Dear Friend of Divine Savior Ministries,
Divine Savior Church and Academy has been part of the community of Doral for the past fifteen years. Since DSA opened its doors, the school and its staff have been dedicated to serving our community and its families with college-prep academics, supportive teachers, and a Christian environment in order to share Christ's love.
Divine Savior has grown from a student body of 30 to 1000 since 2004 and supports students from PreK-3 through 12th grade. Our program has developed into one that serves the whole child: academically, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. I am proud to serve in an organization whose values seek to support our families and each other. We are in continual pursuit to lead with servants' hearts, to thrive through cooperation, and to have a growth mindset.
As we have grown, we have had the opportunity to serve hundreds of families. In serving them, we have learned more about the needs within our community. One need that stands out is to support students with special needs. We have heard countless stories of the need for more programs and services not just within the community of Doral, but in all of South Florida.
This recognition comes not only from a professional capacity, but also personal. My wife and I lost a daughter diagnosed with Down Syndrome shortly before her expected birth. This experience led me to investigate the resources available to support children like my daughter. Unfortunately, local resources were limited.
Since that time I have worked with the administration of Divine Savior Academy to put together a program, The Divine Savior School, that will open a new facility for the 2020-21 school year. This program, located in a building contiguous to our current campus on 104th Avenue, will serve students on the Autism Spectrum with severe and profound needs, as well as those in need of related services. The program will take an interdisciplinary approach and integrate education, behavior therapy (ABA), speech, and occupational therapy throughout the school day. Therapy services will also be made available to the community through our program.
Our mission at The Divine Savior School is to serve students with exceptional needs and their families by providing specialized education and therapies in a supportive community shaped by Christ's love.
We humbly ask for your support and prayers as we continue to build this program over the next months in preparation to open a summer program this June, as well as for our first full school year in August. If you would like to stay connected with the progress of The Divine Savior School, please go to thedivinesaviorschool.com and join our mailing list. You can also reach out to me at 786-476-5155 or john.althoff@thedivinesaviorschool.com.
We look forward to continuing to do what we've always done at Divine Savior: serve the needs of the children and families of our community.
In His Service,
Dr. John Althoff
School Director - The Divine Savior School