Samueli Academy

Mission: To ignite the passion within all students to reach their greatest potential through a nurturing and innovative learning environment.

Vision: To foster a safe, passion-driven community where Samueli students develop creativity, musicianship, and connections that prepare them for lifelong artistic growth and future opportunities in the music industry.

Values:
• Every student has the ability to learn a musical skill.
• Every student’s background, culture, and traditions deserve respect and honor.
• Being a good music appreciator is just as important as being a good music maker.
• Music making involves the whole person, mind, body, and soul.
• Who students become is more important than what they do.
• Music is a viable and sustainable career essential to a thriving society.

The Performing Arts program at Samueli Academy offers a dynamic and immersive experience, engaging students in nine unique courses alongside vibrant after-school Theater and AV clubs. With three choirs and three instrumental ensembles, students refine their musicianship while performing in four major concerts each year: the Fall Coffee House (September), Winter Concert (December), Spring Concert (March/April), and POPS Concert (May).

Beyond performance, our curriculum includes non-performance courses in Music History, Appreciation, Musicianship, and Music Careers, giving students a deeper understanding of the industry. The Music of Theater class explores the history and modern landscape of musical theater, allowing students to engage in hands-on projects—including writing and staging their own original shows.

Our music program extends far beyond the classroom, offering authentic, engaging field trips that connect students to the professional world. Students perform at Disneyland, visit recording studios, tour and perform at the Museum of Making Music, explore the Grammy Museum, and participate in college visits to gain insight into careers in music and the performing arts.

We also bring the industry to our students through guest speakers, professional musicians, and industry experts who push into classes to perform, lead workshops, and provide real-world feedback on student work. These opportunities help students develop both their craft and their confidence in a professional setting.

From singers and instrumentalists to actors, dancers, and behind-the-scenes creatives, the Performing Arts program at Samueli Academy provides students with the skills, experiences, and connections to thrive. Whether on stage, in the studio, or behind the curtain, our students develop as artists, storytellers, and confident performers, ready to share their talents with the world.

Students who are involved on campus after school also perform better academically during the school day. Samueli Academy’s after-school program, developed in partnership with CaliCoast Educational Services, offers middle school students a dynamic and enriching extension of their school day. Rooted in a commitment to hands-on learning, academic growth, and holistic development, the program creates a structured, supportive environment where students can thrive both academically and socially. By blending engaging enrichment activities with targeted academic support, we aim to spark curiosity, build confidence, and nurture each student’s unique potential.

Key components of the program include:
• Academic Support & Mentorship: We collaborate closely with Samueli Academy teachers to align our academic support with classroom learning. Students receive targeted help, mentorship, and homework assistance to reinforce their understanding and improve performance.
• SHTEAM Enrichment: Our hands-on projects integrate Science, History, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, encouraging creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving through fun and engaging activities.
• Student Progress Monitoring: We regularly track and report student attendance, academic progress, and behavioral development. Our team maintains open communication with parents and caregivers to keep them informed and engaged.
• Safe & Supervised Environment: We provide a secure, structured space where students can learn and grow after school. Our program includes an efficient check-in and pick-up system to ensure students are always accounted for and safe.

It has always been a priority to care for our students holistically, both in and out of the classroom, including both their academic and social-emotional needs. We provide wrap-around services typically unavailable in most schools, such as mentoring, college scholarships, tutoring, and a Social Emotional Support Team, including a School Psychologist, a Social Emotional Counselor, the school's leadership team, and the Youth Connected Program.

The students and families that the Samueli Academy serves often live in communities and households with traditionally limited or even hindered access to private practice and community-based mental and behavioral health care providers. Some student families face challenges with medical insurance coverage, copay costs, transportation, and time allowances due to employment when attempting access, and some seek guidance on locating quality resources and services for their child. A school-based program for mental and behavioral wellness services and resources is critical for the students at the Samueli Academy and fills a community need by offering services and referrals to a broader community network.

All students at the Samueli Academy benefit from school-based social-emotional support services and resources. Samueli Academy has employed a full-time credentialed school psychologist. This staff professional works with students in support groups, counsels students individually, works with families, and provides education and curriculum resources for teachers and administrators. The school psychologist also links students and families with community mental and behavioral health providers to establish a school-family-community continuum of care to promote students’ social-emotional development, a critical factor in academic success. The incumbent in this position has partnered with Care Solace, an online 24/7 resource that connects families with community-based therapists and mental health practitioners in their language. The school psychologist also leads the Mental Health Support Team which meets monthly to monitor individual students identified as being in need of early intervention and support services to assess and monitor the impact of mental health services provided.

Our program model offers an ongoing continuum of school mental health care through a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) that serves youth at their given stage of social-emotional development depending on the student's and family's needs. The MTSS includes (1) early screenings, interventions, and prevention education for all students; (2) targeted school interventions with community support for students displaying challenging social-emotional behavior; and (3) intensive and coordinated school-family-community interventions for students with specialized social-emotional developmental needs.

A multitiered system of support (MTSS) is key to the framework of mental health support services at Samueli Academy. An MTSS benefits students by engaging all students in mental health care, self-care, and awareness at the appropriate level of intervention. At the general education level, or Tier 1, all students work with the school psychologist to conduct early screening for mental and behavioral health concerns and learn basic strategies for successful social-emotional development. The school psychologist uses general education mental health assessments to enhance prevention education and early screening of students who might fall under Tier 2, “At-risk students,” or Tier 3, “Students with severe/chronic problems.” This system has been built into the existing infrastructure of the school so that mental and behavioral health and wellness are integral to learning at Samueli Academy.

Every student at Samueli Academy participates in a six-year Work Based Learning (WBL) Program that engages and prepares students across grades 7 through 12 for career readiness, provides internship opportunities, and encourages entrepreneurial enterprise. The school employs a full-time Work Based Learning Coordinator who oversees program implementation in coordination with the Head of School and Executive Director. The Coordinator meets with students in groups and one-on-one for career counseling and education; partners with community-based employers to secure internships and invite featured speakers for career readiness workshops; and supports teachers in incorporating the WBL curriculum into everyday classroom instruction.

The WBL Program begins in 7th and 8th grades with career exploration, with students participating in two career exploration or “ignition” conferences featuring workshops with industry leaders and keynote addresses by real-world professionals sharing about their pathways to a fulfilling career.

The WBL Program begins its next phase in grades 9 through 12 with career and workplace tours, applied and practiced professional etiquette and collegiality, internships, and Career Advisory Days. As students understand their own strengths, interests, and their career possibilities, and have begun to engage in professional settings, the WBL Program increases in intensity and application during 11th grade. Students explore internships related to their own interests, interview for them, and complete their own 40-hour internship over the summer between 11th and 12th grades.

The WBL Program culminates in 12th grade with a senior defense of their professional portfolios and engaging in associated life skills for after high school, such as financial literacy and professional networking. This curriculum reinforces project-based learning and helps students to translate their academic success into success in dynamic, real-world, professional settings. Developing these skills builds confident and successful future professionals and contributing members of our community.

WBL Program Activities:
• Career Exploration Tours (4x/year): Students visit different company headquarters for career exploration purposes where our students get to learn more about the industry, day-to-day operations, career pathways, and hear from industry experts about their personal journey.
• Career Ignition Conferences (2x/year): Career experts from different industries host workshops where they share their life/career journey, current profession, average salary, day-to-day schedule, and give our students advice and information that is valuable to their growth in high school.
• Work-Based Learning Workshops: Workshops are provided to all grade levels and designed to sequentially build upon previously learned skills and explorations. 7th-10th grade students attend major workshops designed to develop fundamental skills to support their achievements. Topics include Professional Attire, Organization and Time Management

We partner with Virtual Enterprise International (VEI) to provide seniors with authentic, collaborative, and immersive business and entrepreneurial experiences to develop essential leadership, professional, functional, and core technology skills.
This year-long business simulation begins with a resume, cover letter, and job application. Upon interviewing for a role, students are placed in various departments. Students come up with ideas for a company, including its products or services, and pitch the idea to the class. Once a company is selected, students have the opportunity to work at VEI Trade Shows, setting up a booth and selling their product or service as a representative of their company. They also can compete in competitions related to their business, with awards for business plans, marketing plans, human resources plans, financial plans, and more.
In order to manage their virtual business, students work in departments to manage day-to-day functions, produce key deliverables, assess growth, make decisions, respond to challenges, and participate in a variety of business-related events and activities, in-person, and through VE’s global marketplace.