Transcript of Friday, March 6, 2015 Parent Meeting Q: Transportation A: First State Military Academy will be offering transportation to all students. We will offer HUB stops for all students who reside outside of the Smyrna School District. These stops will be in safe locations for the students. An example is a local library within our community. These stops have not been finalized at this point. I am waiting until we reach 80% of our enrollment capacity. Students who live within the Smyrna School District will follow the local district transportation policy. Q: What time does the school day start and end. A: Currently we are looking at our school day starting 8:15 AM and ending at 3:15 PM. Q: What is the daily schedule of the school? A: This is the draft. The first draft is an A/B Schedule, which will alternate on a daily basis. The exception is math and JROTC, which I prefer the students to have on a daily basis. Full Day 1 8:15 AM 9:40 AM 9:40 AM 9:45 AM 2 9:45 AM 11:05 AM 11:05 AM 11:10 AM 3 11:10 AM 12:30 PM A Lunch 11:10 AM 11:40 AM 3A 11:40 AM 1:00 PM 3B 11:10 AM 11:50 AM B Lunch 11:50 AM 12:20 PM 3B 12:20 PM 1:00 PM 3C 11:10 AM 12:30 PM C Lunch 12:30 PM 1:00 PM 1:00 PM 1:05 PM 4 1:05 PM 2:25 PM 2:25 PM 2:30 PM Enrichment/Advisory 2:30 PM 3:15 PM Q: What is the first day of school? A: The first draft school calendar has us starting on August 26, 2015 and ending on June 8, 2016. The calendar has not been approved by the board.
Q: What is enrichment/ advisory time? A: This is the time built into the school day for students to make up work, receive help in areas in which they are struggling to meet with teacher advisors to manage academic progress, and for clubs and organizations to meet. Q: Athletics and Activity Transportation A: A sports booster organization will be formed to start a fundraising campaign for the teams. All transportation for athletics, such as after-practices activity buses and away game buses, will be funded by this organization. Q: How will using New Tech affect students going to college? Will they view it as different? A: New Tech is not what we teach, but how we teach it. Our instruction design will be delivered through the use of project-based learning. This is the how. What we teach will be the state s graduation requirements and content standards in each subject area. We will use five researched- based indicators of postsecondary success. These are to be measured and scaffolded throughout a project- based learning unit. These tasks include agency (culture), collaboration, oral communication, knowledge, and written communication and will be included in every project. Q: AP classes and dual enrollment A: First State Military Academy plans to offer AP courses and is looking to offer dual enrollment opportunities for students. Dual enrollment is taking college credit in high school. Q: Hiring teachers A: The teaching positions are now posted at www.joindelawareschools.org. Q: How many freshmen will attend First State Military Academy. Is our enrollment full? A: We currently have 86 freshmen who have accepted their invitation. There is another 39 that have been invited but have not accepted their invitation. We also have students on a waiting list. Once the March 20 th deadline date passes, all those who do not accept their invitation will be removed, and the students on the waiting list will receive invitations based on the date of their application. Q: What is our enrollment projections? A: Our enrollment projections for the first year are 125 freshmen and 75 sophomores. Q: Who will teach the Marine Corps JROTC? A: The US Marine Corps sends us a list of available instructors that meet their requirements. We will be a part of the hiring process.
Q: What uniforms will the students be wearing? A: We will have three sets of uniforms at FSMA. The camoflage utilities, dress uniform, and physical training uniform. Q: Will we have a drill team? A: Yes. We plan to have a drill team, marksmanship team, and a raider team. The raider team is a physical fitness unit. Q: Will the students be given the opportunity to attend any summer training programs? A: Yes. The students will be given the opportunity to attend summer programs. Q: Will the staff be required to wear a uniform? A: The staff will dress professionally at all times. The employee handbook is still being developed at this time. All staff members will need to provide a blazer on which the school shield will be embroidered. Q: Are we going to offer career pathways? A: Yes. Currently, we are applying for a pathway in computer science for the 2015-2016. We plan to investigate one other program for our students to choose from, while at FSMA. Q: Will the school offer opportunities for music and band? A: Yes. The students will be given an opportunity to continue these endavours. We have local support from our veteran band organizations that have volunteered time to incorporate these programs. They offer many opportunites to march in parades and travel to events. We will be looking at our budget to find ways to fund this position. Q: Will parents need to pay deposits for uniforms and the Chromebook laptop? A: Yes. Deposits will be needed to cover damage to items provided free from the school. Students are expected to be responsible for items provided by the school. Q: Will the students meet before the first day of school to have the opportunity to be fitted and learn how to wear the uniform? A: Yes. FSMA will be planning an event in August for the students to be fitted for uniforms and learn how to wear them properly. We are waiting for our MCJROTC instructors to be hired to plan this event. Q: Will New Tech be an issue for students applying for college? A: New Tech will provide us with the how or method that we use to teach the students. What is expected by graduation from the students is determined by the State of Delaware. Their transcripts will not appear any different from any other student at another school. It is not what we teach, but how we teach.
Q: Will the students have the opportunity to take four years of language? A: The goal is to provide students this opportunity. Unfortuantely, we will not be able to have more than one language teacher the first year. The sophomores will be offered the opportunity to continue onto their second year of a language. We will offer a first-year level for freshmen. Unfortunately, we will not have enough room for all of the freshmen to take a language during their first year. We plan to offer a second language during the second year of operation. We have advertised for both a Spanish and a Chinese teacher. Q: Why offer the Chinese language? A: There are also very practical reasons to acquire another language. Chinese is increasingly important to our current and future dialogue with China. According to the Asia Society, The rise of China presents new economic, political and social realities that demand greater U.S. engagement at every level. Why Study Chinese? (2014, November 18). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://confucius.umn.edu/students/whychinese.html Q: Will additional staff be hired to provide necessary services for the students? A: FSMA will be hiring a guidance counselor, special education teacher(s), and a school nurse. Q: How do we accommodate all students, when inclement weather occurs (ie, school closing decisions, due to snow)? A: We will make decisions for the entire student body, even if the weather only affects the geographic location of part of the student population. Q: Will students need to follow haircut regulations? A: GROOMING REGULATIONS for MARINE CORPS JROTC a. MALE CADETS. No eccentricities in the manner of wearing head or facial hair will be permitted. The hair must complement the person s complexion tone. Color changes that detract from a professional image are prohibited. Fingernails will be kept clean and neatly trimmed. Male cadets will be well groomed at all times and will abide by the following; (1) Hair will be neat and closely trimmed. The hair may be clipped at the edges of the sides and back; will be evenly graduated from zero length at the hairline in the lower portion of the head; and will not be over 2 inches in length on the upper portion of the head; the back and sides of the head below the hairline will be shaved to remove body hair. Bowl and Mohawk haircuts are not authorized. Sideburns will not extend below the top of the orifice of the ear; as indicated by the line A-A in figures 1-1 and 1-2. Sideburns will not be styled to taper or flare. The length of the individual hair of the sideburn will not exceed 1/8 inch.
(2) Head hair will be styled so as not to interfere with the proper wear of uniform headgear. Hair which protrudes from beneath properly worn headgear in an unsightly manner is considered excessive, regardless of length. (3) No male cadet will be required to have his hair clipped to the scalp; however, this does not preclude him from doing so if he so desires. (4) The face will be clean-shaven, except that a mustache may be worn. When worn, the mustache will be neatly trimmed and must be contained within the lines B-B, C-C, D-D and the margin of the upper lip, as shown in figure 1-1 and 1-2. The individual length of the mustache hair fully extended must not exceed ½ inch. b. FEMALE CADETS. The requirement for hair regulations is to maintain uniformity within a military population. The hair must complement the person s complexion tone. Color changes that detract from a professional image are prohibited. Women s hairstyles require noneccentric styles. Females cadets will be well groomed at all times and when in uniform will abide by the following: (1) Hair may touch the collar, but will not fall below the collar s lower edge. Hair that would fall naturally below the collar s lower edge will be neatly and inconspicuously pinned or fastened. (2) Hair will be styled so as not to interfere with the proper wear of the uniform headgear. All headgear will fit snugly and comfortable around the largest part of the head without distortion or excessive gaps. Hairstyles which do not allow the headgear to be worn in this manner are prohibited. (3) Faddish or exaggerated styles or colors, to include shaved portions of the scalp other than the neckline, designs cut in the hair, unsecured ponytails and styles which are distinctly unbalanced or lopsided are prohibited. Multiple braiding is authorized. If hair extensions are used, the extensions must have the same general appearance as the individual s natural hair. Braided hairstyles will be conservative, and conform to other guidelines listed herein. (4) Barrettes, combs, rubber bands, etc., are authorized, if concealed by the hair. Inconspicuous hairpins and bobby pins, if required, are authorized. Wigs, if worn in uniform, must look natural and conform to the above regulations. (5) Cosmetics, if worn, will be applied conservatively and will complement the individual s complexion tone. Exaggerated or faddish cosmetics styles are inappropriate with the uniform and will not be worn. Non-eccentric lipstick and nail polish colors, to include colorless nail polish, may be worn with all uniforms. Fingernails with multiple colors or decorative ornamentation and designs are prohibited. Nail length will be no longer than ¼ inch from the tip of the finger. (6) Female cadets may wear small, polished yellow gold color, ball or round stud earrings (post, screw-on, or clip), not to exceed ¼ inch in diameter earrings with service and dress
uniforms at the individual s option. When worn earrings will fit tightly against, and will not extend below, the earlobe. Only one earring will be worn on or in each earlobe. Q: Is enrollment evenly distributed throughout the state? A: Most of our enrollments are coming from New Castle and Kent Counties. The enrollments are evenly distributed throughout those areas. We have a few students from Sussex. Q: Will there be a relationship with the Delaware Military Academy (DMA)? A: The former Commandant of DMA was an integral part of establishing our school. He still plays an important role as an advisor to our FMSA Commandant. Some of our Board Members had children who attended DMA. They inspired many people in the Kent County area to form a military charter school. We hope to have a close relationship with them and develop a friendly rivalry in the years to come. DMA has done such an outstanding job. Our goal is build with their example, as we develop our own character. Q: Will there be more members of the Marine Corps on staff? A: As the school grows, more staff will come on board to handle the increase in student enrollment. Q: How do New Tech and Marine Corps JROTC mesh? A: The New Tech model and the Marine Corps JROTC share many of the same attributes. New Tech believes in foundation of structure, culture, and leadership. The same could be said of the Marine Corps. Project Based Learning (PBL) is a structured environment through the use of Echo. This is the software all teachers and students will use to stay connected. Q: How much physical fitness will occur at FSMA? A: All students will take one credit Physical Education (PE) and have 2 days of physical fitness every week. Q: What is the ratio of males to females? A: 30% of all applicants are female. Q: Are there shower facilities for students? A: Currently no. The second phase of construction will include locker areas for showering. Q: How will discipline be handled? A: The discipline policy is still a work in progress. We will hold students to high expectations. Uniforms must be worn correctly daily. Q: What is the rank structure of the Marine Corps JROTC?
A: Marine Corps JROTC has a rank structure that is student led. Students will hold battalion and company positions. They will handle the rewarding of promotions and awards. Q: How will we handle students with different needs? A: Project-based learning is an excellent way to differentiate instruction in a full inclusion classroom, especially when the class includes students of widely different abilities, from the cognitively or developmentally-disabled to the gifted children. Project-based learning is also excellent in resource rooms or self-contained classrooms with either typically developing partners or with sufficient support or accommodations. Q: What are the restrictions on using the Chromebook laptop? A: FSMA students will need to sign an acceptable use policy. The internet will be monitored by the state network. The student s Chromebook can still be monitored, while he/she is away from the school. The student needs to be mindful on what websites are accessed, when using an outside network.