Innovations Academy serves K-8th grade students from the greater San Diego community at our tuition-free public charter school. Here are ten great reasons why children thrive at our community-centered school:
1. Building a Foundation for a Bright Future
From kindergarten through 8th grade, Innovations Academy students engage in high-quality academics and character development aimed at growing the whole child. Our curriculum is authentic and relevant, and meets or exceeds California Learning Standards.
2. Small School
At Innovations Academy, everyone knows your child’s name and cares about their success. Every student has support from teachers– we get to know each student as an individual and nurture strengths and areas of improvement. We make daily connections and assessments of our students’ needs using positive discipline, where kids are treated with respect and encouraged to solve problems on their own.
3. Project-Based Learning
We are passionate about inquiry-based, project-based learning (PBL) at Innovations Academy. Students are active participants in their learning process and are able to connect ideas and concepts together in hands-on and engaging ways. PBL gives students real-world skills based on interactive collaboration and autonomy. Students are encouraged to move at their own pace through inquiry-based learning strategies.
4. Explore the Arts
At our tuition-free public K-8 school, we believe arts are an essential part of developing the whole child. Arts are explored not only as a core subject but also as an integral part of our learning. Our Explorations teachers collaborate with classroom teachers to provide a rich variety of instruction in the arts. Students are encouraged to express their learning through movie making, documentary filming, website design, vlogging, painting, drawing, animation, graphic design, ceramics, music production, reader’s theater, theater production, improvisation and more.
5. Parents as Partners
We value families and the important role they play in a students’ education. Parenting is the most important job anyone will ever do! Parents are welcome on our campus at all times because we know the parent-to-school connection supports student learning. We share what is happening at school –and how families can support their child’s studies at home– through a newsletter and social media and of course parents are encouraged to talk to us at any point
6. Social-emotional Learning
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is at the heart of everything we do at Innovations Academy. While we stress high academic excellence, we believe it’s vital to help students develop skills like social awareness, personal responsibility, regulation of emotions, and self-awareness early so they can use these ideas as they grow. SEL works in tandem with our hands-on learning approach which requires students to research, collaborate, use a problem-solving approach and create solutions.
7. Play Spaces
From running around our shady “backyard” with sports courts and a fantastical rope climbing play structure, to running around our stage where we perform theatre productions, we value space to play and learn. We have art rooms and science labs for a variety of experiments. Our middle school students use our cafe to test out working on their own– a fun, playful way to learn autonomy and independence.
8. Our Values
At our small K-8 school, we provide a safe space for our students to grow, take appropriate risks, and gain confidence in themselves. Students and teachers focus on making connections, learning conflict resolution and exploring problem-solving ideas. Our students learn how to think, not what to think.
9. High Academic Standards
We provide a well-rounded, purposeful education that includes high-quality academics and a lot of enrichment. We prepare our students for their best future with strong STEM classes, arts, Spanish, and nature-based studies. Our academic program gives students the tools and choices they need to build, investigate, and inquire. Critical thinking thrives here (see #8)!
10. Community is Everything
We know our community is our greatest asset. We gratefully lean on our community to go the extra mile for our students: from an active IA Parent Connection to community events like when our students formally exhibit their work and projects. United in the flexibility of a structured community, we love sharing how to think about learning, together.
Interested in how we can help build a strong foundation for your child? Find out more about Innovations Academy and enroll today!
About Innovations Academy:
Innovations Academy is a tuition-free public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in San Diego, California. Our small school values a hands-on, inquiry-based education with high academic standards using self-expression, compassionate connection, and purposeful learning. Our new modern campus is intentionally designed with curiosity and exploration in mind. Join our innovative school today!