
News & Insights
Stay connected with the latest at Pacific Preparatory!
Explore thought-provoking blog posts, expert insights on education, and highlights from our community events. Whether you're looking for learning tips, school updates, or inspiring stories, this is your hub for staying informed and engaged.
Fall Webinar Series
Our Fall Webinar Series has officially wrapped and we were so thrilled to welcome an engaging line-up of experts in child development, college counseling, and alternative education for traveling families. If you missed our events, please feel free to watch and share via the links below.
Curriculum Corner: Learning Differences
Our team and teachers believe in accepting each learner as a child-first and student-second. This mentality gives us space to honor each unique learner’s needs. Specifically, when supporting students with learning differences, we look at our personal approach that customizes the lesson according to student strengths and personal interests. Building on that, we then incorporate academics through ensuring state and federal standards are taught within a comfortable, collaborative environment.
Teacher Feature: Matt M.
Matt is one of our top teachers and we can’t recommend him enough! Parents have referred to him as a 10/10 and we couldn’t agree more. He has been working with students since 2008 and with Pacific Preparatory, Matt teaches English, history and government.
Leadership Team Feature: Erika Sneath
All of our Pacific Preparatory families have the privilege of collaborating with our curriculum specialist, Erika Sneath. Not only is Erika extremely knowledgeable in ways to make sure all of our students succeed academically, she is always there to be an active participant in each student’s education journey. She works with students, parents, and teachers to ensure lessons integrate student interests, development, and academic goals. She is passionate about ensuring that lessons are engaging, rigorous, and support the needs of all students.
Interview with an Expert: Nicole Connell
Our October issue of “Interview with an Expert” features Nicole Connell, a mentor and Educational Therapist who focuses on giving kids a voice and a say in their own journey.
Putting Students' Imagination to Work
One of the wonderful things about 1:1 education is that our teachers are able to design unique, thoughtful lessons that work for each student. We love giving our teachers autonomy to design engaging lessons that speak to their students’ (and their own!) strengths and interests. We are also proud to have a strong support staff leading our teachers in this process, offering consistent professional development and guidance.
Virtual Open House
At our Open House, we will give you a true taste of what education looks like at Pacific Preparatory. We’ll introduce you to our leadership team, our unique model of instruction, and walk you through a hands-on activity that will show you what learning at PacPrep is truly like.
Spirit Week: October 4-8
Ring in the new school year with a dose of school pride. During Spirit Week, we encourage students to dress up in their comfiest, silliest, and most out-there costumes when meeting with their teachers.
Leadership Team Feature: Kathy Pahel
Here at Pacific Preparatory, we are so unbelievably lucky to have Kathy Pahel as our Faculty Manager and Instructional Coach. Kathy brings an illustrious career and set of experiences to her role that allow her to advocate for and support teachers in an unparalleled fashion. With a BA in Political Science, minors in Education and Religious Studies, teaching credentials in English and social science, and a Masters in Education, Kathy is an educator through and through. She has been teaching since 2013, from ancient, medieval, and US history in the classroom to five years of 1:1 tutoring and homeschool teaching. Prior to joining our leadership team, she was also a 1:1 tutor with Tutor Corps and the Tutor Corps Foundation and a 1:1 teacher through Pacific Preparatory.
Social and Emotional Learning
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which we learn about and develop key emotional and social skills. These include, but are not limited to: recognizing, responding to, and managing emotions and developing empathy to care for self, friends and family, & the greater community.
At PacPrep, we firmly believe in supporting the entire student. What this means is, we don’t just focus on academics in our session. Our teachers naturally integrate social and emotional learning within each class session. Each teacher works to get to know the student authentically so that they can fully support them to meet their goals.
Leadership Team Feature: Molly Tweten
This summer, PacPrep has been so incredibly lucky to welcome our new Admissions Manager, Molly Tweten, to the family. Molly brings over 10 years of experience in social work, community engagement, and nonprofit management to the role, which puts her in a unique position to listen to families, understand their children’s needs, and advocate on their behalf.
Extracurriculars: Learning Together at PacPrep
As we at PacPrep very well know, the benefits of 1:1 education are countless: customized learning plans, individualized attention, and access to world-class educators and mentors. But, as many families ask us, what about socialization with their peers? As we look ahead to the 2021-2022 academic year, we are excited to continue our extracurricular programming with a fun lineup of activities.
Interview with an Expert: Joie Jager-Hyman
Our August issue of “Interview with an Expert” features Dr. Joie Jager-Hyman. She is an internationally acclaimed expert on the college admissions process and the Founder of College Prep 360, a boutique educational advising firm with an unrivaled track record of success.
Inspired Summer Art Camp
Our summer art camp covered the style of artists such as Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Wayne Thiebaud.
Virtual Learning is Here to Stay!
This past year has stretched and challenged many caregivers, students, and teachers to approach learning differently. Although here at PacPrep, we have been doing online learning for many years, the idea of virtual learning was a new concept for many. We have found that a significant number of students that previously only experienced traditional, in-person instruction, thrived in a virtual learning environment. Families are now challenging the status quo and determining if virtual or hybrid models will help their child thrive academically.
Teacher Feature: Alina S.
Alina is detail oriented, but does not lose sight of the big picture. She is thoughtful, caring, and deeply invested in student growth and wellness.
Differentiate Your Transcript with 1:1 AP Courses
Taking challenging courses requires the student to have a strong sense of responsibility and commitment. At PacPrep, we’re happy to offer our students the opportunity to inspire themselves by taking an Advanced Placement (AP) class. We offer a variety of AP courses that give students a meaningful way to receive college credit while in high school.
Leadership Team Feature: Rebecca Klouwers
After working with Rebecca for over a year, we’re so pleased to welcome her to the team officially as our wonderful new Outreach Director. With a passion for building relationships with our community and a keen eye for being detail-oriented, she truly fits right in!
What Does Summer Look Like at PacPrep?
We have found that children enrolled in summer courses have their love of learning reignited and are less likely to experience dreaded summer boredom. Our one-on-one model allows us to tailor each course to the wants and needs of each student and their family. By enrolling in PacPrep’s summer semester, your child can have the freedom to explore specific courses relating to their passions!
Incorporating AAPI Heritage in Your Child's Education
May was Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) month. At Pacific Preparatory, we want to help your family celebrate and learn about the vast contributions of the AAPI community all-year round. Studies have shown that it is crucial to start teaching lessons about diversity early in a child’s life to reduce negative biases. Here are our recommendations of things you can do as a parent to introduce your child to AAPI heritage.