Fusion San Mateo Parent & Guardian Guide

Fusion San Mateo

Fusion San Mateo

Campus Address:

Fusion Academy San Mateo

2000 Alameda de las Pulgas Suite 128

San Mateo, CA 94403

Campus Phone: (650) 312-8305

Parking is available in the lot outside in front of the building, or within the two parking garages (no permit required)

Admin available on campus at 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM

On-Campus:

Director of First Impressions (DFI)

Campus Director (CD)

Director of Student Development and Enrollment (DSD)

Split-time between two campuses:

Area Head of School (AHOS)

Homework Cafe

The Homework Café is an integral part of what makes Fusion different from any other school.

The Homework Café (HC) provides a warm, comfortable environment for students to complete their homework on campus with teacher support. It also functions as the social hub on campus. Completion of homework in the HC is required for all Fusion students as part of our accreditation as a school - it is fundamental to our approach to education!

Fusion San Mateo provides two HCs: a Quiet Homework Café and a Social Homework Café. In the Quiet Homework Café, students can work in a library-like environment, where talking is done at a whisper and socializing is kept to a minimum. In the Social Homework Café, students are able to complete homework, socialize, hang out, and play games. It is still primarily a study space, but there is more flexibility.

What type of academic support is provided?

An HC Teacher or Admin is present during each hour the campus is open to students. Their goal is to be an academic coach who rotates around the room, checking in with each student about every 20 minutes This means that they are not able to function as one-on-one tutors They can help students plan how to use their time well, determine what resources might help them, and - if they happen to be an expert in the subject the student is studying - they can help with specific content questions

Sign-outs:

In order to provide the right level of support for each student, we have a “sign-out” process, which provides additional support to students who need it. When a student is on sign-outs, there are certain expectations about how they get their work done:

• After completing a homework assignment, the student needs to seek out an HC teacher, show them their work, and have the teacher “sign them out” if it meets expectations. If the work does not meet expectations, the student will need to implement the feedback from the teacher before they receive their sign-out.

• Students on sign-outs must complete all homework assigned to them the same day it is assigned. The purpose of this is to help them develop their executive functioning skills and avoid the sense of overwhelm that many students experience when work piles up.

Who is required to receive sign-outs?

• Middle school students remain on sign-outs until moving on to high school

• For high school students, the requirement of sign-outs is dependent upon work completion When a student does not complete homework, the Homework Café teachers are notified Our goal is to provide them with gentle, timely feedback regarding cause and effect from their behavior and choices.

How do we engage with students?

Students will be on a continuum of growth as they learn to work effectively in this space. As such, they will need varying levels of support, oversight, or independence to meet their needs. HC teachers strive to find the right balance for each student in their role as mentors. Please be aware that for some students, it will take time and collaboration with you so that we can teach them how to use this space constructively. If a student has struggled to complete work at home, chances are good they will need some practice using the HC well.

What social activities are available?

We have a wide variety of social activities available that our facilitated by our Admin & HC staff!

They include:

• Clubs that meet weekly during 2nd half of lunch (1:00 - 1:30 PM)

The club schedule is determined by students each year but typically includes:

Nintendo Switch Club, Creativity Club, Anime Club, and Chess Club

• Student Ambassadors (all students welcome!) These students help to plan campus activities and help new students get acclimated to Fusion.

• Field trips once per month (typically on Friday afternoons)

• Fun nights on campus once per month (games, painting, trivia, movies, etc.)

• Middle schoolers are highly encouraged to participate in Reading Club & Typing Practice

Who do I contact if I have questions?

If you have questions about academic support or social life in the HC, please reach out to the Homework Café Teacher or Campus Director. They are excited to collaborate with you in order to help your child have the best possible HC experience!

Sessions: Student Absent

Fusion’s one-to-one learning model is relationship-driven

In order to create that relationship and meet learning objectives, we need face-to-face time with your child. We also understand that absences happen for many reasons. Fusion Academy’s approach to student absences strives to balance these two truths. Because time with the teacher is so vital to our efficient curriculum, Fusion doesn’t separate absences into “excused” and “unexcused” categories. Any absence results in reduced instructional time, regardless of the reason, so we do not differentiate between them. Please know that we are entirely supportive of your child taking the time away from class that you deem necessary, no matter what type of absence it is.

How do I report an absence?

Please call the main campus phone to let us know if your student will be absent. Feel free to leave a message if there‘s no answer - we check messages often.

If you know with several days’ notice that your child will not be attending class(es), you can email us regarding the absence.

If your child doesn‘t arrive to class and we haven’t heard from you, the teacher will call home at the :40 minute mark.

What happens after a missed session?

One of the best perks at Fusion Academy is that students do not get behind in classes when they are absent! Because there is only one student in the class, the teacher just picks up where they left off when the student returns - there is no extra independent work assigned, and no effect on their grade. Absences can result in the need for Mastery Learning sessions, but will not always lead to them (for more info see the page on Mastery Learning Sessions). If any are needed, they will be scheduled at the end of the class, so no action is needed at the time of the absence.

Sessions: Teacher Absent

We are committed to maintaining the teacher-student connection and the integrity of the course. Teachers may have scheduled or unscheduled absences due to traffic, emergencies, etc.

What happens to the class session?

The class will be removed from the schedule and added to the end of the semester. It will not count against the total number of sessions or count toward student absence.

What if I have a firm course end date?

If your family has a firm end date, the class will be doubled up on a regular class day or scheduled on a Friday.

How will I be notified?

We will reach out by phone and email if the teacher is absent and let you know when the class is being rescheduled.

Can a teacher Zoom from home?

We want to make every effort for the teacher to be in person, but if the student agrees to a Zoom session the student will maintain the same class time and join Zoom from their teacher's classroom. This would be used in case of excused medical absences or weather-related issues.

We do our very best to keep instruction consistent for your student and we appreciate your understanding when changes are unavoidable.

Mastery Learning Sessions

At Fusion, mastery learning is a cornerstone of our culture and philosophy.

To demonstrate understanding of the course standards each student must attain at least 70% comprehension and proficiency in all assignments and assessments. The length of time this takes can vary from student to student: some students will demonstrate mastery of required topics in the number of sessions included in their tuition (25 for high school, 30 for honors and middle school), while others will need additional sessions (mastery learning sessions) to ensure proficiency or to account for absences during the semester. Mastery learning sessions are added to the end of the student’s course, with the same teacher, and typically in the same time slot. Because the student requires extra time with their teacher, there is an additional cost. Mastery Learning Sessions are billed at a rate of $105 each and are charged weekly if/when they are used.

When do students need Mastery Learning sessions?

The student needs more time to demonstrate mastery of all the content in the time allotted. The student has been absent too often to cover the required material in the time allotted.

When do students need Mastery Learning sessions?

The student needs more time to demonstrate mastery of all the content in the time allotted.

We understand that some subjects are more challenging for your student than others. Our mastery learning model provides them with the additional time necessary to achieve mastery (70% proficiency), when in a traditional school they would simply move on and miss important concepts. Because mastery sessions carry an additional cost, teachers do all they can to minimize the need for them.

The student has been absent too often to cover the required material in the time allotted.

When a student is absent, no progress can be made toward mastery of learning objectives. For this reason, absences whether due to illness, mental health, or schedule conflict, can result in mastery learning sessions (i.e. no absences are considered “excused”).

The reason for this is two-fold:

1) We recognize that students need sufficient time with their teacher in order to demonstrate mastery regardless of the reason for being absent.

2) Our teachers are paid per hour, and they have committed that hour to your student, whether or not they attend.

What can I do to minimize the need for Mastery Learning sessions?

Plan for your student to come in on Fridays.

We understand that some subjects are more challenging for your student than others.

Our mastery learning model provides them with the additional time necessary to achieve mastery (70% proficiency), when in a traditional school they would simply move on and miss important concepts. Because mastery sessions carry an additional cost, teachers do all they can to minimize the need for them.

Communicate with Admin & the Homework Cafe Team

Communicate with the Homework Café team. We know that our students are still developing their executive functions skills and sometimes they need some extra structure for accountability. If they are struggling to make good use of the Homework Café, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Campus Director and HC Teacher to see what we can do to make this space more effective for them.

What else do I need to know?

• Mastery sessions are an additional $105 per session.

• Teachers will include information on class pacing in the daily summaries you receive and indicate whether the student is “on pace” or “behind pace.” As the semester progresses, teachers will update you with estimates of the number of sessions, if they are needed.

• You will receive a Mastery Learning email about two weeks before the end of class. We do our best to have this be the final number of mastery sessions needed, occasionally a second email will come to you, notifying you of additional sessions (this is especially true if a student is absent in the final days of a class).

• Mastery Learning Sessions are automatically charged to the payment method on file the week after they take place.

Academic Calendar

Fusion Academy has the flexibility to move at the right pace for your student.

This flexibility affects the way their school year plays out and can be an adjustment for families who join us at Fusion. The information below should help you understand the rhythm of our academic year. This is most easily understood through an example. We will look at how a student would progress through their English classes in the 8:30 am Monday/Wednesday time slot over the course of the year with two scenarios:

1)The student does not require any mastery learning sessions

2)The student needs 1 mastery learning session per semester(3 over the course of the year) We are using an English class as an example, but the principle applies to all courses. For an explanation of circumstances when mastery learning sessions might be required, please see “Mastery Learning Sessions.”

Calendar Examples

The calendars on the back of this sheet show that a student who needs 3 mastery learning sessions over the course of the year will finish on June 14th, instead of June 1st. This effect will be magnified if a student requires more mastery learning sessions. It’s important to keep this in mind as you make summer plans.

• The example also shows how a student can complete the equivalent of one-and-a-half years of material as taught at schools with a more traditional schedule.

• You can also see that when a student needs mastery learning sessions, the start date for the next semester is simply pushed out to accommodate that need. For this reason, there is no “hard stop” date for summer break; every student starts summer break based on the end dates for their individual classes.

• Please also be aware that a student will likely have different numbers of mastery learning sessions in different courses/semesters, so the start and end dates for each course will be different for each one (and can even vary between classes held on Mon/Wed vs. Tues/Thurs, based on the holiday calendar).

• Please note: Our middle school classes are 30 sessions per semester, and our high school classes are 25 sessions. This example uses the high school course length. We also have an accelerated summer semester that isn’t discussed on this flier.

Zoom Session Guidelines

Classes taken with our campus will be held in person unless specifically agreed at the time of contracting. However, we do have the flexibility to offer Zoom classes on occasion, even for classes that generally meet in person. This can be a good option to help your student stay on pace if they are not feeling well but are up to doing some work or if you would like them to attend classes while your family is traveling. In order for these sessions to be productive, the following guidelines will help the teacher and student to have the most successful session possible.

1. A parent or guardian must contact Fusion San Mateo 24 hours before you would like to schedule your Zoom session, in order to allow the teacher time to prepare for the virtual class.

2. Make sure that your student has a strong internet connection that is able to stream video.

3. In order to maintain Fusion’s one-to-one model, please ensure that your student has a quiet space where they can work without the distraction of others, and their video camera is on. Student-teacher interaction is an integral part of our teaching style, so students must have a video feed.

4. There are several courses that may not always be able to be offered virtually, including science lab sessions, yoga, art, music, and PE.

5. Some students may find it more difficult to engage in a virtual setting, so please be mindful of whether virtual sessions are in the best interest of your student.