New special needs school open in Cypress

[Guest guest]

I just read this in the Community Impact Newspaper, the free paper we vet once

per month. I don't know anything about the school or its administration or

curriculum but wanted to share with others.

Saint Tower Academy Saint Tower AcademyShare |

By Betsy Ellison

Friday, 21 January 2011

New private school focuses on special education

CYPRESS — Saint Tower Academy, a new school that focuses on the needs of

grade-school special education students, opened Jan. 3.

Click for larger image

Admissions information

To set up a meeting with Saint Tower Academy, contact the school at

or cindy@.... Also, a downloadable application will be available on

the school's website soon.

" What started out as a home schooling, co-op idea grew into something much

more, " said Szenttornyay, founder and executive director of the school.

" Our goal is to help teach these children how to learn so they have that basis

their entire lives. "

Saint Tower enrolls children with special needs such as Down syndrome, autism

and attention deficit disorder, but Szenttornyay said she plans to keep

enrollment options open to any student who may have trouble in a typical

classroom.

The private school has an open enrollment policy in which parents can set up an

admissions meeting with the school at any point during the school's year-round

schedule.

Currently, Saint Tower's enrollment consists of third, fourth, fifth and sixth

grade students, though Szenttornyay said the school hopes to expand to grades

K–12 one day.

Szenttornyay's husband and president of the school, Imre, said Saint Tower's

mission is to provide an affordable environment where students can grow and

learn.

Admission for Saint Tower is $1,200 a month, and Imre said scholarship

opportunities are available.

Burns, director of education for the school, holds a master's degree in

special education and said his main goals are to provide an individualized

program and have each student move forward based on his or her ability to learn.

The school offers a core curriculum, which includes math, science, reading and

social studies. Extracurricular activities, such as physical education and art

will be offered off campus. Members from the community are welcome to volunteer

with Saint Tower and teach a specialty subject, such as photography.

" We want the community to feel like this is also their school, " Szenttornyay

said. " We want our kids to graduate and go out into a community where they've

already interacted with and met people who have shared experiences with them in

school. "

Lessons are taught using computer programs Burns set up for each student's need.

These programs provide a visually-stimulating learning environment, which Burns

said is best for special education students.

" We are going to find out what the students' interests are, " Burns said. " If a

student happens to like sharks, we will implement sharks into his curriculum

somehow. We are putting in that extra incentive to find out what makes these

students tick and not limit what they can learn. "

Saint Tower Academy Classrooms

St. Aiden's Episcopal Church

13131 Fry Road, Cypress

Saint Tower Academy Administrative office

16518 House and Hahl Road

Cypress •

www.sainttower.com

Saint Tower Academy

13131 Fry Road

Cypress TX 77433