our vision and goals. Therefore, families are invited to support the school financially on a voluntary basis. Parent donations fund most of our enrichment programs (art, music, dance, drama, PE, etc.) and maintain teaching assistants and small class sizes. We realize that not all families at the school are in a position to provide as much monetary support as others, while some are in a position to donate more than the nominal request. Therefore, we encourage each family to consider its relative financial health, and donate an amount that they believe appropriate. Individual donation levels are kept confidential and in no way affect a child's enrollment.
The Tierra Pacifica Charter School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or nationality in its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other school-administered programs.
