The CHIME Institute, a nonprofit organization established in 1990, is a national leader in the development and implementation of an unique model of inclusive education. The institute began with an early childhood program based at California State University, Northridge. The success of the early childhood program, coupled with the needs of the community and sound research, prompted a group of parents and Cal State Northridge faculty to develop a charter elementary school in 2001 and a charter middle school in 2003. The two schools were merged into kindergarten through 8th grade in 2010 and named the CHIME Institute’s Schwarzenegger Community School.

Inclusive education at CHIME Institute means that children who reflect the demographics of the surrounding region—including children who develop typically, children with special needs and children who are gifted—learn side by side. CHIME’s model allows for the individual needs of each child to be addressed in a manner that enhances each child’s strengths while also addressing learning needs.

In addition, CHIME serves as a model for educators through its partnership with Cal State Northridge’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education and the Los Angeles Unified School District. It facilitates research opportunities and regularly hosts visitors from surrounding districts and as far away as Japan and the United Kingdom who are interested in replicating CHIME’s successes, in their own schools and communities.

The proposed project is located in Woodland Hills at the old Collier Street School owned and operated by the LAUSD until the school was closed in 1991.  CHIME leased the property from LAUSD in January of 2003 and has been operating a successful K-5 program on the site.  The CHIME charter with the support of the District applied for and was granted a Proposition 55 allocation from the State Facilities Bond Program.  This grant was for a 6-8 grade program and was originally proposed for a private school site in the community of Chatsworth.  Upon further analysis, CHIME determined it was in the best interest of their academic program to have a K-8 program at one site rather than separate sites.  CHIME requested authorization from the District to proceed with converting the Collier Street school to a K-8 school. 

The proposed Project Site is located on the existing CHIME Charter Elementary School campus at 19722 Collier Street, in the community of Woodland Hills, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County. This site is owned by LAUSD and was operated as an elementary school until 1991 when it was closed.  The elementary school is at the southwest corner of the intersection of Collier Street and Corbin Avenue in a residential area. The campus encompasses 6.51 acres on one parcel (APN 2164007900) and is bordered by Corbin Avenue to the east, Jumilla Avenue to the west, residential development to the south, and an orange grove to the north across Collier Street.

Existing facilities include two kindergarten classrooms, 11 standard classrooms, Auditorium with a kitchen and outdoor covered lunch area, administration, and small library.  Seven portable classroom buildings (14 classrooms) will be replaced with new classrooms in the proposed project.  Existing PE facilities include field area, hard-court area, and a garden/outdoor classroom area.

The K-8 site also includes both temporary and permanent improvements which were completed during the summer of 2010. The temporary facilities include seven new portable buildings (12 classrooms and 1 restroom) for interim student housing.  The permanent improvement includes expansion of the existing parking lot and curbside drop-off ramps for accessibility.  The portable classrooms are to be removed after construction of the permanent classroom building.

Phase I of the proposed project will provide a 2-story 20,540-square foot classroom building with 18 new standard classrooms, and a media center located on approximately 2.5 acres of the existing 6.51-acre campus.  The proposed campus master plan build-out, including existing facilities, would total 48,281-square-feet of building space, 31 classrooms supporting a full K-8 program with a total capacity for 775 students.

In Phase II of the proposed project, a new library will be constructed.  The plans were completed and submitted to DSA but construction will not begin until funds are raised through a capital campaign.

Over the past four years we have been working on our project and have completed the following major items:

·          Negotiated with Los Angeles Unified School District on agreements to use one of their school sites for this project

·          Master Planned the school to add grades 6-8 to our existing K-5 program making it a K-8 school

·          Held Community Outreach meetings related to the project

·          Held Preliminary Environmental Assessment public hearing at school site and public notice for the CEQA documents was advertised in local newspaper and notices hand delivered to properties within 500 feet of school site

·          Completed CEQA and received DTSC approval

·          Received preliminary plan approval from CDE

·          Completed construction drawings and submitted to DSA on December 17, 2010 for an expedited review

·          Installed temporary portable classrooms on the site until the permanent school additions can be completed to operate the new program

·          Having completed all of the above items, we anticipate being out of DSA within 2 months

The K-8 site also includes both temporary and permanent improvements which were completed during the summer of 2010. The temporary facilities include seven new portable buildings (12 classrooms and 1 restroom) for interim student housing.  The permanent improvement includes expansion of the existing parking lot and curbside drop-off ramps for accessibility.  The portable classrooms are to be removed after construction of the permanent classroom building.

Phase I of the proposed project will provide a 2-story 20,540-square foot classroom building with 18 new standard classrooms, and a media center located on approximately 2.5 acres of the existing 6.51-acre campus.  The proposed campus master plan build-out, including existing facilities, would total 48,281-square-feet of building space, 31 classrooms supporting a full K-8 program with a total capacity for 775 students.

In Phase II of the proposed project, a new library will be constructed.  The plans were completed and submitted to DSA but construction will not begin until funds are raised through a capital campaign.

Over the past four years we have been working on our project and have completed the following major items:

·          Negotiated with Los Angeles Unified School District on agreements to use one of their school sites for this project

·          Master Planned the school to add grades 6-8 to our existing K-5 program making it a K-8 school

·          Held Community Outreach meetings related to the project

·          Held Preliminary Environmental Assessment public hearing at school site and public notice for the CEQA documents was advertised in local newspaper and notices hand delivered to properties within 500 feet of school site

·          Completed CEQA and received DTSC approval

·          Received preliminary plan approval from CDE

·          Completed construction drawings and submitted to DSA on December 17, 2010 for an expedited review

·          Installed temporary portable classrooms on the site until the permanent school additions can be completed to operate the new program

·          Having completed all of the above items, we anticipate being out of DSA within 2 months

Philosophy of the CHIME Programs
A philosophy statement clarifies the beliefs and values that form the basis for the programs. It is important for all staff, as well as volunteers, to understand this philosophy.

We believe...

• A child's greatest task is to learn social and communication skills. The ability to get along with others and to effectively get wants and needs met are the most important tools a child can have to meet future learning demands.
• Children learn best through activities that challenge the abilities they have and motivate them to reach for new ones. At CHIME we follow each child's lead and build on each child's unique abilities and interests to encourage that natural learning process. We emphasize playful, fun activities that meet the child's developmental needs without losing the child's interest.
• Positive interactions with caring adults are essential to children's development. Our intervention activities emphasize interaction so family members are an important part of each activity. We involve family members in developing and using appropriate interactive behaviors so that they can enjoy and, at the same time, maximize their child's development.
• Children need to use their developing skills in different ways and in different settings so that they will eventually be able to use their skills independently. We emphasize intervention activities that may be practiced in the home and/or center/school settings in the course of everyday activities.
• Children are whole beings, not isolated sets of skills. Instead of single therapy units that treat one skill at a time (e.g., speech time, physical therapy time, etc.), we provide many opportunities for children to participate in coordinated activities in which a variety of skills may be worked on at one time within the classroom setting. The teachers, therapists, and the family jointly develop these activities. Activities are provided within the center and classroom settings, and children are not pulled out to work on specific skills.
• Good planning is the secret to helping development along when problems interfere. At CHIME, transdisciplinary team members develop, in partnership with each child's family, intervention activities based on an assessment of the child's developmental strengths and needs as well as the family's priorities.

• Collaboration is essential for effective educational programs. To work collaboratively, we need to communicate--time to talk to each other. For this purpose we have joint meetings where we plan together, have in-service training together, and review and reflect on children’s progress.
• We have responsibility for the welfare of all the children in the programs. All staff work with both the children who have disabilities and the children without disabilities. This is important to assure that children are not stigmatized or isolated within the classroom.

Paraprofessionals play a central role in the realization of the CHIME philosophy. They
provide assistance to enable the children to participate in the center or classroom, and they help monitor the children's developmental progress and social integration.

Finally, we use a transdisciplinary approach. Designated instructional services (DIS) and therapies are provided in the context of the regular classroom. This enables the specialists to model special interventions for the paraprofessionals and general education teachers. In this way, the staff who work with the children most often can implement specialized interventions on an ongoing basis

The component of “family partnerships” remains as a strength of the Schwarzenegger Community School. Families are welcomed on campus and have many ways to contribute to the school – from helping with school mailings and weeding in the Outdoor Classroom to leadership in coordinating large school events and supporting in the classrooms.  Approximately 80% of families contribute 8 or more volunteer hours per year.  In addition, the Parent Association supports the school through fundraising and community events throughout the year, and has a voting body of approximately 120 families for the 2010-2011 school year.  Both school staff and the Parent Association are currently engaged in outreach efforts to better elicit the active participation of families that have been historically less involved.  An ad hoc joint committee was formed this year to elicit feedback from these families and is exploring more variation in meeting times, increased translation of materials into Spanish, and providing mentoring of families who are new to the school by families already familiar with school procedures and routines.  Teachers meet with families in team meetings throughout the year to refine educational programs or to share progress for any student as needed in addition to Parent-Teacher conferences.  In K-5, parent teacher conferences in addition to student led conferences each occur once per year, with team meetings as needed.  In 6^th – 8^th, parents attend both a Student Led conference (beginning of year) and a Portfolio Conference (end of year). 

Parents Association

19722 Collier Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

Schwarzenegger Community School will comply with the California Healthy Schools Act.  SCS will provide screening of pupils’ vision and hearing and the screening of pupils for scoliosis to the same extent as would be required if the pupils attended a non-charter public school.

SCS will have a Health, Safety and Emergency Plan in place prior to beginning

the operation of the school. The SCS will ensure that staff has been trained in health, safety, and emergency procedures and will maintain a calendar and conduct emergency response drills for students and staff.  The SCS and its employees and officers will comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) at all times.

The health and safety of our students and staff members is our highest priority.  For this reason, the CHIME Institute’s Schwarzenegger Community School has adopted and implemented a comprehensive set of health, safety, and risk management policies.  These policies have been developed in consultation with the school’s insurance carriers and has addressed the following topics:

·          a requirement that all enrolling students and staff provide records documenting immunization against appropriate diseases

·          policies and procedures for response to natural disasters and emergencies including fires and earthquakes, which will include regular fire and earthquake drills

·          policies relating to preventing contact with blood-borne pathogens

·          a policy requiring that instructional and administrative staff receive training in emergency response, including appropriate “first responder” training or its equivalent.

·          policies relating to the administration of prescription medicines

·          a policy that the school will be housed in facilities that have received Fire Marshal approval and that the facility has been evaluated by a qualified structural engineer who has determined that the facilities present no substantial seismic safety hazard

·          a policy that the school location and facility will be investigated, inspected and tested in order to determine that it is free from environmental hazards

·          a policy establishing that the school functions as a drug, alcohol, and tobacco free workplace

·          a requirement that each employee of the school submit to criminal background check and furnish a criminal record summary as required by Education Code Section 44237

·          a detailed description for background check procedures in provided in this petition.

·          Policies relating to a workplace free of sexual harassment.

These policies have been incorporated as appropriate into the school’s student and staff handbooks and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis in the school’s staff development efforts and governing board policies.

SCS is opposed and will not tolerate any form of employee, contractor, or client harassment based upon a protected status such as sex, race, national origin, age, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.  Employees should keep in mind that jokes, stories, slurs, cartoons, nicknames, and comments about appearance may be offensive to others.

CHIME is located in Woodland Hills at the old Collier Street School owned and operated by the LAUSD until the school was closed in 1991.  CHIME leased the property from LAUSD in January of 2003 and has been operating a  K-5 program on the site.  The CHIME charter with the cooperation of the District applied for and was granted a Proposition 55 allocation from the State Facilities Bond Program.  This grant was for a 6-8 grade program and was originally proposed for a private school site in the community of Chatsworth.  Upon further analysis, CHIME determined it was in the best interest of its academic program to have a K-8 program at one site rather than separate sites.  Any continuation of the school at this location after December 26, 2012 shall be subject to LAUSD and CHIME Institute’s Schwarzenegger Community School either (a) entering into a lease amendment to renew or extend the current lease, or (b) entering into a new lease or a use agreement for such location permitting CHIME SCS to occupy that location after December 26, 2012. 

The proposed Project Site is located on the existing CHIME Charter Elementary School campus at 19722 Collier Street, in the community of Woodland Hills, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County. This site is owned by LAUSD and was operated as an elementary school until 1991 when it was closed.  The elementary school is at the southwest corner of the intersection of Collier Street and Corbin Avenue in a residential area. The campus encompasses 6.51 acres on one parcel (APN 2164007900) and is bordered by Corbin Avenue to the east, Jumilla Avenue to the west, residential development to the south, and an orange grove to the north across Collier Street.

Existing facilities include two kindergarten classrooms, 11 standard classrooms, auditorium with a kitchen and outdoor covered lunch area, administration, and small library.  Seven portable classroom buildings (14 classrooms) which will be replaced with new classrooms in the proposed project.  Existing PE facilities include field area, hard-court area, and a garden/outdoor classroom area.

The K-8 site also includes both temporary and permanent improvements which were completed during the summer of 2010. The temporary facilities include seven new portable buildings (14 classrooms and 1 restroom) for interim student housing.  The permanent improvement includes expansion of the existing parking lot and curbside drop-off ramps for accessibility.  The portable classrooms are to be removed after construction of the permanent classroom building.

Subject to project approval by the LAUSD Board of Education and entry into appropriate written agreements by LAUSD and CHIME Institute, Phase I of the proposed project will provide a 2-story 20,540-square foot classroom building with 18 new standard classrooms, and a media center located on approximately 2.5 acres of the existing 6.51-acre campus.  The proposed campus master plan build-out, including existing facilities, would total 48,281-square-feet of building space, 31 classrooms supporting a full K-8 program with a total capacity for 775 students.

Subject to project approval by the LAUSD Board of Education and entry into appropriate written agreements by LAUSD and CHIME Institute,  Phase II of the proposed project will involve construction of a new library..  The plans were completed and submitted to DSA but construction will not begin until funds are raised through a capital campaign.

Over the past four years we have been working on our project and have completed the following major items:

·          Commenced negotiations with Los Angeles Unified School District on agreements to use one of their school sites for this project

·          Master Planned the school to add grades 6-8 to our existing K-5 program making it a K-8 school

·          Held Community Outreach meetings related to the project

·          Held Preliminary Environmental Assessment public hearing at school site and public notice for the CEQA documents was advertised in local newspaper and notices hand delivered to properties within 500 feet of school site

·          Completed CEQA and received DTSC approval

·          Received preliminary plan approval from CDE

·          Completed construction drawings and submitted to DSA on December 17, 2010 for an expedited review

·          Installed temporary portable classrooms on the site until the permanent school additions can be completed to operate the new program

Having completed all of the above items, we anticipate being out of DSA within 2 months