MISSION STATEMENT
“Strong families, working in partnership with the school as advocates for academic achievement, will create an environment where every child has the opportunity to acquire the foundation skills and habits of mind that foster life-long learning, citizenship participation, and personal fulfillment.”

CORNERSTONES FOR SUCCESS
The Academic Program. Our program includes a dual language model with student learning in both Spanish and English. The goal is to enable students to attain advanced levels of functional proficiency in two languages and to promote understanding of and appreciation for the cultures represented by the languages studied. The primary objective is to teach students language and literacy skills that will allow them to function effectively in both their personal and professional lives. We feel the development of literacy will foster a love of learning to read, and then the competency of reading to learn.

Family Resources. Our goal is to make assistance available to all families, particularly immigrants and newcomers facing the poverty of economics, education, and experience, which can accompany their transition into the community. We feel these services (such as providing after school programs, breakfast and lunch to all eligible children, complete health and dental care for those students who do not have health insurance, workshops and classes for parents) help provide parents and families the skills and resources to become advocates for their children and partners with the school.

Leadership. We believe there is a strong link between school success and effective and consistent leadership. As a result, our Board of Trustees, composed of parents and community leaders, provides valuable oversight and focuses on creating and upholding policies that support our students and their families. We also have initiated a new administrative structure with a principal and heads of upper and lower schools, who manage daily operations and discipline. Leadership from the ranks of the teaching staff is also highly evident, as teachers improve curriculum, serve as mentors to novice educators, and work to attain National Board Certification.

Community Partnerships. Our goal is to work with many individuals and organizations in order to provide the resources necessary to enhance and enrich the lives of our students, both during the day and in our extended day and extended year programs. The quality and breadth of our community partnership program is unique. We work with an extensive array of community centers, local private schools, parent and community volunteers, and organizations providing on-site programs. Students benefit, for example, from weekly art instruction provided by artists at a local arts center, physical education classes provided by the swim and gym professionals at a local community center, and youth development programs offered through the local YWCA.

Our final cornerstone for success is Parent Partners. We believe that when parents are actively involved in their children’s education, students have a better chance of succeeding academically. At LFDCS parents are required to be active participants in the education of their children. Parents serve on our Board of Trustees, participate in training programs designed to help them work with their children at home, volunteer in the classroom and on field trips, and assist with fund-raising initiatives. All parents sign a contract that places high expectations on their participation both at school and at home.