Catch a Star Academy

“Elizabeth Wright and Madeleine Arsaga are sisters.”

“A copy of this Form 990 was distributed to all members of the organizations governing body, who were asked to review, provide comments and ask any questions regarding the filing. Comments were provided and questions were asked and answered by email and conference calls, and all members of the governing body approved the final Form 990.”

“Though the organization does not have a formal written conflict of interest questionnaire, the bylaws require board members to disclose any conflicts of interest.”

“The public may request copies of the organizations governing documents, conflict of interest policy (which is contained in the organizations Bylaws), and financial statements in writing by email to [email protected], or by mail to Catch a Star Academy, 1250 Green Oaks Drive, Greenwood Village, CO 80121, Attn: Madeleine Arsaga.”

“Catch a Star Academy is an independent micro school created specifically for elementary students who are struggling in their studies. We are focused on helping children build a solid foundation in the fundamental skills of reading, writing and math, so they are prepared with the knowledge and the confidence needed to succeed in middle school and beyond. To ensure students get the attention they need, we offer a low student-teacher ratio and individualized learning tailored to each students needs. We have developed a unique learning program that incorporates highly effective and proven teaching methods, together with experiential learning, to enable students to make great gains academically, socially, and emotionally. We are committed to providing a high-quality education for children from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The communities in close proximity to our school have large minority populations, and a substantial portion of the students in these communities qualify for the free or reduced-price lunch program. To provide these students with a high-quality education, we are currently enrolling all students tuition-free, as most of our target families do not have the ability to pay. During the fiscal year covered by this Form 990, we completed our initial planning activities and operated our first school year. We served a total of five students in grades 3 through 5 during the 2022-2023 school year. All of our students joined us with significant learning gaps, performing far below their grade levels in reading, writing and mathematics based on incoming academic assessments. Throughout the year, we refined and tailored our curriculum and instruction to meet our students at their levels, to allow them to develop the foundational skills they were missing, which are critical for future academic success. All of our students made more than one years growth in these core academic areas by the end of the school year. Our students in this first school year also joined us with significant gaps in knowledge of basic information customarily gained in early elementary school years (for example, the days of the week and months of the year, and the difference between cities, states and countries). While not captured in traditional assessments, the gains that our students made in these areas, as well as in social and emotional learning, were significant. We learned many lessons from our start-up year and have made changes and enhancements to our program, which we believe will lead to a very successful second year of operations.”