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Schools

Unique Private School Opening First Bay Area Campus in San Mateo

Fusion Academy believes in the results achieved through individualized learning, whereby classes are taught by one teacher to one student in an intimate setting.

An expanding chain of alternative private schools, whose core philosophy is based on individualized learning, has chosen San Mateo to open its first Bay Area campus.

Fusion Academy and Learning Center, which operates several campuses in southern California, utilizes one-to-one teaching, tailored curriculum plans and flexible scheduling to allow students the opportunity to experience a different kind of school environment.

The San Mateo site is the eighth campus to launch under the for-profit school's name. It opened its doors July 1 and staff are currently busy recruiting students for summer classes and the upcoming fall semester.

Upcoming informational meetings are scheduled this month for July 7, July 12 and July 26, when prospective families can meet school staff and teachers to see if Fusion may be the right fit for them.

The school is using a temporary space on Alameda de las Pulgas for the next two months while its permanent 8,000-square-foot facility is completed. The space will feature not only intimate, office-sized classrooms, but a state-of-the-art music and recording studio, a homework cafe and a social area.

Sylvia Snyder is heading up the new academy after working as assistant director of the Los Angeles campus, which she helped launch in February 2010. Before that she worked as a teacher for the program.

“I’ve seen firsthand the impact Fusion Academy has on students in changing how they feel about school and in preparing them for life as adults and I look forward to sharing that impact with a new group of students in San Mateo,” she said.

The Fusion model is not only a unique alternative to public school, but to most private schools as well.

For one, there are no set requirements at Fusion. Students graduate after completing a study program they have a say in creating, one that's tailored to their academic, social and personal needs, Snyder said.

"We measure success differently for each student," she said. "Every aspect of the program is individualized."

While traditional letter grades are awarded at Fusion, students complete individual classes only after testing at least 70 percent proficiency in the subject matter. Each class is personalized to students' learning styles and interests.

Snyder said young people in grades 6 through 12 are invited to take courses there either full time or to gain credits to transfer back to their primary school. In addition, anyone can use the center for tutoring lessons ranging from core academic subjects to art and music.

Yet Snyder said the majority of the school's resources, about 80 percent, are geared toward high school students who are having difficulty in a traditional school environment, whether they require remedial coursework, advanced college-level curriculum or are pursuing careers such as acting, athletics or music that take up a lot of their time.

Full-time students may "have class for three hours, then homework for another three hours. After that they can do different projects," she said.

Because classes include only one teacher and one student (despite science labs and physical education, that is) scheduling can be flexible — campuses are open each day from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. — and in the event of an extended absence coursework can simply be picked back up once the student returns.

Campuses currently become full at 60 pupils, and those students can still enjoy typical extracurricular activities like school clubs, student government and field trips.

But these students don't have to worry about pulling all-nighters to write essays after a busy day at school. Homework is required to be completed on site, Synder said, in comfortable nooks staffed by a resource director who's available for help.

Students can also utilize an educational therapist, substance abuse counselor and psychologist on site.

"We pride ourselves on being a private college prep school that focuses on the whole child," Snyder said.

But the resources offered at Fusion Academy don't come cheap. Tuition at the school runs $2,680 per course per semester. Tutoring costs $94 per hour.

Fusion Academy was pioneered by Michelle Rose Gilman 23 years ago in the small coastal town of Solana Beach.

Gilman found one-to-one tutoring was working so well that she opened her first full-time academy 10 years ago upon receiving accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Since then Fusion has experienced rapid growth after it was acquired by Michigan-based American Education Group in December 2008.

In the last year and a half seven satellite campuses have opened under AEG's leadership. The company's expansion efforts are still going strong, as two additional schools in the Bay Area, in San Francisco and Los Gatos, will launch by next year.

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The first open house for the San Mateo campus will take place Thursday, July 7 at 5:30 p.m. Additional meetings are scheduled for July 12 and July 26 at 10 a.m. The address is 2000 Alameda De Las Pulgas, Suite 128, San Mateo. Call 866-351-4822 for questions.

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