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Sumter STEAM Charter Updates (2/27)

Amazing Things Happen When Potential Meets Opportunity!

Sumter STEAMCharter Updates (2/27)Amazing Things Happen When Potential Meets Opportunity!

Welcome to our First Community Newsletter!

Welcome to our first community newsletter! One of our five core pillars of Sumter STEAM Charter is meaningful family & community engaged. Designed with you in mind, our hope is for this newsletter to serve as another communication tool to remain engaged with the community so you can be in the know with what's happening at Sumter STEAM Charter!

SSC Application Submitted to SCDE & SCPCSD

Recently, the SSC 11-member planning committee submitted a comprehensive application to the SC Department of Education and the SC Public Charter School District that includes a 155-page narrative and 32 appendices totaling over 1,000 pages outlining our plan to establish a tuition-free, STEAM-focused public charter school in Sumter. Our “roadmap” would not be complete without the tremendous feedback from the community throughout the process. We are excited to move forward in the authorization process. In the next few months, our next steps include a capacity interview with SC Public Charter School District staff, a formal presentation to the SC Public Charter School District Board of Trustees, and a final public hearing in Columbia that will ultimately result in the approval or denial of our charter.

Progress Updates: Turning a Vision into Reality

We’re picking up "steam" at Sumter STEAM Charter. Since officially forming in September 2019, our planning committee has been hard at work sharing our story, mission, and model for what will be, if approved, Sumter’s first tuition-free, public charter school. As we move forward in a quest to change the narrative about what is possible for the children of Sumter County, here are a few important updates to share with our community stakeholders.

  • Our planning committee has been regularly meeting since September, with the official incorporation of Sumter STEAM Charter taking place in October.

  • We have conducted dozens of deep-dive research visits into other public charter schools across several states.

  • Our three-month-long “Hopes and Dreams Listening Tour” concluded in December 2019 with extensive outreach that included: a detailed community needs assessment, 100+ presentations of our charter school proposal, participation in various community activities, focus groups, and community awareness sessions.

  • We currently have six sub-committees that are working on tasks including community outreach/support, curriculum & instruction, operations, policy, finance, and facilities.

  • We officially submitted our comprehensive charter application to the SC Department of Education and SC Public Charter School District that includes a 155-page narrative and 32 appendices totaling over 1,000 pages outlining our “roadmap to excellence.”

  • Our website went live on February 10.


Here are some of our next steps:

  • We are excited to move forward in the authorization process, which will take place through a three-tier process over the course of the next several months and culminate by May 1st with either the approval or denial of our charter request. Our planning committee is eagerly preparing for the next steps in sharing our story, mission, and model with our chosen charter authorizers.

  • We are also in the final stages of completing our 501(c)3 application for federal tax exemption status.

SSC's Hopes & Dreams Listening Tour - The "Why" Behind our Charter School Proposal

Since October 2019, the SSC 11-member planning committee has worked diligently to share our story, mission, and proposed school model widely with the Sumter community. The image above shows an overview of our collective efforts and results that demonstrate why we believe there is a need for a tuition-free, public charter school in the Sumter community.

SSC Celebrates Public Schools Week: February 24-28, 2020

Did you know this is Public Schools Week? Did you know that charter schools are public schools too? Public Schools Week is a designated week for administrators, teachers, specialists, teacher educators, parents and school board members to host events for their communities and reach out to lawmakers, businesses, and other community members to discuss the importance of public education.

What do you already know about charter schools?

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that operate on a ten-year contract called a “charter” in a manner that is transparent and accountable to the families and communities they serve. Charter schools have flexibility from many education regulations and are governed by an individual board of directors. Charter schools provide educators with the flexibility to operate different types of public schools that focus on specific missions. There is no cost to attend and no test-in requirements for students. Here are a few interesting facts:



  1. Approximately 7,000 charter schools are authorized across the United States and collectively serve 3.2 million students across 43 states & DC.
  2. In South Carolina, charter schools have been in existence since 1996.
  3. Currently, there are three authorizing options in South Carolina: the local public school district, the South Carolina Public Charter School District, and the Charter Institute at Erskine.
  4. Charter school students are held to the same standards as traditional public schools including state testing and report card ratings.
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Our Approach to Social-Emotional Learning

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is a core design principle of our proposed educational model. In fact, it is so important to us that scholars will start and end each day at SSC with SEL instruction through our CHAMPS period. In this daily time, scholars will "Challenge their Hearts and Minds to Promote Success." Scholars will actively engage in lessons to acquire and further develop important SEL competencies such as self-awareness and self-regulation.
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Everyday Learning at Sumter STEAM Charter

At Sumter STEAM Charter, we believe that students must be at the center of the teaching and learning process. You can expect to see the following five things across all classrooms at Sumter STEAM Charter:


  1. Active Learning
  2. Teacher as the Facilitator
  3. Project-Based Learning
  4. STEAM Discipline Integration
  5. Inquiry-Based Learning Environment
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Our Approach to Professional Learning

At SSC, one of our core pillars is top quality teaching. We realize that teachers bring unique skills and needs to the job and a natural desire to continually improve & Achieve the best results for their scholars. That's why SSC will have job-embedded professional learning through two daily prep periods, weekly early release, one PD release day a month, and structured coaching cycles for all teachers.

Behind the Design-Thinking Scenes of Sumter STEAM Charter: Starting with the End in Mind

Several months of design-thinking have been invested in the proposed model for Sumter STEAM Charter. The two images above share the design of the school we are proposing to include our vision, mission, core pillars, core values, core beliefs, and desired core competencies for our students who we call "scholars." These fundamental principles were adopted by our planning committee as one of our first few tasks and have played an important role in providing strategic direction for the proposed charter school model.
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SSC School Goals

One of our core values as an organization is "results without excuses." Charter schools are trusted with public funds and should be held accountable for the results they produce. The results SSC aims to accomplish are centered around six (6) measurable goals. These goals will provide clarity, direction, and focus for Sumter STEAM Charter throughout the life of its charter. Take a look at the six (6) goals included in Sumter STEAM Charter's application. We will work relentlessly to achieve these goals through the life of our charter.
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SSC Learner Profile

What can parents expect their scholars will accomplish at SSC? Through project-based and personalized learning, our model intentionally creates an environment that emphasizes inquiry, self-directed learning, technology resources, and performance-based assessments. Sumter STEAM Charter scholars will acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and characteristics to be ready for STEAM careers and fields of work.
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SSC School Design Key Features

We are committed to a high-quality standards-based curriculum, more time on task, significant exposure to enrichment activities, a data-driven learning environment, two (2) teachers in all primary academy classrooms, a comprehensive MTSS model to ensure the needs of all scholars are being met, and an innovative high school model with a set of learning PATHWAYS designed to link project-based learning and student connections to college and fields of industry.

What does it look like to be a scholar at Sumter STEAM Charter?

At Sumter STEAM Charter, we are dreaming BIG because the states are HIGH...after all, our scholars will only get one shot at a K-12 education!


The two images above illustrate a scholar's journey as s/he progresses throughout their tenure as a scholar at Sumter STEAM Charter. Our grade levels are grouped into academies to provide for a more personalized learning environment. The focus area and expected student competencies for each grade level are outlined. Scholars leaving the primary academy in grade three will be reading on grade level and on track to score in the 85th percentile on end-of-the-year benchmark assessments as they exit the elementary academy. Such off-the-chart achievement will help equip our scholars with the foundation to handle the rigor of 4-7 high school credit-bearing classes in the junior academy.


As scholars progress to the senior academy, many will finish state-required high school coursework (remember, we are a charter school that follows state graduation requirements) so that the focus during the second half of their junior year and full senior year will be devoted to dual enrollment programming and work-based learning experiences. Under this model, we are committed to graduating scholars with a clear purpose!

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Our Approach to Personalized Learning

One of the hallmarks of our proposed educational model is a focus on personalized learning. Personalized learning at its best seeks to accelerate student learning by tailoring the instructional environment—what, when, how, and where scholars learn—to address the individual needs, skills, and interests of each scholar. Students can take ownership of their learning while also developing deep, personal connections with each other, their teachers, and other adults. We’ll do this by keeping our scholars at the center through our unique academy structure, personalized learning plans for each scholar, goal & data trackers, digital portfolios, daily reflection, PATHWAYS programming, meaningful tech integration, and much more!
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Our Approach to Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning will be facilitated throughout all classrooms at Sumter STEAM Charter. We believe that when kids are interacting and doing, they are not only learning more but it is critical preparation for life after the Senior Academy at SSC in the real world. For example, if they are learning about graphing in a math lesson, we are going to build projects around where scholars will demonstrate mastery of that standard through solving a locally relevant problem. Teachers will have extensive training in how to design PBLs to ensure there are some commonalities – having a driving question, an entry event, what competences from our Learner Profile is the scholar mastering with an end product being designed and presented to an expert.
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Our Approach to Meeting Work-Force Needs in Sumter

A hallmark of our proposed educational model is in our PATHWAYS programming. Scholars will be exposed to the 3 greatest workforce needs in Sumter through enrichment programming as early as kindergarten leading to the selection of a specific “pathway to distinction” in the Senior Academy that includes internships/apprenticeships and dual enrollment credit. PATHWAYS include health sciences, computer technology, industrial & engineering technology, and early college. The "magic" behind our model is that it provides the level of exposure for our scholars to make a meaningful, well-informed decision about life beyond SSC. Our model will support the next welders and engineers in Sumter but will equally support scholars wanting to become teachers and lawyers.

Upcoming Events

March 7 - SSC Informational Booth set up at the Reading in the Park Event (Memorial Park, 1-4 pm)


March 9 - SSC Planning Committee Meeting (11:30 am -12:30 pm)


March 19 - SSC Awareness Session with Highland Park Neighborhood Association (6-7 pm)


If you would like to invite a representative from the SSC planning committee to come out and share more with your group about our story, mission, and model...let us know by emailing info@sumtersteamcharter.org.

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SSC Meets with Sumter MOPS

Recently, representatives from our planning committee had the opportunity to meet with the Sumter Chapter of Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) at Alice Drive Baptist Church. MOPS is a support group for moms who seek connection and community.
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Want us to share with your group?

It is important for us to continue our outreach efforts within the Sumter community to share the story, mission, and model for Sumter STEAM Charter. If you have an event that you would like to invite us to, email us at info@sumtersteamcharter.org.
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SSC Meets with Palmetto Optimist Club of Sumter

Recently, representatives from our planning committee had the opportunity to meet with the Palmetto Optimist Club of Sumter, a volunteer organization dedicated to bringing out the best in children in the Sumter community.
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Stay Connected with Sumter STEAM Charter School!

A world-class, STEAM-focused tuition-free public school has been proposed for Sumter County and plans to, if approved, open its doors in the Fall 2021.

Email: info@sumtersteamcharter.org
Website: www.sumtersteamcharter.org
Location: 100 North Main Street, Sumter, SC, USA
Phone: (803) 216-5745
Facebook: facebook.com/sumtersteamcharterschool
Twitter: @Charter4Sumter