School of Dreams Academy receives healthy Pre-K grant

LOS LUNAS — Schools of Dreams Academy in Los Lunas was recently awarded the biggest grant in the school’s history — a four-year, $1.6 million grant for the charter school’s pre-kindergarten program.

Teresa Ogas, SODA’s Early Childhood Program coordinator, tells a harrowing tale of getting the grant to the New Mexico Public Education Department on the final day for submission.

“It was almost 3 o’clock and I was typing the grant and trying to get it all done,” Ogas related,. “and when I went to hit send, I couldn’t send it!”

In a panic, she ran to her husband Mike Ogas’s office with 15 minutes to spare to try to send the paperwork off, but with no success. A phone call from Casandra (C.J.) Carrasco, the Pre-K bureau chief for NMPED’s Early Care Education for Child Development department, confirmed Teresa’s worst fear.

“C.J. called and said, ‘We can see you’re trying to get it in, but it’s not coming through.’ Three o’clock hit it, and then they called and said, ‘Sorry it didn’t come through.’ So I just lost it.”

The problem? SODA’s internet service went down, which was a fortunate mishap, said Mike Ogas, the charter school’s superintendent.

“We had documentation that the internet service went down, so we couldn’t get the grant out,” Mike said. “We had to send all the documentation up there (to NMPED) with pictures showing that, yes, the internet in this whole area had gone down. So they gave us a pass.”

“We had to turn it in again, but oh man, I was bawling when it happened,” Teresa remembered.

At the beginning of August, with the ECECD grant in hand and summer preparations complete, SODA began to implement the program. The grant will support two classes of 16 children each (eight 3 year olds and eight 4 year olds), with one teacher and one assistant per class. This will give each classroom an 8-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio.

Teresa explained the Pre-K program uses the state-approved “Three Cheers” curriculum, which comes in both English and Spanish, and incorporates the “Heggerty” program, which is known for improving reading scores using phonology — the study of the distribution and patterning of speech sounds in languages.

“We look at language as one of the things that we really stress with our children,” Teresa explained. “There are different components, so when we start, we really involve parents in to our program.”

This year, the school did a special “meet the parents” day that involved parents and their children in the classroom, doing activities at learning stations, such as playing with Play-Doh together.

“We have learning centers, such as the math center, the science center and the reading center. So the kids learn through play and we do it sequentially. So it’s a lot of fun,” she said.

One unique facet about SODA, Teresa said, is as a school that uses STEAM curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), the Pre-K and kindergarten programs include music. She said going into the music room is one of everyone’s favorite activities.

“We, as teachers, love going in there because we learn different songs,” she said enthusiastically. “The kids don’t realize they’re learning how to count, and they’re learning colors through music. We all enjoy it, so that is one of the most popular things we do.”

Dance is also a big part of the curriculum at SODA, with renowned local dance instructor Rosanne McNiel leading classes.

“She started with us in high school, and she’s now doing our preschool through fifth-grade dance program,” Teresa said. “She does a lot of gymnastics, marching and a little bit of dance, and our students love it. When we do the tours, it seems like parents really enjoy that we don’t just do things only in the classroom.

Another aspect of the school’s Pre-K and kindergarten program is dual language learning, which is another part of the program that parents seek out and are happy with.

“It’s interesting because they pick up on both languages, and so it’s kind of like working on both sides of the brain,” Teresa said. “By the end of the school year, they’re counting from one to 10 in both languages. They’re learning colors in both languages, and they’re singing songs in both languages. The parents love it.”

The school also translates newsletters to Spanish, as well as other communications, and as individual learning plans (IEPs). SODA also does screening using a program called “Child Find,” which offers screening and evaluations for preschool-aged children, who are suspected of having a delay or impairment in cognitive development, motor skills, speech, vision and other areas.

Mike Ogas added the school’s program is becoming a guide for many districts in the state.

“Our programs have been reviewed extensively through the ECECD and come back with exemplary ratings,” he said. “In many instances, they are sharing the guidelines and the handbooks that (Teresa has) developed with other schools and other districts, to kind of emulate best practices. She won’t say it, so I’m gonna say it … she was very instrumental in starting all of the Pre-K programs in the valley over the years.”

Both Mike and Teresa Ogas said getting the ECECD grant will be a boon to the entire school going forward. The superintendent emphasized that from its inception, SODA has wanted to add elementary classes, and Pre-K in particular, to the charter school’s offerings.

“In the charter world, there weren’t any charter schools actually moving into the Pre-K realm,” he explained. “That was a big discussion with the Public Ed Commission. We had several meetings, and they had to fully understand what it was.

“Pre-K is an area in and of itself, but it’s part of our charter. In terms of our enrollment cap, it’s interesting. Our enrollment cap, which is 625, is for kindergarten through 12th grade. To get the Pre-K, we had to guarantee that we would have no limit on our Pre-K enrollment,” Ogas said. “We’re only limited by space, and she (Teresa) has managed to get sometimes 75, close to 100 kids in those five Pre-K programs.”

Teresa Ogas said SODA received $25,000 in start-up money as well as $5,000 to purchase curriculum. Other additions to the Pre-K area included getting new bookshelves, tables and bathroom fixtures.

“(Heggerty) comes in both English and Spanish, and my teachers are very familiar with Three Cheers because we’ve been using it,” Teresa said. “It’s based on themes for each of the weeks, and they change with it. There are also several units we’ve incorporated from Pre-K all the way to second grade … We’re seeing our Pre-K kids who started with us, and their reading scores have improved now. Which is very exciting.”