Frequently Asked Questions
What is a charter school?
A charter school is a publicly funded school managed by a private organization and governed by an independent Board that best knows the needs for its school.
Are we a public school?
Charter schools in Florida are fully recognized as public schools. They are operated by, or organized as, nonprofit organizations. Charter schools are funded in part by the Florida Department of Education in the same manner as all other public schools in the state.
What makes us different from a regular public school?
There are a number of things that make us different from a regular public school. (1) Multi-age Curriculum, (2) small class size, and (3) a parental obligation contract whereby a parent agrees to volunteer at least 30 hours during the school year.
What are the benefits of a multi-age curriculum?
Allows for flexibility in the grouping of children according to need, ability, or interest; not just by age.
Benefits come to the older children form the quality of leadership and responsibility they develop.
Young children are stimulated intellectually by older children.
Children have a broader social experience with increased opportunities to lead and to follow, to collaborate and to make stable peer relationships.
Produce cooperation.
Allow students to learn from each other through peer tutoring.
Give students responsibility and independence in both learning and behavior.
Build understanding of action-consequence relationship.
Allow continuous learning through the use of learning centers, small group instruction, and individual pacing.
Involve parents in classroom activities.
Encourage student responsibility and ownership of the learning environment.
Teach goal-setting from an early age.
Build leadership skills in all students.
Why do parents have to volunteer?
Research shows that parental involvement at their child’s school increases the students’ success. Therefore, each family at Pinecrest Academy South Charter is required to complete 30 volunteer hours each school year. You will first need to fill out the Volunteer Form, which you can obtain by clicking here. Then, contact your child’s teacher for more information on how you can volunteer or see the Parents link on our Homepage for ideas on how you can get involved.
Please read the School Volunteer Policies and Guidelines as stated by MDCPS.
How can I contact my child’s teacher?
You can contact your child’s teacher by calling the school office, 305 386-0800, and leaving a message or visiting the teacher’s Schoolnotes page and sending them an e-mail.
What grades are taught at Pinecrest Academy South?
Pinecrest offers classes for kindergarten through the eighth grade. Preschool services are also available through the Leap Services Program.
Are teacher’s required to be certified in the state of Florida?
Yes. As a M-DCPS sponsored charter school, all of the teachers follow the same certification guidelines as public school teachers. They must obtain at least a Bachelor’s Degree. They must pass all state mandated exams for certification.
Does Pinecrest Academy offer Special Education Services?
Pinecrest Academy offers students Special Education accommodations in the general education classroom. A certified Special Education teacher and the classroom teacher ensure that the appropriate accomodations are utilized across all subject areas.
What are the class sizes?
Classrooms are small and consist of a maximum of 22 students.
