Any child residing in Miami-Dade County is eligible for admission to our program. We offer Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade programs.

A charter is a written agreement. One of the best known charters dates back to 1215, when the Magna Carta was signed to guarantee the English certain freedoms. The foundation of the United Nations is outlined in a 1945 charter.

Charter schools are independent public schools made possible by a 1993 Michigan law. It empowers local and intermediate school districts, community colleges and state universities to sign charters authorizing the schools. These contracts govern areas such as educational goals, curriculum standards, assessment measures, governance and financing. Teams of education professionals, parents and often community, or business leaders may create the schools. They have flexibility in shaping the school and its programs, pulling ideas from experts worldwide. In particular, charter schools are:

• public schools
• governed by publicly appointed boards.
• do not charge tuition.
• open to all; random selection drawings are conducted when applications outnumber available seats.
• required to employ certified teachers.
• required to administer the state MEAP tests.
• subject to health and safety codes, like all other public schools.

We follow the Miami-Dade County Public Schools calendar. Please consult our Calendar of Events

We have a slightly longer school day to allow for a more in-depth exploration of mathematics and related subjects. Extended learning time supports achievement in reading and math while providing a richer, and broader curriculum. The Schools hours are as follows:

• Archimedean Academy:  8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m, early release on Fridays at 2:00 pm.
• Archimedean Middle Conservatory: 8:30 a.m to 3:55 pm, early release on Fridays at 2:55 pm.
• Archimedean Upper Conservatory: 8:30 a.m to 4:30 pm, early release Fridays at 3:30pm

While we do emphasize these subjects, we teach all subjects required by the Florida State Standards.

All children will learn to speak modern Greek. (Students in the Upper Conservatory will learn Ancient Greek also.) They will be taught through the immersion method, in which the language is used to teach a regular academic subject. Greek will be used as the language of instruction during approximately 33% of your child’s school day, or approximately two class periods. More particularly, Greek mathematics and Greek language are taught in Greek. Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Philosophy, and American mathematics are taught entirely in English.

Language instruction at Archimedean will be highly interactive. Instead of expecting rote memorization of language components, we engage children actively in listening and speaking, in ways that are age-appropriate and pleasant. Our objectives for language instruction are to:

• • develop language skills commensurate with expectations for students’ ages and abilities;
  • develop a high level of proficiency in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in the foreign language(s);
  • develop positive attitudes toward foreign language(s) and culture(s);
  • gain skills and knowledge in the content areas of the curriculum in keeping with stated objectives in these areas.

Some of our program offerings may include:

• • Access to contextualized recorded Greek and video samplings that support language development.
  • Mini-centers that offer language and literacy exploration, including a children’s library, a dramatic play area, a cultural artifacts station, and a listening lab.
  • Storytelling and shared readings of children’s books that invite family participation and encourage children to take home copies of featured books or to retell newly learned stories.
  • Interactive foreign language lessons guided by native speakers and focusing on building foundational understandings of Greek. Such lessons would utilize music and singing, games, performances, and storytelling as the primary tools for language development.
  • Art activities integrated with language use, such as the publishing of creative homemade children’s books in Greek. This process would be supported by the teacher’s emphasis on phonemic awareness and the more technical aspects of literacy.

Immersion programs began to grow in popularity in many school districts throughout Canada and the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. Since that time, their use has spread. An immersion program is one in which a foreign language is used to teach one or more subjects. Children acquire language through interesting and meaningful activities as they learn the concepts of the various subjects included in the curriculum.

A language immersion approach helps young children develop strong foundations in language and literacy to support a more sophisticated use of language, an increased confidence in unfamiliar cultural domains, a mastery of academic challenges, and personal and professional fulfillment over the life span. In partial immersion, more than one language is used, and the day is divided into portions. Students are “immersed” in a different language for each portion, and there is no switching or mixing of languages during any given portion. We will use a partial immersion approach, teaching through both English and Greek. In addition to developing a lifelong ability to communicate with more people, children may derive other benefits from early language instruction, including improved overall school performance and superior problem-solving skills. Knowing a second language ultimately provides a competitive advantage in the workforce by opening up additional job opportunities. Students of foreign languages score statistically higher on standardized tests conducted in English. Research studies show that learning a second language at an early age has a positive effect on intellectual growth and leaves students with more flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language, and improved listening skills. For more information please see Kathleen Marcos, “The Benefits of Early Language Learning,” ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics, 1999. Language and literacy skills are the fundamental tools a young child uses to navigate academic and interpersonal terrains. Evolving as a language user requires an initial comfort level and a willingness to take learning risks. Establishing this comfort level requires opportunities to engage in linguistic activities through developmentally appropriate activities in a variety of meaningful contexts.

Your child will not be confused. However, it is possible that if Greek is not spoken in the home, that your child will have difficulty developing full and fluent use of the language. We are here to help. We will work to reinforce your child’s language ability through a “family integration” component that moves beyond the traditional approach of external family support, and instead incorporates family participation in many of the program offerings. By extending services to the family members of attending children — such as through family-inclusive storytelling workshops and home-based reading programs, Archimedean fosters a system of language use that will provide the contextual and interactive environment necessary to ensure retention by participating children. Throughout the year, we will offer programs to support parents who wish to fully develop their child’s use of the Greek language. These programs may include:

• Materials: Archimedean staff will provide parents with multi-media resources i.e., cds, that can be used at home to encourage family-wide language use.
• Workshops: Archimedean staff will host engaging workshops for parents in which they will (i) model methods of sharing children’s books and books-on-tape in foreign languages; (ii) teach songs and wordplay that can be sung during home routines such as bedtime or cleanup; (iii) teach games that meld language exploration with family fun; and (iv) instruct parents on proven techniques for sustaining bi- or trilingualism in the home, answer questions and allay fears.
• Playgroup Support: Archimedean staff will provide support to families in locating, joining and developing language-based playgroups, to provide their children with opportunities for interaction with children who are native speakers in the target languages.

We encourage you to explore the following websites for more information about raising a bilingual or trilingual child:

• Linguistlist.org
• Angelfire.com

We offer Before and After School programs for an additional charge.The Before Care program is from 7.00 am to 8.00 am. The After School program is from 3.00 pm to 6.30 pm. It includes homework assistance, ballet, music, chess, Spanish, Greek, soccer, basketball, volleyball and tennis. For more specific information, application, schedule and fees, please visit the Schools Operations section of the website.

We offer a summer camp program. Please visit the Schools Operations section of the website for more information.

We offer Spanish immersion through our After School program.

No more than 25 students per class. The school follows the Florida Class Size Amendment. For more information please go to: http://www.fldoe.org/classsize/

We are a public school, we do not charge tuition. However, parents are responsible for the Before Care and After School activities tuition and fees.

All students must wear uniforms at all times. Each school has its own uniform:

• • Archimedean Academy: the uniform of the school consists of white, or blue polo shirts embroidered with the school logo and khaki or blue pants, skorts, and shorts.
  • Archimedean Middle Conservatory: the school uniform consists of hunter green or sky blue polo shirts embroidered with the school logo and khaki or blue pants, skorts, and shorts.
  • Archimedean Upper Conservatory: the school uniform consists of white, yellow, or burgundy dress shirts embroidered with the school logo, and khaki pants, skorts, and shorts.

There are uniform sales throughout the year at the school.

We do not provide transportation. However, we do assist parents in identifying transportation services, particularly if several parents live in the same vicinity.

According to Federal Law, no public school can deny admission to a child based on an exceptionality. Please be advised that, according to both scholars and practitioners, total language immersion programs for students with exceptionalities are inappropriate and do not provide the least restrictive environment mandated by federal laws. Also, these programs jeopardize the main principle of effective learning: the learner’s ability to understand and interact with what is being presented.

Therefore, Archimedean will treat each instance of a child with an exceptionality on a case-by-case basis, following thoroughly the guidelines of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and consulting with specialists in the area of bilingual special education. Based on the number of participating children with exceptionalities, Archimedean will consider options for use of staff and resources.

All Archimedean teachers meet the criteria for eligibility for Florida Department of Education certification. Teacher quality is of the utmost importance to us. You will find our teachers to be experienced in their field, thoroughly trained, and dedicated to supporting your child’s growth. Each member of the Archimedean staff will be required to participate in monthly in-service training and academic seminars. All of our staff are committed to professional development and in maintaining a trend of best practices as they relate to education in general, mathematics and language instruction.

We welcome your questions, and concerns at any time. Please do not hesitate to contact our office at (305) 279-6572.
or by filling out the form below.