Middle School Family Resource Center | Veritas Prep Charter School

Welcome to the Veritas Prep middle school family resource center. Family engagement helps to support the success of our students. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Family Handbook (English)

Manual Familiar (Español)

Select a link below to jump to the school resources you need:

Bullying Report Form

Parents and families can report bullying here.

JumpRope Family Portal

Use the JumpRope portal to review your scholar’s current grades, course schedule, missing assignments, and recent assessments. Watch the video to learn how to create a JumpRope account.

Go to JumpRope

School Calendar

See our updated school calendar below or download a printable copy here.

View the calendar

Parking and Student Drop-off/Pickup

Guest Parking is available in our upper lot. Please do not park in the lower parking lot. The student drop-off and pickup area is in the U at the front of the building.

Nurse’s Corner

Kimberly Ravizza, RN, is the Director of Nursing and Health Services at Veritas Preparatory Charter School. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Pace University. Prior to joining the school health setting full time at Veritas Prep in 2016, she practiced for 18 years at Baystate Medical Center.

Nurse Kim is proud to be a part of your child’s education. She believes that success in school is directly related to the good health and emotional well-being of each student. She proudly supports our mission by encouraging each of our scholars to form healthy habits that will help them to compete, achieve and succeed in middle and high school, college, and beyond.

Health Forms

Notice of Rights and Protocols

Special Education

Veritas Prep Charter School is committed to creating inclusive classrooms and educational experiences for all students. At Veritas Prep, we believe:

All scholars at Veritas Prep can meet their full potential given high expectations, rigorous curriculum based on the state standards, and the right support based on their needs.
Ongoing collaboration among general education and student support teachers provides access to a rigorous academic program based on the state standards.
Data must inform our instructional decisions.
Scholars have a right to be included with their general education peers in the least restrictive environment.
In creating programs and support plans for students, not for teachers or to fit an existing structure.
Co-teaching is a support structure that works for all students.

Supporting Students with Disabilities

Veritas Prep Charter School complies with all state and federal statutes, including Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. We educate students with disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment and do not discriminate in admission and enrollment practices against students having or suspected of having disabilities.

Veritas Prep strives to include every child in the general education program to the greatest extent possible to ensure access to high quality, grade level and advanced instruction. Veritas Prep scholars with disabilities or otherwise identified needs in an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will receive services both in the general education classroom and in special education classrooms as determined by students’ IEP.

All students regardless of their challenges and ability can achieve academically. We provide students with a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), provide all special education services within the regular academic day, and hire highly qualified and licensed special educators including a Director of School Supports (DSS) and Student Support Coordinator (SSC) who work closely with all teachers and students to provide accommodations and modifications as needed. The DSS and SSC maintain records and adhere to the established processes and procedures to ensure that Veritas Prep meets every student’s needs. We provide all related services, such as speech and language, counseling, and occupational therapy. All contracted providers are overseen by the Director of Student Services and provide services within the school building and as part of the regular school day.

Veritas Prep Charter School’s mission is to prepare our students to compete, achieve and succeed in college and beyond. Our school is an inclusive and supportive community. As part of this community, our students demonstrate values of Vision, Identity, Perseverance, Empowerment, and Relationships. We teach and expect staff and students to be kind and respectful. Our school partners with parents and the community in significant ways to help achieve this mission. Members of our school community—teachers, parents, staff, and administration—support this mission every day, in every classroom, and in every activity. Opportunities for Inclusion are systematically programmed and provided based on individual needs and skills. Professional development is provided throughout the school year for all staff.

All educational programs are based on the Common Core and Massachusetts Content Standards. Opportunities for Inclusion are designed to meet the needs of the learning-disabled students within the regular education environment. All talents, gifts and strengths found within the students’ abilities must be recognized, encouraged and used to the fullest extent possible. Teachers collaborate, problem solve and develop strategies to meet the unique needs of each student in the general education classroom. Student support teachers collaborate with core content teachers to provide additional support to students and develop thoughtful, data-informed plans to enable diverse learners to be successful. The student support teacher, along with the IEP Team, is also responsible for identifying goals and objectives for Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs), conducting assessments, delivering instruction, training/working with support staff, writing progress reports, and communicating with parents and related service providers.

Our program is designed for students with a wide range of disabilities. The team determines appropriate placements for students in the least restrictive environment. Instruction is tailored to the individual needs of each student. We offer a full range of Special Education services to meet the needs of our students. Students in this program participate primarily in an inclusive environment where student support teachers, classroom teachers, associate teachers, and other related service providers collaborate to meet the individual needs of students in the general education classroom. Pull out services are provided to students by a student support teacher or related service provider when required by a student’s (IEP). Materials for intervention, learning strategies and content modifications are directly related to the Common Core and Massachusetts Content Standards. Students are trained to use accommodations and apply learning strategies. Our counseling staff facilitates social skills groups and provides one-to-one counseling support. We look forward to collaborating with you!

Child Find Notification

This notice is provided in compliance with State and Federal regulations for conducting Child Find activities in order to identify students who may be in need of an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education services.

It is the responsibility of Veritas Prep Charter School to evaluate students suspected of having a disability who attend Veritas Prep Charter School. Massachusetts education regulations require the following conditions in order to be eligible for special education:

The child must have a documented disability
The child must not be making effective progress in the general education curriculum.
The child needs specialized instruction and/or related services to make progress.
The child must be between the ages of 3 and 22 and has not yet received a High School diploma.

If you are aware of a child who attends Veritas Prep Charter School who may have a disability and needs to be evaluated, please contact the Director of Student Services or the Student Support Coordinator. Thank you.

Marc Oldenburg – Director of Student Services, moldenburg@vpcs.org, 413-264-3309

Tia Cardaropoli – Middle School Student Support Coordinator, tcardaropoli@vpcs.org, 860-729-5245

Kakas Coblyn – High School Student Support Coordinator, [email protected]

Helpful Links

Special Education Staff Contact Information

Student Support – 5th	Nicole Rodriguez	[email protected]
Student Support – 6th ELA	Tina Burston	[email protected]
Student Support – 6th Math	Christene Scott	[email protected]
Student Support – 7th ELA	Amy Lee	[email protected]
Student Support – 7th Math	Keith Dube	[email protected]
Student Support – 8th Math	Liam Driscoll	[email protected]
Student Support – 9th/10th ELA	Holly Binczewski	[email protected]
Student Support – 9th/10th Math	Molly Sullivan	[email protected]
Student Support – 9th/10th ELA	Megan Bagg	[email protected]
Speech Language Pathologist	Erica Donnelly	[email protected]
Dean of Student Support – Middle School	Tia Cardaropoli	[email protected]
Dean of Student Support – High School	Kakas Coblyn	[email protected]

Special Education Parent Advisory Council

We have a Veritas Prep Charter School Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). In Massachusetts, a SEPAC is a body that has been established by the Massachusetts State Legislature and is governed by both state statute and state regulation.

By law, the role of SEPAC is to advise the school administration, without limitation, on the education and safety of students with disabilities.

The Veritas Prep SEPAC meets regularly with these parties to participate in advisory feedback, along with the planning, development, and evaluation of the district’s programs and policies related to students with disabilities.

Thus, the foundational role of a SEPAC is to work in partnership with the school on matters of special education. SEPAC does not have enforcement or legislative powers; instead, it operates by providing guidance, suggestions, and feedback, and is a consultative sounding board in the decision-making process.

As a supplemental role, our SEPAC also focuses on:

Facilitating communication between families and the school administration
Encouraging understanding, acceptance and inclusion within Veritas Prep of students with disabilities
Advancing learning and awareness for families, educators, and professionals of best practices for the education and safety of students with disabilities

SEPAC Membership

If you are an interested party—a parent, family member, community member, elected official, educator, professional—and you are an adult and attend a SEPAC meeting, you are a SEPAC member.

By statute, members of SEPAC are parents of children with disabilities and interested parties who have a student at Veritas Prep Charter School. SEPAC members may attend SEPAC meetings, participate, ask questions, and assist with the roles of the SEPAC.

There is another level of SEPAC membership, which is the governing body of our SEPAC, called the SEPAC Board. The board is made up of officers and directors. Board officers and directors are elected and have specific roles. Essentially, the board is responsible for making sure the charge of the SEPAC is being fulfilled. If you would like to learn more, please join us at our next meeting. Contact us for more information.

Massachusetts DESE Report Cards

DESE Annual Reports

ESSER Funding Implementation

Learn about Veritas Prep’s plan for recovery and equity-focused learning opportunities using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.

Read ESSER Implementation Plan

Enroll Today

Apply

Veritas Prep is a tuition-free, nonselective public charter school. Any student in Springfield can apply to Veritas Prep’s middle school and high school. Students are chosen via a lottery process held each year.