Our School

Innovations is now full for quarter 4. Application for the 23-24 school year will be made available in mid April.  

Innovations is a districtwide program. Any high school student in the district may apply.

Mission:

Innovations Academy was created to provide students a different pathway to completing their graduation requirements. Our goal is to create a community that meets the educational needs and unique learning styles of our students and re-engages students through a personalized approach to learning.

What Innovations offers our students:

• Small class sizes (20:1 student: teacher ratio)
• Self-paced classes
• Blended learning model (blend of online and face-to-face learning experiences)
• Credit recovery options
• Social/emotional supports
• Student choice in content delivery and assessment
• Individual weekly meeting with mentor teacher for student reflection and goal setting
• Involvement in community-based projects, life skills lessons and wellness practices 

Innovations Hours:

For the 2022-2023 school year Innovations will follow the same schedule as Lathrop High School. 

Mentor Meetings:

Each student is assigned a mentor teacher at Innovations Academy who they are required to meet with weekly. Mentor teachers work with students on setting daily and weekly goals and working through barriers to learning. Mentor teachers communicate regularly with parents/guardians.

What to Expect:

• Students will meet in their scheduled classes throughout the week. Students must follow their set schedule.
• Focus of course content will be on competency: classes are self-paced, but students must make steady progress to remain in the program.
• A variety of learning methods will be used including digital coursework, small group work, team work, and individualized instruction.
• There is no daily homework (students can take work home if they wish to work at a faster pace).
• No zeroes are entered in the gradebook.
• Assignments and attendance will be entered in Powerschool so that students and families can be continually informed of progress.
• Students have opportunity to complete classes at an accelerated pace by working diligently and demonstrating mastery of key course competencies.
• Each student is assigned a mentor teacher. At weekly mentor meetings mentors help students set learning goals and reflect on course progress.
• There are limited elective options available through Innovations. There is opportunity for accessing Lathrop or eLearning electives on a case by case basis.
• All students will be assigned a Chromebook to use for online portions of instruction.
• Innovations classrooms will be cell phone free zones. Students will be expected to keep phones in their lockers during class time.

 How do I get into the program?

Innovations caps their enrollment at 80 students each year. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors will be considered first for the program. We generally do not start freshmen in Innovations but realize there are unique circumstances. The application for the 23-24 school year will be made available in mid-April. 

 Questions? Call Lathrop and speak with a counselor, Principal Sween, or Asst. Principal Kang.