Welcome

Welcome to Sandra Cisneros Learning Academy! We are a caring community of learners committed to teaching students the skills and habits necessary to succeed in college, fulfill their dreams, and contribute positively to the world. We call ourselves the "Superstars," because by committing to constantly being our best selves, our students will be superstars in whatever they pursue. This year, our instructional focuses for our Superstars are developing our students as writers and conceptual math (taught using the units of writing by Lucy Calkins as well as Bridges Math in K - 5 and College Preparatory Math in grades 6 - 8). We are excited to offer our Superstars opportunities to regularly engage in the arts (visual, dance, music), and in Technology (learning about computers and how to use them), and are especially proud of our scholars in the K-5 bilingual program who have the added challenge of learning content in English and Spanish.
Our school is also unique in that we practice mindfulness in all classrooms through the MindUP curriculum, address issues of behavior and equity through a restorative justice approach and support the social-emotional well-being of our students with the support of 6 onsite mental health specialists (through a partnership with LACDC). We also rely on our CNCA anchors to guide the work we do as a school community. Our 5 anchors are Excellence, Equity, Community, Innovation and Joy.
Our teachers and staff are committed members of our professional learning community, and with the leadership team as instructional coaches, we are focused as a team on constantly improving teaching and learning school wide so that our Superstars get the best education possible. We consider parents and families to be our partners, and welcome them into our school to work together with us to create a school community that students and families can be proud of.
Melissa Mendoza
Principal
Our school is also unique in that we practice mindfulness in all classrooms through the MindUP curriculum, address issues of behavior and equity through a restorative justice approach and support the social-emotional well-being of our students with the support of 6 onsite mental health specialists (through a partnership with LACDC). We also rely on our CNCA anchors to guide the work we do as a school community. Our 5 anchors are Excellence, Equity, Community, Innovation and Joy.
Our teachers and staff are committed members of our professional learning community, and with the leadership team as instructional coaches, we are focused as a team on constantly improving teaching and learning school wide so that our Superstars get the best education possible. We consider parents and families to be our partners, and welcome them into our school to work together with us to create a school community that students and families can be proud of.
Melissa Mendoza
Principal