The new school year is almost upon us, and Alpine has a new opportunity for parents who are ready to investigate alternative educational choices for their children. The Heights Charter is an exciting new venture put forth by Director and Lead Teacher, Diana Whyte, who is dedicated to serving the children of Alpine for over thirty-two years. In partnership with Alpine parents, The Heights Charter School is underway, and is promising a school environment that puts children first.
The new school year is almost upon us, and Alpine has a new opportunity for parents who are ready to investigate alternative educational choices for their children. The Heights Charter is an exciting new venture put forth by Director and Lead Teacher, Diana Whyte, who is dedicated to serving the children of Alpine for over thirty-two years. In partnership with Alpine parents, The Heights Charter School is underway, and is promising a school environment that puts children first.
Whyte, a University of California, San Diego, is a Master Curriculum and Instruction teacher. She brings her expertise, enthusiasm and excitement to The Heights Charter, incorporating her desire and drive to give Alpine students the best education available. Twenty years of Whyte’s experience in education has been spent cultivating a highly successful individualized model of education, targeting families who desire independent study, with the added benefit of direct teacher instruction based on students’ strengths weaknesses, interests and passions. This hybrid model of education couples parents directly with their student’s education, which allows an excitement level for education that promotes life-long learners.
During Whyte’s teaching career, she was the Math mentor at AUSD, new teacher mentor at AUSD, a master teacher for student teachers, Teacher of the year, nominated by two different administrators, PTA teacher of the Year, and asked to speak at the California School Board Organization in San Jose about her innovative approach to meeting students’ needs in a non-traditional school setting. On top of this she was the Academic Bowl Advisor, coached math students for Math Field Day competitions and volunteered for Science Olympiad events.
Whyte says, “With the formation of The Heights Charter, I am so excited to offer students so much more than other homeschool hybrid programs. Three full days of instruction are going to provide an enriching experience for children with all the extras that can be incorporated into the core curriculum!” Specifically, the extras include field trips such as: whale watching, train excursions to San Juan Capistrano, day trips to Julian, along with engaging learning opportunities offered in classes like: Cooking, Drama, Music, and Art. There are also Club possibilities that include: Leadership, Yearbook, P.E., Lego, Craft, Drama/Theater and Book Clubs.
Currently four teachers are on board, teaching Math, Language Arts, Social Sciences, and Science, along with three specialists who will be presenting enrichment courses.
The Heights Charter is written for five years, so the school will be a solid educational prospect for any parent looking for an academic home for their student attending grades K thru 8. The school promises core subjects along with skill building enrichment courses such as Journalism, Publishing, and Spanish.
At their first informational meeting on August 6, at 6:00 approximately thirty parents showed up, eager to learn how this Charter School may inspire their children. The promise of smaller class sizes, individualized education, the perks of private school without the private school prices, and a chance for children to get excited about education enticed parents to register their children.
