Academics at New Focus Academy
New Focus Academy uses evidence based practices to help students succeed at learning self-determination. Self-determination, or the ability to guide one’s own life, is the number one goal of education.
TYPICAL ACADEMIC SCHOOL DAY
10:30 School begins
10:35 Reading groups and summarizing
11:05 Math (including budgeting and finances)
11:50 Lunch
12:30 Group Therapy
1:30 Fitness (team sports, strength training, cardio, and student led day)
2:20 Writing (vocabulary and student driven projects) or Science (projects and experiments)
3:10-3:55 Social Science (current events and topics) or Transition Planning (job applications, cooking, money skills, social skills, etc.)
3:55 School ends
Activities and Experiential Learning
Friday: Experiential Learning Days
Two days a month: Outdoor skills and resiliency skills
Two days a month: Community based skills (field trips to colleges, jobs, museums, practice using public transportation, etc.)
Working with Technology
- Students are writing their own novel through a website
- Students are using PowerPoint, Excel, and Word as well as becoming familiar with the Google versions
- Staff monitored use of Chrome Books for school assignments
- Using phones at specific times to search for information (otherwise no phones in classroom)
Project-Based Learning
Where students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Examples:
- In groups students create bridges out of popsicle sticks that can hold 15 pounds
- Debates in groups about current issues and real-world problems
- Students gain their food handlers permit, become CPR certified, and learn customer service
- Students write their own resumes and cover letters then present to their peers
- Students choose recipes, are given a budget to purchase items needed, then practice making the meal, and finally teach others what they learned
Let’s start planning your child’s successful future.
What sets NFA apart from other programs with similar student populations and academics?
Life Skills Focus for learning
At New Focus Academy students will be able to receive valuable credentials like food handlers permit and first aid certification. We incorporate transitional planning to help students start to plan for the future that they want.
Students are challenged in a few ways to help them learn about a work environment. Our students learn new coping skills that are acceptable in the workplace as well as learn to work together and problem solve social issues that might come up in a workplace or adult living situation.
Another way that New Focus Academy helps students prepare for independence is by conducting budgeting and meal planning activities to talk about dating and friendships in a nonthreatening academic way. Our students are given opportunities to volunteer in the community so they can learn valuable social skills in various situations.
Credit Recovery and Diploma provided
- Small class sizes.
- Licensed Special Education teachers.
- Individualized Education plans
- Utah Common Core Curriculum through the Essential Elements.
- Social and emotional learning curriculum.
- Focus on job skills and independent living.
- Focus on learn self determination and problem solving.
- Opportunities for community and work based learning through internships and part time jobs.
- Credit Recovery available through BYU independent high school.
- Project based learning with individualized assignments targeted at the students specific abilities within the subject.