A charter school is actually a public school district authorized through Michigan law and the Department of Education. Two of the major differences between a charter school and a traditional public school are that we have no geographic boundaries and we are a pure school of choice; our students attend Bay City Academy because their parents have chosen to send them here.

Like all public schools, we are accountable to the Michigan Department of Education and must abide by all laws, including participating in the state testing program. In addition, we are accountable to Lake Superior State University, which granted our charter. A representative of the university attends each of our school board meetings, reviews all of our documentation (including teacher certification) and makes unannounced visits to check on the quality of our program. Our highest level of accountability is to our customers: our students and their parents. If we do not satisfy our customers, they will not continue their relationship with Bay City Academy.

At Bay City Academy, we know that gifted learners are visual learners. Gifted learners can easily make pictures in their minds of what they are reading, instructions they are given and consequences of their actions. BCA staff members work to help all of our students learn like gifted learners learn. Integrated Visual Learning (IVL) is an optometric-based process developed by Steven J. Ingersoll, OD. The IVL process combines vision procedure with cognitive processing drills and mental and motor skills. This combination creates a unique program designed to strengthen students' visual learning. Eighty percent of the information we receive is processed visually, so the better we learn visually, the higher our achievement.

Our program compliments gifted students as well as students with special education needs. Our multi-age model and visual teaching methods match those of gifted learners. Anytime our students score high on initial assessments, we watch carefully and plan accordingly. We find it very easy to accommodate our gifted learners mostly because our lessons are taught using brain-based, visual learning strategies that have been developed by watching how gifted students learn. Lower elementary students are provided accelerated instruction within their classroom, while upper elementary students receive instruction in self-contained classrooms where the BCA curriculum is both accelerated and enriched.

At Bay City Academy, we offer band, music, choir, art and physical education classes. Each class participates in fitness two to four times per week, which includes personal fitness goals and traditional sports and games played in the gymnasium.

Elementary students may be enrolled in our Quality Care program, a privately run daycare licensed by the state of Michigan and utilizing the philosophy and practices of BCA. Quality Care provides opportunities for indoor games, gym time, outdoor recess, homework and/or reading time. There is a registration fee as well as hourly fees, and space is limited. Contact us for details.

Bay City Academy has modified the traditional school schedule so that students have a lengthened day Monday through Thursday and a shortened day on Friday. All students have more instructional time than the state of Michigan requires. This modified schedule provides:

• Time on Friday afternoons for parents to schedule students' dental or medical appointments
• Teacher training and collaborative planning time on a weekly basis
• A block of time for students to participate in extracurricular activities such as music lessons, Scouts, dance and Tae Kwon Do
• An extended weekend for families

Bay City Academy is in session 8:30 a.m.-3:50 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m.-11:50 a.m. Friday.

Multi-aging is another way Bay City Academy is unique. Educational research has shown that students in multi-aged groupings have a better attitude toward themselves and toward school, and experience improved learning. Students and teachers develop strong relationships, and less time is spent each fall getting to know one another and classroom procedures.

In addition to traditional academics, the character traits of optimism, getting along, work ethic, responsibility, respect and kindness are modeled, taught and graded at all levels on a regular basis at Bay City Academy. All students receive character education report cards periodically throughout the year.

Students take part in operating a class business each year, learning responsibility, work ethic and principles of economics. Upper elementary students have Job Club tasks to assist in keeping the building and grounds clean, as well as encouraging responsibility, work ethic and service. Job Club also helps students take pride in their school and helps prevent vandalism to school property. Responsibilities include washing windows, making photocopies, vacuuming, collecting recycling and sorting lost-and-found items.

Dr. William Glasser's Choice Theory provides the basis for all we do at Bay City Academy. Choice Theory explains that almost all human behavior is chosen and that we are driven by our needs for survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun — the most important of which is love and belonging. Students learn the Seven Caring Habits of supporting, encouraging, listening, accepting, trusting, respecting and negotiating differences, as opposed to the Seven Deadly Habits of criticizing, blaming, complaining, nagging, threatening, punishing and bribing/rewarding to control.