Why You Should Join the PTO at Your Child’s School

Getting involved in your child’s education shows that you care about their future. One great way to join the school community is through the parent-teacher organization, or PTO. Collaboration between parents and teachers can make the school a better place for students and educators alike. Even if you don’t have a lot of time to devote, you can have your voice heard in one of these organizations. Here are some reasons why we recommend joining the PTO at your child’s school: 

Meet Other Parents

Joining a parent-teacher organization gives you the opportunity to socialize with other parents. This allows you to make new friends and connections with whom you already share common ground. At town hall meetings and events, you can talk to other parents at the school, which can help ease or work out any concerns you have. As new parents join, you can help them become acclimated to their child’s new school. 

Make Your Voice Heard

Teachers and parents alike need a space where they can hear from one another. PTO meetings and events provide a space to voice your concerns among like minded people. You can also take time to personally thank the teachers at the school for what they’re doing well. Along with speaking for yourself, you can speak for the children, who may not always feel empowered to speak for themselves. 

Help Your Child Feel Valued

Being involved in our child’s school shows them that you care about their education. Many children are proud of their parents for joining the parent-student organizations, even if they act embarrassed about it. Knowing their parents are advocating for them at school can help build childrens’ confidence, which can lead to improved behavior and performance.  

Give Back to the School

Parent-teacher organizations lift a burden off teachers, who often feel overworked. By volunteering at events, helping out in the classroom or just helping make plans for the school’s future, parents can give back to their children’s schools in a big way. This helps raise teacher morale and leads to better educational experiences for students. 

The PTO at NTCA

At North Tampa Christian Academy, parents can be involved in the PTO on a few different levels. Parent volunteers help teachers and the PTO as needed, either in classrooms or on field trips. Room parents assist teachers by facilitating communication between parents, teachers and the PTO. All members can participate in town hall meetings, and they often do. Our PTO helps make NTCA a great place to teach and a great place to learn. 

At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, we always encourage and appreciate parental involvement. Our students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

Teacher Spotlight: Mandy Corea

Mandy Corea wears many hats at North Tampa Christian Academy. She’s involved with Campus Ministries, teaches 6th grade Bible and Social Studies, and teaches academic lessons at the SVB Center! 

Corea’s education background is as diverse as her roles at the school. For her bachelor’s degree, she double majored in Sociology: International & Community Development and Spanish Studies with a minor in Religion at Andrews University. She also has a master’s in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty University and one in Christian Studies: Children at Risk from Fuller Theological Seminary. 

Including her time as a student missionary, Corea has spent nearly 11 years working in the education field. Education inspires her because she finds that, through education, she can help students become the best version of themselves. Growing up, she had teachers who trusted her and listened to her, empowering her to become a leader. She hopes to do the same with her students.

“When a student feels that they are being listened to and that they are in a safe environment and trusted by their mentors and leaders, thriving and growth begins!” Corea said.

Originally from Southern California, Corea grew up in Delaware and Maryland. As a child, Corea aspired to be a pilot for the Air Force or a mathematician for the NSA. She decided to pursue education as a way of giving back to the next generation. Through storytelling and sharing personal experiences, she encourages students to become involved in their own education in and outside of the classroom. 

“Storytelling converts something that was once just a fact into something personal and real,” Corea said. “Personal experience is vital for students to truly believe in something, and in turn, practice what they learn.”

Corea loves a good story. When asked about her favorite book, she said that there are too many to choose from. Her current favorite is The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. In terms of movies, she enjoys franchises like Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC and Star Wars. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Office and Parks & Recreation are a few of her favorite TV shows. 

Outside of being entertained by stories, Corea likes to have her own adventures. When visiting family abroad, making music, going on missions trips and participating in outreach events, Corea thrives when enriching her life and the lives of others. This is especially true for her students. Whether she meets them on the tennis court at SVB or at Campus Ministries events, this is how she wants her students to feel:

“Feeling loved, loving Jesus, and loving others; fighting for the dignity of human beings around them,” Corea said, “all the while, never doubting that they are each UNCOMMON: they exist for a reason and purpose, they are important, they are wanted, and they are loved, all because they are children of Jesus Christ — and in turn should live life understanding the same about others.”

Get to Know Mandy Corea

If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive, who would you choose? Rosa Parks, Malala, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Indian and Central American food

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? To fly 

What is your favorite place that you have traveled to, or a place you would like to visit? Favorite place: the islands of Greece. Would like to visit: Israel and more of the Middle East

If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would do? Use it to support and expand my ministry in Honduras 

What are your favorite Bible verses?  Jeremiah 1: 5-9 and Psalm 30: 7a.

At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

Teacher Spotlight: Laura Morena Grassiotto

While she was growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Laura Morena Grassiotto wanted to be a doctor, a singer and a pianist. She accomplished her musical dreams as a Christian singer in Brazil, and she chose the path of teaching. She now brings her love of music into her teaching at North Tampa Christian Academy. 

Known as Laura Morena professionally, she has a strong following online and is best known for her 2015 album Mais Perto. Her love of music is an important part of her life, so much so that if she could choose to have dinner with any three people, she would choose fellow musicians. The specific ones she chose are Johann Sebastian Bach, Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire.

Aside from directing the school’s choir, Morena Grassiotto thrives when writing songs, going to concerts and performing. Music is present in most aspects of her life, and she also enjoys exploring the world through travel and photography. Of the places she’s been, her favorite area to visit is the Greek Islands. 

Morena Grassiotto found her calling as a teacher while studying education in college. As soon as she began learning to educate children, she knew that this was what she wanted to do with her life. She graduated from UNASP (Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo) in Brazil with a double major in Music Education and Literature/Linguistics (Portuguese-English). She has now been teaching for five years.

In her time as a teacher, Morena Grassiotto has learned that there’s more to every student than meets the eye. Every student has layers, and sometimes, it takes time to reach the layer where they can find inspiration. Once that layer is found, students can shine and give an outstanding performance. Making this breakthrough is one of Morena Grassiotto’s favorite parts of teaching. 

“I like to give them opportunities to perform so they understand music is much more than learning notes and rhythm,” Morena Grassiotto said. “It is an outlet of the soul.”

The most rewarding part of her job at NTCA is watching students grow in their performance skills and become more comfortable expressing themselves. It’s hard work, but she finds it oh-so rewarding to watch unfold. She enjoys the fact that the school provides students with many opportunities to perform. Each performance is special and exciting in  a particular way for her and the students, which makes all the difference in the music program.

Morena Grassiotto hopes that after taking her classes, students become inspired and feel embraced by art. She hopes that through music, they find a way to express their innermost feelings, hopes and dreams, which makes journeying through life that much easier. 

Get to know Laura Morena Grassiotto

What are your favorite books? “Clarissa” by Brazilian writer Érico Veríssimo and “Vinte poemas de amor e uma canção desesperada” by Pablo Neruda

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Gelato.

What's your favorite movie or TV show? Movie: “Chocolat” and tv show “The Office"

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Mind reading.

What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

Best Book-to-Movie Adaptations for Children and Teens

Book-to-movie adaptations have been around since the advent of cinema. They run the gamut from made-for-TV specials to feature films. For children and teens, these movies generate an interest in reading by bringing books to life in a different way. It’s also fun to see two different versions of a story and play a game of “spot the differences.” These movies are ones that everyone in the family can enjoy but that children and teens will find especially relatable. 

The Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss tells the story of The Cat and his two sidekicks, Thing 1 and Thing 2, who invade the home of two children, Sally and Conrad. They make a huge mess while the childrens’ mother is away. This classic book by Dr. Seuss has gone through a few adaptations. The most popular adaptation, the 1971 animated TV special by Bo Welch, uses the original illustration style and closely follows the book. The PG-rated 2003 live action adaptation is a fun movie, but the made-for-TV special, in this case, is a much more faithful version that received better reception by audiences and critics alike. 

Where the Wild Things Are

In Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, a boy named Max puts on a wolf costume and runs away from home to an imaginary world with friendly giant monsters called Wild Things. Visually, the 2009 movie is a seamless adaptation of the book. In the movie, Max and the Wild Things have added depth and dimensions. The timeless book and the movie are both great for people of all ages, but imaginative children will especially enjoy the story. 

Matilda

Roald Dahl wrote many great children’s books, and his 1988 book Matilda enjoyed great reception at the time that only improved with the release of the movie adaptation. The book and movie follow the story of a girl whose family doesn’t appreciate her intelligence and magical powers. Fortunately for Matilda, one of her teachers is looking out for her. The book is appropriate for children ages 8 and up, and the movie is rated PG due to a few scary and intense scenes. 

The Chronicles of Narnia 

The story of The Chronicles of Narnia follows four children who find that a magical land lies just beyond a wardrobe in the house they’re staying in. A lion named Aslan enlists them to help protect Narnia from evil, and they meet witches, princes and magical creatures along the way. In the 1950s, C. S. Lewis created this journey in a series of seven books, three of which have been adapted as movies. Out of the movies, the first one, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, based on the first book in the series, is widely thought to be the best.

Reading is fun, and movies can add a whole new dimension to the experience. North Tampa Christian Academy promotes leadership through Christian innovation. At our Tampa private school, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire every student. Contact us today to learn more.

How Christian Education Builds a Sense of Community

School helps children develop into who they’ll one day become, but private Christian schools are unique in fostering character. Due to affiliations with churches, Christian schools often come with a welcoming built-in community. This makes it easier for children to build relationships while learning. Going to school with like minded individuals comes with many benefits, especially for developing children. Here are some of the many ways Christian education builds a sense of community. 

Students Share More than Classes

On the first day of school, meeting new people in an unfamiliar place can be overwhelming. While Christian schools aren’t exempt from those initial anxieties, students (and their parents) can feel more comfortable knowing that they have faith as a connection. Aside from academic material, students can explore their faith and discuss it with others. This creates space for deeper friendships that can last a lifetime. 

Teachers Promote Faith Building

Teachers at any school can mentor students, but talking about faith isn’t allowed at all schools. Christian schools allow faith exploration, encouraging deeper conversations between teachers, students and staff. Everyone at the school learns and worships together, which creates an inherent connection between individuals. Students also tend to stay at the same school for longer, which allows teachers and staff to build strong relationships with students on a faith-based and a personal basis.

Service to the Community

One way Christian schools help build a sense of community is by encouraging student involvement in service projects. Often, classes at these schools do community service projects together for local churches and charity organizations. These acts of service help students bond and meet people outside of their schools. By working in the community, they also develop an understanding of the needs of others in their own backyard.

North Tampa Christian Academy promotes leadership through Christian innovation, which helps build a sense of community and strengthen bonds between students and teachers. At our Tampa private school, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire every student. Contact us today to learn more.