Words from Trisha Moquino...
We are so blessed and grateful to bring in the new school year 2022–2023 and welcome back our children, our staff, our families, and our community. It is truly a blessing to be able to come back to school in person in August as we had been doing prior to the pandemic. Once the pandemic hit, we pivoted to virtual classes, doing our part in keeping everybody safe in our community. We are grateful to our tribal leadership for always doing their best to keep the Cochiti community as safe as possible from the COVID-19 virus.
We start off this year grateful to our Grandma Elena Arquero, who worked at KCLC for 6½ years. She was the Keres Language and Culture Guide for our Elementary classroom. KCLC is forever grateful to her, as she strengthened our Keres program in so many ways. As she goes into retirement, we will be rooting for her to be happy and healthy. Thank you, Grandma Elena.
Another remarkable occasion about this year is the marking of our 10th birthday, which will be on September 19, 2022. Our 10th year birthday committee did a remarkable job of celebrating all last school year. Those celebrations will culminate on our actual 10th birthday. Please stay tuned for word on the celebration of KCLC’s 10th birthday on September 19, 2022, and hopefully you can join in.
We are also excited about two new settings (or classrooms) launching this August. Our Keres Language Immersion Infant-Toddler Community will be opening on August 18, 2022, with Dee Mody as the Keres Language and Culture Guide and Dominique Quintana as the Infant-Toddler Montessori Guide in training.
We are also launching the beginnings of our dual-language (Keres–English) Adolescent setting, with Bernard Suina as the Keres Language and Culture Guide. We are still looking for an English-Speaking Montessori Adolescent Guide. In the meantime, we are grateful to our partner school, Escuela del Sol in Albuquerque, for partnering with us to provide the non-Keres components of our developing Adolescent setting.
Lastly, we are dreaming of our new KCLC building. The cost will be around 6 million, possibly more because of inflation. We have not secured funding for the building cost—only for the design phase. Until we have more space and to make space for our new Infant-Toddler setting, we have had to rent a mobile mini to use as our staff workroom. Thank you to those of you who donate monthly. We are so grateful for that steadfast, predictable support. If you are someone who could consider becoming a monthly donor of KCLC, please know that everything helps.
With that, we wish you all continued strength, love, and hope as we all work to create a future where our children and their children will be speakers of our beloved Keres language. Thank you all for being here on this journey with- us we appreciate you greatly.
This October, our Director of the Indigenous Montessori Institute, Tracey Cordero, will be leaving KCLC to work for the tribe as the Tribal Administrator of Pueblo de Cochiti. Although we are sad to lose her, we know her numerous skill sets, her amazing work ethic, and love of our people will guide all the good work that she is bound to do at the Tribal Administration offices (which is just a hop, skip, and jump away from KCLC). She will not be that far away, and we know she will continue to support KCLC. We are grateful to Tracey for her commitment to KCLC and the strong foundation she has helped to create at our Indigenous Montessori Institute. We wish you all the best, Tracey!
There are 3 ways you can make your donation.
1. Donate Online – Click on donate button
2. Donate by Mail Keres Children’s Learning Center P.O. Box 113 Cochiti Pueblo, NM 87072
3. Donate by Phone – Call 505-274-8049 or 505-999-8310
Thank You,
KCLC Family
KCLC
Keres Children's Learning Center
Our Mission
Keres Children’s Learning Center (KCLC) strives to reclaim our children’s education and honor our heritage by using a comprehensive cultural and academic curriculum to assist families in nurturing Keres-speaking, holistically healthy, community minded, and academically strong students.
