Welcome to the Burlington Campus

Dear Dragon Family,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! As your principal, it is my honor to serve and co-lead our school alongside our dedicated staff, supportive families, and amazing students. This is a big responsibility, and I am confident we are ready to take on this challenge together. Founded over 20 years ago, our school has a proud tradition of preparing young children for success in our dual-language program. We believe that all children can learn and achieve at the highest levels, regardless of their background or zip code. Our teachers and staff continuously reflect, learn, and collaborate to create an environment that challenges, supports, and engages our students and their families.

This year, more than ever, I need you to be actively involved in your child’s education. Our top priority is to ensure that every child becomes an avid reader, as this is a key predictor of their future success in college and careers. To support this goal, I ask families to make sure their child always has at least one book to read at home and that they are reading for at least 20 minutes every day.

Our second goal this year is to cultivate a community that is welcoming, respectful, and compassionate towards one another. We are dedicated to supporting our students in embodying the PODER values: persistence, ownership, desire, empowerment, and respect for oneself and others. These values form the foundation for lifelong success and call for us to embrace diversity and inclusivity, showing respect and acceptance for all, despite our differences.

Our commitment to our students and families is to continually strive for excellence for all students.

Sí se puede!

Juliana Santos

Principal

About Burlington

The Burlington Campus is part of the Camino Nuevo Charter Academy network, a community of high-performing public schools that prepares and empowers students for success in college and life.

Our K-8 school serves the children and families of the greater MacArthur Park area in Los Angeles and was recently ranked a top school for raising student achievement and closing the opportunity gap for Latino students. Our comprehensive approach integrates academic rigor, community, family, and wellness supports to empower students to thrive in a culturally connected and changing world. Learn more about our approach.

Our mission is to educate students in a college preparatory program to be literate, critical thinkers, and independent problem solvers who are agents of social justice with sensitivity toward the world around them.

You can access our most current charter renewal petition and other documents by clicking here.

Burlington in Action

Leadership

Juliana Santos Principal	Juliana Santos is a dedicated educator and principal at the Burlington Campus. Mrs. Santos holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Additionally, she holds a Masters degree in Elementary/Bilingual Education and an Administrative credential from Loyola Marymount University. Mrs. Santos joined Camino Nuevo in 2005 as a third-grade teacher. During this time, she honed her expertise in bilingual education and developed a deep understanding of the unique needs of low-income, immigrant children. In 2014, Mrs. Santos made a transition from the classroom to administration, allowing her to utilize her expertise and experience as an educator in a different capacity. As principal, Mrs. Santos’s role is to provide leadership, manage the school's operations, support and evaluate teachers, ensure a positive learning environment, engage with parents and the community, and promote student success and achievement through effective educational practices. Mrs. Santos’s educational background, combined with her passion for equity and social justice, enables her to improve academic achievement, and build the capacity of her teaching staff. Her personal experiences as an immigrant and fluency in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, brings a unique advantage to her role as an educator and principal, allowing meaningful connections with diverse students, families, and staff members. This cultural and language proficiency contributes to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment where all individuals can thrive. Mrs. Santos firmly believes in the transformative power of education and strives to empower her students and staff to pursue their dreams, ensuring that college and career success becomes a tangible possibility in their lives.
Elizabeth Rodriguez Assistant Principal of Instruction	As the Assistant Principal of Instruction, Elizabeth Rodriguez was born in Torrance, Ca. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies from UC Riverside and a Cleared California Multiple Subject Credential with a BCLAD from Cal State Northridge. Elizabeth also has her Master’s degree in Education with a certification in Early Childhood Development. She then went on to attend Loyola Marymount to receive a certificate in teaching Academic Spanish K-12 and later received an Administrative Credential. Elizabeth Rodriguez is responsible for teacher coaching, using data to make instructional decisions, monitoring student academic progress, and supporting our Dual Language Program as well as the English Language Development program. Ms. Rodriguez joined Camino Nuevo Burlington in 2019 and taught second grade for 3 years before her transition to Assistant Principal. Before teaching at CNCA, Ms. Rodriguez taught Kindergarten, 1st grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade in a dual language program in her 15 years of teaching experience. She has a strong background and knowledge of bilingual education, early childhood development, curriculum planning, and collaborating with families. Her professional and personal mission is to empower families in advocating for students to be global citizens, innovative learners, and receive equitable education for all.
Diego Ramirez Principal of Instruction	Diego Ramirez was born in Nayarit, Mexico, and at a young age, he immigrated to the United States. He graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Chicano Studies. He received his Master's in Urban Education with an emphasis in Policy and Administration from Loyola Marymount University. He began his career at Camino Nuevo Burlington in 2019 as an 8th-grade Humanities teacher. As a teacher, Mr. Ramirez created strong relationships with his students and pushed them to achieve academic success. During his five years at Burlington, Mr. Ramirez took on many roles and developed his instructional capacity as a literacy teacher. He served on the school's instructional leadership team, culture task force, and most recently in a role as a 4th-8th grade literacy coach. In addition, he worked across the district facilitating cross-site literacy PDs and leading 6th-8th grade cross-site PLCs. As assistant principal of instruction, his role is to monitor student data and support teachers in the preparation of high-quality instruction for all students. In addition, he supports teachers in maintaining strong learning environments that allow students to learn effectively. His vision is to foster a love for learning within all students and push them to become independent, critical thinkers who go on to succeed in their chosen life paths.
Juan Carlos Ramirez Assistant Principal of Student Supports	Juan Carlos Ramirez has worked in charter education for the past 13 years starting as a classroom teacher in 2010 and taking on roles such as Dean of Student Affairs, Founding Connector/Community Liaison, Assistant Principal, Principal and Director of Special Education at different charter organizations. Over the past few years, he has worked with Camino Nuevo as interim Assistant Principal of Student Supports and Assistant Principal of Instruction during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Juan Carlos graduated from California State University Dominguez Hills with a Bachelor’s of Science double majoring in History and Chicano Studies. He received his Master in Education; multiple subjects at the University of Phoenix and getting his administrative credential from the CASLA (Charter and Autonomous School Leadership) program at CSU Dominguez Hills. Juan Carlos’ passion lies in his ability to hone in on what students need which at times can be basic needs. His ability to build strong relationships with students to ensure they are able to engage in rigorous instruction. As Assistant Principal of Student Supports, he hopes to ensure that students become self-empowered to master their unique challenges and achieve whatever goal they set for themselves. Mr. Ramirez is married and a father of two beautiful daughters Sophie (14) and Penelope (8) who attend local charter schools. In his free time, he loves playing video games, attending LAFC matches, and spending quality time at home.
Jazmin Romero Student and Family Coordinator	Presently, Ms. Romero is Burligton’s Student and Family Coordinator which helps support families and students. In her role, she provides opportunities to have families feel connected to the school and their children’s education through parent workshops, resources, and finds opportunities for families to grow as leaders. Ms. Romero is originally from Santa Ana, where she graduated from Godinez Fundamental High School in 2013. Jazmin attended California State University-Dominguez Hills and majored in Human Services. Through her major, she began an internship through Jumpstart where she began her journey in education. After graduating in 2018, Ms. Jazmin was a family advocate for a head start program where she was able to enroll children and help support families. Through her organization, she was able to complete her Masters in Pacific Oaks and earned her title in Human Development in Leadership and Education. After completing her Masters Ms. Jazmin got the opportunity to work as an education specialist for foster youths. Over the last 10 years, Ms. Jazmin has been part of education and serving low families for a better future. One of her greatest joys is being able to help families and students achieve their goals and set them up for success.
Yasmin Varela School Operations Manager	Congratulations to Ms. Varela on completing her first year as Burlington's School Operations Manager! As an Operations Manager, Ms. Varela is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the office, addressing any immediate facility-related issues that arise, coordinating logistics and support for school activities, managing human resources functions for all staff members, and implementing and overseeing safety protocols to protect our students, staff, and families.
Bryan Fuentes Special Education Compliance Coordinator	Bryan Fuentes grew up in East Hollywood, CA, where he developed a passion for education from a young age. His early experiences volunteering at LAs Best, the public library, and tutoring in his community solidified his desire to pursue a career in education. Bryan double majored at UCLA, earning degrees in History and Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. With three years of experience as an RSP Teacher at Camino Nuevo, Bryan has dedicated his career to supporting students with special needs. His commitment to ensuring compliance with special education regulations has been a driving force in his professional journey. As the Special Education Compliance Coordinator, Bryan ensures that all special education programs and services meet federal and state regulations, providing essential support to both students and staff.