Parent Frequently Asked Questions

How does a charter work? 

A charter school is a publicly funded school. We are required to follow the same rules as a regular California public school does when it comes to State testing, grade level standards and attendance. Sky Mountain allots funds to each ES for each student they serve to use towards approved non-sectarian educational materials and supplies and contract programs.

What are the policies on immunizations?

Because we are a California Public School, immunizations need to be up to date. We provide immunization forms and waivers on our website with other enrollment forms. The parent can choose to fill out a waiver if necessary. Otherwise, the students are expected to be up to date on their immunizations.

How much reporting/documentation is required?

Attendance is kept by the parent, but must be verified by the ES. The parent will also keep track of concepts and activities that were done throughout out the month. These items are reported to the ES at the monthly meetings. The student must be able to show enough learning to correspond to the amount of attendance claimed. This may be done through written work, video footage, pictures, and/or discussion. The ES must interact with the student and/or view the full body of student work at each meeting on the concepts he/she learned that period.

What samples need to be provided? 

Samples are reviewed and collected for all subject areas by the ES at the monthly meetings.

How flexible is Sky Mountain in terms of classical, chronological history, non-traditional curriculum, etc... Do I have to keep a daily log for PE and workbook samples for other subjects?

Sky Mountain is a standards-based school and the way in which the standards are met is very flexible. A daily log and workbook samples are not required, but samples are required to be provided to your ES at each learning record meeting and standards are followed. The ES must be able to verify that the student learned enough to constitute the amount of attendance claimed (regardless of the educational style). This can be verified through pictures, video, discussion, and written work. 

How is advisement and record-keeping for highschoolers handled? 

Record keeping is done online for K-12 by the ES and kept at the management company office (IEM) in Placerville. 

Will I be assigned an ES who lives near me and fits with my child’s style of learning? 

I want to have a long-term partnership and not constant change. Sky Mountain hires ESs as needed to accommodate the growth and needs of our students.

The ideal situation is a long-term partnership and change is avoided whenever possible.

How long/often are the meetings?

The meetings are typically 1 hour per student every 15-20 school days, unless there are assessments in which case, it may be longer than 1 hour per student.

Where are the meetings?

The location of the meeting is agreed upon by the family and the educational Specialist (ES).

How often are Instructional Funds (IF) allocated and what are the amounts?

The Instructional Funds are dispersed 2 times a year into the ESs budget. The total funding amount is divided in half and added to instruction funds twice a year.

Do I have freedom to choose and add vendors that I like? 

Vendors can be requested by active students. There are specific criteria listed on our website for vendors. That link is http://www.ieminc.org/handbook/curriculum/vendor/index.htm

What vendors are available and what are the rules?

We have a vendor list on our website. The link is http://skymountaincs.org/search/index.htm

I have looked at your vendor list and don't see any of my daughter's dance, music, science teachers listed. How easy is it to add a vendor? What is the procedure? How long does it take?

 Those vendors wouldn’t be listed until a student/parent who is enrolled in Sky Mountain requests them through their ES and the vendor is approved. In order for a vendor to be approved, the vendor must correctly complete their paperwork and return it to IEM per the instructions in the packet. There is no guaranteed timeline on this, since it depends largely on the vendor's ability to correctly turn in the packet.

Does a vendor have to be in the system prior to the first day of school or can they be added during the school year?

Vendors can be added throughout the school year, although there is a cutoff date in the spring each year.

We had to sign up last spring for some of the classes, and pay a registration fee. Will I be reimbursed for those registration fees? Can I get reimbursed for curriculum I have already purchased?

A parent cannot be reimbursed using state dollars by the charter school for any out of pocket expenses that have already been paid at any time for any reason.

Can the funds be used for extracurricular activities? If so, what options are there?

Yes as long as you are using an approved vendor and the student’s educational needs in the core areas are being met. The ES must have evidence that the student has the materials that he/she needs for the core areas prior to placing a purchase order for anything extracurricular. The options can be explored with the ES but music lessons, dance lessons, and swimming lessons are just a few.

How are consumables and non-consumables handled? 

All materials ordered by Sky Mountain Charter School (SMCS) with state funding, including consumable items, such as workbooks, pencils, paper, clay, and any other materials consumable in nature, are the property of SMCS. Materials are loaned to enrolled students for their educational usage only. The items must be returned to the school via the assigned Education Specialist (ES) when the student is done using that item, or when the student leaves SMCS. If an item has been “consumed” by the student—used up and no longer usable by any other student—then it can be “archived” by the ES. If a student disenrolls or is dropped by the school prior to the end of the school year for any reason, all materials must be returned to Sky Mountain Charter School within two school days. Families will be billed for any items not returned, including those that are consumable in nature. Student transcripts will not be released until all materials are returned.

Can I purchase religious curriculum with my instructional funds?

No. Sky Mountain is a public school. State funds may not be used to purchase religious material.

Do you offer virtual school, if this is an option you want?

We do have online classes, which can be perused on our website.

Do you plan field trips, and will they be in my area?

Group Education Activities (GEA’s) are planned by our GEA Coordinator. On average, one trip is offered each month. Trips are scheduled in a variety of locations and on different days of the week/at different times. This is in an effort to allow as many students to participate as possible. You may sign up for a GEA via your ES. If you have suggestions for future trips, please let your ES know.

Is the management company transparent? 

The President of Innovative Education Management (IEM), Randy Gaschler, wrote the book Parent Driven Schools. The company is very transparent as to what the goals are for IEM schools. They are very “Parent Driven”. To get an idea of other IEM schools that have been in existence longer than Sky Mountain, go to http://www.ieminc.org/links_to_charters.html

Why does your school have so much more money for instructional funds than other charter schools? How can you do that?

All charter schools receive the same state funding. Each school (charter or otherwise) decides how to spend their funds in a way that will best meet the needs of their students following the philosophy of that charter school,. For each school, this looks a little different.

Can my high school student attend community college?

Yes. High school students can be concurrently enrolled if they qualify for attendance based on the standards set by that college for high school students.. They must be enrolled with Sky Mountain for a minimum of 25 units and cannot take more than 20 units from a college within a semester.

Will Sky Mountain enroll a student that has an IEP?

Our special education department must review the IEP's and deem our school appropriate for the student before we can enroll them.

Is there parent input? Are the agendas and minutes from board meetings online and current?

Sky Mountain has a 19 member Parent Council which is actively involved in the school. The agenda and minutes from Parent Council meetings are posted on our website.

Is there a newsletter and how is it delivered?

Sky Mountain has a newsletter which is posted on our website. Our newsletter comes out twice a year – once in the fall and once in the spring.

Does Sky Mountain support/encourage parent networking?

We strongly encourage parent networking and support. It is key to the success of the school.

Does Sky Mountain have a resource library where curriculum can be checked out?

We do not have a resource library at this time. However, each ES has their own resource library and can check curriculum out to their families.

My children attend a private school that I pay for out of pocket. The school does not file an affidavit with the state. Can I enroll my child at Sky Mountain and keep him/her enrolled at the private school since an affidavit is not filed and I am paying out of pocket?

No. California law prohibits dual enrollment situations and Sky Mountain is very careful to never be in a situation of dual enrollment. Families must choose between the private school and Sky Mountain Charter School.

Can I use my instructional funds to pay for my child's team sports, such as his soccer team or baseball team?

No. Instructional Funds cannot be used to pay for team sports. They can be used to pay for lessons that teach specific skills and must be done through an approved vendor.

Will my Education Specialist meet at my home at a date and time that fits around my schedule?

Your Education Specialist and you will come up with a mutually agreed upon location for your learning record meetings. Additionally, your Education Specialist and you will also need to agree upon a date and time that fits with both of your schedules. Please remember that our Education Specialists have full rosters and very full schedules.

What happens if I lose or break something that is Property of Sky Mountain Charter School?

You will have to pay to replace the lost or broken item.

I see that Sky Mountain supports all philosophies of learning. I also see that in your Materials Criteria it states that only basic materials can be ordered. Our family uses a Waldorf approach and the art supplies needed for the approach are higher in quality. They are an integral part of the Waldorf Program.

Sky Mountain support the Waldorf philosophy in that the family may use this philosophy to demonstrate learning for the learning records, can order Waldorf curriculum, and such. Waldorf art materials are generally not “basic” in quality and may not be purchased with our funds since we are not a Waldorf school. Most families are able to find a reasonable alternative to the materials they would like with the help of their ES.