12/8/22

Dear IVA High Families: 

There is so much to be thankful for!

We enjoyed seeing many of you at our Exhibition of Learning last month. Our students were glowing with excitement to engage learning with each of you at an elevated level. Please see the event recap below. 

This year we had 100% participation in our Fall student-led conferences! Thank you for partnering with us to celebrate your child's growth and success. Our survey results continue to show your confidence in our teachers, educational program, communications, and culture of IVA High at rates higher than even parents who pay tuition at private schools! Check out the details below.

We have begun two University partnerships.
USC: Researchers will be examining how our model of education fosters tenacity and autonomy, specifically in the context of mathematics. Our invitation comes on the heels of a 4-year, $450,000 study by USC. completed this year that found our students grew both academically and socially significantly beyond peer students because of our teachers' unique instructional approach. 

NYU: Researchers will be looking at ways to develop student knowledge about suicide prevention and mental health through creativity, critical thinking and project-based digital media.

We are also partnering with several small middle schools to educate youth about our program as an alternative to large, public schools. Please share your stories and our website/social media with your family, friends, and neighbors to support us in building a connected community. 

Thank you for your partnership, 

Summer Sanders

Head of School
 

Exhibition of Learning

Museum of Forgotten History

#tellOURstories

For Modern American History's exhibit, students served as tour guides and guided our community through the museum's artifacts of untold stories throughout history. The artifacts that student created aimed to show living realities, important historical figures, as well as any discrimination and/or equality successes of a specific minority demographic.

Murder Mystery Case File

#IVAHSforensiccasefiles

Throughout the semester, student investigators examined cases studies learning about evidence, inferences, and what makes a "solid" investigation. For EOL, students created their own murder mystery case for community members to solve.

Object & Me: The Stories We Carry

#whatsTHAT

As a training tool to help English 9H students "read people", student authors studied short stories that used imagery and objects that provided insight to characters' personalities and values. The objects we hang on to sometimes mean more than their intended purpose. Students shared their own anecdotes about moments that revealed their true nature and found an object that represents this aspect of their identity. They wrote narrative essays that both tell a descriptive anecdote and provided a reflective commentary about the significance of the moment and object.

Graphic Novel Memoirs

#designingourstories

After reading and analyzing various non-fiction memoirs, in both graphic novel and traditional formats, student authors created their own memoir combining images and text. During EOL, students shared about the writing process and read examples from their analysis and their memoirs to community members. With selected images from various graphic novels, adults engaged in a gallery walk and shared about what ideas and emotions they noticed those panels/images were communicating.

Hall of Reason Obstacle Course

#reasontoescape

For Finite Math's exhibit, our mathematicians guided parents through an obstacle course full of chances to demonstrate mathematical reasoning in different contexts in order to survive the Hall of Reasoning. The obstacles that parents engaged in took the form of puzzles, challenges, and games that tested their reasoning skills.

Intersectional Self-Portrait 

 #IVAHSwhatmakesmeme

Intersectionality gives us frames to see people completely and understand the ways that social pressures can lead to erasure. After building conceptual understanding, student philosophers inventoried their own identities.  Then, using reflection, students narrowed their focus to the most central parts of their identities. Their intersectional self-portrait is a visual representation of their central, complex selves. At EOL, students discussed the process of learning and concepts relevant to the unit (e.g. social identity, intersectionality, erasure).

Community Health Tour Guide

#whoyougonnacall

For this project, students taking physical education/health conducted community research on nutrition, community health events, recreational resources, and health services in the surrounding community. Students evaluate ways to problem solve issues that are present within the community by highlighting different solutions for the community provided by the community. 

IVA High College Fair 

 #explorepossibilities

In preparation for college applications, IVA High seniors envisioned, researched, and made plans for life after school. Students first took an inventory of their interests to discover potential majors or areas of study. Afterward, students practiced looking for information about the universities they were interested in applying to. For EOL, students created poster boards with the information they gathered to share college options with their peers and community members.

Fall 2022 Parent Surveys

We are honored by your feedback, and take well the suggestions for improvement.

The largest area of growth that emerged from the survey is how to spread our reputation to attract more students that would improve club offerings and increase elective options. We appreciate all of your feedback, we appreciate you entrusting us with your child's education. 

For the fifth year in a row, our parents have shared their confidence in the teachers, educational program, communications, and culture of IVA High at rates higher than even parents who pay tuition at private schools. 

Campus Updates

Celebrating Ms. Makenna, School Counselor of the Year!

Yesterday, Ms. Makenna was celebrated at a breakfast hosted by LACOE where she was awarded School Counselor of the Year for the 2021-2022 school year. Please CLICK on the attached video ----->

to see what IVA High staff members and students shared about Ms. Makenna's impact.

School Photos

School photos have arrived! Your student will be sent home this week with school photos if an order was placed prior to Picture Day. If your family did not place a picture order, your student will be sent home with a portrait ID and access code to order photos. If you have any questions, please contact Lifetouch's help center at lifetouch.com/support-us. 

Winter Break

Winter break is almost here! There is no school December 26th - January 6th. Classes will resume on January 9th. Students are encouraged to work on any missing assignments during the break. 

From Our Directors

Host an International Student! 

IVA High is excited to host a foreign exchange student during the spring semester! There are 6 students from the organization Council for Educational Travel who are needing a host family, and would like to attend IVA High. Please read the flyers below to learn about the students! If you are interested in hosting a student or would like more information, please email james.mcgrath@academylongbeach.org. 

Enrollment Update

IVA High is currently enrolling students going into 9th through 12th grade for next school year!

The application deadline for Fall 2023 is February 24th. Families can access our application on our website.

Private tours and shadow dates are available! Please email info@academylongbeach.org if interested in enrollment or a tour.