MANZANITA
PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
Dear Manzanita Families,
On behalf of the staff at Manzanita Public Charter School, I am happy to welcome you to the 2024-25 school year! I am honored and excited to begin my second year as Principal at Manzanita Public Charter School. I was a teacher and reading specialist at Manzanita from 2012 – 2018. I left for two years to work as a literacy specialist with Lompoc Unified and came back to Manzanita in July 2020 as the Assistant Principal. I have been an educator and parent in the charter school system for most of my 22-year career and have fallen in love with the unique flexibility, in education that charter schools offer.
I hold a special place in my heart for MPCS as it embodies my steadfast belief that all children deserve a high quality of education and the space to feel safe and loved. In addition, I embrace the strengths-based model and child-centered learning environment that Manzanita is well known for in the Lompoc community.
As Principal, I look forward to upholding Manzanita’s mission of providing an enhanced educational environment that promotes learning excellence. This is done by having high expectations with strong supports, a well-rounded academic and enrichment program, and the belief that learning happens when accountability meets expectations.
Manzanita’s staff has worked hard over the past few years to catch up our scholars both academically and socially after an unprecedented pandemic. We are now looking forward to the future of Manzanita. In the coming years we look forward to the addition of seventh and eighth grades, a facilities project to expand and update our campus, and eventually provide home cooked healthy meals to our scholars. We are well-known in our community, have set the standard for high quality education, and have amazing and supportive families choosing Manzanita because of our reputation as an alternate school of choice for the children of our Lompoc community.
I look forward to seeing you all soon and have missed all our Manzanita scholars and families this summer. I hope you are relaxing and recharging this summer. Stay safe and I’ll see you in a few weeks!
Kind regards,
Kat Franson
Principal
Manzanita Public Charter School
MANZANITA'S ACADEMIC PROGRAMS​
Manzanita is a tuition-free public charter school and our curriculum is aligned to the Common Core Math and English Language Arts Standards, and is aligning to the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards).
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ELA Curriculum: Benchmark Advance
Math Curriculum: TK-4 Bridges
5-6 Expressions
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS, OUTDOOR, PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Manzanita provides every child with weekly Outdoor, Visual & Performing Arts, and Physical Education.
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SPECIAL EDUCATION
Our public school provides every student with the supports, plans, and resources that they need to be successful. Our team of dedicated special education professionals serve our special education students, and the entire study body.
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COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
TK-6th grade students have a Chromebook to use in class for writing, reading, research, and computer coding.
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NEXT TO NATURE
Our campus is one of the largest for a local elementary school. Large playgrounds and fields, tall trees, and proximity to the Los Padres forest create a special environment for learning.
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GATE
An accelerated and appropriate education is provided to all students at Manzanita, and identified GATE students receive a differentiated instructional approach.
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Our vision shapes and develops a school culture that promotes creativity, deep development of learning independence and strengths, while providing personalized services in a results-driven environment.
VISION STATEMENT
