May 9, 2013

Dear SOKCS Families,

In the fall of 2012 the DESE Charter Review Committee came to SOKCS for a routine third-year site visit. It was not until April vacation that we received their report of the visit, detailing many positive things as well as some improvements the DESE wishes us to make. We also have recently received the report regarding the Coordinated Program Review of Special Education, Civil Rights, and ELL identifying many things they felt we were doing right. As a result of the DESE’s visit in the fall, and despite the commendations we did received from the review committee, we have recently learned that the DESE has assigned us a set of probationary conditions, some of which we have already begun to address. These conditions must be met before we begin the charter renewal process in December 0f 2014.

Next year the DESE Charter Review Committee will be returning for another site visit. Classes and the school year will continue with an even greater commitment to excellence and rigor than we have made before. Both the site visit and our students’ MCAS scores will weigh heavily in the committee’s decision to report that we have satisfied these probationary conditions. While we are satisfying these probationary conditions your students’ education will not be affected, except to the extent that our improvements will also be improvements to their education.

The administration, together with the Board of Trustees and faculty are working to implement the steps we must take in order to meet the DESE’s conditions. In the coming weeks and before the end of school we will hold an informational meeting outlining those steps.

There are many good things happening at SOKCS. Many students in our junior class will be taking the AP Language and AP US History exams shortly. Several juniors have been accepted to prestigious summer STEM programs, which we feel will set them up for great success in college and beyond.  Some of our seventh graders will be attending a summer science camp at WPI.  We feel very optimistic about our students’ ELA MCAS performance in March, and look forward to their doing equally as well on the Math and Science MCAS happening in May and June.

The success of SOKCS is dependent upon everyone doing their part.  Parents and students share in that responsibility as well as administration, Board members, faculty and staff.

We deeply believe that things at SOKCS are headed in the right direction. We are, as always, grateful that you have entrusted the education of your children to us and appreciative of your support of our school’s vision of a values-based and rigorous college-preparatory STEM education along the way.

Please contact me at any time with any questions you might have. 

Sincerely,

Paula Bailey
Executive Director
(508) 252-7321
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