Samueli Academy Outreach to Case Workers
June 27, 2017
Dear Case Worker,
If you have a teenager on your caseload currently in grades 7-11, I encourage you to consider Samueli Academy public charter high school for him or her for the 2017-2018 school year. Samueli Academy is becoming widely known for our unique hands-on, project-based learning approach, academic excellence, school culture, and support for students from the foster care system.
»Click here to view our brochure.
Located in Santa Ana, Samueli Academy is a program of Orangewood Foundation. Hopefully, you are aware of the many other programs Orangewood Foundation has for foster youth including mentors, ILP workshops, grants for childhood expenses, college scholarships, and transitional housing.
Samueli Academy is a small school (just 500 students) and open to students from both the foster care system and the general community. We have a 97% daily attendance rate – one of the highest in Orange County. Our students look forward to coming to school! Our students, staff and faculty truly live the school values of Trust, Respect, and Responsibility every day.
Students in foster care receive priority enrollment in Samueli Academy. Plus, we have a dedicated staff person, Sarah Davis, whose sole focus is on our students in care. Sarah has over 16 years of experience working with foster youth. Think of Sarah as an extended resource for you with your youth. Sarah’s support of students in foster care extends beyond the classroom and the campus – to the youth’s home, placement/team meetings, transitional planning, and connecting the youth and the family to resources in the community including other Orangewood programs. Finally, Sarah provides weekly updates and tools to caregivers.
Recently Samueli Academy was named a 2017 Gold Ribbon School by the California Department of Education (CDE). We are one of only 13 high schools in Orange County to receive the award. According to the CDE, “These schools represent examples of not just excellent teaching, learning, and collaborating, but also highly successful school climate efforts, ranging from real time conflict resolution to positive behavior intervention.” You can read more here.
After four years of operations, we had our first graduation ceremony earlier this month. We had a graduation rate of 98%. Our seniors have been accepted to colleges and universities throughout the United States including USC, UCLA, CSUF, UCI, Carnegie Mellon and more. A few have decided to serve our country in the military or have opted to take a gap year.
To see if our school is a good fit for your youth, please contact us to schedule a tour to learn more. Call or email Anthony Saba, Head of School, at (714) 619-0245 and ASaba@samueliacademy.org, or Sarah Davis, Student Success Coordinator, at (714) 619-0171 at SDavis@samueliacademy.org.
» Click here to visit the Samueli Academy website.
If you have any questions, please also feel free to email me at BTheemling@orangewoodfoundation.org.
Thanks,
Robert B. Theemling
Chief Program Officer
Orangewood Foundation
Office: (714) 619-0203 | Cell: (949) 836-4067| Fax: (714) 796-2108