Dear Parents,

Once again we have begun another exciting school year. As I watch all the children leave their cars each morning, greeted by many familiar faces, and also some new friends, I am reminded of how lucky we are to be a part of this wonderful school. This is our fifth year at CSA and each year has been better than the last. We have become members of this ever-growing family and it is and will always be a part of who we are. We have become friends with many children, parents, teachers and administrators who have impacted us in ways that are invaluable and will have an effect on us for a very long time. As I think back on our CSA years, I often reflect on how we got here. How we were lucky enough to find this school and to become a part of it. I thought I’d share my family’s story with you in the hope that it would trigger fond memories of your own journey toward the discovery of CSA.

We had twins in the winter of 1998. They couldn’t have been more different. Each excelled in different areas and was challenged in others. They spent lots of time in public preschools where they were often ignored. The teachers focused only on what they couldn’t do rather than building on what they could do. As we looked for alternatives, we found a wonderful Montessori school which allowed them to work on individual skills at their own developmental level with no stigma attached to the differences in their unique abilities.

Then it became time to look for an elementary school and we were concerned. We knew the public schools weren’t right for us but the Montessori and private school options were costly. Then a friend told me about CSA and we logged on to our computer and studied the CSA website.

We read it over and over again, top to bottom. It sounded too good to be true. A public school that teaches to the individual child, that uses a developmental approach with the understanding that children naturally develop at different paces, with a belief that all children can succeed and with character development playing just as big a role as academics. A school that recognized that being a good person was just as important as being a smart one!

I particularly enjoyed reading the explanation of how CSA came to be. (Visit the CSA website: How CSA Got Started ). As the introduction states, it tells an important story of who we are as a school with a detailed explanation of the experience and dedication of the founders of this wonderful school. I encourage you to take the time to read it. I re-read it from time to time just to remind myself of how lucky we are to be involved with such innovative educators.

I have shared my frustration regarding the issue of teacher attrition because of charter schools’ inability to compete with traditional public school salaries. I was surprised to learn that for $600.00 per year per CSA student, our teachers could be compensated as well as traditional public school teachers! In return, more teachers would choose to return to CSA. They would have the opportunity to continue to teach our children in the CSA tradition, which is what brought them here in the first place, and be compensated in a way that financially allows them to stay.

So what is your story? How did you and your family arrive at CSA? What were your educational choices for your children? It is exciting and rewarding to have a free public school with the benefits of a private school to bring our children to each day. If this school wasn't here, where would your children attend school each day? Would you settle for your local public school or would you find the money for a private school? It is easy to become complacent with a wonderful school like CSA being a free public school. But it is also exciting to envision a CSA where teachers could not only be compensated as well as traditional public school teachers, but where teachers would line up to interview for a position to teach at the most coveted school in the area. Can you spare $50/month to make this a reality?

It is for these reasons that I wanted to create the CSA Education Foundation. The Foundation was created to raise money that will be used to reward those teachers who choose to return to CSA year after year, as well as provide training incentives and awards for leading extracurricular activities. Our donations will help give these amazing teachers the financial stability they need to continue to dedicate their lives to our children.

We all have unique stories as to how we were fortunate enough to arrive at CSA. Please take the time to reflect on your own journey. And if you feel as I do, that your family is one of the lucky ones to be a part of CSA, then take the time to decide what type of donation you can share with these wonderful teachers that so positively impact your children’s lives. CSA is great. Let’s all do what we can to make it even better.

Sincerely,

Lisa Ventimiglia, fellow CSA Parent

President, CSA Education Foundation