Principal's Message

Greetings from Parkside Education Center!

 

The 2023- 24 school year begins with great excitement among our programs at Parkside Education Center. Our teachers, staff and instructional assistants have all been preparing for what proves to be a great year! Parkside is comprised of five programs: ASPIRE program, Home School (K-8th ONLY), Home/Hospital Instruction, Adult Transition and our EDGE Virtual Academy K to 12. Each program is highly specialized and is unique to the individual needs of the students celebrating an alternative educational pathway. Our offices have recently moved to the office formerly occupied by TLC Charter. 

 

EDGE Virtual Academy is an online school for students who wish to be virtual with daily and weekly support in a synchronous schedule with Highly Qualified Credentialed Teachers. Teachers provide tiered support and students are encouraged to come in for assessments and in-person academic or counseling support. Our High School has A to G courses, Advanced Placement and Honors Courses and 2 CTE pathways to provide quality education in a flexible manner.

 

Adult Transition serves young adult students with IEPs to meet the needs of 18-22 year old young adults with developmental disabilities. Our key focus is to help young adults build independence and quality of life linking adult students to appropriate community and adult services. Community based instruction, mobility training and providing support to small groups of students to attend special community college programs/classes is part of the mission for our adult student populations.

 

ASPIRE serves students in grades nine through twelve with individual education plans. ASPIRE is built on the belief that all students can learn when given the appropriate social-emotional support, educational services, and transition services. There is a focus on the whole student in developing lifelong skills.

 

Home/Hospital instruction is to help students maintain continuity of instruction during a period of temporary disability. Any student with a temporary disability that makes attendance in regular classes or another education program impossible or inadvisable may be considered for this program with medical documentation.

 

Home School (K-8th ONLY) OUSD’s Home School Program provides an alternative instructional delivery not an alternative curriculum. Students work independently, according to a written agreement and under the general supervision of a credentialed teacher and a parent. While in the Home School Program, students follow the District-Adopted curriculum. The Home School Program offers flexibility to meet individual student needs, interests, and styles of learning.

 

As you can tell, this is a dynamic learning environment for many students and we look forward to providing excellent learning opportunities that exemplify our District’s core values of integrity, respect, equity and excellence.

 

 

Sincerely,

Picture of Julie Lucas

Julie Lucas
Principal, Parkside Education Center