.At Yak Academy-- Redondo Beach, we believe in teaching empathy and generosity. What better way to do so, than to lead by example!

This holiday season, we have decided to extend our holiday cheer beyond the walls and doors of our center. We worked in conjunction with Children's Hospital of Los Angeles to sponsor a family who has a patient admitted in one of their units during this season.

The family that was assigned to us is a local family of 4 living in Hawthorne. Thanks to the generous donations from our Spanish Immersion Preschool & Language Enrichment Families, we were able to collect over $500 in gift cards and a plethora of gifts for a local family. 

In order to make connections to our season of giving, we taught lessons and had activities that revolved around empathy and generosity. 

We are thankful for the families we have at Yak Academy. Let us remember that every act of kindness, big or small, makes our world a better place! We are thankful for our Yaksters and Yak Families, and wish you all happy holidays.

Kindly,

Yak Academy -- Redondo Beach

"One of the many things that Yak Academy takes pride in is the nurturing and loving environment that our teachers create on a daily basis! When you step foot into any of our classes, you feel at home and your child feels safe. It is all thanks to our amazing teachers.

It takes a special kind of person to be able to pour their heart and soul into their work on a day in and day out, and do it with such patience and grace. Our teacher of the month for December is a perfect example of creating a nurturing environment for all students, and you will understand right away why we call her "Mamá".

​Our December Teacher "in the Spotlight" is Ms. Selene.

​Ms. Selene has been with Yak Academy -- Redondo Beach for approximately 3 years, and she seamlessly became part of our Yak family. She is currently one of our Preschool Transitional 2s teacher as well as one of our Spanish Enrichment Teacher on Saturdays. Prior to working with us, she has had plenty of teaching experience in her home country of Mexico as well as volunteering as a Sunday School teacher at her local church.  Ms. Selene's term of endearment amongst our teachers is "Mamá Selene" given her ability to nurture all of her students so gently and patiently. 

Her passion for teaching is seen in the way she is able to recognize each child's individual needs. Ms. Selene teaches from her heart, and demonstrates compassion and empathy that channels to our students and staff alike. Ms. Selene continues to show growth and dedication to refining her teaching craft at Yak, and we are honored to have her in our lives and at our school. If you ever take a tour of our preschool, don't be surprised to see Ms. Selene with a child in her arms, and one on each side while she sings, dances, and giggles with our little Yaksters!

Thank you Ms. Selene for your dedication to our students and families.

One of our parents is a guest blogger for MomsRising, and recently wrote about her experience with immersing her daughter in multiple languages simultaneously. Our parents take pride in providing their children with the opportunity to be immersed in an environment where language acquisition is natural and fun.

Check out this mom's experience with simultaneous language learning here.

Share with us what your family's language journey has been like by commenting below! 

Ms. Maria has been with Yak academy for over 7 years where she started teaching part-time as a Spanish teacher for our enrichment and mobile (off-site) programs. Her passion for language and teaching, led her to continue her education and took several child development courses. When you step into Ms. Maria's classroom, you FEEL the love and pride she has for what she does. All of her lessons are uniquely tailored and differentiated to meet each individual child's language and developmental needs. She is creative, and makes our thematic units her very own.

Her hard work and dedication has allowed her to transition to being our full-time 3-5 year old lead preschool teacher and assistant director of Yak Academy-- Redondo Beach. She does not keep her knowledge to herself. Ms. Maria provides new teacher observations and coaching, helps facilitate teacher training, and supports with curriculum development for camps and other events.

WE LOVE Ms. Maria and are thankful for her dedication to our mission and Yak Academy!

If you have any special memories of Ms. Maria as your child's teacher, feel free to share them with us in the comments below! <3

GRACIAS Ms. Maria!

Hola! Nǐ hǎo! Bonjour! namaste!

We want to welcome you to our NEW blog, "In the Spotlight". This section will be a place that will primarily focus on showcasing our amazing teachers and support staff that make Yak Academy--Redondo Beach so a gem in the South Bay. The In the Spotlight Teacher/Staff of the month posts will be posted once a month!

​This blog will also have occasional blog posts from our staff members, parent testimonials, and other ways that Yak Academy -- Redondo Beach is "in the spotlight". We hope that you enjoy our posts, and if you haven't already visited us, PLEASE join us one of these days. Contact us at [email protected] for a FREE trial!