Executive Director Update: Summer Growth, Campus Progress & Fall Logistics

Dear Families,

First, thank you so much for your patience as we prepare for the upcoming school year. It has been an incredibly busy and productive summer for our administrative team! Here is a quick look at what we’ve been working on behind the scenes:

• Staff Development: We hosted our second cohort of Montessori training for Primary and Elementary educators through the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector. A cohort of our staff presented at the ISTE Conference in Orlando. Staff attended the National Charter School Conference.

• Campus Upgrades: We received roughly 56 pallets of new furniture and curriculum materials—most of which our team has assembled and inventoried—and added a second bus to our fleet.

• Team Growth: We expanded our wonderful team of educators and support staff, including welcoming a new Assistant Principal.

• Academic Success: We are proud to announce that our school grade increased from a C to a B! We were just two percentage points shy of an A, and we are already diving deep into strategies to sustain and accelerate our students' growth.

  
  

Construction & Location Updates Navigating construction is always a moving target, and I wanted to wait to update you until details stabilized to avoid sending conflicting information. Moving forward, I will post regular updates here on this Executive Director blog so you always have the latest information in one place.

We are nearing the finish line! Our construction team projects first-floor occupancy around November 1, with second-floor occupancy following roughly two weeks later. While we originally hoped for an earlier September transition, waiting ensures a smooth overall timeline for our final Certificate of Occupancy. We are aiming for an official move to the new campus right around Thanksgiving break.

In the meantime, space on our current campus will be a bit tight, and we have adapted our layout accordingly:

• Toddler, Children’s House, and Lower Elementary: These classrooms will remain largely unaffected.

• Upper Elementary: Classrooms will be temporarily housed in our gymnasium.

• Middle School: Middle schoolers will temporarily meet off-campus at the Boys & Girls Club in Bartow (the former Gibbons Street Elementary campus).

  
  

Playground & Recess Plans Before school begins, we will start relocating our playground to the new campus. Because the current playground requires some minor repairs, it made the most sense to combine those renovations with the move rather than repair it twice. In the interim, students will utilize the Preschool/Kindergarten outdoor space for organized games, construction projects, art, and sports.

Logistics & Off-Campus Partnering

We know that split-campus operations and temporary setups require extra coordination for families. Here is what you can expect as we finalize our plans:

• Middle School at Boys & Girls Club (Gibbons St.): We are working closely with the Boys & Girls Club team to align our daily schedules, shared space usage, and safety protocols. Specific arrival and dismissal windows for middle schoolers will be sent directly to middle school families via email.

• Cross-Campus Transportation & Siblings: For families with students across multiple grade levels, we are finalizing a streamlined procedure to make drop-off and pick-up as seamless as possible.

• After-School Programs: Details regarding on-site after-school care and activities will be released alongside our schedule updates next week.

  
  

Note: Detailed daily schedules, drop-off routing maps, and specific dismissal procedures will be sent directly to families via email rather than posted publicly to ensure student safety.

School Supplies & CSP Grant Thanks to the Charter School Program (CSP) grant, we were able to purchase extensive new curriculum and classroom supplies. We do have a traditional supply list available, but with our upcoming move, it would be immensely helpful if families consider making a direct financial donation in lieu of buying physical supplies. This allows our teachers to purchase exact remaining needs without adding to our moving load.

Supply Donation

Welcome Our Growing Team

With our expansion to 5 Children’s House classrooms, 5 Lower Elementary classrooms, 4 Upper Elementary classrooms, and 60 Middle School students, our staff is growing too! Please join us in welcoming our exceptional instructional team members for the upcoming school year:

• Founder and Executive Director: Kelly De La Cruz

• Principal:Raul Munoz

• Assistant Principal: Kalani Schlenker

• Director of Children’s House: Mercedes Haedo

• Director if Inclusion: Tiffany Prado

• Toddler Teachers:, Gretchen Vazquez, Soraya De Borg

• Children’s House Teachers: CH1: Brittany Caban & Yajaira Rios, CH2: Alieth De Borg & Sorsyret Fermin, CH3: Graciela Ruiz & Samurai Velez, CH4: Keyla Rios & Corett Osechas,CH5: Melanie Bart & Astrid Guzman

• Lower Elementary Teachers: LE1: Melissa Ramos & Ileana Lassus, LE2: Miluska Minaya & Chariz Lopez, LE3: Alexis Dudley & Alba Patino, LE4: Fanny Apu Valle & Sylvia Meyer, LE5: Maria Claudia Travis & Alma Castrejon

• Upper Elementary Teachers: UE1: Ivan Morales & Kathy Dobson, UE2: Liz Laboy & Diana Wali Eddine, UE3: Bethaney Radic & Delfaliris Lebron, UE4: Rochelle Vasquez & Jailene Ramos

• Middle School (Grade 7-8) Teachers: Kim Falgas (Civics/Science), Nathaly Villa Florida (Math), Anne Healy (ELA), Ivonne Olmeda (Spanish)

• STEM/Math Coach: Cynthia Kuhlman

• Reading Intervention Team: Kim Rauck & Claret Trejo

• ESOL Team: Imee Fernandez & Debbie Rattray

• Art Team: Leslyn Rushing & Meagan Walker

• Music Team: Sarah Morrison & Erica Guzman

• Dance: Fredi De Jesus + Assistant TBD

• PE Team: Ruffino Aguilar & Tevin Fordham

• ESE Team: Lourmarie Garcia, Frances Ortiz, Brenda Sanford

• Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist: Nory Vela

  
  

Several of our educators began or continued their Montessori training journey through the Center for Guided Montessori Studies, the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector and/or Barry University this summer, and we can’t wait for you to meet them!

Thank you again for your continued partnership, patience, and support as we build an extraordinary year for our students!

With llove,

Kelly De La Cruz

Founder & Executive Director