Looking Ahead to a New Year

What a difference a year makes! As we move into the new fiscal year and prepare for the first day of school on August 26, we are grateful for the 170 businesses and individuals who have made our school possible by investing more than $180,000. Thank you for your generous investment in Logos Academy!

Your investment made it possible for Alexa to go from demonstrating “little or no mastery” on her first two reading tests to “advanced” by the end of the year. Without your partnership, students like Alexa would not have received the attention they needed to keep pace with grade-level expectations. Alexa not only kept pace—she succeeded. Your partnership makes a significant difference.

With few exceptions, all of last year’s kindergarten students will be returning in the fall for first grade. The majority of our preschool and pre-K students are returning, as well. For this reason, we anticipate a full enrollment of over 50 students for the 2019-2020 school year! This is a significant challenge, but with your partnership and the help of our committed team, we are confident we’ll succeed.

This Spring, God blessed us by leading two very talented teachers who are passionate about our mission to key positions in our program.

• Jessica Farrell (bio) comes to us as an experienced teacher with a strong background in student emotional and behavioral support. As our First Grade Teacher, she will further expand our program, building on our existing foundation.
• Kelli Snader (bio) fills the role of Preschool Teacher, a role Liz Barna held since our doors opened in 2016. She comes to us with many years of experience in early education and understands and embraces our unique model and vision. Our preschool program will continue to provide the quality, loving, Christ-centered environment Liz has worked so hard to provide since the beginning. Kelli is truly an answer to prayer.

We are also very thankful for our staff members who are transitioning into administrative roles.

• Liz Barna is transitioning into a full-time administrative role. In addition to leading our faculty, Liz will take over the day-to-day operations of the school.
• Melissa Hanna will move from her role as Assistant Kindergarten Teacher to support Liz by serving as our Student Support Coordinator. This will enable us to better serve our students and families, adding additional support to our high-quality education.

Second City Church continues to be an exceedingly generous host. They graciously provide us with space we need for our expanding program, at no small expense to them.

Logos Academy Harrisburg is a community effort and cannot be operated without the support of our investors. Here’s how you can help. Can you provide one or part of the following key needs for the 2019-2020 academic year?

• $2,000 for computers for our staff and for the implementation of student testing.
  We are implementing MAP testing this academic year, which will help us see how our students compare academically to students in other local schools and across the nation.
• $2,000 for desks and chairs for our first-grade class.
  Currently, the first-grade room sits empty, awaiting construction of a wall that will divide the large room in two. Once the wall is completed, we need to furnish the new room with desks and chairs. Could you help by providing the funds or the furnishings needed for our class of twelve to fifteen first graders?
• $4,000 for construction expenses.
  We have a team of qualified volunteers ready to build our wall and prepare the room for first grade. Material costs and necessary electrical work make this a sizable investment. Your support can ease the burden to our budget, freeing up more resources for student scholarships.
• $5,000-$9,000 for emotional support services for our students, parents, and staff.
  Our unique demographic creates a complex challenge. Many of our students come from homes with varying degrees of trauma due to poverty or exposure to violence, and therefore they lack the necessary coping skills to attend to their education. This unique situation often results in secondary trauma in the classroom, which impacts both students and staff.

Our goal is to grow emotionally healthy students. Emotional support services will teach preventive and reactive coping strategies to students, staff, parents, and guardians to minimize this secondary trauma. These support services will strengthen the bonds between students, parents, and staff, encouraging emotional health in the classroom, as well as at home.