Sponsor Spotlight

By Diana Raney – Staff Writer

FULL-TIME ACADEMY NOW OPEN FOR PRIMARY ELEMENTARY GRADES K-3

Founders Anna Laboon and Meg Becker, both from the Port Streets, created Activ8 Academy with the vision of providing dynamic, quality foundational instruction to lower elementary students in a high-touch, small group setting. Focused on tutoring and advocacy for their clients, Activ8 expanded its services last year to launch Activ8 Academy to address the educational impacts of COVID-19 on its clients. This expansion evolved from discussions with parents and students who felt existing learning environments in their current schools were not working for their families. Zoom calls and hybrid learning proved challenging at times for students in primary grades, and families were feeling frustrated and looking for alternative learning solutions to best meet the needs of their children.

With Principal Kathy McGuire at the helm, Activ8 Academy now offers a full-time, small group, in-person classroom environment. Deliberately structured for Kindergarten-3rd grade, Activ8 Academy provides comprehensive academic and social-emotional (SEL) curriculum. Through high-touch, interactive opportunities, teachers empower students to increase confidence, account- ability, gratitude, and ultimately, their passion for learning. Morning assemblies, Mindful Mondays, Literary Lunches, Play FAIR recesses, Weird Fact Wednesdays, and Make Me Laugh Thursdays are just a few of the creative and interactive methods teachers use to develop students’ confidence and ensure students are having fun while learning.

Through her Science Rocks and Math Wizards programs, Principal Kathy McGuire, aka “Miss Kathy,” has touched the hearts and minds of many

Port Street children through her student-centered experiential programs. Using her 30 plus years as an educator, applying her counseling background and advanced degrees in administration, Miss Kathy and the kids could be found going on shape hunts, using “Think, Design, Build” to practice engineering, digging up and measuring worms, creating bird habitats, playing jump the river to learn the planets or making it snow in the hood. Every day was a learning adventure where each scientist and wizard felt valued and cared for.

When asked about being a part of Activ8, Kathy said, “When I heard what Anna and Meg were visioning, it was a ‘yes’ and a true privilege to become part of this educational start up. Visionary strategic planning, exciting educational approach, committed, motivated teaching specialists, active family partners and a true niche in our community—it just doesn’t get better than this!”

So how has the new Activ8 Academy impacted students? They’ve found that students who were struggling with the for- mat of virtual/hybrid learning or students who lacked confidence in their social interactions with peers have flourished at the Academy. Small class sizes have enabled students to catch up or accelerate their learning based on their individual needs. Students are excited to go to school and are excited to tell their parents about their learning.

Megan Duque, a parent of a third grade Activ8 Academy student, recently shared, “While Andrew has always loved school, we have never seen him THIS confident, motivated, and happy! The content he is bringing home (both from him telling us EVERY single thing about his day and going through his work) is so rich in quality. Everything is so meaningful to him … not just another assignment. It all means something to him. He’s so proud and so are we.”

It’s this type of feedback from parents that continues to affirm the positive learning and social and emotional growth Activ8 Academy is providing for its students. Although the educational impact of the pandemic has been challenging in so many ways, Activ8 students are thriving and building confidence to help them succeed in an ever-changing world.

If your family is looking for a new learning environment for your child that offers small class sizes and hands-on, engaging activities, contact the Admissions Coordinator at 949-251-0605.

Applications for the 2021-2022 school year open in February for grades K-3.

Activ8 Academy

1000 Bristol St N, Unit 18 Newport Beach, CA 92660 949.251.0605 info@activ8learning.com