Our school mascot is definitely one-of-a-kind. Despite our close connection to coastal winds, it wasn’t windy weather that made us choose the kite as our school mascot. The kite has much stronger conceptual roots in our school’s mission. Let’s dive a little deeper into why we chose the kite as our mascot and the powerful meaning it contains for our students.
Bob Bourgault, founding Executive Director of Almond Acres Charter Academy (AACA), invented a philosophical approach to raise the level of consciousness of self (and others) as we all journey on the quest to the best version of ourselves. His model, used in all grades and classrooms at AACA, is designed for children, teens and adults and has been presented to businesses and organizations, as well.
Mr. B believes every one of us is smart, beautiful, spiritual and talented. By explicitly teaching about these areas of our life, we begin to understand how our ways of knowing affect our lives and our learning styles.
The philosophy is based on the concept that every individual is smart in their own unique way. When we explore and recognize all the ways we are smart, we can increase self-awareness, confidence and agency. Mr. Bourgault chose a kite to represent the four parts of the self: heart, mind, body and soul.
The Kite Model
Each of the four quadrants and four colors on the kite model represent a different aspect of our intelligences, temperament, personality and learning modalities. Mr. B draws from the Theory of Multiple Intelligences to include the different ways in which we learn and display our strengths. Each quadrant contains 2 of the multiple intelligences, or our specific ways of learning and knowing:
🔴 Body: kinesthetic and visual/spatial
🟡 Mind: linguistic and logical
🟢 Soul: musical and intrapersonal
🔵 Heart: interpersonal and naturalist
Some students are skilled linguistically and athletically, while others might find their strengths lie in music and interpersonal skills. It’s not a singular definition of intelligence, but rather, an inclusive, broad set of abilities that vary from person to person.
It is a simple system for children to categorize their innate learning disposition using colors, visuals, and words to help students recognize what kind of learner they are, and how they can use their unique set of intelligences to influence the world. While there are many personality tests for adults, such as Meyers Briggs or Enneagram, Bob’s system is a one-of-a-kind, child friendly approach for AACA students to get to know themselves better.
Creating Our Own Kites
Every school year, K-8 students at Almond Acres create their own kites as a visual representation of their individual strengths and struggles. Students spend time exploring their strengths, weaknesses, interests, and skills to define the different ways they are smart.
When children are questioning the world around them, the question typically asked first may be drawn from his/her personal temperament. Children desire to seek answers that satisfy their inner curiosity. For example, a child with a strong blue kite has a dominant interpersonal intelligence and will likely be drawn to the who question. A green kite thinks more intra-personally and may often ask why. The red thinker wants to know where and how because he/she is more hands-on and visually smart. The yellow kite considers the logistics of a question and asks what and when. If we follow the natural questioning path that a child travels, we are likely to lead him/her straight to the answer they are seeking.
Creating our kites every year is a celebration of who we are and who we are becoming. The kites might change from year to year as we go deeper into our learning and self-awareness. What a joy to know that who we are is acknowledged, nurtured and challenged to be the best version of ourselves.
Students also create a class kite — to represent their group dynamic — and every AACA teacher shares their individual kite with the class, as well.
“Our son has learned so much about his personal learning style and what makes him a unique learner and he can communicate that to EVERYONE at AACA because every year every student creates their kite: a visual representation of their individual strengths and weaknesses in heart, mind, body, and soul.”
AACA Parent
At Almond Acres the kite is used in many ways including the school logo, uniform colors and on lunch tables. The Kite bird has even become our beloved school mascot. The white tailed kite is a local bird that floats like a kite while searching for its prey.
Once we affirm how everyone is strong — then every student and staffer can be stretched, and then celebrated as they grow, learn and fly! At AACA, you’ll see us proudly flying our kites high. We hope to inspire everyone to see the beauty in our different abilities and celebrate all the ways we are smart.
About AACA
Almond Acres Charter Academy is a public, tuition-free K-8 school that employs credentialed teachers and administers state-mandated testing to provide families in northern SLO County an additional choice in public education. Located in Paso Robles in a newly built, state-of-the-art facility, AACA is open to all students from all communities. AACA’s mission is to help students succeed academically and socially by educating the whole child: heart, mind, body and soul. We grow great kids!
Middle school is a powerful transition for young people. Moving from a more dependent to independent relationship with parents and teachers creates a ripe opportunity for great thinking development. The anticipation of a new school, new people, and challenging academics requires extra patience, grace, and intelligent thinking skills. At Almond Acres Charter Academy, we ease this transition from middle school to high school with attention to leadership and character development built into our child centered education. We have your child’s future in mind from the minute they step through the door at Almond Acres. Beginning in kindergarten, we target students’ strengths and areas of improvement by affirming all the ways they are smart and stretching them into the best version of themselves. Our intentionally small school helps build strong relationships, giving students a solid foundation from which to grow into the capable and competent people they are.
“Pathways” Leadership Skills Classes
With guidance from our executive director, we help middle school students prepare for adult life by developing the thinking skills and habits of mind necessary for success. Each of the three grade levels, 6th, 7th & 8th, examine essential skills and habits that will help them navigate life after AACA.
In 6th grade, students take a deeper dive into the school-wide study of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. These habits help to keep us focused on dreams, positive relationships, and skills for life long after our school years. In our 7th grade leadership class, students hone in on these same skills with more advanced reading: The 6 Most Important Decisions You’ll Ever Make A Guide for Teens: Updated for the Digital Ageby Sean Covey. This study examines the critical decisions made during the adolescent years that can make or break happiness and success in life. Self-worth, Parents, Friends, College/Career, Dating, and Extracurricular Activities are examined using the AACA decision making model.
We also incorporate lessons designed around essential skills such as healthy keys to communication, smart decision-making, and effective study skills. Our community partners provide ample opportunity to strengthen social skills through field trips, service projects, clubs and sports. Strengthening social skills from an early age helps students deal with the stress of change as they grow, leading to resilient, confident kids, prepared to tackle what comes their way.
8th grade promotion is bittersweet as we send our students on their way to new horizons. We know we have prepared them to spread their wings and fly and are grateful when they return to share their success with us. It’s an honor to support our students on their life’s pathway. Almond Acres Charter Academy grows great kids now and beyond 8th grade.
About AACAAlmond Acres Charter Academy is a public, tuition-free K-8 school that employs credentialed teachers and administers state-mandated testing to provide families in northern SLO County an additional choice in public education. Located in Paso Robles in a newly built, state-of-the-art facility, AACA is open to all students from all communities. AACA’s mission is to help students succeed academically and socially by educating the whole child: heart, mind, body and soul. We grow great kids!
Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! By Dr. Seuss, Jack Prelutsky & Lane Smith
As a tuition-free public K-8 charter school, Almond Acres actively tests and assesses every student. Our annual standardized testing event for grades 3-8 is approaching, so we thought we would take a moment to share our testing philosophy and how we help students approach testing, which, just like taxes, is an inescapable part of life. Hint: It has to do with celebration!
Let’s start with some basics of what standardized testing is and is not:
Your child’s innate ability is not defined by the test.
Your child’s future is not decided by these tests.
Tests provide a snapshot of skills learned in this particular stage of life.
In short, standardized testing is required by the State of California. All schools receiving public funds must participate in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. The data we receive from the test is used to improve instruction and tailor teaching closer to student needs. It also helps us set up goals, accommodations, plan for success, and target areas of intervention.
We firmly believe that the quality, standards-based teaching and learning that occurs all year prepares our students to pass and surpass standardized tests. Our project-based learning approach helps students gain real-world experience. It’s not just memorization—students have the opportunity to apply learning in an authentic, meaningful way. And, we’ve taught them how to THINK!–making it easier to tackle any question thrown their way. In 10 years of public school operation, we’ve repeatedly seen standardized testing results confirm what we already know: our whole child curriculum is a key to success.
Teacher Tips for Testing
Our teachers use our yearly testing event as an opportunity to prepare students to approach test taking as a genre. Students learn specific techniques to break apart tough questions unique to standardized tests, such as highlighting, re-reading and looking for clues. We also find great success with these positive affirmations to reduce test taking anxiety and increase confidence:
I know I can do this!
I will do my best work.
I am intelligent, smart, and amazing!
I will take my time.
I will stay focused.
I will stay positive.
As always, we encourage students to get a good night’s sleep and eat lots of healthy brain food (like protein and veggies) before the test. We also allow students to enjoy a lollipop or stick of gum during the test–it’s proven to help focus and calm our minds!
Testing is a Celebration!
Sometimes it’s as simple as a shift in thinking to change our mindset away from anxiety toward testing as a celebration. Like a volleyball game that you spend all season practicing for and then play, tests are an opportunity to celebrate our hard work and success.
By celebrating this achievement — the test-taking itself — we purposefully shift the dynamic from a pressure-filled event to one of inclusivity and shared experience. We introduce the idea of learning in our classrooms together as practice and testing itself as the ‘game,’ or our chance to show our stuff! With preparation and practice, every opportunity to take a test can be a positive experience. Come celebrate with us at Almond Acres!
About AACA Almond Acres Charter Academy is a public, tuition-free K-8 school that employs credentialed teachers and administers state-mandated testing to provide families in northern SLO County an additional choice in public education. Located in Paso Robles in a newly built, state-of-the-art facility, AACA is open to all students from all communities. AACA’s mission is to help students succeed academically and socially by educating the whole child: heart, mind, body and soul. We grow great kids!
Almond Acres Charter Academy (AACA) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Jeff Cadwallader as our next Executive Director. Mr. Cadwallader has been a member of our community for one year, helping with the completion of our new school site and the transition from temporary sites into our new building. He is a father of 3 (his youngest will join our AACA kindergarten next year!), loves math, and is looking forward to getting to know the awesome community of Almond Acres.
What are you most looking forward to as Executive Director?
As the new Executive Director, I am most looking forward to building relationships with the staff, students, and families. So much of my role over the past year has been focused on safety and facilities, I have not had the opportunity to really connect with the people that make Almond Acres so special. During these first few weeks as I transition into my new role, I am meeting individually with every staff member to get to know them and their vision for the future of AACA. We are starting to have more events on campus which will give me the opportunity to meet more of our amazing families.
What led you to Almond Acres?
I was led to Almond Acres by meeting many families and community members that have a connection to the school. Everyone has such great things to say about the school and its philosophy. I started doing some research and asking questions and learned that the school philosophy mirrors my personal philosophy, which is that every child can succeed, but success looks different for every child. What makes this school special is we actively seek out those successful areas in each individual child and celebrate them, but we also look for the areas of struggle and strive for growth.
When did you know you wanted to work in education?
I always enjoyed helping other students out during school. During college, I tutored my teammates in a variety of subjects. A few years after college I had no direction in my career path and had a long conversation with a close friend that had just completed her first year of teaching. After this conversation I started researching what it would take to become a teacher. After my first year in the classroom I was hooked and knew this was going to be my life long career.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
My favorite teacher was Ms. Habas, my Probability and Statistics teacher during my senior year of high school. She made learning new concepts easy and fun. She is the reason I decided to get a math degree and I modeled many of my teaching practices after her.
How does your AACA’s mission and vision align with your personal values?
I believe that all students can learn and excel when given the opportunity and tools necessary to be successful. At Almond Acres, we teach the child, not the subject. We meet each individual student on their level and grow the whole child, heart, mind, body, and spirit.
What do you like to do for fun?
I like to go camping, golfing, and to the beach. I also enjoy spending much of my free time coaching my 3 children in a variety of sports.
About AACA
Almond Acres Charter Academy is a public, tuition-free K-8 school that employs credentialed teachers and administers state-mandated testing to provide families in northern SLO County an additional choice in public education. Located in Paso Robles in a newly built, state-of-the-art facility, AACA is open to all students from all communities. AACA’s mission is to help students succeed academically and socially by educating the whole child: heart, mind, body and soul. We grow great kids!
Got a burning question about life at Almond Acres (AACA)? We’ve got answers. We’re tackling your most frequently asked questions and corralling them all into one, easy to reference blog post. As always, if you can’t find an answer here, peruse our website or chat with someone in our office. We are here to help!
Q: Where are you located?
Our new campus is located at 1145 Niblick Road, Paso Robles.
Q: How are you keeping kids healthy and safe?
AACA follows all mandates from our SLO County Public Health Department regarding health and safety practices, including COVID.
Q: Are uniforms required?
Yes! Our uniforms are loved by families and kids alike for ease and style. Brightly colored polo shirts can be bought through this link on our website and uniform bottoms can be purchased anywhere. We also have a no-cost exchange program available.
Q: Do you offer transportation?
Bus transportation is available to and from campus.You can view the bus route and schedule on our website.
Q: How do kids use technology at AACA?
AACA views technology as a tool for supporting learning. All 5th-8th graders have their own Chromebook. K-4th grades use Chromebooks and iPads in their classrooms. We use Google Apps for Education and offer a variety of tech support and resources. Additionally, we are a Common Sense Certified school. We teach children how to be productive and balanced digital citizens.
Q: Is there a tuition fee?
There is no cost to attend Almond Acres. We are funded similarly to all other public schools. More information about what makes us a charter school can be found on our blog.
Q: What is your average class size?
Our classes are kept intentionally small, with a maximum of 24 students in each K-3 class. In 4th-8th grade, class sizes are capped at 30. We have two classes per grade. Kindergarten-5th grade students are taught by a homeroom teacher. Our middle school students (6th-8th) rotate between single subject teachers.
Q: I really want my child to attend AACA. How do I get in?
Almond Acres holds open enrollment from February 1 to March 30. Admission is open to all students regardless of home address. Interested families can fill out a Request for Enrollment (RFE) for each child applying. When the number of requests for enrollment exceeds availability, a random, public drawing is held to determine enrollment and waitlist priority. Additionally, we hold rolling enrollment throughout the school year should space become available.
Q: What does a typical day at Almond Acres look like?
Every morning, our kindergarten through 5th grade students participate in a schoolwide Shared Start. Teachers then hold Morning Meetings in homerooms. We have blocks of instructional time for Project Based Learning, English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies and Art. Physical Education is taught by a specialist teacher. K-5 students have a morning and lunch recess and our K-3rd students enjoy an extra afternoon recess.
In the middle school wing, 6th-8th students also participate in our schoolwide Shared Start and a homeroom Morning Meeting. We use “periods” for students to rotate through English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Recreation and Electives. Middle school students also have a morning and lunch recess.
As a public school in the State of California we are required to participate in all state mandated testing. We adhere to the Common Core State Standards for ELA and Math, NGSS for Science and California’s state standards for Social Studies.
Q: My child is struggling in her regular school. How can you help?
We offer the same support services as all public schools in the state of California, including for those with 504s, IEPs and disabilities. We implement at Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for students in the area of social-emotional, behavior and academics. Schoolwide, we use Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to teach and reinforce appropriate student behaviors.
You can be a part of our vibrant learning community, too. Open enrollment occurs every spring for the following school year. Find out more about our process on our enrollment page.
About AACA
Almond Acres Charter Academy is a public, tuition-free K-8 school that employs credentialed teachers and administers state-mandated testing to provide families in northern SLO County an additional choice in public education. Located in Paso Robles in a newly built, state-of-the-art facility, AACA is open to all students from all communities. AACA’s mission is to help students succeed academically and socially by educating the whole child: heart, mind, body and soul. We grow great kids!
A charter school is a publicly funded, independently operated public school. Most charter schools are started from the ground up, by a team of passionate educators and parents who see a need in the community and decide to fill it. Charter schools operate under a contract between the school and the state government that outlines how the school will educate students in exchange for public funds. A charter school’s authorization is renewed every five years based on agreed upon expectations for educating students, including state standards and testing.
Mission Driven
Founders of charter schools want to offer students and the community a unique approach to learning. They may choose to focus on college preparation, arts or sciences, or a specific curriculum; the sky’s the limit! The school’s unique mission drives the planning for the school and influences every part of the students’ day.
Ten years ago, Almond Acres Charter Academy founders began with a powerful vision; to create a school that would be a part of, and continue, the tradition of the local districts, but also have greater flexibility in the delivery of curriculum, fiscal management, and decision making. A school and program of learning that centers the best of interests of children in all decisions was born. Today, Almond Acres has bloomed into a thriving charter school serving K-8 students of the Paso Robles area – with heart and dedication.
Student Centered
Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all learning. Charter schools are usually centered on the needs of the student, often through a personalized curriculum or specialized offerings. An artistically inclined child can thrive in an arts-centered school, while another child may do best in a school with smaller classes and an emphasis on outdoor education. The ability to find a “just right fit” for your child’s schooling is very appealing.
Growing Great Kids!
Affirming each for their strengths and struggles,
Stretching positive and productive habits of mind, and
Celebrating the awakening of creativity!
Our simple mission is to put students first. Almond Acres celebrates the uniqueness of each child by designing lessons based on the many ways a child can learn and identifying how children are smart, not just how smart they are. We value students for who they are now and who they hope to become and we take advantage of our small class sizes to build solid, affirming relationships that help students grow into the best version of themselves.
Freedom to Innovate
Because charter schools are free to choose the best path to success, they can be an exciting hub of innovation and creativity. Highly qualified teachers are often attracted to work at charter schools for a chance to teach in a less restrictive way, with greater creative freedom, or with like-minded teachers and staff.
In addition to an innovative project based approach, we use research backed practice to teach reading, writing and math fundamentals. Arts and sciences, leadership, technology, and unwavering student support are all included in our curriculum. Our service learning projects connect students to the local community, creating a bridge between schooling and life. And we get kids up and moving throughout the day with physical education and abundant athletic offerings, to strengthen young muscles and hearts.
Almond Acres teachers are the heart and soul of our school. Our teachers are committed to creative, energetic teaching, and a positive school culture that is modeled by every member of our staff. We teach to the strengths of every learner, including those with 504s and IEPs.
Community & Size
Parents looking for a small school, where everyone knows their name, often look to charter schools to find a greater sense of community. Many charter schools are born out of a desire to create a like-minded community, where children can safely learn in a way that suits their needs.
Community is at the core of our safe and deliberately small K-8 charter school. At Almond Acres, every child gets personalized attention, caring instructors, and a close-knit academic environment. Communication between teachers and family is frequent. Special events invite families to our school to celebrate our success and cheer on our growth. We lean on parents as our partners in growing well-rounded children into college-bound students.
Almond Acres Charter Academy strives to offer excellence, flexibility, and choice in your child’s education. We love our close community and invite your family to experience all our charter school can offer.
About AACA
Almond Acres Charter Academy is a public, tuition-free K-8 school that employs credentialed teachers and administers state-mandated testing to provide families in northern SLO County an additional choice in public education. Located in Paso Robles in a newly built, state-of-the-art facility, AACA is open to all students from all communities. AACA’s mission is to help students succeed academically and socially by educating the whole child: heart, mind, body and soul. We grow great kids!
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