Aloma D. Johnson Fruit Belt Community Charter School

Welcome to our website. Below are summaries of our Educational Plan and Our Mission. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at (716) 856-4390. We look forward to hearing from you.

Educational Plan
The Aloma D. Johnson Fruit Belt Community Charter School (FBCCS) fosters students' intellectual, physical, social, and emotional growth, helping students acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to reach their full learning potential. The school is focused on high academic achievement and prepares all students to meet NYS Learning Standards in an environment of high expectations. The FBCCS is committed to sustaining a safe and caring learning community that respects diversity and encourages strong home, school, and community partnerships. With its small school learning environment, intensive focus on building student reading and math achievement, ongoing commitment to staff development, interdisciplinary themes of business and leadership, and the use of innovative tools such as Creative Problem Solving (CPS) and Project-Based Learning (PBL), the Aloma D. Johnson Fruit Belt Community Charter School prepares students to direct and participate in the renaissance of their neighborhood, community, and city. 

Our Mission
The FBCCS, a proposed K-3 primary school (evolving to K-4), will provide all students an innovative, high quality, and comprehensive school program based on fostering students' intellectual, physical, social, and emotional growth and helping them  acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to reach their full teaming potential. The school is committed to improving student academic achievement and performance, with the legal and administrative flexibility afforded to charter schools and responsibility and direct accountability for producing student results.  

The program philosophy is based on our following beliefs:  

• All children can learn and be successful when provided engaging, meaningful leaning experiences that foster their individual strengths; and we hold high expectations for all students.
• Each child is an individual with talents, strengths, needs, expectations, and aspirations that we must strive to meet.
• An intimate, small-school model environment, providing an exemplary foundation in essential skills, is the preferred elementary experience for continued academic success.
• Students must be proficient in reading, as therein lies the basis through which learning in all disciplines can take actively thrive.
• A quality, comprehensive academic program — aligned to the New York State Learning Standards and unified by themes of business and leadership — will prepare students for fulfilling and productive lives.
• A high quality education must incorporate real-life, hands-on learning experiences for students, providing opportunities to utilize their newly learned knowledge and skills.
• Education must prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the working world and prepare them for success in their adult lives.
• The school, family, and community must work in partnership to support the comprehensive education of children. 

This has lead to the vision of a charter school devoted to giving young students an exemplary start in education — a school whose strengths are providing exceptionally small classes and high adult to student ratios, utilizing the resources of community-based and higher education institutions, committing to continuous improvement in the skills and abilities of its teaching staff, employing scientifically based reading programs and best practices in the classroom, and creating a family-friendly environment in support of student learning.

FBCCS has two institutional partners: St. John Fruit Belt Community Development Corporation (CDC) and Daemen College. These partners have been working collaboratively, since 2004, to synchronize development efforts in the Fruit Belt neighborhood for long-term stability.

Daemen committed to contributing resources — students, faculty, and expertise, to benefit the education of low-income youth in this community. The overarching goal of the Daemen College-Fruit Belt partnership is to engage Daemen students, faculty and staff with members of the Fruit Belt partnership in service and activities that aim to strengthen the community. The creation and support of the Aloma D. Johnson Fruit Belt Community Charter School is a major initiative of the partnership and a cornerstone of neighborhood stabilization and revitalization.

FBCCS is unique in that it provides very small class sizes, with sufficient teaching staff, classroom aides, student teachers and support staff to facilitate small group and individual instruction. Block scheduling of core academics, a full range of subjects and daily enrichment create a strong foundation for future learning. The school features special education teachers at every grade level, as well as a part time special education coordinator to assist in serving students in need. A reading specialist and part time reading and math coaches provide consistent, frequent assessment of students as well as ongoing professional development. A part time curriculum specialist ensures that an instruction is aligned with NYS Learning Standards and a full time registered nurse monitors student health and development. These features the commitment of the institutional partners, the void caused by the reconstitution of the neighborhood public school, and the great need of the at-risk population of the neighborhood make this charter worthy of being granted.

• Bussing
• Excellent student/teacher ratio for enhanced learning
• Extended school day (4:30pm dismissal)
• Extended school year
• Uniforms
• After school enrichment: Monday - Friday (Fridays until 6:00pm)
• Mentors (via our partnership with Daemen College: Fruit Belt Community Development Corporation) Free

Downloads:

• Code of Conduct

Rev. Dr. Michael Chapman
Founder and CEO
Saint John Fruit Belt Community Development Corp.
Institutional Partner