Thank you to all the parents who attended Curriculum Chat!  I hope that the presentation of our curriculum goals gave you some insight into the dispositions that we value in our students at Plato Academy. 

Our curriculum is driven by the 21st Century Skills that students will need to fully participate in today’s global community after they leave Plato. These skills are critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. Our goal for Plato graduates is to be able to solve problems, to think outside the box, to work together with others towards a common goal, and to be able to convey their ideas quickly and effectively. Integrating a Habits of Mind framework into our curriculum helps to ensure that all of our students have the dispositions needed that will lead to their success.

Every time I enter the school, I realize how blessed I am to have led such an innovative and spirited school for the last 20+ years! As I look around I see that our teachers and students approach learning with a joyful attitude!  All students are focused and driven to succeed, and supported by peers when things become challenging. Our amazing Plato teachers create personalized learning environments as they promote the Habits of Mind in their classrooms. Kids are challenged to persevere, to question and to think flexibly and creatively, to strive for accuracy, and to listen to others with empathy and understanding. Students engage in Socratic dialogue and are expected to participate in asking and answering questions, forming hypotheses, making predictions, and testing those ideas! This discourse happens with the youngest student during play and continues as our approach not only to literacy and social studies, but also to math, science and the arts!

Our goal is for our students to respond to the world with wonderment and awe, just as they did when they were babies and toddlers! And of course, along the way to find humor and delight in their learning!

I feel proud of every student’s sense of self and of the memories we are building together. We are part of a dynamic community that is caring and loving and that takes action when any member needs help! We strive to practice philotimo as part of our daily life, and support each other when needed. We stand beside the Bolos family and our warrior, Leo, as he fights a battle no child should ever have to fight! Thank you to the Plato community for all your support, positive energy, and prayers!

Beginnings are always filled with much excitement and much anticipation. “The start of something new brings the hope of something great and anything is possible”.

Plato Academy’s mission statement “Challenging students to be their best selves while finding the genius in each” is, however, not new. Our ongoing commitment to philotimo and to critical thinking has always been at the heart of our mission statement. Every day our talented teachers will always strive to make sure that each of our students feels that they are capable and competent, and that they know their worth is not measured by a test score. In return, we expect our students to work hard, learn from their mistakes, always take pride in their learning, and make philotimo a part of their everyday lives. Their success depends on them!

Each of our students follows in the footsteps of our graduates. Take a look at the alumni page on our website and read about the amazing humans that we are very proud to call alumni. Attend our graduation ceremony and listen to the words of our alumni guest speakers as they describe the role that their education at Plato Academy played in their lives. One day your students’ names and accomplishments will be posted on our site, as all of our students contribute to the legacy that is Plato Academy.

We thank you for trusting us with your children’s education and for partnering with us to send compassionate, caring, and intelligent citizens into the future.

“It takes a village to raise a child” and we are honored that you have chosen Plato Academy to be part of your village.  We look forward to a great school year!

-Marianthi Koritsaris, Director

What a great start to our new school year! Teachers and students have been working hard engaging in a rigorous and relevant curriculum! We are soon approaching our student-led conferences, a wonderful opportunity for our students to share a portfolio of their work and reflect on their progress. Student-led conferences help our students take ownership of their own learning.

I am personally so proud of all of our Plato Academy students who come to school every day ready to learn! I am also pleased to continue to learn of the successes of all of our graduates. It’s gratifying to see how well they integrate what they learned at Plato into their high school experience, college, and ultimately into their professional and personal lives. Please take a look at our alumni page to see the diverse paths our graduates have taken. They all tell us that their Plato Academy education helped lead them to where they are today!

Constructivist education philosophy, informed by experts such as Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and John Dewey, has always guided our practice. However,at Plato, we try to never rest on our laurels. We are always pondering what we can do to make the educational experience even more exceptional for all of our students! We always consider all of the most current research about learning and the brain to assure that we are preparing our students for the acquisition of the 21st century skills that will lead them to success.  These skills are Collaboration, Critical thinking, Communication, and Creativity. During parent conferences, you will see how these skills are manifested through the students’ work.

Of course our guiding principle of education is rooted in our commitment to Philotimo. In addition to promoting 21st Century Skills, we try to always instill a commitment to excellence as we aspire to graduate students who are honorable human beings. You can take a look at the Philotimo video here to understand what this word truly means.  We hope your children will not only talk about it with you but practice it on a daily basis, as well.

As we continue our educational journey with your children, please know that  Ms Maria and I, along with the School Board and our entire staff, share these commitments.  We are all here diligently working to provide a school experience that will ensure that your child/children will always be honored, loved and challenged to be their best self!

During this Thanksgiving season, I would like to share my personal gratitude for your continued support and commitment to a Plato Academy education. Thank you for entrusting us with your precious children.

Marianthi