"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."
- Father James Keller
What families say about us
"As a new homeschooling mom, I found it overwhelming to find the right homeschooling approach and curriculum. Maria brought clarity to my thought process and decision making when it came to designing a homeschooling plan for my young children. She took the time to listen and understand my hopes and dreams for my childrens' education. She gave me customized curriculum recommendations that fit my homeschooling style. I'm very excited to begin building my own curriculum. I recommend Lawas Academy to other new homeschooling parents who are looking for mentoring and guidance to set themselves and their children up for success!"
- Audrey Cole
Mom of 4 (ages 5, 4, 2, 1)
"My family has had the pleasure of being friends with the Lawas's for several years now, and ever since we've known them, we've always been inspired by their love, welcoming spirit and generosity. Maria invited my family to join the Lawas Academy, that my 6 year old daughter loves to be part of because of how joyful, fun, educational and rewarding it is. The Lawas's have opened up their home, in order to allow other homeschooling families to experience the incredibly well organized and effective learning style that she has worked so hard to create and implement first of all with her own children.I have also benefited from the wisdom and knowledge that Maria has gained through her training as a Cognitive Development Educational Specialist. After having an in-person consultation with her, I am excited to be able to implement the tools that she has taught me to better navigate and improve my own homeschooling journey with my family.Thank you Maria and the Lawas Academy!"
- Ana Sayre
Mom of 5 (ages 6, 9, 11, 12, 14)
"Before meeting with Maria I had so many questions about homeschooling like how it would affect our family's budget, how am I supposed to know all the topics, and where do I even begin teaching. Maria was able to address all my questions and turn my questions, concerns and fears into confidence. I feel so much more at peace with deciding to homeschool my children. I'm excited to witness the fruits it'll bear for our family."
- Sara Feolino
Mom of 2 (ages 1, 3)
Co-Founder of Holy Couples
"My family and I have been attending Sancta Familia co-op led by Maria for about a year now. The structure and the way she and her family conduct it is amazing!! Maria makes the learning fun! From religion to writing, math and science, and with all the hands-on learning, the kids look forward to doing more! My daughter also used to struggle focusing on math until Maria recommended another program that fits better with her learning style. Now my daughter enjoys math!"
- Nayeli Espinoza
Mom of 5 (ages 2, 4, 6, 8, 10)
"Maria has been a tremendous blessing to our family in our homeschool journey, and we feel extremely fortunate to have had her help and support us all along or else we would not still be homeschooling. From the very beginning, she has helped us navigate through this whole new world we knew nothing about when we first considered homeschooling. Followed by a thorough interview, Maria was able to help us figure out what we needed as a family. She guided us through the different options that best suited us in our particular circumstances, and pointed us in the right direction for a successful and joyful homeschool journey. One of the things that most impresses me about Maria is her broad knowledge in all the educational resources and how she is very quickly able to read a child’s personality, strengths,and weaknesses and is capable of recommending a good and aligned strategy for that particular child. Apart from her educational skills, I can point out countless virtues that accompany Maria that make her an invaluable counselor. It is her impeccable attention to detail, her organization skills, her professionalism, her love for teaching, her energy, her enthusiasm… and I could go on. We have been homeschooling for over two years now and we can see the growth of our children academically and spiritually. We are now watching them flourish and we can observe an increase in confidence in many aspects as well as an increase of their love of learning and their love for God. We couldn’t be more grateful to all what Maria has taught us and has done for us, and we would wholeheartedly recommend Lawas Academy!"
- Maureen Amador
Mom of 5 (ages 1, 3, 8, 9, 13)
"Maria puts in a lot of work keeping the children engaged and motivated. As my daughter puts it, she makes the classes "super fun!" She is able to adjust the classes to "meet each child where they are." Despite the children being spread across different grades and levels of proficiency she is able to assess each child's learning needs tailor the lessons and still maintain the group learning set-up. My daughter loves learning with her friends and it is wonderful to see the children learn from each other. Because they are learning in a group setting they are able to learn from each other, not just learn with peers of the same grade level but really be challenged to learn from both older and younger members of their class. Maria also keeps them motivated and is able to give recognition to students who are exceling. This is particularly rewarding for my daughter who is the only one in school right now and being homeschooled she has little to no experience of being rewarded or recognized. In the times she has been recognized in class I noticed that her confidence and self esteem really improved and she is more motivated to improve and be better."
- Arlene Manuel
Mom of 2 (age 1, 8)
"I had a great consultation with Maria to learn more about homeschooling. She talked to me about my concerns and goals and explained how I could make it work. I learned about the time commitment (approximately how much time per day and days per year), joining homeschool co-ops with other families, and resources for curriculum. She even gave examples of incorporating education into daily activities, like counting cereal during mealtime and singing songs while driving. She is experienced and knowledgeable about homeschooling and will definitely help!"
- Heather Kretz
Mom of 5 (ages 5, 3, 1)
"Maria asked really good questions and got to know our needs as a family and educational values/styles. This has helped us pick a few options and a path for the next few years. Her qualifications, experience, and research into homeschooling curriculums and styles help a new homeschooling mom tremendously when faced with so many options. This is a great investment and worth your time."
- Nicole La Frazia
Mom of 1 (age 3)
"I have seen a huge improvement in Tali, regarding her social skills and her understanding of Scripture and the Teaching of the Catechism, the Religion class and the debates. She has a more positive attitude about herself and she always has so much to talk about when she gets home. This group has helped her a lot."
- Olga Fuertes
Mom of 1 (age 16)
"I went to Maria for guidance on future pre-k homeschooling for my first born. I'm currently in a co-op that feels too busy and rigid for my two little boys who are under 5. She was empathetic in the daily struggles of the preparation & management of getting to school with little kids. She out laid out the practical steps on how I could make changes for the next school year. They were so helpful! I came out of the appointment more confident in my discernment and also more knowledgeable on how I ease into pre-k with my two little boys."
- Marian Tran
Mom of 2 (age 3, 4)
"I enjoy the Catechism/Religious debate class so much! It really inspires me to grow closer to God and learn more about the Church. I feel more confident about discussing moral matters with non-Catholics. The environment of Sancta Familia is very friendly and God centered. I always look forward to Fridays because of this. Sancta Familia has helped me grow in confidence and love for God."
"The Sewing classes are very clear and I have learned so much just from a few classes! I look forward to them every week and I appreciate Mrs. Lawas spending time to teach me a skill I have always wanted to learn."
"The Sewing classes are very clear and I have learned so much just from a few classes! I look forward to them every week and I appreciate Mrs. Lawas spending time to teach me a skill I have always wanted to learn."
- Tali Fuertes
10th Grade, Seton