by Almond Acres | Apr 20, 2022 | Blog, Faculty and Staff
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!
by Almond Acres | Oct 19, 2021 | Blog, Faculty and Staff
Our students and staff know him as Mr. B. Around the community he is known as an advocate for the rights of children to grow into the best version of themselves. We asked Mr. B a few questions about his path to education and what he loves most about his role at AACA. You might be surprised to know that when he’s not busy making AACA an incredible place to learn, he is also enrolled in a graduate program! Mr. B is a terrific role model for what we hope our students will be: life-long learners.
How long have you worked at Almond Acres?
It was my privilege to help open AACA in 2012. Prior to AACA I loved teaching social studies, counseling high school students, being a high school principal, and teaching new teachers at the University of LaVerne. I began my career as an educator in 1985.
When did you know you wanted to work in education?
In my senior year of college, I had to decide whether or not I was going to go to law school or work on a teaching credential. I absolutely loved studying history, government, and economics. What to do, what to do? I was invited to teach a class at a local high school and was hooked. I find great joy in helping people to learn and working with parents to help them grow great kids. My enthusiasm and joy back in 1985 is as fresh and gratifying now as I work with our AACA children.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
The most influential mentor I have had in my career was Fr. Tom Buckley. Tom was an outstanding history professor at Loyola Marymount University and the dearest friend I could ask for. Tom encouraged me to pursue my gifts and talents and was the one who invited me into the teaching profession. He witnessed our marriage and baptized my children. To this day his encouraging words brighten my mind and help me to “do the next right thing”.
What do you love most about your role?
I love the privilege of being Mr. B. I feel like a superhero when I walk into a classroom or play with the students on the playground. There is nothing more satisfying than to know that you can make a positive influence on a child.
What else would you like us to know about YOU?
I am blessed to have seven wonderful children and five grandchildren. I live out in the countryside of Creston and find great joy in life on a ranch and working in my woodshop. I am currently in a graduate school program with Santa Clara University studying theology and hope to use my ministry skills in my retirement years.
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. Open to all students from all communities, AACA is currently in a temporary Paso Robles location until our new purpose built building opens for the 2021-2022 school year. 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!
by Almond Acres | Sep 21, 2021 | Blog, Faculty and Staff
We are back with another round of introductions to our hard-working directors at Almond Acres Charter Academy. This time, we’d like to introduce you to Amber Wilkerson, our new Special Education Director and two familiar faces: Amy Baker, Program Director and Amy Brabenec, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Coordinator. Read on to find out about the varied paths each staff member took to get to AACA and what they love to do in their free time.
Amber Wilkerson, Special Education Director
How long have you worked at Almond Acres?
I was officially offered the position of Special Education Director in June. I’ve been boots on the ground since!
When did you know you wanted to work in education?
My first teaching position was before No Child Left Behind legislation and I taught a Special Day Class prior to having my credential. From day one I knew it was my jam. I have taught for 20 plus years, all as a special education teacher, and have never felt burnt out. I think that says a lot about my passion…I can’t imagine being in any other setting. I love working with students, teachers, and families.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
My favorite teachers were in first, second, third grade and my junior English teacher. It wasn’t one thing they did or taught, rather how they made me feel as a learner. I was a pretty big goof off in high school and I remember my English teacher telling me that he was submitting my name for Honors Senior English. He said he saw and heard something in my writing and wanted to develop it. Of course, I didn’t complete the summer pre-course work! Ha! These days, Dr.Vick, my Dissertation Chair, has become my favorite teacher. It has taken his feedback and expertise to get me this far!
What do you love most about your role?
I have been an administrator before and chose to go back into the classroom because the job was too far removed from kids. I accepted this position because it is a perfect blend of student and family interaction and supporting teachers and special education programs. I also fell in love with the philosophy of the school!
What else would you like us to know about YOU?
I love reading. I am obsessed with my yellow Lab, Sadie Mae, and my Doberman, Duke. I have 3 geese that I hatched in my classroom who follow me everywhere. I have been married for 26 years, and have three amazing daughters. My oldest will play Goalkeeper for Cal Poly next year!
Amy Baker, K-8 Program Director
How long have you worked at Almond Acres?
I am one of the founders of AACA, and one of the current administrators as the Program Director. I helped to develop the Charter petition and have helped to implement the programs as a staff member since AACA opened in 2012.
When did you know you wanted to work in education?
I wanted to work with kiddos as far as I can remember. Both of my parents were teachers. I grew up hanging out in my dad’s classroom after school, on the weekends, and during the summer. I loved playing school when I was little, and of course, I was always “the teacher”. All of my jobs had to do with kiddos, from babysitting to working at the Boys and Girls Club and the Y, to coaching sports, to working through Americorps, etc.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Leslie Moss for fourth grade at Winifred Pifer in Paso Robles. She made all students feel cared for, listened to, and loved. She made learning fun and engaging! We are still in contact today. 🙂
How does AACA’s mission and vision align with your personal values?
Our mission at AACA is to help students be successful both academically and socially by educating the whole child: heart, mind, body, and soul. At AACA, we use a Formation of Learning Framework and Philosophy in all aspects of our school. This allows us to focus on four key areas in all that we do: disposition, knowledge, reasoning, and creativity. We have chosen programs and curriculum that fit into our framework and philosophy. They also allow us to easily differentiate in order to meet the needs of both accelerated learners, as well as struggling ones. It aligns with my values because I helped to create the educational program for this school and is what I truly believe in as an educator.
As an administrator, I have seen the positive impact that this school has made on so many students over the past 9 years. I have also been fortunate enough to have my daughter, Amelia, go through AACA since Kindergarten and she is now in 6th grade. Her experience at AACA has far exceeded what I could have ever imagined for her, both socially-emotionally and academically.
AACA is small, but mighty. Our faculty is extremely dedicated to all students. They go above and beyond daily to work with students based on their individual needs in all areas.
What do you love most about your role?
I absolutely LOVE the team of people that I work with…they are so supportive personally and professionally. They bring happiness and laughter to my days! I LOVE seeing the teachers grow as educators and succeed because we truly have the most amazing educators! I LOVE watching students experience aha moments, build confidence, and shine in the ways that they are most talented.
What else would you like us to know about YOU?
I own another business in downtown Paso, so when I am not at school, I am often there! I LOVE to spend time with my family and friends, as they are the most important part of my life. I LOVE games, especially board games, and sports, especially college basketball, professional baseball, and football. I LOVE watching productions, especially the ones that my daughter is in. I LOVE to travel throughout this country and to other countries whenever possible. I LOVE helping people.
Amy Brabenec, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Coordinator
How long have you worked at Almond Acres?
This is my 10th year at AACA. I taught kindergarten for the last nine years at AACA!
When did you know you wanted to work in education?
At the end of the school year, teachers would give me their extra copies of worksheets and I would play school in the summer. That is probably the first clue that I wanted to work in education.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
My favorite elementary school teacher was Mrs. Walters in 2nd grade. She brought out the best in me.
How does AACA’s mission and vision align with your personal values?
Our goal at AACA is to teach students how to learn and to be comfortable with the process of learning. I grew up in 4-H and earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cal Poly where the motto is Learn by Doing. There are principles and habits we teach at AACA that apply to all areas of life and I am a better wife, mother, friend, and teacher when I live by them.
What do you love most about your role?
I get to work with students of all ages and that makes me very happy!
What else would you like us to know about YOU?
We are big San Francisco Giants fans in our family, so any chance to watch a game is fun for me. At least once a day you can find me walking with my husband, Mike, and our dog, Piper. Our son, Noah, and daughter, Ava, are young adults now, and it’s an awesome gift to watch them continue to grow.
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. Open to all students from all communities, AACA is currently in a temporary Paso Robles location until our new purpose built building opens for the 2021-2022 school year. 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!
by Almond Acres | Sep 15, 2021 | Blog, Faculty and Staff
It’s no secret that we love our staff at Almond Acres Charter Academy. The dedication and care they bring each and every day make our school a special place to be. We’d like to introduce you to two leaders at AACA who help make our days great. Some of these faces may be familiar and some may be new–we think you’ll enjoy getting to know a little more about how they came to join our school and what inspires them.
Jeff Cadwallader, Facilities Director
How long have you worked at Almond Acres?
As of right now, this is my 2nd DAY at AACA.
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 school’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 love most about your role?
Being new to the school, my role affords me the opportunity to see how the school runs from the ground up. A large part of my duties will be centered around the completion of our new school site and the transition from temporary sites into the new building.
What else would you like us to know about YOU?
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.
Carrie Fiel, Curriculum Director
How long have you worked at Almond Acres?
I found my home with Almond Acres in their second year which was 2013-14. I started as a 6th grade teacher and then moved to 1st grade. After a few years in 1st grade I moved out of the classroom to work in curriculum with Amy Baker. I have found my passion working with all things curriculum, instruction and assessment related. I have now been with AACA for 8 years and this year will be my 9th year! I can say that I found my school home when I found AACA.
When did you know you wanted to work in education?
I knew I wanted to work in education in 6th grade! I had to create a lesson all about Jellyfish and teach my class. I fell in love with how excited others got about learning and I knew then I would be a teacher. Funny, that I found my passion in middle school and I started my career in teaching as a middle school math and science teacher in Los Angeles.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
My favorite teacher was Kathy Turin. She was amazing because she knew exactly who you were as a person, your likes and dislikes, what made you excited and what bored you to tears. She made learning fun and accessible for all.
How does AACA’s mission and vision align with your personal values?
My mission has always been to recognize and support the whole child and to meet every child where they are academically. Being an active and participating member of society has been my end goal. All of these align to Almond Acres Mission of growing great kids! Heart, Mind, Body and Soul.
What do you love most about your role?
I love to see the curriculum that I have worked on come to life in the classroom and in student projects. I love to see them smiling while they learn.
What else would you like us to know about YOU?
Ah! I spend all my free time teaching Aquafit at the Paso Robles Sports Club. I love Aquafit and love teaching my classes at the Sports Club. Occasionally, you will also find me swimming laps too. I just love aquatics ;0). I also love animals and you can find me taking care of our sheep and chickens. I have two amazing and wonderful kiddos who are both now adults and going to college.
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. Open to all students from all communities, AACA is currently in a temporary Paso Robles location until our new purpose built building opens for the 2021-2022 school year. 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!
by Almond Acres | Feb 5, 2021 | Blog, Faculty and Staff
Our Executive Director, Bob Bourgault, is fondly known by our AACA students as Mr. B. His mission is to help every learner discover the best version of themselves. Mr. B shares his gifts with the Almond Acres community — especially its students — in hopes that the children will share their best version of themselves right back to the family and community in which they live..
Mr. B feels that when children believe in themselves they have confidence. This confidence translates into students being their most happy and successful selves. Students who are confident can recognize the beauty in almost anything — even old pieces of wood (another passion of Mr. B’s). Mr. B feels very strongly about the importance of kids being who they are.
“Almond Acres Charter Academy is designed and dedicated to the true meaning of education. The word ‘educate’ originates from the Latin word ‘educare’ which means to nurture and draw out the learner, not to fill him/her up. We help students become the very best version of themselves by inciting a passion and desire to learn. Project-based learning, service learning, and meaningful educational experiences within our community are the keys to unlocking outstanding learning and student success.”
Bob Bourgault
Another word Mr. B uses to describe students and their best selves is efficacy. When kids believe in who they are — they have the power and confidence to have a positive impact on their own life and the lives of others.
As for parents, the role of educating and influencing young minds is always in use. Parents are coaches, motivators, teachers and support systems for their children. In fact, the word educate and parent come from the same Latin root word…educare. It means to draw out, to nurture. Not to push in or fill up.
Almond Acres parents are among Mr. B’s biggest fans
“There are two things that stand out to me about AACA that makes them different from traditional education. First, they emphasize the importance of growing great kids that eventually turn into great citizens. One of the ways they do this is to teach them how to problem solve by finding the next right thing they can do. Mr. B. shared a story with me of a former student who observed her AACA classmates walking away from a fight at the high school. He believed they made that good choice because they had the philosophies of finding the next right thing ingrained in them.
The second thing they do that is different from traditional education is they find how each student is smart and encourage them in that direction. That is an out-of-the-box way to think about education and I know my son will benefit from his teachers working with him in that way.”
“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. In short, AACA actively engages each child in their own learning process. AACA imbues a love of learning in their students. They are not just being taught how to succeed in the classroom but how to succeed in life and as members of their community.”
Our AACA student alums also found guidance from Mr. B to be truly inspiring. When asked what, as a middle schooler, they found most rewarding about their time at Almond Acres we received replies like:
“All the leadership talks with Mr. B. “
“You will find yourself and make friends that last a lifetime.”
“AACA is a great place to slow down and learn about yourself. There are lots of day-to-day skills you learn that even adults have trouble with.”
Mr. B helps Almond Acres students focus on the cooperative, not the competitive. Top down, every faculty member and administrative staffer helps each individual child recognize simple principles that help them maintain who they are. Mr. B has a genuine desire to help, and alongside his team, Mr. B honors kids for who they are.
“The recipe to growing great kids is simple. First, we affirm. The strengths and struggles of each student are unique to them. We acknowledge and recognize this in each learner. Secondly, we stretch. We guide students through the process of identifying opportunities for growth and set goals that are S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, assignable, relevant, and time-based). Finally, we celebrate the awakening of creativityStudent achievements are regularly commemorated during our daily Shared Start assembly.”
Find out more about Almond Acres Charter Academy today!
About Almond Acres
Almond Acres is relocating to Paso Robles. 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. Open to all students in all communities, the school is currently located in San Miguel and moving to Paso Robles for the 2021-22 school year. 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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