Whole Life Charter School

I had adopted her but she refused to come away with me. It was weird because dogs can't wait to leave the kennel. She was crying and stubbing her paws. I should have dragged her. But when I looked down I understood the reason and I had to make a CHOICE "When the time came to take her home she was just out of that cage, from that moment a new world awaited her, a wonderful life and a lot of love. Any another dog would have run into the embers of her rescuers. But she did not. She stood still, sticking to all fours and refused to come out of the cage. In a corner a small Chihuahua Taco looked at her in fear. She understood that she was about to lose her her best friend. And in that moment a small miracle happened. The couple saw the whole scene and decided to adopt them both. They did the documents also for the chihuahua and all 4 went out the door of the shelter. was taken in the car, before leaving. Personally I would like to wish these two dogs a happy life full of love !. But above all so much happiness also to these two wonderful people ❤️
Author unknown

Actually we spend a little more in Pennsylvania. Still, if we spent more to educate our children perhaps we wouldn't be spending so much on our jails.

Sad, but true.

KNOW A GOOD PSYCHIATRIST?

One of our parents has not seen good results for her ADHD child while under the care of her present psychiatrist and asked me if I would recommend one familiar with pediatric ADHD.

I thought it might be a good idea to crowd source a recommendation from our 300 followers and provide a recommendation based on your experience.

This family lives in West Chester so we are looking for a referral local to that area.

Thanks,

Gary

ONE phone call to this gentleman could make a huge difference if you're unhappy with your child's school district.

Bill Riggar works for the PA Department of Education (PDE) in the Bureau of Special Education (BSE). If you are unhappy with the way your school district is handling your child's education, please give Bill a call and tell him what is happening in your district. You may also want to file a formal written complaint if you know the district is in violation of a specific state or federal regulation. The BSE is required to investigate any written complaint & make a ruling within 60 days of receiving the complaint.

Below is the contact information for Bill Riggar as well as a link to the Complaint Form and instructions for filing it.

Let's flood this office with legitimate complaints and shine a light on the school districts that are failing our kids!!

While you are at it, tell Bill that there is a need for alternatives to what the school districts are offering their special education students because school district schools still don't get it right even when they say they are doing everything. For some children, their idea of everything still misses the mark. Please let him know that there is a charter school, Whole Life Charter School, that could do a better job of educating your children if only it would be chartered.

William Riggar | Special Education Advisor
Department of Education | Bureau of Special Education
333 Market Street | Hbg PA 17126
Phone: 215-218-4124 | Fax: 717.783.6139
www.education.state.pa.us

http://pattan.net-website.s3.amazonaws.com/files/materials/forms/featured/ComplaintPkt010807.pdf

KILL THE BILL!

House Bill 2138/Senate Bill 1316 will be detrimental to charter schools if it is passed.

Please contact your State Senators and Representatives to voice your concern. It will only take a few minutes and if everyone who reads this sends emails, we will have quite a strong voice in Harrisburg.

Following is a sample letter you can copy and email. It is followed by contact info for several of our local representatives.

•••

Dear_____,

Senate Bill 1316/House Bill 2138 are similar bills that passed the Senate Education Committee unanimously on Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 and passed the House Education Committee with one dissenting vote on Wednesday, April 9th, 2014. The dissenting vote was cast by Representative Dan Truitt.

Passage of these bills will severely jeopardize the education of my special needs child and my child's future as a productive, educated citizen.

I ask you to vote "no" on these bills.

The three-tier compensation system for special education children in charter schools as detailed in the above bills, while rightfully intending to diminish the overfunding of special education students in some charter schools, would inequitably reduce special education funding for these same students to the point where most charter schools would not be able to offer the free and appropriate education guaranteed these children by law. Additionally, these bills actually threaten the existence of charter schools in Pennsylvania through a thousand little cuts, ultimately denying Pennsylvania parents alternative educational options guaranteed by the charter school law, Act 22 of 1997.

Many, if not most of our special education children with the "invisible disabilities" of ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Speech and Language based Learning Disabilities already receive substandard educational offerings at traditional district public schools. This has forced parents to search out alternatives at charter, cyber charter, parochial, private, and specialized private schools. Those parents who cannot access these options watch as their district school socially promotes their children through to graduation and (possibly) college where nearly 50% of them will drop out within the first two years due to their lack of preparedness for life and academics in higher education.

My family cannot afford special education private schools with starting tuitions of $25,000 especially with the soaring costs of higher education to look forward to. The passage of these bills will harm my child's education and future. With the vast increase in autism diagnoses (now 1 in 50 according to a March 2013 report by the CDC), it is conceivable that passage of these bills will negatively impact our communities as well in the not too distant future.

The existence of Charter Schools in Pennsylvania can successfully create the kind of competition in public educational offerings that can improve education for every child in our Commonwealth. More importantly, the existence of educational options has allowed my child the opportunity to flourish and given me hope for my child's future.

Certainly improvements to the Charter School law can be made. I am asking you not to attempt improvement to the charter school funding formula in the manner described in bills 1316 and 2138. Doing so will sn**ch away opportunity for thousands of smart, capable special education children in Pennsylvania who need that extra help, that smaller class, and that teacher who has been extensively trained to identify and teach children with ADHD, Autism Spectrum and other "invisible" learning disorders who pass under the radar in other schools.

Please vote "no" on 1316 and 2138.

Thank you.

•••

LOCAL STATE SENATORS (West Chester & Chester County)

State Senator Andy Dinniman
[email protected]
(610) 692-2112

State Senator Dominic Pileggi
(online email form) http://www.senatorpileggi.com/email-senator-pileggi/
(610) 447-5845

State Senator John Rafferty
[email protected]
(610) 831-8830

–––

LOCAL STATE REPRESENTATIVES

Hon. Dan Truitt
[email protected]
(610) 696-4990

Hon. John Lawrence
[email protected]
(610) 869-1602

Hon. Chris Ross
[email protected]
(610) 925-0555

Hon. Stephen Barrar
[email protected]
(610) 358-5925

Hon. Becky Corbin
[email protected]
(610) 524-5595

Hon. Duane Milne
[email protected]
(610) 251-1070

Hon. Tim Hennessey
[email protected]
(610) 380-8600

Hon. Warren Kampf
(online email form) http://www.repkampf.com/Contact.aspx
(610) 251-2876

Hon. Thomas H. Killion
[email protected]
(610) 325-1541

Hon. Greg Vitali
[email protected]
(610) 789-3900

–––

UNITED STATES CONGRESSMEN

Congressman Jerry Gerlach - [email protected]

Congressman Pat Meehan - [email protected]

Congressman Joe Pitts
[email protected]

–––

UNITED STATES SENATORS

Casey, Robert P., Jr.
(202) 224-6324
Contact: www.casey.senate.gov/contact/

Toomey, Patrick J.
(202) 224-4254
Contact: www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=contact

•••

If you are not from the districts listed in our previous post and would like to email/snail mail or call other State Senators and Representatives click this link for State Senators:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/mbrList.cfm?body=S&sort=district

and this link for State Representatives:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/mbrList.cfm?body=H&sort=alpha

Contact U.S. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania

YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN ARE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS IN PENNSYLVANIA?

Yes! – According to legislative education committees.

Two similar pieces of legislation are quickly and quietly making their way through the Senate and House in PA. These bills will, if passed, dramatically reduce special education funding for charter school students and ultimately eliminate school choice in Pennsylvania.

Senate Bill 1316 and House Bill 2138 were approved by Senate and House education committees earlier this week. They will come to a vote in the PA General Assembly under the public's radar and in the very near future (days).

These bills are designed to severely limit special education funding for nearly all but the most severely disabled students enrolled in public charter schools.

PASSAGE OF THESE BILLS WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOUR CHILD'S FUTURE!

If passed:

• funding for an estimated 95% of special ed children in charter schools will be substantially reduced making it nearly impossible for charter schools to afford the therapists, special programs and innovative curricula necessary for children with high functioning autism, ADHD and language based learning disabilities.

• your children will be forced into larger classes with less individualized attention.

• there will be no accessible innovative educational programs available to special needs children as charter schools close statewide and school districts are no longer pressured to improve their programming by the lack of competition forced on them by the existence of charter schools.

• charter schools throughout the state will be forced to close sending your special needs children back to the district schools that underserved them.

• at a reimbursement level deliberately made lower than the cost to educate your special needs children, schools like the Whole Life Charter School will not be able to open in Pennsylvania.

1316 AND 2138 ARE BEING QUIETLY FAST-TRACKED THROUGH THE PA GENERAL ASSEMBLY. YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED NOW!

Please share this post and protect the education of your children. Urge your friends and relatives to contact their House and Senate representative asking them to not support SB 1316 or HB 2138.

This legislation creates unethical discrepancies between school district and charter school special education funding.

This bill is a serious threat to school choice in Pennsylvania. At best, it treats your special needs children as second class citizens.

At worst, it denies our ability to provide a nurturing, safe, challenging and suitable education for your children by making the Whole Life Charter School nothing more than a dream.

• PROTECT THE EDUCATION OF YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD.
• SHARE THIS POST ON YOUR FACEBOOK TIMELINE TODAY.
• CALL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES TODAY.

GETTING CLOSE TO OUR GOAL:

Our application is ready to resubmit. BUT, we still need one thing-

Enrollment Interest Forms from West Chester & Downingtown school district parents. If you live in either of these districts, you probably have received a phone call from one of our parent volunteers regarding updating your enrollment status. Maybe you got a voice message, but forgot to follow up. If you have not done so (in the last 2 months) PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE go to our website (WWW.WHOLELIFESCHOOL.ORG) and complete an Enrollment Interest Form for EACH SCHOOL-AGED CHILD in your household. This is not a legally binding agreement to send your child to the Whole Life Charter School. It simply shows your interest in enrolling your child in the WLCS once the school is approved.

We are close to our goal & every child counts. We want to open in the fall of 2014 & with your help we can do it.

Thank you!

Welcome to the Whole Life Charter School - Whole Life Charter SchoolWhole Life Charter School |... Welcome to the Whole Life Charter SchoolAn introduction to the Whole Life Charter SchoolThe Whole Life Charter School will be a tuition-free public school for Pennsylvania students in grades k-12.Each child is a unique individual with a singular personality, particular talents, interests, academic s...

I want to thank Amy Woods for sharing this video with us. It illustrates ideas that we have used to model the Whole Life Charter School after. I hope you take a few moments to watch.

Gary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms This RSA Animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA's Benj...

I think we can all agree...

Thanks to everyone who came out to our Sneak-a-Peek in spite of the impending snow (which still hasn't started!). We hope it was informative & inspiring. Here is the feedback from a parent who attended:

"I really enjoyed attending the information session at Cheyney University today and meeting so any new families. I am a parent who works at a college (not Cheyney) and feel the University setting will provide our children with amazing opportunities which they might not otherwise have. The science labs, computer technology and college programs will help our children excel. Our students will also learn about college and this school will truly help prepare them. I also love the small class size and focus on meeting the individual learning needs of each child. We do not have to worry about our children falling through the cracks or just getting passed through the system. I am so excited about the school and partnership with Cheyney and loved how welcoming they were to our families. For those looking for a high quality, no cost education focusing on the individualized needs of your children please check out the Whole Life Charter School!!"

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at 2:00 PM! Here is a map of the Cheyney campus.