Adrian Hands Academy (AHA) is a proposed TK-8 public charter school in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District focusing on STEAM, trilingual education, and peacebuilding. It is being founded in memory of Adrian Hands by Dr. Padmini Hands to provide a quality education and cultivate global citizens. AHA will have an enrollment of 256 students in year one growing to 648 at capacity, with a student to teacher ratio of 20:1 in lower grades and 24:1 in upper grades. The school's mission is to empower students to build a peaceful society through its educational program and philosophy.

1. ADRIAN HANDS
ACADEMY
Parent Information Session

2. Who are we?
Adrian Hands Academy is a TK-8 public charter school with an educational focus in
STEAM, Trilingual education, and Peacebuilding. We will be located within the
Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD).

3. Who was Adrian Hands?
AHA is being founded in memory of Adrian Hands,
an inspiring individual with firm convictions, a clear
vision, indomitable courage, and unlimited energy.
He was a bicyclist, engineer, software developer,
and environmentalist, who loved learning and new
experiences, believed in peacemaking among
cultures and language groups, and had a passion
for community building and serving the needy. He
passed away in February 2011 due to complications
of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

4. Our Founder
Dr. Padmini S. Hands is an educator, computer scientist, and musician, and has worked
with students in preschool through college for more than 30 years. After Adrian Hands
passed away, Dr. Hands founded the Creative Learning Academy preschool, where she
currently oversees the early education of approximately 60 children, ages zero through
six. Padmini chose a charter school as the appropriate structure for the elementary and
middle programs, so that, she could reach all families seeking a quality education.
Throughout her life, Padmini has established and led world-music choral groups and
bands involving adults and youth. As a musician and music teacher she is able to
introduce her students to songs and poems from sixteen different cultures.
Building a peaceful society, in her opinion, is a steady process of all of us getting to
know and understand ourselves and each other. A powerful way to make this
connection is to learn world languages and come to know the cultures of many parts of
the world, including our own.

5. Our Board
Our current* Board Members are listed below:
*We are expanding our Governance Team to include individuals with wisdom, experience, and strategic thinking in Marketing
(Community Outreach), Finance, Fundraising, Facilities.
Dr. Anna Varvak Professor, Soka University of America
Dr. Chiung- Sally Chou Chief Academic Officer (Rtd.), Santa-Monica Malibu USD
Dr. Nancy Hodes Professor Emerita, Chinese, Soka University of America
Dr. Kevin Moncrief Co-founder, Cognizioni IT Solutions

6. What we stand for: Mission & Vision
The mission of Adrian Hands Academy is to cultivate global citizens empowered to build a
peaceful society.
Our vision is that our students will matriculate as self-reliant global citizens who are effective,
skilled and contributive members of society. Our students will collaborate and communicate with
diverse ethnicities and cultures, and will embrace new and different ideas. AHA students will
develop their own identity and understand their role in the development of a peaceful society.
AHA will empower its students to generate solutions to problems through creative and critical
thinking, to innovate ideas, products and services for newly developing needs, and to participate
fully and functionally in the diverse society in which they live.

7. Quick Facts about AHA
Grades open Year 1 - TK/K (60), Grade 1 (60), Grade 2 (20), Grade 3 (20), Grade 6 (24),
Grade 7 (72)
Projected Enrollment Year 1- 256 students, and at capacity - 648 students
Student to Teacher ratio - TK-5 → 20:1, 6-8 → 24:1
Projected Instructional Days - 183
Term of Charter - July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2022

8. Our Educational Program & Philosophy
STEAM
Peacebuilding
Trilingual Education
Academic Competence
Social & Emotional Competence
Linguistic & Cultural Competence
Educational Program Educational Philosophy

9. Instructional Design & Approaches
Constructivist
Project
Based
Learning
Online
blended
Learning
Learning
in other
languages
Social
Emotional
Learning

10. Our Timeline
Petition
to
SVUSD
SVUSD
accepts
petition
Public
Hearing
SVUSD
Board
votes
Jan 23, 2017
Feb 9, 2017
Mar 9, 2017
Apr 6, 2017

11. Public Hearing Preparation Sessions
February 25, Saturday @ 10am
Venue: 28721 Los Alisos Blvd, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
FINAL REVIEW:
March 9, Thursday @ 5:00pm
Venue: 28721 Los Alisos Blvd, Mission Viejo, CA 92692

12. How You Can Help
1. Connect with SVUSD Board
a. Communicate the main talking points: Value of trilingual education, benefit of smaller class sizes,
commitment to recruit students who have opted out
2. Help us connect with interested families. We need to show sufficient interest to
justify the charter opening in 2017.
3. Give or get funds to support the effort.

13. Thank you!
rhythm.sethi@adrianhandsacademy.org
padmini.hands@adrianhandsacademy.org
info@adrianhandsacademy.org
(949) 400-4774 | (949) 527-8086