Dahime Gordon, the 21st CCLC Site Coordinator, presented the 21st Century Community
Learning Centers monthly programming and budget report. Escuela Avancemos Middle School Teacher Lewis Williams Gray is spearheading an exciting robotics class held weekly on Monday and Wednesday from 4:15 p.m. - 6 p.m.  The Robotics competition will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2023. This day will also serve as makeup hours for the cancellation of after-school programming on Monday, October 16, 2023, due to the school building's pest fumigation. The 21st CCLC teachers will be fully engaged in facilitating STEM activities, using STEM DIY Kits extensively.  The program places significant emphasis on fostering leadership skills and providing social-emotional learning (SEL) mentorship through collaboration with Step-Up. 

Roberto Clemente's gym access has been secured to ensure that students can enjoy year-round sports activities. 

Transportation continues to be a challenge for parents who are interested in enrolling their children in the after-school program. 
 

Septemeber 2023 financial reports were presented by Dr. Lorilyn Coggins highlighting cash on
hand, year-to-date revenues, year-to-date expenditures, and the current fund balance in
a summarized format. The financials are in order. 
 

The Sanga Monthly Management Report was presented by Ana Ulloa (CEO and
founder). Ms. Ulloa introduced the academy's Interim Principal, Farida Malik.  Over 80% of the academy's staff requested that Ms. Malik lead the academy due to her ability to foster relationships and exemplary leadership skills.  Ms. Malik carries a wealth of 20 years of experience working in charter schools as an elementary teacher, instructional coach, and a host of leadership positions.  Madam President Cristina Stamatin inquired if Ms. Malik is a Sanga Management employee.  Ms. Ulloa confirmed Ms. Malik is employed by Sanga Consulting.   Escuela Avancemos Academy Board of Directors welcomed Ms. Malik and shared their background.  

One of the Interim Principal's main focuses has been on building the academic framework at Escuela Avancemos Academy that supports the whole-child approach to learning. Daily initiatives are enforced to build a culture that supports academic success for all students and places the responsibility on leadership, faculty and support staff.  It is this sense of shared responsibility that motivates all stakeholders to consistently focus on the decision-making process.  Leader in Me is a new program that has been implemented to equip students, educators, and families with leadership and life skills to thrive in real-world situations using Franklin Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and incorporating Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

The leadership team is excited to announce "A Teaching Coaching Program" this school year. This program has been designed to provide a shared leadership responsibility to four of the academy's experienced teachers. Kimberly Sedmelyer and Lewis Williams Gray are veteran teachers who have been with the academy for many years.  Ahmed Bitar and Alex Weberman are new teachers at the academy this school year.  However, they both have several years of classroom teaching experience.

Under the directive of the Center for Charter Schools, students at Escuela Avancemos Academy completed the first round of NWEA benchmark testing on October 13, 2023.  IReady online assessment has also been administered to all students in grades K-8.  IReady assessments are administered three times a year. This diagnostic tool is used to provide instruction tailored to student skill level.  Students will be utilizing IReady lessons during Math Intervention time that is embedded in each student's daily schedule.  Data from both of these benchmark tests are studied in collaboration with general education teachers, a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Coordinator, leadership, and support staff to determine student needs, small group instruction, and student intervention plans.  Language acquisition support has been built into students' daily schedules. Classroom instruction is monitored and supported at Escuela Avancemos by the school leader and ESL Coordinator. The ESL coordinator is responsible for implementing and monitoring the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) protocol designed for ELL students. The goal is to implement an SIOP lesson plan with a concentration on focused Content and Language Objectives in core subject areas.  Restructuring the MTSS/Behavior Team processes has created a proactive approach to addressing student needs early rather than reactive once student needs become problematic.   A framework manual has been created for the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and shared with staff for a reference guide to identify processes and next steps for documenting support interventions. 
 

Special Education is fully operational with qualified staff. Speech and Language Therapy virtual services have begun and are going well. A bilingual Spanish-speaking psychologist has partnered with the academy and can communicate assessment results along with the next steps with parents. Leadership has implanted a streamlined referral process to take into account a student's first language instead of the immediate referral to speech and language assessment. A School Social Worker has also partnered with the academy to provide general and special education services to students. 

Staffing Updates: 

Seemab Anjum has joined as a Resource Room teacher. 

Natasja Moseley has joined as a paraprofessional working with students in grades 5-8. 

Stacey Doheny, an Art teacher, is a returning staff member. She is the appointed Art teacher for students in grades 5-8, joining Ms. Appelman who serves grades K-4. 

Derrick Davis, Dean of Students, will serve in the planning, coordination, and administration of school-focused events and behavior management. 

Beatrice Hill's interview with Metro Parent Magazine is scheduled to be featured in an upcoming publication.  Ms. Hill expressed her excitement about working at Escuela Avancemos Academy servicing the families and working with the staff.

Currently, the academy has 424 students enrolled as of October 24, 2023.

None at this time.

Due to a schedule conflict, The Governor John Engler Center for Charter Schools Central Michigan University Field Operations School Lead, Jennifer Joubert, was unable to attend the board meeting. 
 

Escuela Avancemos Academy Board of Directors welcomed Farida Malik to the school leadership team and looks forward to another great year.  The upcoming Fall 2023 Board Retreat will be held on November 3-4, 2023 at the Antheneum Suites Hotel located in Detroit, MI. The purpose of the retreat is to brainstorm the academy's charter reauthorization.  Madam President Cristina Stamatin and Monica Barbour are interested in attending the MAPSA Symposium 2023. Madam Vice President Andreea Bordeinau suggested that teachers attend the conference.  Ms. Malik will also be attending the conference.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at 6:30 pm at Escuela Avancemos Academy.