Academic Philosophy


Normalized

We want your teen to have a true high school experience.

This means talent shows, field trips, proms, dances, & spirit days. It means small classes and individualized attention, as well as modern technology in our classrooms.

Devoted

Our students at Journey Academy are bright individuals, and we believe it’s important to take the time to get to know them and understand who they are.

We create a calm and structured environment that is safe, accepting, and personal.

Connective

Our goal is to help our students expand their capacities to cope in the real world, to grow academically, and to find confidence in their unique expression of who they are.

We help your teen form connections to self, classmates and staff, and the larger community to holistically support them to be healthy and successful individuals in this complex world.

Accountable

Our goal is to help our students expand their capacities to cope in the real world, to grow academically, and to find confidence in their unique expression of who they are.

We help your teen form connections to self, classmates and staff, and the larger community to holistically support them to be healthy and successful individuals in this complex world.

Communicative

We believe conflict is a natural part of human experience. We use NVC conflict resolution and restorative justice circles to help our students navigate conflict and become more skilled at communication to create positive change.

We help your teen form connections to self, others, and the larger community as a path to being a healthy person in this complex world.

College Preparedness

We are a CDE certificated nonpublic school, serving 8th – 12th grades, and we are in the process of becoming a fully WASC accredited school.  We teach to the California state standards, and our instructors are special education credentialed with various areas of expertise.

Our classes have no more than 14 students, allowing for individualized instruction and highly-personal interactions. Classes are staffed by a teacher and instructional assistants.

Each of our students is assigned a Chromebook and iPad. We have a Smart TV for each classroom to maximize the ability for teachers to utilize interactive technology in their instruction. Students also have access to a 3-D printer.

All of our teachers, clinicians, and support staff help students identify emotional triggers and explore what’s going on for them underneath their behaviors. We actively help our students find acceptable replacement behaviors to identify new ways of being in this world that promote success in school and their daily lives.

As members of our learning community, we expect our students to:

  • Use respectful language and actions toward others
  • Problem-solve and seek feedback
  • Be on-time and actively participate
  • Follow teacher and staff directions
  • Adhere to technology protocols

SMAA – Alternative Format Plan Journey Academy 2023