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Today's Date:     8/7/2008                                About Us

About Us

Bullis Charter School is a small, public school that emphasizes Individualized Learning Plans, national best practices for academic excellence, hands-on projects, and an enriched curriculum during school and in optional after-school activities.
  • Every student has an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) focusing on his/her unique needs, with goals ranging from core academics to developing social and organizational skills.
  • Every student possesses individual academic objectives exceeding state standards. The curriculum, teaching style, and textbooks are designed and chosen from the best practices in elementary education across the nation. We are proud that in the 2006-07 school year, Bullis Charter School achieved an API of 972 on the STAR tests, placing BCS as the 16th highest scoring school in California out of approximately 6000 schools. Since our inception, BCS has consistently been the highest scoring charter school of over 650 in the state of California.
  • Every student spends time analyzing, integrating, and applying concepts to real-life learning opportunities. Compared to most schools, schoolwork includes more writing and project-based assignments, and fewer fill-in-the-blanks worksheets.
  • Every student participates in drama, dance, vocal, and instrumental music, art, and PE. In addition, every student (K-6) participates in a variety of elective topics with a focus on educating the whole child.


Frequently Asked Questions:

What are charter schools?

    Charter schools are public schools open to all California residents. They are accountable for clear, successful, measurable student outcomes and must comply with all state and federal mandates - including California’s Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program, state API levels, and the federal "No Child Left Behind" program. California’s charter schools were created in 1992 to provide expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system. Their purpose is to:
    • Improve student learning
    • Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods
    • Create new professional opportunities for teachers
    • Provide vigorous competition within the public school system to stimulate continual improvements in all public schools
    Charter schools continue to grow rapidly across the state of California. There are nearly 700 charter schools in California communities today, servicing over 240,000 students.
How does Bullis Charter School fit into the area?
    Bullis Charter School (BCS), as a small, independent public school, is able to bring a choice in public elementary education to families in the Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, and surrounding communities. State education authorities have stated that choice in public schools creates healthy competition, which stimulates continual improvements in all public schools.
How does a charter school respond to students needs?
    At Bullis Charter School, every child is embraced as a multi-talented individual with unique learning styles and needs. BCS guides students in the process of learning, developing creative thinkers and problem solvers with a life-long love of learning. Because BCS is a charter school, there is freedom to innovate beyond the rules required of public school districts, yet there is strict accountability to meet or exceed state standards. For instance, the school’s small size gives it the flexibility to develop and use the most effective teaching practices available, including a longer school day to allow time for enhanced programs.
Who provides the educational leadership of Bullis Charter School?
    Wanny Hersey is the Superintendent/Principal of Bullis Charter School. She comes to BCS from a seven and a half-year tenure as principal of Bel Aire Elementary School in Tiburon, where she became known for both mentoring teachers and establishing innovative programs for students. During her tenure, Bel Aire was named a California Distinguished School, a National Blue Ribbon School, and a National Blue Ribbon Technology School, an honor received by only 12 schools in the country.

    Ms. Hersey holds a B.A. in education from the University of British Columbia and a M.S. in administration from Pepperdine University. Her California education credentials include Multiple Subject, Single Subject in English, Administrative, and a Bilingual Certificate of Competency. She also has a Professional Teaching Certification from British Columbia. In addition, she holds and ARCT and Performance diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada, where she is a nationally certified piano and music theory teacher and performer; and an elementary certification from Canada’s Royal Academy of Ballet.
What are the backgrounds of the teaching staff?
    Bullis Charter School has hired outstanding, multi-credentialed, award-winning teachers who share our passion for individualized learning plans (ILP) and hands-on instruction for our students. Every classroom teacher is certificated. BCS is proud to have three Nationally Board Certified teachers as well as teachers who are credentialed in Gifted and Talented Education, Technology, Environmental Education, Cross Cultural and Language Development, and more. To support the teachers, the school offers time and learning opportunities for collaboration and continued teaching improvement. All BCS teachers have been trained in the Schools Attuned methodology of teaching to maximize individual potential.
How large is Bullis Charter School? How large are classes?
    Currently Bullis Charter School has 287 students. We are committed to maintaining a small school because research shows that "smaller learning environments create happier, safer, higher achieving students." (Oxley 2001) Classes in kindergarten through 3rd grade have an average of 19 students; classes in 4th through 6th grade average 23 students. Every class also has the support of a credentialed associate teacher.
What makes Bullis Charter School different from other public schools?
    • BCS is much smaller than most public schools fostering a strong sense of community.
    • Individualized learning is emphasized so that every child works to his/her own set of goals.
    • Associate teachers assist in every classroom.
    • All grade-level teachers are certificated; there are also certificated specialists in the areas of foreign language, PE, art, music, science, math, technology, and drama/dance.
    • As a charter school, we have more freedom to focus on the "whole child."
    • BCS offers a rich set of co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities allowing students to explore a broad range of interests.
    • A character development program is integrated throughout the school in order to strengthen our students’ self-esteem, personal responsibility, and decision-making skills, and to develop the moral convictions to withstand undesirable peer pressure.
What are co-curricular programs?
    Bullis Charter School students participate in co-curricular (mixed-grade) electives during the school day. Students are allowed to choose three per semester. Fall 2007 choices include:

    Digital Storytelling Paper Art
    Digital Yearbook Pattern Making and Shapes with Beads
    Flash Animation Poetry: Painting Pictures with Words
    Gardening Print Making
    Keyboarding Quilting
    Kid Pix & Poetry String Art
    Computer Collage & Animation Beginning Mandarin
    Mad Scientists: Let There Be Light Beginning & Intermediate Spanish
    Math and Art Conflict Managers
    Math Club Continuing Spanish
    Math Games Costa Rica 101
    Math in Daily Life Cultures of the World
    Money Smart Exploring & Researching Asian Cultures Through Food
    Neuroscience Friends of Nature
    Nutrition Global Cooking
    Beginning & Advanced Band Global Folk Tales
    Art Appreciation Hebrew
    Book Publishing History of Olympics
    Card Making Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too
    Collage Mini-Books
    Dance Team News You Can Use
    Jazz Dance Spelling Club
    Drawing Story Books
    Fiction Writing Student Council
    Intermediate Guitar The Great Trash Bash
    Making Story Books World Masks
    Musical Plays
What extra-curricular (after school) activities are offered?
    Taught by the BCS staff, extra-curricular classes provide opportunities for students to connect with role models who share their interests.

    After-School Theater Arts:
    • 2 Fall Plays - Primary and Upper Grades
    • 2 Spring Musicals - Primary and Upper Grades

    The Fall 2007 extra-curricular offerings include:
    CatapultsStrings (Violin, Viola, Cello) - Primary and Intermediate
    Bullis BuildersGuitar
    Beginning MandarinChamber Orchestra
    Working with ClayChoir
    ScrapbookingHomework Club
    Lego RoboticsRonald Dahl Read Aloud
    Girls' Running ClubReading Dog Book Club
    Wednesday WalkersMaking Board Games
    Mighty Mile ClubScrabble/Boggle Club
    KickballCribbage
    BasketballYoga
    Motion Menagerie
Is there tuition?
    Since BCS is a public school, there is no tuition. However, BCS receives less public funding than other Los Altos public schools because it does not share in local parcel tax revenues. As a small school with a full range of enrichment programs, BCS spends more per student than most public elementary schools.

    In order to make its comprehensive program possible, BCS depends on its entire parent community to make generous donations each year. We’re asking each family to donate $3,500 per child to the 2007-08 BCS Annual Campaign to help us achieve our goal of $1,000,000. All donations to BCS are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
Who can attend and how do I reserve a position for my child at the school?
    The school is open to any student in the state of California. Students of the Los Altos School District have priority if enrollment exceeds our capacity. For your convenience, you can download an application and other enrollment information.
Is there a mailing list?
    To get on our mailing list, please send an email message to info@bullischarterschool.com and include your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and the age(s) of your child(ren). Once you are on that list, you will begin to receive information on Bullis Charter School events and other school information.


"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
William Butler Yeats