Full Time & Independent Study Programs
Creative School Solutions for Inquiring Minds
Innovations Academy has : Effective Communication Skills, Engaging Hands On Learning, Project Based Service Learning, and an Explorations Program..
Effective Communication
Positive Discipline, created by Jane Nelsen, is about creating respectful relationships in homes and schools. Learn more about how IA uses Positive Discipline by reading about us in the Voice of San Diego.
The 8toGreat program encourages students to become self-reflective members of our community. This program shows students how to take “Highways” (instead of the low road) to living life fully every day. Some curriculum areas include Gratitude, Full Responsibility, Risks, and Hope.
Our Keys to Success program asks students to inquire into what makes a successful student and community member. This program encourages students to participate in behaviors that make for a successful learning environment, such as making eye contact, full listening, leaving our environment better than how we found it, and saying please and thank you.
Compassionate Communication enables students to speak their feelings and needs while making requests. Students learn why empathy is so important for themselves and for others. This program is a powerful way to make students feel heard as well as empowering them to discover their own voice.
The Responsive Classroom is an approach to teaching that emphasizes social, emotional, and academic growth in a strong and safe school community. Taught by teachers at the Northeast Foundation, it is based on the premise that children learn best when they have both academic and social-emotional skills.
Engaging Hands On Learning
Innovations Academy uses a constructivist learning approach where students collaborate to learn subject matter. Constructivism views each learner as a unique individual with unique needs and backgrounds. The learner is also seen as complex and multidimensional. We encourage, utilize and reward this uniqueness as an integral part of the learning process. Students are actively engaged in exploring content areas and developing skills through a hands on approach that incorporates individual time, small group time and centers. Exploring, building and doing allow students to work at levels that challenge them as individuals. We emphasize the importance of the learner being actively involved in the learning process by utilizing a variety of curriculum and providing many choices for learning. .
Read more about Constructivist Learning Theory.
Project Based Service Learning
Be a difference maker. Students work collaboratively to create projects that make an impact. Students think both locally and globally while designing their projects around essential questions that are relevant and challenging. Our upper graders put on a Wax Museum fair to showcase the historians and scientists they learned about to our lower grade classrooms. Everyone benefited from the learning. Globally, our students contribute to others through fundraising for charities and bringing their skills to the community. Our 1st graders, while learning about nutrition and the mathematics of cooking, are baking cakes to bring to Children's Hospital. Our students leave school with pride knowing that each day they are contributing members of society.
Explorations Program
Innovations Academy engages local experts to help our children develop skills and explore what professionals do in our world.. Often this fun and hands on learning is left to after school programs. We’ve brought these programs here because we value the arts, sciences, physical education, and many other areas that excite all of us.
Full time and Independent Study Options
Full Time:
80% of our student population participates in our traditional-schedule full time program. Full time students attend Monday through Friday all day. We have a half day Wednesday. With Project Based Learning, Community Partnerships, Multi-Age Mentoring, and Communication Building they are busy and engaged.
3 Day Option
We also offer a 3 day program for K - 8 students on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for families who would like to continue to homeschool but would also like to have their child(ren) participate in a typical school classroom. Students integrate into a regular classroom three days a week and are responsible for their own learning off-site the other two days. Many 3 day students find this to be a nice blend of school with homeschooling.
2 Day Option
IA also offers a special 2 day program on Tuesdays and Thursday for home learners in K - 2nd and 2nd - 8th grade who want to participate in project-based learning with a supportive home learning community. Our 2-Day students have their own multi-age classroom on site with a unique schedule specifically designed to meet their needs.
Homeschooled children join their peers to create a community of learners. They will choose optional centers to create art, sculpt clay, play math games, tell stories and build structures, approaching different skills such as language arts, math, art, logic, fine motor skills, etc., in a fun and educational way. We will also come together as a group to listen to books, experiment with science, do yoga, work on projects, sing, dance, and play. We will share what we are learning at home and investigate the world together. Student and parent input will guide the direction the class will take.For info on the K - 2 program, click here. For more info on the 2 - 6 program, click here.
The Home Learning Community blog is kept here.
Some of the features of the Home Learning Community:
1. Consult monthly with a credentialed teacher to make a customized, holistic learning plan
2. Engage in group-learning activities in math, science, art, the outdoors, and more
3. Take monthly field trips
4. Build listening and communication skills
5. Share home projects with the group and receive constructive feedback
6. Provide input and suggestions about group activities
7. Participate for free in IA's Explorations Program (puppetry, art, movement, capoeira, etc.)
Before and After School Program
Innovations Extended Care Program is dedicated to creating a fun and creative environment that will inspire students to learn new skills, make new friends, and enjoy being a kid! For more information download our Extended Care Handbook.
A few facts about Extended Care:
1. Before Care begins at 7:00am and After Care ends at 6:00pm.
2. Student/Staff ratio of 20:1.
3. Use of Positive Behavior Management just like during the school day.
4. Reasonable pricing at $5/hr. See attached doc for pricing, drop ins are allowed.
Please contact Donna for more information or fill out a participation form.
