Welcome Back to School

As we begin the new school year, I want to acknowledge the exceptional work that directly impacts our students' success.

To our leadership team, Amy, Danielle, Dawn, and the administrative team in the home office , who have maintained the high standards and supportive environment that help our students reach their full potential; your operational support creates the foundation for student achievement.

To our principals, assistant principals, teachers, and support staff: last year's strong academic outcomes reflect your commitment to nurturing both high academic and behavioral standards. You've created the challenging yet enthusiastic environment our students need to thrive, while successfully integrating Greek language and culture into their well-rounded K-12 education.

Our families are essential partners in this mission. Your engagement strengthens the cooperative effort between school, students, parents, and community that makes us truly function as a family.

This past year proved what happens when we all focus on empowering students to exceed expectations. Our graduates left ready for their next stage of life, equipped with both academic excellence and cultural knowledge that sets them apart.

Moving forward, we have the team and proven approach to prepare even more students for success beyond our campuses.

Let's make 2025-2026 our strongest year yet in developing confident, well-prepared students.

With sincere appreciation,

Louis kokkinakos

Chairman of the Board

Plato Academy schools

Dear Plato Academy Families,

As we welcome a brand new school year, it’s a time to celebrate the remarkable achievements that have set Plato Academy apart in our local communities and across Tampa bay.

This past year, our network of schools once again outshone the district and exceeded state performance expectations. Seven of our campuses earned the coveted Grade A designation from the Florida Department of Education. EVERY CAMPUS showed measurable improvement in student learning gains and surpassed District and State Results. These outcomes are proof that our unique approach, blending rigorous academics, teacher dedication, and a supportive community, truly works. Plato Academy Schools are consistently recognized in State and National rankings.

Beyond the impressive report cards, our students consistently surpass local and state averages in critical subjects like math, reading, and science.

True to our commitment to the whole child, our Academic Excellence Awards honored 90 of our exceptional 5th and 8th grade students from every campus for their achievements in Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, and world languages. Notably, the majority of our Math and Science awardees were females, a point of tremendous pride for us as we continue to cultivate future leaders in STEM.

This year, we have also seen our schools coming together in new and impactful ways, celebrating each other, supporting our students, and strengthening the family spirit that defines Plato Academy. Our campuses are not just academic powerhouses; they are communities where every child is known, supported, and encouraged to thrive.

We are especially excited about the success and expansion of Plato Plus, program offering gifted-inspired enrichment opportunities to all students. Plato Plus provides morning and afternoon sessions focused on advanced academics, rotating themes, social-emotional growth, creative explorations, and real-world connections. It’s designed by expert educators and offers children the chance to build critical thinking, soft skills, and authentic confidence, all in a fun, caring setting. Plato Plus is quickly becoming the gold standard for after-school enrichment, and we are thrilled to see so many students benefitting from these expanded opportunities.

Thank you for entrusting us with your child’s education and for being part of the Plato Academy family. Together, we foster a culture of academic excellence, character development, and joyful learning that prepares our students for the future. We look forward to another inspiring year of achievement, enrichment, and community.

When you see Jennifer's smile on our Plato Academy bus, you're looking at a real partnership in action.

Sam's Club stands behind what we're doing at Plato Education Foundation.

Jennifer represents their commitment to our kids and our schools, and that matters. Through their support for Plato Academy campus snack shacks, plato education foundation’s community events, running school needs like the maintenance of the school buses, Sam's Club gets it. Strong schools build strong communities.

It's Sam's Club saying they believe in what Plato Academy schools are accomplishing and want to be part of it.

This kind of local business support makes a difference.

It helps us keep our programs running, our standards high, and our doors open to students who need quality education options.

Thank you Jennifer! Thank you Sam’s Club!

... driven by the extraordinary commitment of our community supporters:

Emergency Relief: We provided immediate assistance to Plato families impacted by hurricanes, distributing grocery store gift cards, essential household supplies, and pet care items to those in need.

Academic Excellence: Our foundation sponsored the Academic Excellence Awards ceremony and established a merit-based scholarship program to celebrate and support outstanding student achievement.

Athletic Recognition: We enhanced our Sports Awards program with commemorative gifts and provided Rowdies game tickets to recognize student-athletes' dedication and accomplishments.

Community Engagement: The foundation organized a comprehensive Summer Fun Bash, offering free activities and entertainment for all students and their families throughout the local area.

Campus Operations: We launched the innovative Plato Plus Snack Shack initiative, providing each campus with startup funding and resources to establish sustainable on-site fundraising programs.

Transportation Infrastructure: Our foundation refurbished the school bus fleet and restored full service operations, eliminating the financial burden of external rental costs for field trips and staff transportation needs.

These initiatives represent the profound impact your Foundation creates in strengthening, enriching, and connecting the entire Plato community. Through collaborative effort and shared vision, we continue building lasting educational opportunities for current and future generations.

The Plato Education Foundation is proud to announce an inspiring new opportunity to honor the dream and legacy of Steve Christopoulos. In his memory, the Foundation is launching a dedicated scholarship fund to support Plato Academy alumni who choose to pursue careers in education.

This initiative reflects our deep commitment to nurturing future educators who will carry forward the values and vision Steve championed. By contributing to this fund, you have the chance to make a lasting impact, empowering the next generation of teaching leaders and strengthening the educational community that is at the heart of Plato Academy.

Join us in celebrating Steve’s enduring legacy by helping transform lives through the gift of education. Your support truly makes a difference.

Six educators from Plato Academy Pinellas Park accompanied Dr. Pape to the PLC Institute in Orlando from July 16-18. During the three-day intensive, the teaching team gained comprehensive training in Professional Learning Community implementation strategies. These educators will now return to campus equipped with advanced methodologies and resources, forming the leadership foundation that will elevate our PLC initiatives at PAPP to new heights of effectiveness.

Our exceptional teachers expanded their professional expertise at the Teach Like a Champion Classroom Cultures workshop in Orlando this summer!

This practice-intensive workshop focused on establishing high-impact behavioral and culture techniques that create the foundation for joyful learning and academic achievement. The program equipped our faculty with proven strategies to build strong classroom environments where every student can thrive.

Teach Like a Champion's research-based approaches to classroom management and culture development align with our educational philosophy at Plato Academy and our teachers returned with enhanced skills and renewed enthusiasm for the upcoming school year.

This summer, our fantastic teachers attended the renowned Ron Clark Academy Conference in Atlanta, where they participated in immersive workshops and hands-on training led by outstanding educators.

The experience allowed our staff to observe dynamic teaching methods in action, collaborate with peers from across the country, and bring back innovative strategies to energize and inspire our own classrooms. Their time at the conference reaffirmed Plato Academy’s commitment to professional growth and educational excellence, ensuring our students benefit from the very best in modern teaching practices.

Recently, our teachers had the opportunity to attend a powerful presentation by Brian Mendler, a nationally recognized author and educator known for his dynamic approach to student engagement and classroom management. Mendler’s speech focused on practical strategies for building stronger relationships with students, minimizing power struggles, and fostering positive learning environments, especially for those who are most challenging to reach.

We finished building all the garden beds in just two days! Every box is now built and filled with soil. We'll start planting soon.

Many families came out to help make this happen: the Enright, Ferguson, Hernandez, Hilton, Leach, Luu, Martinez, Morgado, Pridham, Sapp, Walker, and Withington families. We really appreciate everyone who gave their time and energy to help.

Damien White, our school gardener, was amazing throughout this whole project. He guided us every step of the way and we couldn't have done it without his help and expertise.

Ms. Hayes, Chief of Schools, and Ms. Cicietti, Chief of Academics, also came out to support our work. Having them there meant a lot to everyone involved.

Don't forget to log your volunteer hours.

This is a big step forward for our school garden and food forest program. Thanks to everyone who made it possible.

Ms. West and Mr. Viski

From curious kindergarteners exploring their new learning spaces to confident middle schoolers ready to tackle advanced courses, every corner of our campus radiates possibility.

Parents connected with faculty, students reunited with friends, and families got their first glimpse of the academic excellence that awaits.

(Photos by Robin Day, Open House 2025)

Explore your campus page at https://platoacademy.net to find everything you need for a successful start to the school year. Under "Family Resources," you’ll find supply lists, uniform guidelines, PTO registration details, and the administrative policy manual—all in one convenient place.

And adding to the excitement, we're proud to recognize Endri Mustali, a Plato Academy graduate, who is currently a valued player on the Rowdies team! It's always inspiring to see our graduates excel in their passions, and we're thrilled to support Endri and the entire Rowdies team.

Click the links below, find your school & leave a review on any of the platforms below then send your rating to your principal to receive a volunteer hour!

This is an anonymous form (unless you choose to leave your information) for anyone: staff, parents, guardians, or students to share any suggestions, concerns, ideas, or comments on how you think any aspect of our schools could be improved with the Plato Academy Home Office. This will always be available to you and will be reviewed regularly.

If you have a safety-related concern, you may also use the School Safety Survey.

Thank you for your support and dedication to helping Plato Academy get even better!