Thank you for visiting our website.  Let me take this opportunity to tell you some key points about the Balboa Academy education program.  Balboa Academy was established to serve our global families offering them  a pre-kindergarten through 12^th grade English speaking college preparatory school.  For them we provide a US type curriculum, and we are accredited by the AdvancED, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, (SACS-CASI)  Our students who meet the individual requirements are eligible  to receive a US diploma, a Panamanian diploma, and an Advanced Placement diploma.

Our standards outline our educational curriculum.  We believe that no one textbook or commercial program should be used as the sole educational tool in a classroom.  Rather, we use a wide variety of resources to teach the curriculum.  Textbooks are a resource to be used as needed.   We strive for a high quality program; therefore, teachers look for materials that best fit the objective of each lesson.

As a college preparatory school, we strive to provide a high performing, data-driven, and caring school culture.  Our students are taught the skills needed to become successful in life.  We have identified eight (8) major areas that students need to experience and refine before they enter the adult world.  These are not prioritized in any special order.  Students must learn:

1. Literacy Skills (Reading, Writing, Mathematics)

2. Interrelation Skills (how to get along and be liked by others)

3. Research Skills (how to find information, where to go to get help)

4. Cooperative Work Skills (how to work productively with others)

5. Technology Skills (how to use technology)

6. Problem Solving Skills (how to analyze, synthesize, evaluate)

7. Communication Skills (how to convey ideas to another clearly in conversation, writing and visual representation)

8. Personal Wellness Skills (healthful living: genetics, nutrition, stress, physical fitness)

Success in life is directly related to one’s ability to manage these skills.  Learning is a life-long journey that never ends.  Providing our students with the experiences needed to acquire these skills will prepare them for this journey.

At Balboa Academy, we strive to have happy children.  If our students are happy, then they will enjoy school and learn quickly.   We find that happiness is tied to the ideals of “respect” and “responsibility”.  If we live in an environment where people respect each other, then there is good communication and there exists an attitude of “we are in this together” so let’s work together.   Every student and adult at our school has certain responsibilities to make the educational experience a successful one. By committing to these responsibilities, we communicate our respect toward others

Our school population is small enough to enable us to know the students by their first name.   If you were to walk around our hallways and campus, you would see happy faces, laughter, friendship, and all the other characteristics of a healthy, thriving environment.  Students like their teachers and feel comfortable interacting with them.  They also know that there is always an adult around that they can go to discuss individual concerns.

We believe that all children can learn, and we find ways to make this happen.  Teachers and specialists work in teams to make cooperative decisions about what is best for each child’s development.  All teachers are available to assist individual students after school and help them with any school work that they are having difficulty completing.

Our teachers are committed to the ideal of excellence in education and being life long learners.  Wednesdays are half days for students because the afternoons are set aside for staff development and school improvement activities.  We strive to improve our instruction and acquire new learning strategies.   Our teachers also travel outside of Panama to attend conferences, workshops and training in our endless quest for ways to improve.

Parents are very important to the success of our school. We turn to them for invaluable help.  They keep us balanced by sharing with us their side of the story.  Their voice and participation is what makes us whole and helps us improve.  We are very grateful for everything that they do for us.  Our parent board helps us to run our school.  Our PTSO works hard to provide us with a year long calendar of school activities.  Parents add support and strength to our campus life.

We also have many volunteers in our school.  Some are retirees, others are community members that wish to work with our teachers and students developing a busy, happy synergy that is found in a school environment.  We are grateful for their services and assistance.  They add another dimension to our school that is also invaluable.  Our children love having this larger family nestled in the school with us every day.

And what about the spouses of our many employees!  They too drift in and out all the time, bringing friendly smiles and support.  These wonderful folks give us endless hours of assistance on field trips, tournaments and other special school events.  They too are a very integral part of Balboa Academy.  Their presence adds more energy and smiles to our school family.

Balboa Academy is here for children.  We are here because we care about them and we love working with them.  Our students’ successes are our successes.  Their happiness is our happiness.  Our goal is to get better at what we do and continue to nurture a positive and vibrant school experience for all.  Thank you for visiting us.  If there are any questions that we can answer for you about our academic program, please don’t hesitate to drop us an e-mail.

Jean Lamb, Director