Sarasota Academy Of The Arts Inc

Programs: Sarasota academy of the arts (saa) is a public charter school authorized by the sarasota county school board to provide a free public education for students in grades kindergarten through eight. Saa had an enrollment of 202 students at the end of its first year. As a public school, saa follows the calendar of the traditional public schools, 180 days of instruction for eight hours per day. The niche provided by saa is that of a performing and visual arts school, open to all students within commuting distance. The students participated in 4 on-stage musical performance including a full- length broadway musical at the end of the day. In addition to these performances, the students performed in numerous assisted living facilities and retirement homes as part of their community service activities. The middle school chorus also auditioned for and were chosen to perform at walt disney world and universal studios in orlando. These activities directly relate to the mission statement in that we wish to develop students who are well-rounded with self-confidence in themselves. Throughout the year the students participated in several community service activities ranging from raising funds for the leukemia and lymphoma society to collecting coats for the salvation army and food for two local campaigns. Participation in these events as well as literacy activities helped the school to be named a five star school for student, parent, and community involvement. Students attend saa for an extended day 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. This allows each student to participate in the core academic classes expected in any school day. It also allows for classes in physical education, spanish, art, technology, and music. Students needing extra help have access to services provided in esol, exceptional education, gifted classes as well as intensive math and reading.