A visionary leader, Kiva Spiratos, principal of Rossmoor Elementary School, has been selected as Principal of the Year for Los Alamitos Unified School District. Under her leadership, Rossmoor has emerged as an exemplary elementary school with a congruent instructional focus in every classroom. Mrs. Spiratos has established a culture of high expectations for students and staff and has instituted a robust system to provide extended learning opportunities for students to ensure mastery learning.
Rossmoor’s API has soared from one of 900 to 967—making it into the top 10 performing schools in Orange County and a featured Gold Medal winner by the Orange County Register. This achievement is a direct result of Mrs. Spiratos’ relentless pursuit to instill a culture of strong teacher collaboration centered on implementing researched-based instructional strategies and best practices across each grade level. Teachers throughout Rossmoor Elementary School implement our signature practices of Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop, Thinking Maps, Cognitively Guided Instruction, MIND ST Math, and the prompts of Depth and Complexity. These practices guide Rossmoor’s tiered systems of support and mastery learning for students.
Spiratos has created an environment that values children’s academic, social and emotional well-being. She spends the bulk of her time each day in classrooms and enriches the District’s mission to Ignite Unlimited Possibilities for Students. She ensures that school is a safe, enriching and fun place for students to thrive. Students are actively engaged in character and citizenship activities, athletic endeavors and a rich array of arts activities.
Spiratos’ vision and commitment to all students goes beyond the confines of her campus. She is a valuable leader within the district and is a team player with her fellow administrators and teachers. Mrs. Spiratos’ laser-like focus on quality instruction led to the development of district-wide summer training institutes. She eagerly shares her success with other principals in the district.
