NHSDA School and Learning Center
Our History
New Hope SDA School is located at 545 East Campus Circle, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
It is situated in the heart of Melrose Park, an annex to the City of Fort Lauderdale.
It was in the year 1997 that two visionaries from the New Hope SDA Church, Mr. Jeff Knight and Mrs. Ilene Knight, conceived the idea of a daycare that would serve the community.
During the following year, 1998, out of this conceived idea, the New Hope SDA Day Care was born, with the enrollment of six children. Mr. Jeff Knight served as Chairman, Ms. Donna Peart as worker, while Mrs. Ilene Knight volunteered her services. With much prayer for God’s direction, the members of the church unite every fiber of their being, time, talents, treasures, and expertise. They were confident that children, parents and adults, need to have a safe haven of learning.
It was not smooth sailing at the beginning, but productive changes became visible. These included attractive classrooms, an administrative assistant, and a qualified Director to oversee the daily professional operations of the school.
As the years progressed, the Learning Center, as it was then called, benefited from the hard work and dedicated skills and expertise of the first Director, Mrs. Carolyn Smith, followed by Mrs. Janice Stewart, Mrs. Eunice Alexander, Ms. Pattrell Jones, Mrs. Topaz Henry-Richards, Mrs. Gail Dawkins-Frederic, Mrs. Dee Howard, and the current Director Ms. Elorine Clarke. Mr. Dexter Parris and Mr. Collin Evans, in their turns as chairpersons, dedicated their time, talent, and resources to ensure the care and development of the New Hope Day Care, Learning Center and School.
The growth of the Learning Center gave rise to a brilliant question – What would happen to the students when they graduated from Pre-Kindergarten? The resounding answer was, “Let us give birth to another segment, an Elementary School.” In 2008, the Kindergarten to Fourth Grade School opened with 27 students and three full-time teachers, with Mrs. Gail Dawkins-Frederic as the principal.
The school year 2010-2011 rolled around. The Middle School was a welcomed extension. Convinced that the Lord was leading and working in our favor to help build another “school of the prophet” in this section of His vineyard, the baton was handed to Mr. Rubenson Frederic who brought with him respect and love for youth. Mrs. Sonia McCloud was subsequently appointed as the principal/teacher in 2011. She came with 35 years of experience as an educator, and a firm desire to continue building the New Hope SDA School. The 2011-2012 enrollment was 37 students.
Next, Mrs. Olga Simmons, a quiet giant for Seventh-day Adventist Christian education, was invited to join the project. The Lord impressed her heart, and she answered in the affirmative. A hard worker, respectful, educated, lover of children, with a Christ-like attitude and fine deportment, she assumed the responsibilities of Principal-Teacher in the fall of the 2011-2012 school year. The school has since experienced significant increases in enrollment. In fact, it has since always been above 80 students. At present, there are 85 registered students in grades K-8.
In spite of its challenges, the New Hope SDA School has maintained high academic standards and expectations. Credit must also be attributed to the Pastoral team and School Board members who have contributed greatly to the stability, productivity, and solid educational leadership of the school. working with the community, sister schools, and churches sharing and activities, and interests has been as well a significant factor in the growth and development of the school over the years. The activities and services provided have been inclusive of Clubs where the students can participate in extracurricular activities; Houses, named after members of the church, where students have fun with and challenge each other; Vacation Bible School programs, Before and After Care provisions, Academic and Fun Summer School, Adventurer Programs, Bible classes, tutoring, and Home and School meetings. Over the years, parents have been distinguished as – lovable, respectful, and supportive. Throughout the days of hard toil and labor, the school continues to grow and excel more so by the Lord’s amazing grace.
ACCREDITATION & CURRICULUM
New Hope SDA School is accredited through the Accrediting Association of the Seventh-Day Adventist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (AAA), in affiliation with the National Council for Private Schools Accreditation. AAA is the denominational accrediting authority for education programs operated under the auspices of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The school follows government and state regulations concerning minimum days, hours, subjects taught, state testing and curriculum.
Standards of Ethical Conduct
(Adapted from the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida and Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida)
1. Our school values the worth and dignity of every person, the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, acquisition of knowledge, and the nurture of democratic citizenship. Essential to the achievement of these standards are the freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal opportunity for all.
2. Our primary concern is the student and the development of the student's potential. Employees will therefore strive for professional growth and will seek to exercise the best professional judgment and integrity.
3. Concern for the student requires that our instructional personnel:
a. Shall make reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning and/or to the student's mental and/or physical health and/or safety.
b. Shall not unreasonably restrain a student from independent action in pursuit of learning.
c. Shall not unreasonably deny a student access to diverse points of view.
d. Shall not intentionally suppress or distort subject matter relevant to a student's academic program.
e. Shall not intentionally expose a student to unnecessary embarrassment or disparagement.
f. Shall not intentionally violate or deny a student's legal rights.
g. Shall not harass or discriminate against any student on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition, sexual orientation, or social and family background and shall make reasonable effort to assure that each student is protected from harassment or discrimination.
h. Shall not exploit a relationship with a student for personal gain or advantage.
i. Shall keep in confidence personally identifiable information obtained in the course of professional service, unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is required by law.
4. Aware of the importance of maintaining the respect and confidence of colleagues, of students, of parents, and of the community, employees of our school must display the highest degree of ethical conduct. This commitment requires that our employees:
a. Shall maintain honesty in all professional dealings.
b. Shall not on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition if otherwise qualified, or social and family background deny to a colleague professional benefits or advantages or participation in any professional organization.
c. Shall not interfere with a colleague's exercise of political or civil rights and responsibilities.
d. Shall not engage in harassment or discriminatory conduct which unreasonably interferes with an individual's performance of professional or work responsibilities or with the orderly processes of education or which creates a hostile, intimidating, abusive, offensive, or oppressive environment; and, further, shall make reasonable effort to assure that each individual is protected from such harassment or discrimination.
e. Shall not make malicious or intentionally false statements about a colleague.
Training Requirement All instructional personnel and administrators are required as a condition of employment to complete training on these standards of ethical conduct.
Reporting Misconduct by Instructional Personnel and Administrators All employees and administrators have an obligation to report misconduct by instructional personnel and school administrators which affects the health, safety, or welfare of a student. Examples of misconduct include obscene language, drug and alcohol use, disparaging comments, prejudice or bigotry, sexual innuendo, cheating or testing violations, physical aggression, and accepting or offering favors. Reports of misconduct of employees should be made to Mrs. Olga Simmons Office Telephone No. 954-587-3842/Cel:954-744-9845 Reports of misconduct committed by administrators should be made to
Mrs. Olga Simmons Office Telephone No. 954-587-3842/ Cell:954-744-9845 . .
Legally sufficient allegations of misconduct by Florida certified educators will be reported to the Office of Professional Practices Services. Policies and procedures for reporting misconduct by instructional personnel or school administrators which affects the health, safety, or welfare of a student are posted on (i.e. bulletin board, front office, break room, etc.?) And on our Web site at www.nhsdaschool-learningcenter.org
Reporting Child Abuse, Abandonment or Neglect All employees and agents have an affirmative duty to report all actual or suspected cases of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Call 1-800-96-ABUSE or report online at: http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse/report/.
Signs of Physical Abuse The child may have unexplained bruises, welts, cuts, or other injuries; broken bones; or burns. A child experiencing physical abuse may seem withdrawn or depressed, seem afraid to go home or may run away, shy away from physical contact, be aggressive, or wear inappropriate clothing to hide injuries.
Signs of Sexual Abuse The child may have torn, stained or bloody underwear, trouble walking or sitting, pain or itching in genital area, or a sexually transmitted disease. A child experiencing sexual abuse may have unusual knowledge of sex or act seductively, fear a particular person, seem withdrawn or depressed, gain or lose weight suddenly, shy away from physical contact, or run away from home.
Signs of Neglect The child may have unattended medical needs, little or no supervision at home, poor hygiene, or appear underweight. A child experiencing neglect may be frequently tired or hungry, steal food, or appear overly needy for adult attention.
Patterns of Abuse: Serious abuse usually involves a combination of factors. While a single sign may not be significant, a pattern of physical or behavioral signs is a serious indicator and should be reported.
Liability Protections Any person, official, or institution participating in good faith in any act authorized or required by law, or reporting in good faith any instance of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect to the department or any law enforcement agency, shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability which might otherwise result by reason of such action. (F.S. 39.203)
An employer who discloses information about a former or current employee to a prospective employer of the former or current employee upon request of the prospective employer or of the former or current employee is immune from civil liability for such disclosure or its consequences unless it is shown by clear and convincing evidence that the information disclosed by the former or current employer was knowingly false or violated any civil right of the former or current employee protected under F.S. Chapter 760. (F.S. 768.095)