CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDING UNEQUAL

Steve
Christopoulos
CEO of Superior
Schools &
Founder of Plato
Academy
Schools
CHARTER
SCHOOL
FUNDING
UNEQUAL
There is a growing concern
amongst charter school parents as more and more learn
that their children receive
about $2,200 dollars less for
their education than they
would at their zoned public
school. Still, according to
survey data, most charter
school parents are unaware
of these funding inequities. Despite lesser funding
Plato Academy Schools continuously outperform their
district counterparts and
provide .
According to a national study
from Ball State University,
charter schools received an
average of 25.3% less per
student
than
district
schools.
“Districts do not
disburse local revenues
evenly to both traditional
and charter schools. Looking
at combined local and state
revenue per pupil for both
charters and districts, districts retain a $2,200 advantage over charters,” the
report states.
“It doesn’t make sense to
continued on page 22
Dear Plato Academy Family,
terms and to think about how we do things toAs we enter the 11th year of Plato Academy gether, as a family committed to academic exSchools, continuous improvement is at the fore- cellence.
front of our thoughts and actions—our students
deserve our unrelenting pursuit of perfection How do we do this?
and nothing less! Whether you are a parent, At Plato Academy Schools, we have created a
teacher, principal or student, it is important that culture that provides our students learning enviwe take a step back sometimes to look at the ronments in which they feel safe, special, loved,
big picture—to see what we do in its simplest and important, wherein they continued on page 2
2015 FSA Scores Just Released—Plato JUST
Leads
the Way!
RELEASED!
Letter from the CEO : Continuously Improving continued from page 1
are encouraged to dream the biggest dreams possible.
Our school culture is guided by a strong team of capable
and caring people who work hard and work smart—
together—every day because they are committed to helping each child achieve their unique potential. We are passionate about what we do; we devote ourselves to setting
high goals and exceeding them. The children pick up on
this; they follow our lead. They learn the importance of a
good education and act accordingly. The work each and
every one of us does in our respective roles contributes to
the positive culture of Plato Academy Schools, and I challenge us all to make this year your individual best and the
best in Plato Academy’s history.
Plato Academy Students Score Superlative 2015 State
Assessment Results
Based on recently released reports, Plato Academy has
achieved continued exemplary results on the most recent
rounds of FSA Language Arts and Math, FCAT Science
and End of Course Exams in Civics. Plato Academy averaged 46% higher than district schools on the FSA. Plato
Academy 5th and 8th Grade FCAT Science Students surpassed their peers at the district and state level by over 30
percent. Even better, Plato Academy’s 7th Grade Civics
EOC students outshined their district and state peers by 32
percent, with Plato Academy Tarpon Springs earning a
near perfect passage rate. Way to go students—let’s do
even better this year! We also have great reason to celebrate the Plato Academy Early Learning Program. Once
again, in 2015, 100% of our VPK students passed readiness assessments, proving that Plato Academy students
are high performers. Well done!
Wisely Investing in Educational Technology to Boost
Performance and Fun in the Classroom
In 2015-2016, Plato Academy continues its leadership at
the national level transforming teaching and learning
through intelligent adoption of educational technology for
students, teachers, and administrators.
As the only known system of charter schools in the nation
to provide every single student with a personal, digital
learning device, Plato Academy Schools continues to help
its students become responsible digital citizens who use
the power of technology to develop core computer skills
and inspire project-based learning in all subject areas.
This year’s IT upgrades include:






Greater than a 1 to 1 ratio of students to electronic
learning devices, including laptops and iPads
Smartboards in ALL classrooms
Remote Data Server
Wireless Access Points Upgraded to 1 Per Classroom
New VOIP Phone Systems
Comprehensive Online Curriculum Supports and
Course Content from Pearson and Florida Virtual.
All students are assigned one laptop or one iPad to be
used in class with an ever-improving array of additional
course content
and
software
supports. Plato
Academy
Schools
not
only have the
hardware, software, and infrastructure,
but
they have 8 fulltime IT professionals ready to support them. Behind the scenes, Plato
Academy has revolutionized its IT infrastructure. Adding a
wireless access network to every classroom and utilizing
improved remote servers ensures the reliability of our network.
Maximizing IT Professional Development for Plato
Academy Teachers
And, also very exciting, is
the fact that we have promoted Plato Academy’s very
own Nick Chatzopoulos, the
highest ranked math teacher
in the State of Florida in
2014, to become our Director
of
Innovation.
Mr.
Chatzopoulos is an educational technology guru who
credits his students’ excellent performance in large part to
his extensive use of technology in the classroom. His students became self-directed learners, using iPads in a variety of ways to make learning exciting. Mr. Chatzopoulos
will be working with all Plato Academy teachers to help
them become more proficient in using technology in the
classroom to better integrate exciting technologies with
increasing student performance.
Making Plato Academy Better for Teachers and
Principals
Our teachers’ present actions—big
and small—have long-lasting impacts on the future. A smile. A kind
word in passing. Patient help with
homework. With one of the highest
teacher retention rates, Plato Academy continues to place the most
serious emphasis on hiring and retaining highly qualified teachers and
support staff who are passionate
and devoted in their work and who
consider themselves to be a part of
the Plato Academy family. We give
our teachers a great amount of autonomy and they hold themselves
accountable for student performance. I am grateful for all
the amazing work they do.
All of our principals were Plato Academy teachers
first,
and
although
many components imContinued on page 3
2
Letter from the CEO : Continuously Improving
pact student learning, leadership is the second most influential school-level factor on student achievement, after
teaching quality. Our principals do an excellent job of
sharing their authority, empowering teachers to become
leaders within their classroom and within the larger context
of the school. Our principals lead with knowledge that is
guided by beliefs, theory, and years of dedicated experience. Our principals’ attitudes give urgency to their actions. Their attitudes and actions inspire the whole school
and show them all what to do.
Parents choose Plato Academy
because they want the best
education for their children.
Fulfilling our goal of hiring from within whenever it’s in the
best interest of students, we have recently promoted 3 of
our assistant principals to the principal position. Mrs. Karen Staab leads Plato Academy Seminole, Mrs. Carri Roberts leads Plato Academy Pinellas Park, and Mrs. Veronica
Han-G leads Plato Academy Largo. They were all great
Plato Academy teachers before proving themselves as
Assistant Principals and they are all off to excellent starts!
Making Plato Academy Better for Parents
Our teachers and principals appreciate Plato Academy’s
supportive families. Overall parent satisfaction remained
very high, between 97-98%. Even though survey data was
very positive, parents did offer ideas for improvement and
we have acted upon them. We are focusing our assessments and making art and music a weekly, year-round part
of the curriculum for K-5 students. We are adding positions to supplement our Gifted, Guidance Counselor, and
ESE staff to ensure the social and emotional needs of our
students are met.
Giving
More
Families
High
Quality Educational Choices
Plato Academy is
growing to better
meet the needs
of families and to
provide
greater
opportunities for
the over 5,000 students on our wait-lists for this school
year. Our Pinellas Park campus opened for its inaugural
year, providing families in southeastern Pinellas County
the chance to enroll their students in Plato Academy. Additionally, existing schools are adding grades. Plato Academy Tarpon Springs added 8th grade and Plato Academy
St. Petersburg added 4th grade. Plato Academy’s first
Pasco County school will open in August of 2016. We anticipate our first Hillsborough school charter to be approved
prior to the end of this calendar year. As we grow, we are
continued from page 2
finding that successful replication of our award winning
school design is achievable especially because we are
dedicated to maintaining high quality at all of our existing
schools.
Making Plato Academy Better for Students
Parents choose Plato Academy because they want the
best education for their children. During the past year,
over two thousand Plato Academy students learned and
grew more than ever before, performing far better than
their peers within the district and across the state. As we
strive to absorb the changes in state assessments, we are
exploring the appropriate balance of assessments that can
be used to drive precise instruction and raise student
achievement to new heights. Recently, we overhauled
assessments, making them more focused and efficient.
We became more rigorous about curriculum review and
trained over 200 teachers and principals through peer-led
networks. Although we are
making great progress, we
are always improving. We
have built lasting capacity
that will continue to have
residual effects. We hold
that it is possible to dramatically increase results
for large groups of students, to see big gains at a
big scale and this attitude
leaves us with no excuses
and much hard work to
do. As a culture, we believe Plato Academy students deserve this. We
owe them our best efforts.
Just as important as student performance is maintaining the high level of overall
student satisfaction. Ninety-seven percent (97%) of Plato
Academy students love their school and believe they are
getting an excellent education. They feel safe, respected,
and inspired. We owe our success in part to our small
school design. The overwhelming majority of our students
will spend a decade of their life—from Pre-K through 8th
grade—attending our prestigious schools, developing foundations that will last them a lifetime. School size has a
meaningful impact on student achievement and child development. The smaller and more continuous the school
experience, the fewer transitions, the better a child is
known, and the higher levels of success in academics, athletics, and the arts.
When we assume responsibility for ambitious goals and
commit to improving student achievement, when we work
hard and work together, we accomplish amazing things. It
is my belief that our greatest accomplishments have yet to
happen. I am excited to hear about what Plato Academy
students dedicate themselves to in the future and to learn
of all their accomplishments. Only time will tell, but of this I
am certain: It only happens when adults commit to work
incredibly hard to make big changes for the broader good.
continued on page 5
3
Campus Spotlight:
U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis Visits
Plato Academy Tarpon Springs School
A recent visit from a U.S. Representative provided Plato Academy Tarpon
Springs students with a great opportunity to connect what they are learning in the classroom to how they can
change the world. In May, U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis visited the
school, toured the facilities, and spoke
with students about the benefits of
learning Greek and studying Civics.
Bilirakis was first elected to the Florida
House of Representatives in 1998. In
2006 he ran for and won the election
for his district’s seat in the U.S. House
of Representatives. Mr. Bilirakis fielded thoughtful questions from a group
of 7th grade students regarding international and national current events.
“You all are very fortunate to have this
school. Your school and your community are very special. Learning Greek
allows you to converse with officials
from around the world. You have wonderful teachers,” Bilirakis said. He added that he grew up in Tarpon Springs
and never had the opportunity to study
Greek in school.
Students, like 8th Grader Nick Sowell,
were impressed: “It was an interesting
experience to meet someone of such
high authority. It was a great opportunity to have students’ Civics questions answered by someone doing the
work of making laws that we are learning about. It was a privilege for Mr.
Bilirakis to visit Plato Academy and
enlighten us.”
Mr. Bilirakis had an in-depth conversation with Superior Schools CEO, Steve
Christopoulos, and Plato Academy Tarpon Springs Principal, Danielle Turro,
regarding Charter Schools and the importance of funding Charter School
Programs and especially Charter
continued on next page
Plato Improves 2015-2016 Art and Music Course Offerings
Plato Academy has consistently provided students with Arts and Culture through its curriculum and extended care options. Plato Academy has listened to parent feedback and is proud to announce that all campuses will offer elementary students weekly
music and art classes for the school year. Once again, Plato is on the cutting-edge of the instruction that is being offered to our
students. Besides parent feedback, the reasons behind this decision are numerous.
Studies show that instruction in the arts benefits children in numerous ways.
Music instruction increases the I.Q. of students. E. Glenn Schellenberg conducted a study of six-year olds who were given weekly lessons in piano and voice. Students were found to have on
average a 3 point increase in I.Q. Students in band or orchestra
are less likely to abuse substances over their lifetime. Children
who participate in art tend to be more inventive. As Grace Hwang
Lynch writes, “When kids are encouraged to express themselves
and take risks in creating art, they develop a sense of innovation
that will be important in their adult lives.” Finally, the countries in
which arts and music instruction are mandatory are consistently
among the highest for math and science test scores. As you can
see, instruction in the arts helps to ensure that students are more
well rounded and, therefore, more likely to be successful in high
school, college, and beyond.
Brown, Laura Lewis. "The Benefits of Music Education." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 30 July 2015.
"20 Important Benefits of Music In Our Schools." – National Association for Music Education (NAfME). N.p., 21 July 2014. Web. 30 July 2015.
Lynch, Grace Hwang. "The Importance of Art in Child Development." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 30 July 2015.
"11 Facts About Arts in Education." 11 Facts About Arts in Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 July 2015.
4
U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis Visits Plato Academy Tarpon Springs
continued from previous page
schools like Plato Academy which are “A” rated in Pinellas
County with over 5,000 students on its waiting list.
“Congressman Bilirakis’ visit was impactful in multiple
ways,” said Turro. “We have advanced, civic-minded students who prepared for his visit and had the amazingly
unique opportunity to dialogue with a U.S. Congressman
about National current events. Our students’ confidence
and preparedness was not lost on the Congressman. The
students were aware of this unique opportunity. Secondly,
this special visit highlighted both the successes and the
challenges of running highly successful charter schools,
current funding issues, and the benefits of school choice
options.”
“Visits like these are important in the life of our schools,”
said Christopoulos. “Our students learn that they are part of
a representative democracy and that two major components
of successful democracies include education and communication. We have to learn what the issues are and create
the opportunities to communicate with elected officials once
they take office. We appreciate Congressman Bilirakis visiting one of our excellent schools and taking the time to
speak with the next generation of voters and elected officials.”
Congressman Bilirakis stated that he will continue to be a
strong advocate for charter schools and that he will work
with his House colleagues so that necessary programs are
adequately funded and wasteful programs are not. Congressman Bilirakis complimented Mr. Christopoulos on the
success of Plato Academy Schools: “It wouldn’t be possible
without this man,” Bilirakis said.
LETTER FROM THE CEO: Continuously Improving
Better Extracurriculars for the
Whole Child
The Superior Sports League will
become even stronger this year
as two more schools will field
teams with 8th grade students.
Our student athletes are learning about the power of teamwork and the benefits of rigorous practice while developing
continued from page 3
Where every child is wellknown:
Plato Academy is the best group
of schools in Pinellas County
and the State of Florida and we
are making continuous improvements every day to get even
better. To continue achieving
these successes, it is imperative
Plato Academy is the best group of schools in
Pinellas County and the State of Florida and
we are making continuous improvements.
Plato Academy Wins Tarpon
Springs Mayor’s Top Apple
Award 2015
Plato Academy Tarpon
Springs
received
the
Mayor’s Top Apple Award
April 21, 2015. Mayor
David Archie proclaimed
that Plato Academy has
helped to make education
a top priority in the city
and recognized the school
for its outstanding academic achievements and
accomplishments.
Mrs. Danielle Turro, principal
lasting friendships playing soccer, flag football, basketball, and
cheerleading. Our coaches are
dedicated to giving all Plato
Academy students great sports
programs so that they can develop skills and sportsmanship
that will translate well in high
school and beyond. Additionally, our after school clubs continue this year with many exciting
opportunities for students to get
creative with support, have fun,
and bond with their peers and
teachers doing arts, crafts, tutoring, and so much more.
A Better School Culture:
Small,
Safe,
Nurturing—
we rededicate ourselves to the
task of working together, setting
high goals, and working hard to
achieve them. As always, I welcome your feedback and look
forward to working with all of
you this year. The work we do
together is life-changing. Together, we are succeeding in
changing children’s lives for the
best!
Sincerely,
Steve Christopoulos
Founder of Plato Academy
Schools
President and CEO Superior
“Plato
Academy
has
of Plato Academy Tarpon
shown great, positive moSprings and Mr. Steve
mentum by achieving an
Christopoulos, CEO of
Superior Schools holding the
‘A’ grade during a time
wining awards.
when increased standards
make it more difficult to
maintain and improve school grades,” said Mayor David Archie. This is the second year in a row that the
school has earned the City of Tarpon Springs Mayor’s
Top Apple Award.
"We are so proud of the Plato Academy Tarpon
Springs family,” said Steve Christopoulos, CEO of
Superior Schools. “The principal, the teachers, the
students, and the parents are all dedicated to creating
a safe and nurturing school environment wherein excellence is the rule and having fun while learning is the
norm.”
Plato Academy Tarpon Springs has been an "A"
school since its inception and ranks in the Top-10 of all
Pinellas' County Schools.
5
Plato Academy Scores Big on FSA and EOC Exams!!
The results for the 2015 Florida Standards Assessment (FSA)
and Florida End of Course Exams (EOC) recently posted and
Plato Academy Schools outpaced the Pinellas County traditional and charter schools as well as statewide averages by
wide margins. Once again, Plato Academy teachers and students have shown that they are well on track to continue
exceeding expectations!
"I am proud of the accomplishments of all of the students
and their teachers on these End of Course exams and the
FSAs," said Mr. Christopoulos, founder of Plato Academy
Schools and CEO of Superior Schools. "We have high expectations for our students and our passionate teachers do all they
can to help their students achieve those goals. Most
importantly, Plato Academy students are having fun
learning and growing in our schools. Great job!" 6 6
Plato Academy Pinellas Park Starts Strong
By all accounts, Plato Academy’s seventh
school is off to an impressive start. Attractive
landscaping and fresh paint are beautifying the
temporary buildings located at 9200 49th
Street North in Pinellas Park. Smartboards,
wireless access networks, servers, and projectors have been added to newly refreshed
classrooms, putting them on par with their
leading edge sister schools.
licly funded school in Pinellas Park and one of
the best in the state of Florida.” Mr. Christopoulos is confident in the abilities and attitudes of the all the staff at the school, including its Principal, Carri Roberts.
Plato Academy’s newest location, during its
first year, is serving grades from PreK - 2nd
grade. All student seats are filled and a waitlist of over 189 students already exists. Parents are becoming actively involved and building the close-knit culture for which Plato
Academy Schools are cherished.
“I am honored to be the Principal of Plato
Academy Pinellas Park,” said Mrs. Roberts.
Mrs. Roberts was the Assistant Principal at
Plato Academy Palm Harbor after teaching
there since the school opened. “This school is
going to be excellent because we are off to a
great start and we have a comprehensive vision moving forward based on the many successes of our older sister schools. We have
amazing teachers who are real professionals
and parents that are incredibly supportive.”
“This new facility will benefit children and others in the community by providing them with
an excellent school in which to learn and grow
that is like its sister schools—high performing,
nurturing, and inspiring,” said Steve Christopoulos, CEO of Superior Schools and Founder of Plato Academy Schools. “As the school
adds grade levels each year, Plato Academy
Pinellas Park will define itself as the best pub-
Construction will continue in phases away
from the existing buildings. Upon completion
of the construction, the school will include
ample classroom and space to accommodate
up to 546 students along with superb recreational areas including a school regulation-size
soccer field and a covered pavilion to accommodate two basketball courts as well as two
separate playgrounds.
7
Plato Academy Leads the State in Educational Technology
Technology is changing the way children
learn, placing the emphasis from teaching
to children to learning by students. It may
seem a subtle difference, but the implications represent a monumental paradigm
shift. With all the information of the world
literally mouse clicks away from our students fingertips, teachers and school leaders are rethinking the way teachers work in
the classroom. Games and interactive
software help students master complicated
skills and deep knowledge in an engaging
way. Adaptive software recognizes and
respond to different abilities, personalizing
teaching for every student. With the expert
guidance of a teacher, students can progress at different rates through lessons
designed to stretch them just the right
amount, helping each child reach his or her
full potential at an accelerated yet perfectly
reasonable pace.”
Plato Academy Schools is ramping up for
its strongest year in improving student
learning and engagement with educational
technology. The hiring of a Director of
Innovation, robust professional development, a 1:1 student to digital device ratio, a
broad assortment of learning software, and
intelligent improvements to the IT infrastructure are all being implemented to support each Plato Academy student in finding success in their own unique way.
“Our goal for these improvements is to put
students in the best position to reach their
full potential and live empowered, meaningful lives,” said Joseph Christoff, Chief
Technology Officer for Superior Schools.
Continued on Page 10
Transforming Digital Learning
The TIM is designed to guide principals,
teachers, and others through the process of
evaluating the level of technology integration within a particular lesson. When completed, the tool indicates a profile for the
observed lesson in terms of the Technology
Integration Matrix. With multiple observations, the TIM-O helps evaluators get a clear
picture of the professional development
needs of the teacher to support further technology integration. Plato strives for transformation in every classroom.
New Learning Software
Plato Academy Schools are continuously
improving course content and curriculum
supports. This school year, we are excited
to be putting world Windows and Microsoft Office software in the hands of our
3rd-8th graders. Also, we are supplementing our course content to include the latest
comprehensive offerings in reading and
math from Pearson—a world-class publisher—that is geared toward the Common
Core standards and provides individualized
learning opportunities for students to promote maximum gains. Finally, we are also
working with Florida Virtual School to
provide our middle schoolers with cutting
edge, standards- based, individualized
course content to facilitate mastery and
inspire young minds.
8
Plato Academy Home Technology Survey Results Help Map the Way Ahead
In an effort to better understand and serve
the needs of Plato Academy parents, a
Home Technology Survey was sent via
email and hundreds of parents took the
time complete it. In addition to learning
about the availability of technology for
students at home and refining Ed Tech
services, these results provide information
about improving communication via
email, web pages, and social media.
Input is cr itical to continuous improvement of Plato Academy’s Educational
Technology. “Thank you for the excellent
technical support last school year,” said
one parent. “You did an amazing job managing all the student devices. I loved how
much the iPad was incorporated into the
curriculum. It was fully integrated! Other
schools take a half approach which does
not fully prepare kids for the work force.
Plato is giving them skills they can use!”
Many parents offered suggestions for improvement that will be used.
Society is changing—We are becoming
more and more reliant on technology and
it is our job as a family of schools to harness the power of digital technology to
create learning and work environments
that are relevant, purposeful, and inspiring. toward improvement.
Survey Says …… Parent Feedback Matters
97% agree that technology is critical to the learning experience of students.
87% support additional funding for technology use with learning in school
98% have advanced or average technology skills
81% believe teacher class pages should be private
95% believe there should be consequences for violating computer policies
75% use the online student grading system to track performance
85% find the information they need on the Plato Academy website
94% of students have daily access to internet and a computer for homework
70% would attend a workshop at their school to learn more about technology
Brand New Teacher Laptops
The HP Stream 13 is an attractive ultraportable laptop. It's a full Windows
8.1 PC loaded with Microsoft Office
and it's attractive and speedy enough
to hold its own with more expensive
notebooks. It's a versatile PC and PC
Magazine’s Editors' Choice for budget
ultraportable laptops.
iPads for Grades K-2
iPads will continue assisting Plato
Academy K-2 students to capture
and practice new concepts they are
learning. They also provide great
opportunities to notate, design and
create with notes, photos and video. They help students practicing
sight words and make practice fun.
iPads are amazing tools that deepen
understanding of concepts capture
things we want to share.
9
Plato Academy Leads State in Educational Technology
Continued from page 8
“We all know it can sometimes be difficult to engage students in learning,” says Superior Schools Director of Innovation, Nick Chatzopoulos. “However, students really get
excited and enjoy the process more when the instructor,
or even better, the students use the smart board or touch
screen technology or laptops in order to make classes
more interactive and interesting. Ed Tech lets us ‘gamify’
learning, making it so much more fun and exciting. In
that way it’s easy to attract the kid’s attention. By the way,
the involving technology in the educational process makes
education more enjoyable both for the instructors and the
learners. In the process of doing this we are transforming
learning environments that put our students on the leading
edge of technology, providing them with real world skills
and an incredible level of comfort with technology.”
Plato Academy is actively exploring the possibilities of
educational technology in our modern society and preparing our students to become competent digital citizens.
“Plato Academy Schools’ Technology Initiatives Continuously Elevate Its Students to the Pinnacle of the Digital Revolution and for that You Should be Applauded. I guarantee your efforts will produce life-changing, worldimproving results.“
Brad Waid—Internationally Renowned Educational Technology Expert
Remote Server
Smart Boards
Among the improvements not
immediately visible is the procurement of a remote server.
Basically, the remote server
backs up all of the schools’ and
administration’s data in a secure
and hurricane proof location in
Tampa. It provides great security from hackers and reliability
for easy and continuous use at
all hours.
All Plato Academy classrooms
have smart board technology. In
essence, smartboards work like
giant iPads. They are interactive,
touch-sensitive white boards that
enhance teaching and increase clarity and degree of detail through
presentations through programs
such as Power Point and Microsoft
word. Plato Academy was an early
adopter of smart board and fully
intends to continue leading the way.
Wireless Access Networks
Today, with between 20-27 digital
devices in nearly every classroom,
Plato Academy is increasing bandwidth through an aggressive plan to
install WAN routers in every classroom and installing dedicated fiber
connections increasing bandwidth
and minimizing down time for
learning and working.
10
A Message from Dr. Nick:
Superior Collegiate High
Superior Collegiate High School believes that education should never follow an "assembly-line" approach. We understand how our dynamic global,
digital and knowledge-rich societies of the 21st
century are transforming learning and calling for
relevant innovations in educational practice, NOT
educational logistics. Our educators are responsive to changes in our communities. Transforming
the lives of young people is our primary goal.
Globalization, the digital revolution and advancements in our understanding of students' unique
learning styles all present new opportunities.
Our Collaborative Learning Community:
meaningful learning experiences fostered by the
engagement of students in sustained classroom
collaborative discussions and activities.
Our collaborative learning community allows for
the integration or synthesis of traditional instructor-directed delivery of instruction with the versatility of technology-driven, on-line course content
mastery skill development within a collegiate campus experience that fosters self confidence.
For example, a student who may experience challenges in certain subject matters (courses), such as
math or science can now have the opportunity to
master course content by attending a traditional
teacher-directed classroom
setting, while at the same
time the same student can
experience independent online learning, while seamlessly receiving quality 1:1 instructional support in those
specific course content areas
requiring intervention.
Allows a parent and
student to have an opportunity to work collaboratively
with an
interdisciplinary team
comprised of educators,
administrators, and student support services
personnel to design an
individualized instrucOur collaborative learning
tional delivery plan that
community provides an
is both student-centered
“unbundled”
secondary
(directed) and one that
school experience which
complements the stusubstantially increases a
dent’s unique learning
student's:
style(s). Our goal is to
a. available program
ensure student success
options
by believing in our student’s potential, while at the same time fostering
b. freedom of choice with regards to
a culture that embraces “zero tolerance for failure course level, pacing, time schedule, instructional
and mediocrity.”
delivery methods, and site of learning,
Our collaborative learning community is NOT the
c. ease with portability,
same as the traditional independent distanced. flexibility to blend instructional delivtechnology-rich instruction model, where peer
ery
methods
(traditional and on-line),
and teacher interaction is limited or restricted due
to time, place, path or pace. Our learning commue. opportunities for success,
nity goes beyond one-to-one computers and highf. convenience to access and adjust intech gadgets. It involves leveraging the internet to
structional
delivery platforms, and
afford each student a more personalized learning
experience, meaning increased student control
g. efficiency.
over the time and place, and, with the guidance of
If you wish to find additional information about
instructors, the path, and pace of his or her learnour high school and our curriculum, please visit
ing. Our students master course content at least
our website: www.superiorcollegiate.com.
in part through an integration of classroom and
online learning within a teacher-directed collegiate campus setting. And, the modalities along
each student’s learning path within a course or
subject are connected to provide connected and
Dr. Nick Koularmanis
Chief Academic and
Student Support Services
Officer
Are You Looking
for Free or
Reduced Tuition
Options for your
High School
Student?
There are numerous
financial aid options
available, including
scholarships. If you
are interested in
small, safe Plato-like
environment for your
child’s high school, call
Dr. Nick to find out
more. 727-301-1013
Student Body Increased
300% Since Last Year
11
10 Ways Plato Academy Schools Will
Continue Improving
Matt Gunderson
Director of School
Improvement and Quality
Assurance
from multiple assessments to better
attend Plato Academy.
1. Continue hiring the most capable
differentiate instruction and encourand passionate teachers who live
10. Ensure each campus is a safe and
by the values of our schools and pass
age accountability at all levels of the
nurturing place wher e each child
them onto our students. Retain a
system.
can develop lifelong positive memorobust team of new and veteran
ries of their early years as students,
5. Professional learning communities
teachers who all truly believe that
for teachers that enhance meaningful
developing lifelong skills and a love
they can make a positive difference
and productive teamwork throughout
of learning that will help them to
in the lives of students and families.
the system.
become confident, capable, and caring adults. Students must feel safe
2. Parental Involvement that Pr o6. Improved Communication Sysmotes a Culture of Care—foster
to learn. Safety and security are key
tems, including r evised websites,
trusting relationships amongst famiingredients of a superior education!
increased social media presence on
lies and schools through volunteer
Facebook.
hours and enjoyable, communitybuilding events that help to maintain 7. Embrace diversity-Know that no
two students learn exactly the same
the small school, family environand each child has a gift.
ment that defines Plato Academy.
3. Nurture high expectations of effec- 8. Incorporate more technology and
provide teachers and students the
tive leadership so that every staketraining to seamlessly adopt leading
holder knows how their acts of leadedge software and hardware.
ership within their respective roles—
big and small—define our communi- 9. Widen our horizons through new
ty and set high standards.
campuses and intelligent growth at
current schools, paying it forward to
4. High quality instruction, gr ading
all students waiting and hoping to
practices, and monitoring of data
“My child is more excited about school since transferring to Plato Academy.”
Plato Academy St. Petersburg Parent Survey Response
12
Florida Charter Schools Alliance Praises Parent Volunteers
Plato Academy Parents were honored by the Florida
Charter Schools Alliance at a conference hosted by Superior Schools last Spring. Parents were recognized
for their unwavering dedication and volunteer service
to each of the Plato Academy Schools. Each school
recognized a parent volunteer who went above and
beyond during the school year, exceeding expectations
of Plato Academy parents.
Former State representative Ralph Arza presented Plato Academy parents, teachers and board members
with awards recognizing their passion and dedication
to improving education for Florida students. “Plato
Academy’s parents made a conscientious decision—a
life-changing choice—to send their children to a school
where parental involvement matters, where parental
involvement is one of the defining aspects of the
school’s culture. “
Mr. Arza also recognized Steve Christopoulos with an
award for years of dedication and service making Plato
Academy schools “among the very best schools in Florida.” Attendees learned about the mission of the Alliance and issues facing charter schools. It was a great
opportunity for parents and teachers to learn more
about issues facing charter schools at the state and
local level, including inequitable funding.
Mr. Christopoulos thanked all of his staff and parents
for choosing Plato Academy and setting high expecta-
There is an increasing need to have a
unified voice at the forefront of this
growing movement in order to bring
high-quality charter schools to every
community in the state, to advocate
amongst policymakers in an effort to alleviate inequities, to strengthen existing
and newer charter schools and to raise
the bar on quality for all public schools.
The FCSA is this voice.
tions for their children and their volunteer work. “We
appreciate that you have put your own time aside to
help all of Plato’s students. Every volunteer I have met
is a great role model and improves the spirit of our
schools.”
The FCSA advocates for Florida’s Charter Schools and
an important component of that is educating the public about what charter schools are and how they help
Florida’s parents. As tuition-free, publicly funded
schools, charter schools, like Plato Academy Schools
for example, have an innovative mission and themed
learning approaches focusing on areas such as foreign
language acquisition, sciences, and technology.
13
Meet Our New Director of Innovation
Dear Plato Academy Family,
I am thrilled to announce that, after a lot of consideration and several meetings with
Mr. Christopoulos and with our Principals, I have been appointed to the newly formed
position of Director of Innovation, which is a testament to Plato Academy’s focus on
giving students robust opportunities in this digital revolution.
After teaching for many years and loving my work, my role and responsibilities will be
very different—I hope to impact more lives than ever before! My main goal will be to
help every single one of our teachers implement technology in the classroom in meanNikolaos Chatzopoulos
ingful ways. Those of you who attended ST4T last June saw clearly that there are hunDirector of Innovation
dreds of tools, apps, and learning platforms, and quite frankly, it can be a challenging
job for a teacher to sort through all of this technology and filter out the tools that would be great for the
classroom. I will help and students will benefit.
My job this year will be to assist our great teachers in choosing the best technology and coaching them
to fully integrate it so that students are empowered. In addition, we are working on a formula so that I
can be able to attend faculty meetings and have more substantial communications. Furthermore,
throughout the year I will be working hard to improve and expand the ST4T 2016 Ed Tech Conference so
that Superior Schools and Plato Academy will host one of the best conferences in the country!
14 14
Superior Sports League
By Coach Yiannis Halvatzis
Superior Sports League is continuously growing and becoming more of a competitive athletic program. The league has made great advances in coaching
professionalism, student-athletic ability, as well as better facilities and officials. We hosted the First Annual Plato-Serb Soccer Tournament last year that
included 6 competing teams and finished off with a friendly bar-b-q for all
players and families to enjoy. Participation in the Superior Sports League has
many benefits for Plato Academy students both on and off the playing field.
Students in Middle School are at a special life period where physical fitness
can have a big impact not only on their health, but also on their overall outlook.
Middle School students are experiencing unique changes in their physique
and their social relationships, as well as the typical stressors, such as grades
and new group activities. Students who actively participate in sports programs
have an outlet for their energy, become healthier, improve their teambuilding
abilities and boost s their self-esteem.
2014-15 Season
Champions
Flag-Football:
Basketball:
Varsity Soccer:
Junior Varsity Soccer:
Largo
Clearwater
Clearwater
Seminole
GAMES LOCATIONS
Each Plato Academy campus had the opportunity to hold their own end-ofthe-year sports banquet, which would not have been possible without the
outstanding contributions from coaches, families, friends, and countless others. At each banquet, it was easy to see what makes Plato Academy amazing,
as everyone worked together to make the ceremony a special experience for
athletes and families alike.
Football Champions 2015 : Palm Harbor
Varsity Soccer 1st game of the season : Tuesday, December 15th 2015
Basketball 1st game of the season : Tuesday, February 23rd 2015
JV Soccer 1st game of the season : Monday, February 22nd 2016
I am most proud of the comradery the players have for each other on and off
the field, whether it’s among their own teammates or with players from other
teams. These are the times that our students will always remember for the
rest of their lives. The ride to the games on the buses, the heartache of their
first loss, and the pride of the perfectly made pass, are all things that they will
look back on and smile about one day.
15
Have You Made
Childcare Plans for
Thanksgiving,
Winter and Spring
Break, and Summer?
Plato Academy
Extended Care
Has Solutions
Plato Academy proudly offers
fun-filled learning experiences
during extended breaks throughout the school year and beyond,
but seats are limited and we
advise you to enroll early to secure seats for opportunities
throughout 2015-2016.
For working parents and those
who simply want
a structured, positive, and fun environment for their
children during
the hectic holiday periods, enrolling in Plato Academy’s extended care opportunities simplifies
life and gives parents much
needed peace of mind. And, the
kids have a blast!
Thanksgiving Break: November
23-25
Winter Break: Dec. 21-Jan. 1
Early Learning Updates!
As you know, Plato Academy offered its first
School Age Summer Camp, and I am pleased to
say that it was a tremendous success! Children
from across all of our campuses in grades 1st8th joined in for fun and adventure this summer. Field trips, science experiments, art activities, and food experiences made for an exciting
and memorable camp experience.
We are already looking forward to continuing
to grow our summer programs and offering
Plato Academy students and families quality
programs year round.
Extended Care registration has begun and enrollment forms are available on each campus’s
website.
As always, we welcome parents and families to
volunteer to share their passions and talents
with our students. If you are interested in
hosting an Enrichment Club, please contact the
on-site Director at your campus.
As Plato Academy continues to expand, so do
our Early Learning Programs. This year, we are
not only added a VPK classroom to our new
Pinellas Park campus, but we are also a PreK 3
classroom to our Seminole location. Focused on
nurturing the individual child, our early learning
environments are a place where children are
encouraged to explore, where their curiosity is
fostered, and where they can begin to develop
a life-long passion for education and
knowledge.
please contact the
on-site Director at
your campus via
email.
Emily Ralston
Executive Director
Preschool/VPK
I highly recommend the
summer camp! My son
made great friends and had
so much fun.
Plato is Plato—even during
summer. You know you are
getting a safe and
nurturing environment.
Plato Academy Clearwater Parent
Our Early Learning teachers and directors display passion and enthusiasm, making our classrooms a truly special place to grow and learn.
For additional information about our programs,
FUN 2015 SUMMER CAMP MEMORIES!!!!
Spring Break: March 21-25
Summer Break: Begins June 7
Our extended
care options
run from 7 a.m.
until 5:45 p.m. And are open for
students in grades PreK to 8 and
include art, science, sports,
movies, and field trips, among
many others.
If you are interested in enrolling
your child for any of our exciting
camps or have any questions,
please contact Emily Ralston,
the Executive Director at
727-799-1200, ext. 1023.
Plato Academy Makes Breaks Fun and Safe for Grades PreK-8
16
Student Spotlight: Plato Academy Largo
8th Graders in the News!
Plato Academy Largo 8th Grader, Jasmine White, earned her Second Degree
Black Belt in American style Tae Kwon Do.
Jasmine has been taking martial arts for six years. She started when she was
six years old. Her instructor Kim Jackson is a Fifth Degree Black Belt.
American Style Tae Kwon Do presents as forms, a preset combination of
offensive and defensive techniques designed to simulate self-defense techniques being used upon multiple opponents, gyeo-roo-gi (sparring), onesteps (scripted sparring segments), self-defense, board breaking, weapons,
and leadership. A 2nd Degree Black Belt has the symbolic meaning- "With
your noble character, you will develop a new permanence in life”.
We are extremely proud of Jasmine’s physical
and mental strength in achieving this fantastic
accomplishment.
I highly recommend this school.
The staff is one of the best. The care and attention they give
to our daughters exceeds expectations.
Plato Academy Seminole Parent Survey Response
Student Spotlight: Plato Academy Largo
8th Graders in the News!
Plato Academy Largo 8th Grader, Solomon Park, won 1st
Place at our Plato Academy Spelling Bee. The Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee Competition is open to all students in
Grades 5 to 10. All public, parochial, and home school students as well as religious education students are encouraged
to participate. After winning 1st Place at Plato Academy Largo,
Solomon went on to win 1st Place at the District
Level Spelling Bee to qualify for the State
Spelling Bee Championship. At the State level
Solomon won 3rd place.
We are incredibly proud of this talented Plato
Student’s accomplishments!
17
Student Spotlight: Plato Academy Clearwater
On July 25th Avyi, Ana, and Stavros Hareas hosted a charity event called Lemonade for Livy with their friends Trifon and Georgie Houvardas. The event took place at
FlameStone Grill in Oldsmar. All the proceeds went to
Livy's Hope for a Cure for Epilepsy Research. The children
worked hard building lemonade stands from wood, creating posters and getting their supplies before the big
day. Even with Thunder storms all day, their lemonade
stand raised over $3000.00- with the largest donation to
their stand of $500 coming from Julie Weintraub's Hand
Across The Bay. Livy's Hope was created by Hailey Scheinman who's twin sister Olivia (Livy) has Epilepsy. Each year
kids all over the country host lemonade stands. This was
the second year the children hosted a lemonade stand.
My daughter has truly blossomed this year.
Plato Academy St. Petersburg Parent Survey Response
Student Spotlight: Plato Academy Clearwater
Being humble and kind is something we teach our students is the "right thing to do.”
PAC is very proud to have our very own example of humbleness as part of our family:
3rd grader. Richard Grice.
Every year, Richard celebrates his birthday in a very special way with his friends. He
requests that in lieu of gifts, he chooses a cause and asks that all donations go to that
cause. For Richard's 5th Birthday he asked his friends to bring toys to be donated to
All Children's Hospital. For Richard's 6th Birthday. In lieu of gifts, Richard requested
that his friends bring various items that the military needs overseas. Richard and his
mother delivered the items to an event hosted by Tampa Bay Troop Support and
helped package boxes to send to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For Richard's 7th birthday, he asked about giving money and gift cards to All Children's Hospital for medicine
that they need. The end result was he presented $425.00 in checks and gift cards that went
to the “Teen Lounge” in All Children’s Hospital that officially opened on June 10, 2015.
Richard is already considering the theme and cause for his 8th birthday in January 2016. He
is an excellent example of humility, of a better person, and we can only hope that he inspires us all to follow in his kind and thoughtful footsteps.
18
Student Spotlight: Plato Academy
Palm Harbor
Xander Dunphy is one HAPPY student!!
Plato Palm Harbor teamed up with our business partners to provide
a wonderful opportunity last summer. Combined with the Clearwater
Threshers and Mathnasium, Xander Dunphy was the lucky winner
of 20 free tutor lessons over this summer break. The contest was
sponsored by the Threshers which included students writing a short
essay as to why they felt they would benefit from these lessons.
Dozens of essays were submitted by students from grades 3 up to
8th. Xander was chosen as the winner! Mathnasium has several
locations in the area and this opportunity is greatly appreciated.
Congratulations to Xander on this
exciting summer project and we
are all looking forward to hearing
about what you did!!
Student Spotlight: Plato Academy : St. Petersburg
A Leader and a Team Player
Ana Lojpur is an inspiring second grader at Plato Academy St. Petersburg.
In addition to excelling in academics, Ana is a friend and
role model to all. She is the first to lend another student a
helping hand. She is often overheard offering quiet words
of encouragement to someone who may be struggling with
a task. Ana is also kind to animals and visits the pet store
at least once a week so she can pet and hold the animals
that have not been adopted yet. Ana recently performed in
her first ballet, Alice in Wonderland, this past April at Mahaffey Theater.
She is a big sister to Sophia, and enjoys teaching her new
things often. Besides animals, ballet, and being a wonderful sister, Ana loves math! We are thankful to have Ana and her family as part of our
Plato family.
Your Feedback Matters: Send us your comments, questions, ideas, and concerns. All emails will receive a response
within one business day.
[email protected]
19
Student Spotlight: Plato Academy :
Tarpon Springs
Hailey Mahadeen is a bright and dedicated student and a mature
and friendly young lady. She is always there to help out a fellow
classmate or volunteer to help with various classroom activities.
While keeping up with her assignments and earning top grades, she
engages in enrichment both in and outside of the classroom. Hailey's after-school activities include acting classes
and studying lines for TV commercials and movie roles.
Gymnastics, dancing, and the outdoors are her other favorite activities. Hailey also spends a lot of time with her
dog, Comet, a border collie, which she has
trained to do a lot of cool tricks.
Hailey is a bright star who is on her way to big
and bright accomplishments!!
Student Spotlight: Plato Academy :
Seminole
Special kudos and accolades go to Plato Academy Seminole’s super student, Christian Binning. Christian became a member of the
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Explorer Post 900, an organization
that offers youths between the ages of 14 to 21 the opportunity to
experience the challenges and rewards of safety careers firsthand.
The application process is rigorous, and strict criteria must be maintained to continue membership with Explorer Post 900. Christian
has not only been a successful participant in this noble program, but
has also participated in various competitions throughout the year
with great achievement. He received two awards in the fall boot
camp competition, one for Outstanding Accomplishment, and another for Honorable Mention. Most recently, Christian participated with
Explorer Post 900 in the 2015 Florida Association of Police Explorers competition on June 22-27 in Melbourne, Florida.
Thirty other law enforcement explorer posts from across Florida
competed, and Pinellas county’s “Team Alpha,” Post 900, received
the 4th place overall championship trophy. During the state competition, Christian also participated as a Drill Team member, and received 3rd place overall in the Drill Team competition.
Congratulations to Christian for his outstanding accomplishments!
20
Admissions Updates
Rina Psomas
Director of Admissions
As we grow our family of schools, parent
demand continues to be very strong. All
seven Plato Academy campuses are at
Teacher Appreciation Happens All Year Long!
capacity, including the new Pinellas Park
campus. The wait-list exceeds 5,000 stu-
Plato Academy Schools has the very best
teachers, principals, and staff. Hands down.
dents for the 2015-16 school year.
One of my most important tasks is ensuring that
teachers are in compliance with all the State
regulations of their profession, ensuring quality.
Family is of the utmost importance and
Sometimes teacher appreciation means making
difficult decisions, abiding by stringent standards, and doing all we can to ensure that Plato
Academy Teachers are surrounded by likeminded, passionate, and competent education
professionals who are dedicated to their craft
and improving the lives of students.
Plato Academy grants priority to siblings. Please be sure your sibling applications are updated to include current
Tracey Hayes
Chief Operating
Officer
Of course, we conduct all the required background checks, certification checks, and reference checks, and we believe it’s important that every Plato Academy teacher knows their colleague
teaching next door is
just as qualified as
they are, without exception. Because of
this our teachers
have deep mutual
appreciation for one
another and overall
teacher morale is
boosted.
school year and grade. For more information
about
enrollment
priorities,
please visit our website.
If you have a sibling applying for kindergarten for the 2016-17 school year,
please let me know so their application
may be given priority. As always, if you
have questions regarding enrollment,
please do not hesitate to contact me
at [email protected], or click on
our website for further information of our
new campuses in Pinellas County .
Also please be on the look out for announcements for the opening of and enrollment for our first school soon
to open in Pasco County.
21
Why Learn Greek ?
People often ask me why we have Greek as a second language
in our schools. Why not Spanish or Chinese? I find it funny
when they ask me because I am Greek myself and I am tempted to say, “Because we have the best language in the whole
world!”. To simplify it, and be more objective, there are several reasons why learning Greek can benefit your child.
Many words in English are derived from the Greek language.
According to Tamara M. Green’s book, The Greek and Latin
Roots of English, “over 60 percent of all English words have
Greek or Latin roots; in the vocabulary of the sciences and
technology, the figure rises to over 90 percent.” In a typical
80,000-word English dictionary, about 5% of the words are
directly borrowed from Greek; this is about equivalent to the
vocabulary of an educated speaker of English. For example,
“phenomenon” is a Greek word and even obeys Greek grammar rules as the plural is “phenomena”. However, around
25% are borrowed indirectly. This is because there were many
Greek words borrowed in Latin originally, which then filtered
down into English because English borrowed so many words
from Latin. For example, “elaiwa” in Greek evolved into the
Latin “oliva”, which in turn became “olive” in English.
Being able to communicate and function in Greek, the language that is the basis for math, science, astronomy, litera-
ture, and other academic subjects, will
enable students to excel throughout
school, college, and future professions.
Plato Academy and Superior Schools are
proud of the Greek department. Our Greek
teachers are giving their heart and soul
every day to help students to love and understand the Greek language and culture.
Vasia Kallimachou
Plato Academy students celebrate annually
Marketing Specialist
the October 28 “OXI” day, the March 25th
Greek independence day, including participation in the Greek
independence annual parade taking place in the City of Tarpon
Springs.
Other Greek related events include a Greek themed holiday,
an annual Olympic games theme and related festivities. Also
the 7th and 8th students are required to take more intensive
Greek language requirements that satisfy the High school foreign language requirements.
The study of Greek takes time and commitment, but the rewards are great enough to merit such an investment.
*Green, Tamara M. The Greek & Latin Roots of English. 4th ed. Lanham, MD:
Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Print.
Charter School Funding Unequal
continued from page 1
report.
me,” says Plato Academy St. Petersburg parent, Anne Leonard,
In Florida, charter schools do not have access to monies raised for
“that if my 3 children were to attend their zoned school that school
public schools through property taxes. In fact, only a few of the diswould receive $6,600 more than when my children go to Plato Acadetricts in the state share their property tax funds with their charter
my. Isn’t it that money for my children?”
schools. A study conducted by the University of Arkansas found that
As awareness levels rise, political activists are also speaking out in
in the year 2011 charter schools received 20.7 percent less funding
favor of charter schools. “It just doesn’t make sense that students at
than district schools. To add to this inequity, the school district may
high performing schools like Plato Academy are having to make do
withhold up to 5 percent of the charter school’s per-pupil funding for
with less,” said George Farrell a prominent political activist whose
up to 250 students to cover the costs of providing certain administrachildren have attended both district
tive and educational services to charter schools as
and charter schools. “We need poWe need political action that sup- specified in statute. For “high performing” charter
litical action that supports all chilthe law reduces this amount to 2 perdren, that ensures the value of each
ports all children, that ensures schools,
cent. It is estimated that due to these discrepanperson, and expands opportunicies, Florida charter schools, such as Plato Acadeties. It’s just not fair that a child is
the value of each person and
my, receive less than 80 cents for every dollar a
worth $2,200 less when he or she
expands opportunities.
district receives.
attends a charter school.”
Local politicians are also working
stakeholders in charter schools may be unato raise awareness of this issue and
that a child is Many
ware of these disparities. Parents choose to put
demanding change. “You have a
their children in Plato Academy because of the
significant inequity between public
worth $2,200 less when he or
quality educational experience they will receive.
school students,” state Sen. John
she attends a charter school.
Legg, R-Trinity, who chairs the
“The amount of money we are talking about here
education
committee,
recently
is really significant,” says local businessman and Plato Academy
said. “The school districts and the charter schools need to come up
Schools Board Member, Louis Kokkinakis. “It’s hundreds of thouwith a model for equity.”
sands of dollars that could be used to dramatically improve the quality
Even though it seems like funding for public schools and charter
of education at our schools. Year after year we do more with
schools should be on an even keel, it is not, according to Florida Tax
less. Imagine how much more we could accomplish with equiWatch. ”The absence of equitable local funding for both operational
table funding! More teachers aides. More arts. More music.
and capital purposes creates a significant financial disadvantage for
22
The list goes on.
Florida charter schools,” the public interest group states in a recent
It’s just not fair
Calling all Volunteers!
All Plato Academy Parents and Families have the great
and awesome responsibility to volunteer at least 30 hours
over the school year. Thank you for the passion and participation that you bring to the school. Your commitment to
Plato Academy is appreciated.
Parents have the opportunity to volunteer in a variety of ways. Some of
those ways require a higher background screening level than others. The capacity in which you
choose to volunteer will determine
the level of screening that is required.
Level 2 volunteers - Volunteers that will be alone with students, such as when driving or chaperoning a field trip must
have a Level 2 clearance. The Level 2 screening process
involves fingerprint clearance through the two databases,
the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the
FBI. Plato Academy works with EZ Fingerprints to obtain
the necessary Level 2 screening, and each school’s main
office staff has the cost information and fingerprint process
information you need to become a Level 2 volunteer. The
Level 2 screening is necessary every five years.
Level 1 volunteers - Volunteers that
wish to serve in the classroom or
on school grounds and who
are supervised by a teacher or another staff member at all times
must have a Level 1 clearance. Level 1 screening requires
you to provide your driver license or
Florida State ID and a limited background/ sex offender check will be Lisa Herbst
conducted by the school.
General Counsel
Parents or family members that are not Level 1 or 2
screened can still volunteer in other capacities, such as to
take work home to do for your child’s teacher.
If you have any questions regarding volunteering or the
Level of screening required for you, please contact your
schools’ front desk staff, and they will be able to assist
you. Thank you again for your commitment to the students! Your volunteering and participation help the children
at Plato Academy to Exceed Expectations!
RTI Is Powerful Practice
Plato Academy is proactive with its RTI model and provides students with
interventions to support the belief of prevention through intervention being
the emphasis rather than waiting until the student fails. But what is RTI?
RTI stands for Response to Intervention. Response to Intervention is a tool
that is used to help all students who struggle in any areas of academics or
behavior in the general education classroom.
There are 3 tiers or levels of RTI. Tier 1 is for all students in the classroom
that use our core curriculum with the teacher differentiating instruction for
small groups. (i.e. reading groups) Tier 2 is small groups of students with
the same skill needs to be successful in the classroom. For example: students that have low reading fluency may need to learn and practice silent /
e/ and other spelling rules are pulled for activities/interventions to increase
their fluency. Once the skill is remediated the student may not need Tier 2
any longer or may need Tier 2 for another skill needed in the classroom to
meet expectations.
Tier 3 is for students that are significantly below grade level and/or their
classroom peers. These students receive intensive support in the area of
their skill deficit in addition to their Tier 2 group. Tier 3 students have parent
and school team meetings every 4-6 weeks to ensure that the student is
making progress. Decisions are made using the data collected once per
week.
The goal for all students is to be remediated and then return to the regular
routine to be successful without continued RTI services. If a student is unable to make gains or needs constant interventions to be successful, they
may be referred for Exceptional Student Education. All students learn differently and need assistance with their learning, RTI helps students, teachers,
administrators and parents discover the strategies, interventions and/or
supports their student requires to be meet grade level expectations.
23
SuperiorTech4Teachers Conference
Launches Inspiration for Teachers
On June 17-19 Superior Schools and Plato Academy Schools organized and hosted the first annual Educational
Technology Conference titled Superior Tech For Teachers (ST4T). ST4T was a bold attempt to shape the EdTech
future of the Tampa Bay Area by gathering some of the best educational technology presenters and offering them
a platform to share their amazing knowledge with the rest of the educational community.
ST4T was the first-ever educational technology conference of such caliber to be organized and hosted by a charter
school in the state of Florida, and one of the first in the Unites States. The event was also the biggest educational
technology conference in the Tampa Bay Area. More than 180 educators and administrators from 8 states attended the conference. More than 1,000 people from 53 different countries logged in to watch the Google Hangout
session at the ST4T EdTech Conference. In a survey conducted after the conference, teachers and administrators from numerous private, charter, and public
schools attending the event stated enthusiastically that this was one of the best
conferences they have ever attended!
The three-day conference provided participants with multiple learning opportunities of diverse nature. Participants were able to choose from among dozens of
1- hour long sessions on groundbreaking instructional strategies and best practices using iPads, Chromebooks, and laptops in the classroom. They had the
chance to see how experienced and high-achieving educators use technology in
their classrooms to motivate even the most challenging students. The 2-day
conference featured presentations in areas as diverse as:
• Flipped Classroom Model
• Gamification
• Digital Storytelling
• iPad and Chromebook Implementation in the Classroom
• Google Apps in Education and Google Classroom
• Augmented Reality
• BYOD Environments for Device Agnostic Classrooms
Additionally, participants had the opportunity to attend sessions that provide
insight into how to organize and operate a school’s IT department successfully,
how to manage a high volume of devices within a network, and how to ensure
that this network functions appropriately and adequately for all of the devices
at school and district levels. The mastermind behind the event, our very own
Nikolaos Chatzopoulos, vowed to continue improving ST4T. He has already began working on next year’s conference so that it includes additional speakers of high quality, and amazing features
such as the latest in EdTech hardware and software, inspiring student presenters, live virtual feed of select conference’s sessions, improved sponsor and vendor experience, and many more features to be utilized in the ST4T2016.
“More than 1,000 people from 53 different countries logged in to
watch the Google Hangout session at the ST4T EdTech Conference”
statistics provided by Hsrty
24
ESE—Every Student is Special
No two children learn exactly the same way and all children learn at
different speeds. Plato Academy is committed to teaching according
to the unique needs of every child. To better accomplish this, we
have a team of highly qualified ESE instructors whose sole focus is
ensuring that each child is given the available and appropriate
foundation and supports needed to thrive.
Meet our new ESE Director
I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Exceptional Student Education
(ESE) Director and share with you my excitement about collaborating with students, families, and
staff at Plato Academy Schools. Plato Academy ensures the needs of all children are met.
As ESE Director I will stand behind the Schools’ mission to design, implement, improve, and expand “Superior” methods of education. Exceptional student education offers services to students
with unique gifts and needs. The ESE Department consists of five exceptionalities; Gifted, ESE,
ESOL, 504s, and RTI. These individualized programs of special education and related services enable children to access curriculum and fulfill their potentials. I will be working with all seven
schools, families, and students to make sure these programs are superior.
Personally, my name is Deborah Valentine. I have an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s in Special Education, I have a Gifted Endorsement, a Reading Endorsement, and I
am working on my ESOL Endorsement. I taught special education in elementary school and held
leadership positions in my department. I recently moved to Florida from Marietta, Georgia where
I raised two lovely daughters; both of my daughters are now in college. I look forward to getting
to know the families that make Plato Academy the wonderful place it is. I applaud your support
as we work to make this year academically triumphant for all our children.
Deborah Valentine
ESE Director
25
25
IMPROVING COUNSELING AND SUPPORT SERVICES
Plato Academy is dedicated to supporting the needs of the whole child and has recently
doubled the number of guidance counselors available to help students and parents navigate
various transitions of childhood and adolescence. Our guidance counselors are focused on
delivering comprehensive programs that promote student wellbeing and achievement.
Meet Our Guidance Counselors
Hello to all the families and students at Plato Academy!
My name is Brittany Hardy, and I am a new member of Plato Academy that recently
graduated with my Master’s degree in school counseling from the University of West
Georgia. I am very new to the Pinellas County community, so I look forward to getting
to know all of you!
I am serving the Clearwater, Palm Harbor, and Tarpon Springs campuses. We will
have guidance bulletins in each school that will be a great way to find information and
resources regarding academic skills, career exploration, and character development,
among other things! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me
or the principal for guidance support.
Brittany Hardy
Guidance Counselor
You can email me at [email protected].
Hello Plato Academy Students and Families!
My name is Tosha Vickers and this will be my 3rd year as a Guidance Counselor at Plato Academy. I graduated with my Master’s Degree from USF (Go BULLS!) and I am also a parent at Plato Academy. My oldest daughter is a graduate of our Largo Campus
while my younger daughter will be starting 5th grade this year.
I will be covering our south county campuses which include: Seminole, Largo, St. Petersburg and our newest school in Pinellas Park. Please do not hesitate to contact me
with any questions and/or concerns as well as you may also speak with your Principal
for any Guidance Support. We will also have a Guidance Corner in the main office areas where you can find information on Character Development, High School application, Study Skills and much more.
Tosha Vickers
Guidance Counselor
You can reach me at [email protected].
26
26
Have you chosen the best private high school for your child?
Preparing student athletes, artists &
musicians by integrating academic excellence, professional athletic, visual
and performing arts training, skill development, and social-emotional and
moral development.

Academic Excellence-Accelerated Learning

Flexible Scheduling

Personalized, Continuous Guidance Counseling

An Effective blended Instructional Delivery
Method

A “Real” Student Centered, Supportive Approach

Leading Edge Technology & Teaching

Small, Safe, Nurturing Values-Based Environment

Earn Credit for Extracurriculars like Art, Music,
Athletics

A Small College Campus Experience

Affordable Tuition Plans

Participate in Job Shadows & Internships
We offer scholarships:
Informational Meetings held daily - Visit www.superiorcollegiate.com
Manager of :
All “A” Rated High Performing Schools
Plato Academy Schools and Superior Schools Corporation are SACS-CASI Accredited. Superior Collegiate High School will be fully accredited during its first year of operation.
CONSTRUCTION/
IMPROVEMENTS UPDATE
Superior Schools is pleased to announce that major
construction projects will soon be underway at
three Plato Academy locations as part of our system
-wide strategic plan for facilities improvements. As
with our recently constructed Clearwater Campus,
new facilities at each of these locations listed below,
(combined approx. 150, 000 sq. ft.) will provide
students with high quality and state-of-the-art
spaces in which to learn, grow, and succeed. In
addition to these projects, improvements are in
planning or underway at all sister schools .
Calling All Parents with Design/Build Expertise
As
we continue
our plan of continuous facility improvements, renovations, and
Subtitle
Text
new construction projects we are asking Plato Academy parents with extensive
architectural, engineering, or construction leadership experience to consult or
participate in our growth.
Contact Steve Christopoulos at [email protected]
Pinellas Park
Plato Academy Pinellas Park is in the
Planning and Permitting phase.
Approximate Start Date: Spring of 2016
Pasco County
Plato Academy’s first school in Pasco
County will be developed in an excellent
location , satisfying a strong demand from
parents who want the best education for
their children. Approximate Start
Date: January of 2016
St. Petersburg
Plato Academy St. Petersburg
families will be thrilled with
their projected permanent
home. Approximate Start Date:
Spring of 2016