HUSD to launch "Freedom Academy of Imperial Valley"

New school will provide Home School and Online High School Options

In a continuing effort to meet the varied needs of the students of Imperial County, the Holtville Unified School District will open a new school this August.

The school, named The Freedom Academy of Imperial Valley will provide students in all grades, K-12 with several pathways to meet their educational needs.

The district has been working on the school for the past two years and the HUSD Board of Trustees approved the formal creation of the new school at their December 2011 meeting. “It’s very important that we provide numerous options for students to be successful,” stated Jon LeDoux, Superintendent. 

The school, which has the official designation as an “Alternative School of Choice” will provide students the following options:

Grades K-12: HOME SCHOOL

This option will provide students and parents the tools they need to successfully complete their school work at home under the direction of the students’ parents.  The Freedom Academy of Imperial Valley will provide all the textbooks, instructional materials and training for parents to be successful. In addition, the school will provide workshops in the areas of math, language arts, foreign languages, fine arts, and other subjects of interest. Field trips, sports days and other activities will also be planned. 

Students who enroll in the Freedom Academy Home School at the elementary or middle school level will also be able to participate in on-campus electives, sports and other activities at either Finley or Holtville Middle Schools.   The school will also provide Academy-based tutoring for those students who need one-on-one or small group help, and will also maintain “drop-off, drop-in” hours where students can come in for enrichment activities or have a quiet place to do their school work while their parents run errands or attend to other activities.

Parents and students will choose which workshops and activities their children will be involved in. Besides the mandatory school work, every activity will be optional. The Academy will support our parents who choose to home school in every way possible; actively listening and addressing the unique needs home school students might have.

Grades 9-12: Online Center-based Schooling

This option will provide Imperial County with its first online/on-campus “hybrid high school”. Students will attend class at the Freedom Academy’s center, where they will have their own designated study area, complete with the technology needed to complete their coursework online. Highly qualified teachers will provide the basis of instruction through outstanding courses delivered through state of the art technology. Every student will have an individualized course of study to ensure they stay on course to graduate.

All students who complete their work through the Academy will meet the University of California’s “A-G” requirements for freshman college admission. This will be accomplished through taking some courses on the Holtville High School campus.  Courses such as “wet-lab” science, visual and performing arts and physical education cannot be completed online to meet A-G requirements so students who need these courses will be allowed to take them on the adjacent high school campus.  Students who choose this option will complete approximately 85% of their coursework online.

Students who attend the Academy under this option will be assigned a highly qualified classroom teacher to support them in their online studies. The student to HUSD teacher ratio will be the same as the other schools in the District, ensuring that each student is provided as much support as necessary to be successful.  Field trips, workshops and student support will be provided to those students who wish to participate.  Additionally, students may take electives at Holtville High School as their schedules allow. These courses will include music, fine arts, business technology, foreign language, agriculture and other classes. Students will also have access to HHS clubs and committees if they choose to participate.

In addition to the online courses at the school, the most unique characteristic is that students will be able to work at their own pace, taking courses in the order that interests them. For example, while a student may take seven courses a semester, he/she may choose to work on each course daily, or, he/she may choose to complete each specific course for the semester before moving on to the next subject.  This allows students to have great flexibility in how they work through their schedule.

“The quality of the programs that we will be offering will be very high,” stated LeDoux. “The courses are rigorous, challenging, and ensure those students who complete the program will feel quite a sense of accomplishment. The program is not for those who believe this is an easier way to get through high school. It is simply a different way, providing an option for those who believe it will work better for their learning style.”

The Holtville Unified School District has a proud tradition of leading with quality programs. This is evidenced by the many choices already available to students, such as our very popular and successful Dual-Immersion program, now in its fourth year at Finley Elementary School.  In addition, HUSD provides two outstanding school options for our junior high aged students; a traditional 6-8^th grade middle school (Holtville Middle School), and a Kindergarten through 8^th grade country school (Pine School).  We are also home to one of the most outstanding Agriculture programs in the state of California at Holtville High School, a California Distinguished School.  The creation of the Freedom Academy of Imperial Valley is simply an extension of our commitment to meeting the many needs of our diverse students.

Parent/student informational meetings will be held in February and March. Students from throughout Imperial County are welcome to attend to see if either one of these programs would work for them.

Game, Set, Unmatched....

On Thursday, January 19th, our Board of Trustees took up an item on their agenda that only took about 30 seconds to pass, but will have an impact for generations to come. The Board took the time to honor one of our own.  In a rare, but fitting tribute to a great educator of yesteryear, the Trustees voted to name the new tennis courts after Madeline Magin, one of the most successful coaches to ever don the Green and Gold.  Coach Magin believed in her kids and in return, those students gave her their all. 

From the Green and Gold Hall of Fame website:

"Holtville High School girls’ tennis coach for 15 years, 1974-1989, winning five consecutive league championships from 1975 to 1979 while losing only two matches to Valley teams in those five seasons. The Viking girls became a highly successful tennis team in the 1970’s with annual runs in the Southern California CIF playoffs. In 1975 they were semi-finalist, in 1976 the team placed second, in 1977 they beat Carpenteria for the SCCIF Championship becoming the only Holtville High School team of any sport to win a 2A title, and in 1978 they were once again a semi-finalist. Madeline was born in Oakland, CA, 1930, and moved to San Diego in 1941 where she graduated from San Diego High School in 1948 and then earned her teaching credential at San Diego State College. In 1955 she began teaching in Holtville’s elementary school district but continued her education and completed her B.S. degree in 1966 and soon after took a teaching position at Holtville’s new Junior High School where she taught physical education and coached all the girls’ sports. In 1974 she took over the girls’ and boys’ tennis teams at the high school but concentrated just on the girls in 1975 and began a tennis dynasty for the Vikings. Madeline retired from teaching in 1991 but continued to be active by singing in the Imperial Valley Master Chorale."

Latest News!

NEWLY REVISED CALENDAR NOW AVAILABLE

Click here for our revised school calendar for this year.

On this calendar you will notice that we now have two days dedicated to staff development on Friday, December 9th and Monday, January 30th.  Please note that while we will not be having school those days (including the ASES afterschool program), all other activities, sports, etc. will take place. Teachers and staff will be at school those days participating in high-quality professional development.

PARENT-LINK ABOUT TO GO LIVE!

ParentLink is a new program for all of our schools in Holtville. This program will allow us to make mass calls to all of our parents to let them know about events at schools, emergencies and/or school closings due to weather. Teachers will also have access to the system to send messages home about upcoming events, missed homework assignment and other messages. After the program launches, you may get a "test" message on your phone. If you have any problems regarding this program, please don't hesitate to ask. In the near future you will be given the option to ask for your updates to be sent via e-mail or text.

This is simply another way for us to keep in contact with you in regards to your children and their progress at school.

FOOD SERVICE UPDATE:

Has your child mentioned to you the changes in our school cafeteria food? Chef Travis and his staff have been adding more fresh fruit and vegetables, leaner cuts of chicken and more of the foods kids love to the menu.

He is just getting started and has many more ideas in store. At the high school we will soon see burrito carts where students can choose what goes in their burritos and choose the sides that they like.

After the Winter Break, you will see even more changes as the high school works toward faster, fresher food service with ready made fresh salads, sandwiches and more. We are also beginning to plan the changes to the food service area, with seating plans and more shade.

FOCUS ON RESULTS IN THE CLASSROOM

Holtville Schools have always been among the top performers in Imperial County. Our teachers are second to none in dedication, knowledge and desire to have their students be top achievers.  To continue to provide the support they need in our ever-changing world, HUSD has hired a full-time Director of Curriculum and Program Improvement. Joy Caesar recently joined our staff and is providing support in those areas of need as identified by the teaching staff, administrators and recent test data.  As always, we are working towards meeting the needs of each and every child's unique way of learning.

Hopefully, you, as parents and community members will take the time to spend some time in our classrooms and schools, helping out and using your expertise as we work towards our goal of 100% of students being proficient in all subjects.

A NOTE OR TWO ON SPORTS

Have you have a chance to see our many sports teams in action this fall?  Our football, volleyball and cross-country teams have provided a great deal of excitement for our community. Please take time to cheer on our Vikings as they work hard to excel. Viking athletics  have always been the pride of our community and this year is no exception. We're proud of our kids and appreciate all the adults that mentor and support them.

If you have been to a football game this year, you already appreciate the lighting on the field. Recently we had the thrill of turning on the lights not only at our football field but also on our baseball and softball fields. This is a first in the history of our District.

Up next for the high school:

 We are out to bid on new tennis courts, basketball courts and volleyball courts. Work will begin in early December with a completion date of February 1.

GO VIKINGS!