What is there not to love about the best school in the world?! Seriously, many of the parents of kids at San Juan del Sur Day School feel this way. The founding Director for the School is Julie Speier, mother, surfer and yoga instructor with a masters degree in early childhood education.
Julie arrived in San Juan del Sur in 2008 with her first baby and husband John Crilly. They were on their way South and stopped in town to enjoy the sights and surf, like many traveling families have.
Julie immediately noticed there was no bilingual schooling options, so she inquired if there was need and was soon flooded with petitions to start a school. She gathered her info and decided to give it a try.
10 years in, Julie Speier and John Crilly have created an incredible school on an organice farm called afinca Las Nubes. The land was graciously leased by the Robertson family and they have also assisted with the construction of the first two buildings, allowing the school to grown to over 100 students enrolled.
The school models many Montessori style practices and follows an expanded version of the Nicaraguan National Education Plan. The program includes many higher level scholastic elements such as Singapore Math and Baccalaureate English.
The teaching language is English. Spanish is incorporated into the school and children through play, teaching assistants and Spanish class for many levels. There are about 40% local Nicaragua students in the school and 80% of the student body speaks Spanish. So play time is predominantly in Spanish.
The younger children are encouraged to play outside with multiple recess breaks. Technology is required for the more advanced age groups for work purposes. We know our children are receiving high levels of education since they have placed well in their international tests scores.
If you’d like to learn more about San Juan del Sur Day School, Please reach out to us. As Parents of one of the founding class students, we’d be happy to introduce you to the school and answer some of your questions.